Chapter 587: Humiliating Akai? You Wish!
Chapter 587: Humiliating Akai? You Wish!
At the Contestants' Village.
"It seems like Teacher Jinghe is in high spirits," Akai observed, noticing Jinghe's beaming expression as he returned.
"After all, he won the championship at the Young Master World Championship. This year's competition had the highest value and prestige of all previous tournaments," Aoryoku commented, offering his own interpretation.
Akai nodded thoughtfully, considering the future when he would be eligible to participate in the championship and wondering about the caliber of competitors in his batch.
One thing was certain—when that time came, Aoryoku would undoubtedly be among his rivals.
"Hmm? You two..." Jinghe noticed Aoryoku and Akai standing at the entrance, with Dr. Daimu behind them.
Akai, with a determined look on his face, held out a Poke Ball and solemnly said, "Please accept my challenge, Teacher Jinghe!"
"And me!" Aoryoku also produced a Poke Ball.
Jinghe then recalled that these two youngsters had challenged him during the tournament, but he had brushed it off.
Little did he expect that as soon as the tournament ended, they would eagerly seek another battle.
"Hahaha!" Dr. Daimu's laughter filled the air. "Jinghe, they've made you their idol now."
Idol?
Could these two be his idols?
Jinghe could already foresee that accepting their challenge would lead to an endless series of battles. As long as they didn't win once, they would keep coming back for more.
He couldn't help but feel reluctant; he wasn't Satoshi, who could afford to battle occasionally. Constant battles would exhaust his Pokemon, and that was costly.
But it seemed he had already agreed to the challenge.
Should he go easy on them?
Jinghe rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
He couldn't possibly send out Gengue to fight them, could he?
They had only just begun their journey; it would be unfair to use such a powerful Pokemon against them.
After a moment's consideration, Jinghe assumed a serious expression and asked, "Are you ready?"
"We are!" they replied in unison, then glanced at each other in surprise before simultaneously making a dismissive sound and turning away.
Their synchronized movements were so in sync that it was hard to believe they weren't related.
"Alright."
At the training grounds behind the Contestants' Village.
"I'll act as the referee for now," Dr. Daimu offered with a cheerful smile.
Not many people knew that Jinghe was about to battle two young challengers, but Da Ye, who lived nearby, had noticed.
"Wu Song, I've got some experience in this. Here's an ice pack for your face; it'll be fine by tomorrow," Da Ye said casually, tossing an ice pack to Wu Song from the bench.
Wu Song's cheek twitched, but he accepted it.
"And who are these two kids?" Da Ye asked.
"I think they're fans of Teacher Jinghe, and he seems to have high hopes for them," Wu Song replied, placing the ice pack on his face and grimacing.
"Is Teacher Jinghe going to mentor them?" Dagu, having noticed the commotion, joined them at the training grounds.
"It seems so."
As a well-known teacher, Jinghe was indeed dedicated to his role.
Despite being the Young Master World Championship winner, he showed no arrogance and had the potential to become a regional champion.
"They seem to be from the Kanto region, judging by their relationship with Dr. Daimu," Ado surmised.
Jinghe's interest in them indicated that they were promising young trainers.
Ado couldn't help but take them more seriously.
"Each trainer can use one Pokemon, and the battle ends when one Pokemon is unable to continue fighting," Dr. Daimu explained the battle rules briefly.
In reality, trainers often didn't need to state the rules before a battle.
Just like card players who start drawing cards with a mere glance, trainers would initiate battles with a simple exchange of looks.
"I'll go first!" Akai declared enthusiastically, eager to start.
Aoryoku, with his hands in his pockets, stood aside, showing no intention of competing with Akai.
This was a perfect opportunity for Akai to test the waters while Aoryoku observed Jinghe's Pokemon's condition, attitude, and tactics.
When it came to battles, Aoryoku was more rational than Akai.
"Okay," Jinghe smiled and nodded, standing by the battlefield.
It was also a chance to assess Akai and Aoryoku's current combat skills.
As the more experienced trainer, Jinghe released his Pokemon first, throwing out a Poke Ball.
"Go, Yuki!"
"Yuki, Yuki!"
A red light flashed, and Yuki, clad in a dark green shell, appeared on the field, looking excited and even slightly agitated.
Indeed, for such an "important" challenge, it's time for me to make an entrance!
Youkilasa stood with his hands on his hips, waving to Akai across the field.
"Yo!"
Come on, let's go, young man!
As for Jinghe's summoned Pokemon, Youkilasa, everyone except for Akai felt that there was no issue.
Only Akai, who actually wanted to challenge Jinghe's Genggui the most.
After defeating Youkilasa, he could challenge Genggui again. Akai thought to himself.
At the same time, he also took out a Poke Ball.
"Go, Bulbasaur!"
"Da Na!"
A Pokemon resembling a frog standing on four legs with a bright green garlic-shaped (strikethrough) seed on its back appeared in the arena.
Bulbasaur!
Nicknamed the "Garlic King Toad"!
A Grass and Poison-type Pokemon, one of the Kanto region's starter Pokemon, Akai's Bulbasaur was clearly from Dr. Daimu.
"Grass-type? A quadruple advantage over Youkilasa, seems like he's learned the basics of type advantages well." Wu Song commented.
After all, Akai wasn't Satoshi, and his foundation in these aspects was much stronger than Satoshi's.
Although he could be reckless at times, he at least had the confidence to be so.
"What a pity," Da Ye shook his head.
Everyone subconsciously looked at him, unsure what he meant by "pity."
"It's a pity that such a young trainer has to face Teacher Jinghe."
Uh...
After a brief moment of confusion, everyone nodded in deep agreement.
Jinghe's Youkilasa, although not in its evolved form, had indeed been on the Master Tournament stage. If they underestimated it...
After both trainers summoned their Pokemon, Dr. Daimu somehow produced two flags, which swiftly descended.
"Battle, begin!"
"Bulbasaur, Leech Seed!"
Facing Jinghe, Akai showed no fear and even took the initiative without hesitation.
"What a formidable aura," Ado praised.
"Da Na!"
Bulbasaur crouched down, aimed the seed on its back at Youkilasa, and fired a seed that landed precisely on Youkilasa.
Success!
Akai and Bulbasaur both showed a hint of excitement.
Upon contact with Youkilasa, the seed quickly took root and sprouted, wrapping around Youkilasa.
Although it couldn't hinder its movement significantly or cause much damage, the seed would continuously absorb energy from Youkilasa and channel it back to Bulbasaur.
"Yo?"
Youkilasa scratched its head, looking down at the vines growing from its abdomen with a puzzled expression.
Is this a bondage play?
Jinghe smiled, "Our Youkilasa has been training to resist Grass-type moves since it was young."
"Youkilasa, Dragon Dance!"
"Yo!"
Hearing Jinghe's command, Youkilasa immediately suppressed its thoughts, growling fiercely as its aura intensified.
Seeing this, Akai shouted, "Bulbasaur, Vine Whip, break it!"
"Da Na!"
Whoosh!
Two dark green vine whips shot out from Bulbasaur's seed, swiftly lashing towards Youkilasa.
"Grab it!"
"Yo!"
Facing the vine whips, Youkilasa neither dodged nor evaded, opening its mouth with an "Arooo" and biting down on one of the whips.
Akai: "???"
How could a Ground and Rock-type Pokemon ignore type advantages like this?
"Da Na!!"
But Bulbasaur felt the pain and cried out.
One-hit-KO!
Youkilasa lifted its foot while still biting the vine, and it seemed to gently stomp down.
Boom!!
The entire ground shook slightly, and a crack formed beneath its foot, quickly spreading towards Bulbasaur.
"Quick, dodge!"
Bulbasaur tried to dodge, but the vine was still in Youkilasa's mouth.
Bang!!!
The powerful Ground-type energy gathered beneath Bulbasaur's feet, exploding with a "Bang" and sending up a cloud of dust.
Ao Ryoku's eyes twitched slightly.
You call that a stomp?
Isn't this Earthquake?
"Bulbasaur!!" Akai shouted.
Amidst the smoke and debris...
"Da, Da Na—!!!"
The sound of Bulbasaur stumbling and falling echoed.
Jinghe's eyebrows arched slightly.
Didn't it get knocked out?
Ado and the others also showed surprise.
After just one move, they could tell the difference in levels between Bulbasaur and Youkilasa.
Akai's Bulbasaur had not evolved yet, as it hadn't reached the required level for evolution.
Jinghe's Youjilasa had also not evolved, but for a different reason—Jinghe had not yet allowed it to evolve.
"Daaana!!!"
Bang!!!
The rock shattered into pieces, and Bulbasaur stumbled out, its body glowing with a vibrant emerald light, its eyes filled with intense focus.
"Don't give up, Bulbasaur!"
The Overgrow Ability activated!
Buzz—
Suddenly, a dazzling white light burst forth from Bulbasaur, and its form visibly changed at a rate perceivable to the naked eye.
Jinghe and Youjilasa paused their movements.
Was this evolution?
They had only been battling for a short while, and Akai's Bulbasaur had evolved?!
Akai's cheeks flushed slightly, his fists clenched, and his eyes sparkled with excitement.
Evolve, Ivysaur!!!
As the white light of evolution faded, what appeared before everyone's eyes was Ivysaur, the evolved form of Bulbasaur, glowing with an even more intense emerald light.
"This little rascal," Da Ye exclaimed with keen interest, "has some potential."
"Well done, Ivysaur! Razor Leaf!"
"Daaana!"
Swish, swish, swish—
With a sudden shake of Ivysaur's body, sharp leaves shot out one after another, flying towards Youjilasa.
Zzzz—
One of the leaves grazed Youjilasa's body, emitting a sound like a blade scraping against a whetstone, and a white mark appeared on Youjilasa's body.
"What?!" Akai's eyes widened in surprise.
This was a Grass-type move, and even after Bulbasaur's evolution into Ivysaur, it had only left a mark on Youjilasa?!
"Yooji!!!"
Feeling the pain, Youjilasa cried out, its eyes now burning with even greater excitement.
It hurts! It hurts!
Now this is getting interesting!
Ivysaur's piercing gaze made Akai's Ivysaur feel a chill down its spine.
Is that guy over there normal?
Jinghe rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
It seemed that Youjilasa's physical defense could still be enhanced further.
The Iron Defense move was quite impressive; he wondered if the little guy could make it a permanent ability.
His thoughts returned to the battle.
"Youjilasa, Stomp!"
Bang!!!
The ground exploded again, this time with a much larger fissure, and Ivysaur couldn't dodge it.
Boom!!!
The ground swallowed Ivysaur whole.
Beside him, Ao Ryoku took a deep breath.
He understood.
Stomp was like Earthquake, and Stomp was like Fissure.
Indeed, during battles, Jinghe often deliberately called out weaker moves.
The fact that Jinghe's Youjilasa knew these two moves indicated that its level was not low, and it indeed had a natural talent for Ground-type moves.
"Ivysaur is unable to battle!" Dr. Daimu declared the result.
In the end, even after evolving, Ivysaur couldn't defeat Youjilasa.
Buzz—
Akai recalled Ivysaur, "You did well."
In this brief encounter, he instantly felt the vast gap between himself and Jinghe.
This was something he could only truly understand after experiencing the battle firsthand, not just by spectating.
Clap, clap, clap—
Da Ye applauded, impressed by Akai's courage to challenge Jinghe and his unwavering determination during the battle.
Given some time, Akai would surely achieve great things.
Clap, clap, clap—
The others also clapped in appreciation.
In this short battle, they could see Akai's potential.
Even in defeat, his fighting spirit didn't diminish; instead, his eyes seemed even more determined, indicating that his future achievements would be remarkable.
"Thank you, Teacher Jinghe," Akai bowed respectfully towards Jinghe.
Jinghe smiled and waved his hand dismissively.
To defeat Akai?
It would be best to do it sooner rather than later.
In their first battle, Bulbasaur had already evolved into Ivysaur.
In the future, Akai's Venusaur would be... quite formidable.
Give him another year, and the difficulty of battling against him would likely skyrocket.
Akai held the Poke Ball, his mind replaying the recent battle.
Youjilasa biting the Vine Whip?
Using its teeth to withstand the damage from the Vine Whip? It was an impressive strategy.
After observing Jinghe's battles for some time and experiencing the recent encounter, Akai gained new insights and perspectives on Pokemon battles.
Sometimes, battles shouldn't be constrained by rigid rules; one must learn to adapt and utilize various conditions and tactics.
He quickly thought of an example.
For instance, rubber could insulate electricity.
(End of Chapter)
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