He knows Pokémon better than me.

The World Championships and the Dojo Challenge are different.

Once you reach the advanced ball level, the opponents matched by the system will almost always be publicly advertised, and their popularity will be comparable to that of gym challenges.

If it's a private match, whether or not to publicize it is entirely up to the individual; all that's needed is for Rotom to record the entire match with a drone as the referee.

Ayaka's personality naturally prevented her from having so many people watching, so she deliberately chose to do it at night when no one was around.

At night, the Strange Arena is like a haunted house, with hardly any gym challengers.

Of course, this was exactly what Onio wanted.

Hearing that Cai Dou wanted to borrow the venue and that there would be no public promotion, she readily agreed.

Soon, the two were standing at opposite ends of the field, ready to go.

"Picc~"

Bictini sat next to Onio, staring wide-eyed with anticipation.

It had already sensed that both sides possessed a strong will to win—

However, Ash had already told it that it shouldn't use the Power of Victory to assist in this kind of competition. Of course, it can absorb it freely.

"The World Championship Senior Ball Ranked Matches are now officially underway!"

Drone Rotom flew to the center and announced loudly:

"The two players facing off are Ash, ranked 96th in the Ultra Ball class, and Bea, ranked 83rd in the Ultra Ball class! Each player can use three Pokémon!"

"Note that you can only use a special battle mechanic once per match, including but not limited to Dynamax, Mega Evolution, Z-Moves, Demon Form, and Crystal Form!"

At the advanced ball level, the rules become significantly more detailed.

Can only one type be used?

Ash frowned. Most trainers only have one way to assist in battle, so it doesn't have much of an impact.

But he has all sorts of flashy things!
However, today, we'll only use Dynamax once at most, so it's not a big problem.

Looking at Ayaka, who was barefoot, wearing a combination of training clothes and competition clothes, and with white knee pads on her feet...
He was serious and rarely smiled, even more so than usual.

The two exchanged a glance, and the next moment, they simultaneously threw out Poké Balls.

boom!boom!
As the red light fell, both players coincidentally chose to start with the "soldier" class.

Ash sent out Sirfetch'd, who stood tall and proud, raising his scallop like a holy sword, his eyes sharp.

Cai Dou's starting lineup is . Line-up Soldier.

Six tiny black spheres covered in golden armor lined up in a row. They had no arms or very short arms, and small round shields attached to their bodies were on either side of them.

The soldiers stood in neat rows, their movements as a single unit, exuding a calm yet imposing aura.

Except for the lead one, which has a longer, sharper horn, the other five are exactly the same and cling tightly together.

"Army in formation?"

Ash blinked. The last time he passed by Battlegrounds, there were quite a few people hunting wild Phantom Troopers.

Like its Sirfetch'd, it is a pure Fighting-type Pokémon.

Advanced ball level, the battle begins!
Without any hesitation, Xiao Zhi preemptively gave the order:

"Let's try this new move first, Sirfetch'd, use the Holy Sword!!"

"Onion drink—!!"

Onion Soldiers raised their onion spears high, and green energy quickly wrapped around them, extending into a sharp blade of light.

He strode forward and then brought his sword down with tremendous force!

Cai Dou did not dodge, but responded calmly:
"Iron Wall!"

"List--!"

The soldiers in formation trembled in unison, their formation instantly spreading out horizontally, their entire bodies enveloped in a silvery-white light, transforming into a solid wall of steel.

Clang! Clang! Clang!
Onion Soldiers unleashed several Holy Sword strikes on the formation, sparks flying and metallic explosions echoing across the empty arena.

However, the arrayed troops were not broken; their formation remained stable. "They haven't breached their defenses?"

Ash's eyes widened slightly, showing a hint of surprise.

Unfortunately, if the characteristics of the Onion Soldier were the same as those of the Green Greatsword Oni, namely "Sharpness", this attack would definitely be enough to break through the defense!
Rainbow Bean's voice followed immediately, delivering a swift and merciless counterattack:
"Our turn! Super Corner Slam!"

The formation changed abruptly.

The soldiers, who had been arranged in a horizontal line, quickly regrouped and formed a straight line again, with the long horns on the head of the "leader" at the very front glowing green.

"List--!!"

With a command from their leader, the entire squad charged forward like a spear!

Formation soldiers are accustomed to teamwork, with the "leader" at the front commanding them to change formations for attack or defense.

The ground trembled as Mega Horn Attack charged forward, and Ash immediately shouted out the same move:

"Iron Wall!"

The Onion Soldier abruptly stopped, lowered his center of gravity, and raised his shield, which was covered with a silvery-white metallic light.

Clang!

The long horns collided head-on, and a piercing metallic clang exploded in front of the Onion Shield!

The soldier was forced to retreat, his feet leaving two deep marks on the ground.

"Onion, drink!!"

With a sudden low growl, it exerted force with its arm and forcefully used its onion shield to knock back the array of soldiers in front of it!

Its onion shield's defensive capabilities are in no way inferior to the golden armor worn by the arrayed soldiers.

The two sides widened the distance again, having gained an understanding of each other's offensive and defensive capabilities.

"Unfortunately, I haven't fully mastered that move yet."

Xiao Zhi sighed with regret.

Now, with Victini's accelerated speed boost, he's becoming bolder with moves he never dared to even think about before.

For example, Aegislash's signature move, King's Shield—

While defending against the opponent's moves, it can also reduce the attack power of targets that come into contact with the shield, making it an "upgraded version of Guard".

It seems that embedding the "Ghost Sword Stone" used to reinforce the city walls into the Onion Shield of the Onion Warrior could give the Onion Warrior a chance to use the King's Shield.

Cai Dou's gaze darkened, and her tone suddenly quickened:

"Use close combat!"

The troops in formation moved again, this time not charging in a straight line, but quickly spreading out.

The leader, accompanied by five henchmen, approached simultaneously from different directions, their steps synchronized yet blocking all escape routes.

Six figures, like a tightening net, pressed down from six angles.

Cai Dou's lips curled up slightly. "You only have one shield. How are you going to block it?"
"So this is how you fight?"

Ash's eyes lit up. The Formation Squad could even split up and act independently, effectively turning into a six-on-one gang attack.

"In that case, let's send them all flying!"

Xiao Zhi chose to use brute force to directly break through:
"Swing wildly!"

"Onion drink—!!"

With a low growl, the Onion Soldier stomped its feet on the ground and swung its two-meter-long onion spear backhand!
Black and red energy quickly coiled around it, and the entire scallion transformed into an evil long stick.

Onion Soldiers began to swing their arms horizontally with great force!
Whoosh—! Whoosh—! Whoosh—!
It danced wildly without any fixed trajectory or method, yet each strike carried astonishing power, moving with incredible speed and grace.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The soldiers advancing from six directions simultaneously were all forcefully repelled by this frenzied, sweeping attack, staggering backward and instantly breaking their close-combat formation! (End of Chapter)