You are not allowed to be a Pokémon Trainer!

Chapter 357 Dragonite's Debut, VS Incineroar!
The moment the referee waved his flag, the whistle blew throughout the Feiyun Arena, instantly igniting the atmosphere.

Almost at the same moment the whistle blew, Nie Zi swung his arm forward sharply, the movement clean and swift.

"Come out, Blazing Roaring Tiger!"

The Poké Ball traced a graceful arc in the air, and amidst the dazzling white light, a burly, imposing, deep red figure crashed to the ground.

Its thick arms were muscular and its waist was wrapped with flame-like patterns, like a champion's belt.

Upon its arrival, it unleashed a deep and intimidating roar, its scorching aura seemingly distorting the surrounding air.

Xia Chi was equally quick, throwing the Poké Ball to the other side of the field.

"Dragonite, prepare for battle!"

Another white light flashed, and Dragonite's round, orange-yellow body flapped its small but powerful wings, hovering in mid-air.

Compared to the menacing Fiery Roaring Tiger opposite it, its憨厚 (honest and simple) appearance seemed to lack some of its intimidating power, but its round eyes sparkled with the excitement and determination of someone making their debut on the competition stage.

Two figures, one on land and one in the air, were clearly separated by the shimmering artificial river in the center of the arena, facing each other from afar.

The choice of starting Pokémon by both sides instantly sparked a heated discussion in the live chat.

[Xia Chi's Dragonair has evolved? Bringing it up for such a high-intensity opening battle so quickly, can it hold its own?]

[No problem. His performance against Kikunojo before evolution was already evident. Now that he's evolved into a pseudo-legendary, his strength has definitely reached a new level!]

The key is that they still have the trump card of Super Evolution; it's just unknown whether Prison Water will play a royal flush right from the start.

[Nie Zi has been hiding something too. We've never seen Blazing Roar Tiger in his main team before. Has he secretly strengthened it?]

[I guess he listened to advice and converted to Buddhism at Humen, hahaha!]

Humen!

Just as the barrage of comments was in full swing, the battle on the battlefield had already begun in the blink of an eye.

The moment Incineroar enters the battlefield, its [Intimidate] ability is activated.

An aggressive and oppressive wave of spiritual energy instantly spread out, accurately hitting the Dragonite that had just regained its footing.

"Fuwoo!"

Dragonite felt a chill run through its heart, and the surging power within it seemed to be bound by an invisible shackle, instantly weakening.

It frowned uncomfortably, sensing the intimidation from its opponent.

"Fly, Dragon Dance!"

Xia Chi's calm command reached Dragonite's ears through the noise.

Without the slightest hesitation, Dragonite flapped its wings and soared higher, twisting its body in the air as it performed an ancient battle dance imbued with the mysterious power of the Dragon type, its body enveloped in a pale golden aura representing its enhanced abilities.

Thanks to the [Flying] trait's inherent tailwind effect at the start of the game, this [Dragon Dance] skill's starting speed is far beyond what is common.

But even faster is the Blazing Roaring Tiger.

Almost the instant Dragonite began to move, Incineroar's muscular legs suddenly slammed into the ground!

The hard rock beneath their feet even developed tiny cracks from being trampled.

Immediately, its robust body unleashed an astonishing leaping power that belied its strength, and it soared into the sky, heading straight for the Dragonite that was strengthening itself in the air!

High five surprise!

This is a preemptive strike move that must be used very quickly after the Pokémon enters the battle.

Nie Zi didn't even give a verbal command, and the Blazing Roaring Tiger activated on its own. This was clearly a tactical combination that had been carefully rehearsed before the match!
As it turns out, if you wait until the trainer finishes giving the command before acting, this [High Five] move might not be able to interrupt the Dragon Dance that was accelerated by Tailwind.

However, thanks to its rich combat experience and explosive power, the Blazing Roar Tiger managed to seize this crucial first move!

Its massive body leaped to the same height as Dragonite, its two palms, carrying a fierce wind, were like two thick steel plates, and it suddenly slammed forward with a terrifying aura!
Snapped--

A crisp, loud explosion rang out in the air.

Dragonite let out a painful groan, and the Dragon-type energy gathered around its body instantly dissipated, abruptly interrupting the [Dragon Dance] that was about to be completed.

The massive body was also shaken backward by the impact, and a brief "shrink" flashed in its eyes due to the side effects of the move.

Xia Chi was not surprised at all by this situation.

Intimidation followed by a high-five surprise attack—it's an old, classic combo; he's played it countless times in the game.

It's a bit of a shame that Dragonite's ability isn't [Inner Focus], otherwise it wouldn't be affected by the Fake Out effect from Fake Out.

After a brief moment of thought, Xia Chi gave his second command: "Dragonite, Hydro Pump!"

While the [Five-Up Attack] successfully interrupted Dragonite's buff, it also left Incineroar without any leverage, making it a temporary sitting duck.

"Whoosh!"

Dragonite forcibly suppressed its discomfort and quickly adjusted its posture with the help of the tailwind.

It took a deep breath, its massive belly contracted slightly, and then it suddenly lunged forward, opening its mouth wide.

The water vapor in the surrounding air gathered rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye, compressing and condensing in its mouth.

In the blink of an eye, a jet of azure water, half a meter in diameter and containing terrifying water pressure, roared out like a water dragon breaking free from its restraints!

The water tore through the air, producing a terrifying howling sound!
Even without the speed boost from Dragon Dance, the speed advantage from Tailwind still allows Dragonite to unleash its moves faster.

The Fiery Roaring Tiger had just completed its freefall, its heavy body crashing onto the rocky ground, sending up a few pebbles.

Before they could even stand up properly, the devastating high-pressure water cannon arrived with tremendous force!

The pale blue light reflected in its scarlet pupils magnified rapidly!
Nie Zi's brows furrowed instantly.

He immediately realized the dangerous situation the Blazing Roaring Tiger was in.

They were in a rocky area with no cover in sight.

In addition, having just landed and not yet regained its balance, it was almost completely exposed to the straight path of the water cannon's attack, with no way to avoid it!

Nie Zi made a quick decision, changed his strategy, and shouted loudly, "Roar loudly!"

Facing the water cannon that was within arm's reach, the Blazing Roaring Tiger showed no fear whatsoever. Instead, it raised its head and its chest heaved violently.

Immediately, a terrifying sonic wave mixed with evil energy, like a tangible black ripple, burst forth from its gaping maw, heading straight for the oncoming water cannon!
Roar loudly!

boom--

The violent collision of water and sound erupted in mid-air.

The azure water column and the pitch-black sound wave collided violently, producing a muffled roar of energy!
Water splashed everywhere, and sound waves spread.

That's what makes a pseudo-god so noble.

Even though its physical attack has been significantly weakened by [Intimidate], Dragonite's special attack remains strong.

This extremely powerful water cannon attack still has the upper hand in terms of destructive power!

The azure water dragon tore through the black sonic barrier with overwhelming force. Although its size had shrunk, its momentum remained undiminished, and it crashed violently onto the body of the Blazing Roaring Tiger.

"Hooo!"

The Blazing Roaring Tiger let out a painful roar as the powerful water pressure forced it to retreat, its feet carving two shallow furrows in the rough rocky ground.

Its deep red fur was instantly soaked, making it look disheveled and clearly indicating that it had suffered a serious injury.

Nie Zi's face showed no sign of panic.

He chose to use the loud roar to counter the wave, not expecting it to completely neutralize the water cannon.

More importantly, this move comes with a disgusting effect—lowering the opponent's Special Attack stat!

Clearly, the Incineroar he sent out was not intended to be a damage dealer that could directly confront Dragonite.

Rather, it's more like a support character who uses unique traits and varied moves to constantly weaken opponents and create advantages for teammates.

The changes on the field caused the live chat to erupt once again.

[Intimidation, surprise high-fives, loud shouting. I'm familiar with these. Next up is some tough talk, hahaha!]

[A classic three-hit combo, are you playing a ranked match on the Road to Champions here?!] [You delivered a three-hit combo right in front of the Tiger God Cult leader, Nie Zi, I acknowledge you!]

[This is bad! Dragonite's Attack and Special Attack have been lowered, making it practically useless. Is it going to be forced out of the battle right from the start?]

------

Should we switch to Dragonite?
Xia Chi's answer was no.

It's true that Dragonite's attack power has been significantly reduced by Incineroar, but Dragonite's damage output comes from more than just that.

The "Dragon Field" effect from the [Dragon Attribute] synergy is currently active, and it can slowly wear down this Fiery Roaring Tiger.

What Xia Chi was really worried about was that the Blazing Roaring Tiger would take advantage of the situation and use its last means to escape.

As everyone knows, a blazing roaring tiger standing on the field is not scary; the one that goes back and forth is the true tiger god.

"They've made some tough words!"

Sure enough, just as Xia Chi was thinking this, Nie Zi's command came from afar.

This was the final move in Tiger God's "Three-Pronged Attack," followed by a stern remark—

A Dark-type status move that intimidates the opponent, lowering their Attack and Special Attack stats, then returns the Pokémon to its Poké Ball and is traded with a spare Pokémon!
Having anticipated this, Xia Chi immediately responded: "Dragonite, tighten!"

The "tailwind" effect allowed Dragonite, whose move release speed is not outstanding, to release this move first.

Most of the audience members looked bewildered.

Tightly bound?

What kind of obscure move is this?
Most people still think of it as a skill similar to [Flame Vortex], capable of causing continuous damage, but with pitiful power.

But for Nie Zi on the other side of the battlefield, his pupils suddenly contracted the moment he heard the word "tighten".

As the dojo owner, he was naturally very familiar with these so-called "niche moves".

Nie Zi was very clear that the damage from the binding move was secondary; the most important thing was the effect it had—

The Pokémon hit by it will be put into a "bound" state and cannot be switched out!
Just as Nie Zixin realized something was wrong, the Dragonite in the arena had already made its move.

Its large body displayed an agility that belied its appearance, nimbly swooping down.

At the same time, energy spewed from his mouth, transforming into several translucent energy whips that seemed to possess life, coiling upwards with incredible speed like serpents emerging from their holes.

Just as the Fiery Roaring Tiger was about to utter some harsh words, he was firmly tied up!

The Incineroar's half-finished trash talk had already transformed into a weakened wave that shot towards Dragonite, but the red light that it was expected to pull back to the Poké Ball suddenly stopped!

To its astonishment, it found itself still firmly pinned to the spot, the energy whip like a persistent leech, completely restricting its movement!

The sudden change in his condition left Tiger God stunned and frozen in place.

Xia Chi looked at the Incineroar, which had been successfully restrained in place, but instead of pressing his advantage, he shouted, "Dragonite, Hide Mist!"

That's the advantage of not limiting the number of moves.

Even if a Pokémon like Dragonite has an incredibly deep move pool, it can recover even if it's been reduced to its current "significantly lowered Attack and Special Attack" state by its opponent after being deployed.

Dragonite understood its trainer's intention. It took a deep breath, and a chilling aura began to emanate from its body.

It opened its mouth, not to spew out ice-type attacks, but to exhale a large expanse of thick, deep, pitch-black mist that seemed capable of swallowing light.

A chilling black mist quickly spread out, covering half of the battlefield and encompassing both the Dragonite and the bewildered Incineroar.

Black Mist, an Ice-attribute transformation move.

Under the cover of this strange icy mist, all the Pokémon on the field whose abilities had changed for various reasons were forcibly reset and returned to their original state!

Dragonite's Attack and Attack stats, which had been lowered due to [Intimidate], [Roar], and even the half-finished [Taunt], were instantly restored!
It felt the previously suppressed power within its body surge again, and its eyes became even sharper.

Nie Zi's meticulously planned three-pronged attack crumbled instantly and was all for naught in the face of this seemingly insignificant [black mist]!
Within a few seconds, the situation took a dramatic turn.

This scene initially silenced the entire Flying Cloud Arena, before erupting into even more enthusiastic cheers and applause.

The live stream chat was once again flooded with "???" and "!!!".

[I knew it! The devil is always one step ahead of the saint; how could underworld tricks possibly work on the King of the Underworld!]

[All that black mist went down the drain; looks like even the Tiger God isn't that powerful after all.]

Wake up! How many Pokémon can you find that can both bind and use Black Mist? Maybe Dragonite and Milotic?

[It's true, Milotic is Incineroar's real father, especially with its "Competitive" ability. You dare threaten me?!]

This is the sheer power of a pseudo-god!

------

Nie Zi stood on the contestant's platform, watching the Dragonite that had regained its fighting spirit after being cleansed by the black mist, and the Incineroar that was tightly bound and restricted to its spot.

His expression finally recovered completely from the initial shock and bewilderment.

His carefully planned strategy of controlling the field was easily thwarted by the opponent with two moves, leaving him in a difficult situation.

Since there's no way to take shortcuts, we'll have to confront it head-on.

"Blazing Roaring Tiger, DD Golden Hook Arm!"

Nie Zi's voice carried a ruthless determination, as if she had nothing to lose.

Dragonite does have obvious weaknesses: it is 4x weak to Ice and 2x weak to Fairy.

Unfortunately, the Blazing Roaring Tiger doesn't have either of those skills in its skill pool.

Its only advantage is its powerful Dark-type STAB moves.

The DD Golden Hook Arm is powerful and can ignore changes in the opponent's abilities, making it undoubtedly the best choice at this moment.

The Blazing Roaring Tiger roared, forcefully breaking free from the energy whip's restraints. Its thick arms suddenly spread out, and its entire body, like a spinning top, began to spin rapidly, enveloped in dense, dark, malevolent energy.

The rubble on the ground was whipped up by this violent airflow, which, like a black storm of death, charged back towards the Dragonite in the air!

Faced with this fierce counterattack, Xia Chi remained unfazed and responded: "Dragonite, Dragon Claw!"

Actually, given Dragonite's bottomless move pool, it's not difficult to find a few moves that can counter Incineroar.

But Xia Chi still chose the [Dragon Claw], for a simple reason: he wanted to stack the enhanced state of the [Dragon Attribute] bond.

Each time a Dragon-type move is used, Dragonite's all stats increase by 20%!

"Fuwu——"

Dragonite's eyes burned with fierce fighting spirit, and its massive body unleashed astonishing speed.

On its right claw, deep, dark green dragon energy gathered wildly, instantly condensing into a huge, solid phantom of an energy dragon claw with edges shimmering with cold light!
With a flap of its wings, it fearlessly swooped down, wielding its dragon claws to fiercely strike the incoming black storm!
boom--

The dark green and pitch black energies clashed violently, producing a deafening explosion!

The escaping shockwaves spread outwards like tangible ripples, creating huge waves in the artificial river in the center of the venue. The water curtain shot into the sky, refracting brilliant light under the lights.

The rocky areas were shattered, sending rocks flying and filling the air with dust.

In this match, the two Pokémon clashed head-on for the first time without any fancy moves, and the result was surprisingly evenly matched.

Dragonite and Incineroar were each pushed back a distance by the recoil, catching their breath slightly.

Xia Chi raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

He truly hadn't expected that Nie Zi's newly bred Blazing Roaring Tiger would be so formidable in head-on combat.

Its direct combat capability is already on par with Shaka's main Pokémon.

The Galar region is truly a place where hidden talents abound.
However, the probing ends here.

Seeing that a direct confrontation was not an option to establish a decisive advantage, Xia Chi no longer hesitated.

He raised his right hand, and the bracelet on his wrist, inlaid with a keystone, suddenly burst forth with an incomparably dazzling seven-colored light!

"Dragonite, Mega Evolution!"

(End of this chapter)