You're not allowed to play Pokémon!

Chapter 376 Armored Dragon: It seems the opponent's attacks can't break through my defenses...

After finalizing the lineup, Qingyu leisurely spent half a day.

Judging that the students would be arriving soon, he went outside and walked over to Mewtwo, who was meditating in the center of the battlefield, and patted it on the shoulder.

"It's about time; we should get ready to welcome the newcomers."

"it is good."

Mewtwo opened its eyes and nodded, but it didn't seem to have any intention of getting up.

At the same time, Mewtwo stretched out a hand towards Qingyu, who was standing in front of it, and stared straight at him with a blank expression.

The meaning is already obvious.

Given Mewtwo's awkward personality, this is probably the most it has ever acted cute towards itself...

In fact, given its control over superpowers, it could easily lift itself up using telekinesis.

However, this friendly gesture also means that Mewtwo is now quite comfortable living in the Sunny Gym, right?

Qingyu quickly smiled helplessly, immediately reached out and grabbed its outstretched little hand. With a little force, Mewtwo stood up and walked behind Qingyu in a few steps.

“Starting today, I will be primarily responsible for the challengers who have already challenged the dojo and want to take it a step further and simulate the path to the championship.”

"As for Mewtwo... you can use any of the rental Pokémon and clone Pokémon in the gym. Just use the most suitable tactics against different trainers."

Qingyu had no worries about Mewtwo's learning ability. Even when it was participating in the Masters Tournament in Johto, it did not fall behind in its tactical learning.

Moreover, as long as Mewtwo doesn't go into battle, the other Pokémon in the gym are relatively weak, so they shouldn't cause the students too much of a headache.

After all, the road to the championship is already halfway through. For students who haven't yet passed the Sunny Gym but are still working hard, letting Mewtwo take the field is like giving them a chance to realize their dreams.

"I see."

Mewtwo immediately agreed, its gaze immediately focusing on the little guys playing happily not far away.

If we're only talking about tactics, my skill level is definitely much lower than Qingyu's.

But if I include my companions who escaped from the Viridian Gym with me, I can start trying out some new independent tactics, right?
Although it's a bit of a shame that I can't take the field myself, since Qingyu believes I have the potential to become a trainer, I will definitely prove it to everyone.

Qingyu is right!
Let's start by raising these lazy little guys well!
In previous gym battles, Mewtwo has always used its powerful psychic abilities, along with unique techniques learned from Sabrina, to catalyze their evolution in a short period of time, thereby increasing its battle power.

However, after the Masters tournament ended, Mewtwo had a new insight.

Even the strongest external force is not as powerful as one's own strength.

Thinking of this, Mewtwo's eyes gradually became serious, causing the clone Pokémon chasing each other not far away to suddenly shiver and turn their attention to Mewtwo.

Even if they didn't know why their leader was suddenly staring at them with a terrifying look, they could clearly sense it—

My good days at the Sunshine Dojo seem to be coming to an end soon!

……

After switching the Rotom phone to live streaming mode, Qingyu quickly welcomed her first batch of challengers.

However, perhaps due to the influence of winning the Superpower Masters Tournament two days ago, these students, who were originally very enthusiastic about challenging themselves, became unusually humble today.

"My Pokémon isn't awake yet, so let the people behind me go first!"

"Hey buddy, don't look at me! My finger's cramped up and I can't throw the ball. Next!"

"I'm just here as an audience member, you can do whatever you want!"

"..."

Looking at the group of students who were passing the buck to each other and seemed to have completely lost their fighting spirit, Qingyu couldn't help but shake his head.

[Teacher Yu: You're the worst class I've ever coached. How come you don't even dare to challenge me? How are you going to build an all-star lineup for the Road to the Championship in the future?]

[But I can understand it, which newbie wants to challenge a "beginner village boss" who just won a high-level tournament and treats the gym leader like a baby?]

【What should we do then? How about trying that little pinkish-purple one over there? It's so small, it obviously doesn't know how to battle Pokémon!】

The viewers in the live stream witnessed the embarrassing behavior of these newbies passing the ball around and laughed loudly.

Qingyu could only sigh inwardly, then clapped her hands to attract their attention.

"Starting today, the challenge mode at Sunshine Dojo has changed slightly."

"Newcomers who haven't obtained the Gym Badge yet can go directly to challenge Mewtwo. I think you guys should already be quite familiar with it."

"As for the top students who have already obtained four or more dojo badges and are confident in advancing to the Champion Road, Teacher Yu also has a more challenging test here, which can be used as practice before the Champion Road begins, so that everyone can feel their current strength and growth direction."

"Is there anything you don't understand?"

As soon as Qingyu said this, someone in the student group suddenly asked a question.

"Teacher Yu... when you said you were challenging Mewtwo, you didn't mean Mewtwo would also participate in the battle, did you?"

It's no wonder that students have such concerns.

Prior to this, the students' evaluation of this student at Master Yu's dojo had always been:

"Although he seems to be working hard, his basic skills are too poor for a trainer, aren't they?"

"I feel she's not as good as Teacher Yu... in terms of manners..."

"The last vestige of conscience at Sunshine Dojo!"

After all, they had never actually seen Mewtwo fight on its own.

but……

In the Psychic Masters Tournament, Mewtwo's performance can be described as supermodel-level.

Normally, it's at a level where it can go toe-to-toe with Sinnoh Elite Four member Gossou's main Mega Metagross. Halfway through the fight, it stopped pretending and immediately Mega Evolved.

After that, it was a one-sided crushing defeat.

From that day on, the students suddenly realized—

It turns out that Teacher Yu had a big secret, and even the students who came to challenge her every day were kept in the dark!

If it's Mewtwo in its Trainer form, the students certainly have a chance to defeat it.

As for Pokémon forms...

Isn't this a bit too much for us?

"...How could that be? How could Teacher Yu be such a person?"

Qingyu shook her head, somewhat amused.

It seems that Mewtwo only made a slight move, but it left a considerable psychological scar on the students.

"As before, Mewtwo will not be participating as a Pokémon in the Sunny Gym, so don't worry."

"However, don't underestimate Mewtwo right now. You might not even have the potential to become a Trainer as well as it."

Qingyu's casual provocation instantly ignited the passion of many students, making them feel as if they had been injected with adrenaline.

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

"Teacher Yu is one thing, but I have to avoid the head of Trainer Mewtwo? That's underestimating me!"

"Let's go! Let's get the Sunshine Gym Badge today!"

Soon, the students were automatically divided into groups.

Most of them had not yet obtained the Gym Badge, so they quickly headed to the area where Mewtwo was located and lined up to wait for the challenge.

As for those who stayed with Qingyu, many of them were familiar faces.

After all, there aren't many students who have cleared the Sunny Gym, and Aoba, a skilled challenger, is somewhat familiar with it.

"Since we're all students who have already successfully challenged the dojo, let's skip the formalities."

Faced with a group of eager and impatient trainers, Qingyu quickly put on a friendly smile and put his hands behind his back.

"So, who comes first?"

Qingyu displayed great confidence and a commanding presence.

"I come!"

Soon, a burly man who didn't look like a student at all stepped forward and walked towards him with his arms crossed.

Qingyu had a vague impression of him; he seemed to be a trainer using Team Sunny Day, who successfully earned Qingyu's approval by predicting the timing of his weather card rotation and firing a Solar Beam.

"Teacher Yu, I now have six gym badges, and I'm a completely different person now!"

"Therefore, I am confident that I can even challenge Teacher Tianwang Yu!"

As he spoke, the man was already rubbing his hands together, seemingly very much looking forward to the upcoming battle.

Having already come this far, obtaining two more badges wouldn't be difficult for him; it was just a matter of time.

Next, as long as I can overcome the Four Heavenly Kings and President Yeci on the road to the championship, I can become the champion of this year and the undisputed king of Orange Academy!
Anyway, it's just practice now. Even if we lose to Teacher Yu, it won't matter. On the contrary, it can provide data for Peony and the other members of the Tianxing team, preparing them for the road to the championship in the future.

So no matter what, you're guaranteed to make a profit!

Qingyu remained calm and nodded slowly.

"Then, please try your best to let me have some fun."

The two sides quickly moved to opposite sides of the battlefield amidst the enthusiastic anticipation of the surrounding students.

After Qingyu raised his hand to signal, the two quickly threw out a Poké Ball each.

"Good luck, Armored Dragon!"

"Go, Arrowhawk!"

The Pokémon from both sides quickly appeared, and the first Pokémon that Aoba sent out immediately caught the students' attention.

"Shellion??? So Teacher Yu has this Pokémon?"

"Yes, there is... When I used to come here to challenge, I would occasionally see a Pokémon at the Sunny Gym. It must have evolved from it."

"Wouldn't you call this going easy on me, Teacher Yu? Pokémon that mature late in life have limited combat power before they evolve!"

"Should I...? Teacher Yu, you're so gentle!"

Not only did Qingyu hear the students' loud conspiracies, but even the armored dragon standing on the battlefield heard them. So it instinctively turned its head and glared fiercely at the students around it.

The armored dragon used a terrifying face!
However, the severity depends on which Pokémon uses it.

If it's a Blazing Roaring Tiger, it might even have an Intimidate effect that reduces physical attack by 1;
However, for the Ankylosaurus, whose body shape is rather comical and whose face is only movable in the eyes, staring wide-eyed actually gives people a cute feeling.

"You know what, this little guy is actually quite cute!"

"No wonder Teacher Yu keeps one. Even if it has no combat power before evolution, it's still pretty cute!" "If I could afford it, I'd also like to keep a Pokémon that matures late..."

Upon discovering that no one was frightened by it at all, the armored dragon's originally fierce little eyes quickly turned aggrieved, and Qingyu could even notice the obvious reflection in its eye sockets.

At this moment, the armored dragon's desire for evolution had reached its peak.

hateful……

I'll remember this grudge!
Once I evolve, I'm going to beat every single one of you up!
The little incident before the battle quickly came to an end.

"Fierce Arrow Eagle, Acrobatics!"

The battle begins with the opponent's command.

It is clear that after Qingyu's tireless guidance over the past period of time, these enlightened students have made a qualitative leap in their skills.

The opponent's decisive command at the start of the game made Qingyu nod in approval.

He introduced Talonflame very early on; its simple and straightforward ability, Gale Wing, allows for a lot of creative plays.

This challenger clearly wanted to use the added effect of acrobatics to launch a relatively safe and powerful attack, and to suppress himself from the start.

The acrobatic move itself is not very powerful, but when the Pokémon using the move is not holding any items, its greater agility greatly increases the move's power.

If we're going to be even more particular...

You can even carry a Flying Gem, which consumes the one-time item that enhances the Flying attribute when using a move, thereby maximizing damage.

However, it seems that these attribute gems are only stably produced in the Unova region, so it's normal that the students of Padia don't know this.

While pleased, Qingyu didn't forget to give instructions:

"Armored Dragon, block the attack with your skull and then counterattack with your headbutt!"

As the first battle for the Armored Dragon, Qingyu had always protected it very well before this, and even had a Soul-Hook Eye to take special care of it.

However, accumulating sufficient combat experience is also important for Armored Dragonite before evolving into Salamence.

For it, which is in an awkward phase and slow, it is almost impossible to keep up with the speed of the Arrow Eagle, so it can only adopt a defensive counterattack strategy.

The carapace covering its entire body did severely hinder the Ankylosaurus's movement, but it also served as a barrier that protected it from most of the damage.

As long as the armored dragon is not affected by the opponent's attacks and bravely seizes the opportunity to launch a counterattack, it already has the foundation to become a strongman for Qingyu.

After all, to become a Pokémon capable of battling, it must demonstrate enough courage and show no fear even when facing strong opponents; this is the most basic requirement.

You absolutely must not learn from that coward Milton outside the dojo!
Fortunately, the armored dragon was quite determined and seemed to be venting all the anger it had been holding in on the arrow eagle.

Faced with the Fiery Arrow Eagle flapping its crimson wings and hurtling towards it at high speed, the Armored Dragon immediately curled up into a ball, pressing its limbs exposed outside its shell tightly to the ground for protection.

With the added benefit of Gale Wings, the Arrowhawk's attacks are incredibly fast; each swing of its claws leaves a trail of afterimages, making it almost impossible for the naked eye to keep up with its speed.

However, because the armored dragon had retreated into its shell beforehand, all of the opponent's attacks hit its hard metal shell.

It seems like a clever maneuver, but in reality, it's impossible to cause any effective damage.

It seems the opponent's attacks can't break through my defenses...

The armored dragon quietly opened its eyes. After confirming that it felt nothing, it became bolder and began to quietly observe its opponent's attack movements.

Soon, the Arrowhawk's attack slowed down slightly, and the Armored Dragon immediately noticed this.

Suddenly, its hind legs, which had been tucked under its body, exerted force, and its massive body, weighing over 100kg, thrust forward, crashing straight into the relentlessly attacking Arrowhawk.

The headbutt had an immediate effect. Caught off guard by the unbearable weight, the Arrowhawk let out a mournful cry and instinctively flapped its wings to create distance, preventing the Armored Dragon from attacking again.

The armored dragon glared at it with fighting spirit, then used the same tactic as before, curling its body into a ball and waiting for its opponent to come to it before launching a counterattack.

Observing the armored dragon's performance throughout, Qingyu nodded repeatedly in satisfaction.

As expected of a dragon egg carefully selected by Mr. Awatari, its fighting spirit is already quite impressive even before it has fully matured.

He didn't need to say much; the little guy figured out the tactics best suited to his current physical condition on his own.

but……

While the counter-attacking tactic is effective, it also has a significant drawback—

Once the opponent creates distance and continues to wear you down, this tactic will no longer be effective.

"Arrowhawk, take flight and use Air Blade to keep harassing us!"

Seeing that his aggressive strategy had not worked and had instead seriously injured the Arrow Eagle, the challenger quickly realized his mistake and made a very correct decision.

[Tsk... It's a perfectly normal command, but bullying someone with short legs is just so funny!]

[Even with Yu-sensei's guidance, it's difficult to achieve good results with a Pokémon like Shellder. Shouldn't we prioritize having one Pokémon to prevent the challenger from getting frustrated?]

[Armored Dragon: Why doesn't anyone believe in me? Feed me peanuts!]

Whether it's online viewers or students watching from the sidelines, they really don't have high hopes for Teacher Yu's first Pokémon.

Even Qingyu felt the same way.

If the goal is to adapt to battles, the Armored Dragon's performance is already quite good.

With Shellder Dragon only able to passively take hits, the best course of action now is to cut its losses and recall it before its stamina is completely depleted, then send in other Pokémon to fight.

However, after observing the armored dragon for a few seconds, Qingyu decided to observe it further.

Salamence isn't just limited to physical attacks. As a noble Dragon Pokémon, it can also gather multiple types of energy within its body, making it a very reliable dual-wielding attacker.

Although it hasn't evolved yet, the Armored Dragon still has this trump card move—

"Armored Dragon, use Dragon Breath!"

As the only ranged attack technique the little guy had learned, Qingyu decided to first see how effective it was in actual combat.

The silent armored dragon looked up at the sky and saw the Talonflame above constantly throwing air blades to harass it. Although the air blades were not very powerful, they were very annoying to the dragon. Its eyes instantly turned angry.

Accompanying its changing expression was the dragon power gradually gathering in a ball above its head.

Even with its mouth temporarily blocked, the Dragon Pokémon can still gather energy outside its body and unleash a wild Dragon Breath!

"Ok?"

As the armored dragon braced itself against its opponent's attacks to build up energy, Qingyu watched its movements and suddenly looked puzzled.

For a baby Pokémon that hasn't fully evolved, isn't it accumulating a bit too much energy?
Dragon Breath is not a powerful move; on the contrary, it is an instinctive attack method that many dragon Pokémon can learn by nature, so its power is relatively average.

However, when the armored dragon used this move, the energy intensity it gathered in a short time far exceeded Qingyu's expectations.

However, he soon realized—

It must be the Mega Evolution Stone inside its belly that's working its magic.
After all, it was an "imported product" spat out from the mouth of that strange-colored Rathalos, and it contained extremely terrifying energy.

After being swallowed by the armored dragon, the continuous energy supply may even have a powerful effect of accelerating its evolution.

So, it seems reasonable that the dragon breath of the armored dragon is slightly more powerful.

Compared to Qingyu, who immediately noticed this, the opponent clearly lacked experience in dealing with dragon-type Pokémon, so he did not notice anything amiss and continued to quietly watch Talonflame deplete Shellder's stamina.

In his view, it was just a dragon breath from a baby Pokémon; how powerful could it be?
Even if the Arrowhawk isn't very durable, once you create some distance, speed and reaction time are enough to dodge its attacks.

The problem is not big.

But soon... when the armored dragon's attack materialized, the challenger was immediately dumbfounded.

"boom--!"

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the armored dragon, having finally gathered enough power, unleashed a purple beam of light.

At first, the audience didn't take its attacks seriously.

There are plenty of dragon Pokémon in Padina. If you haven't bred any, you must have seen wild dragons fighting.
Compared to the meteor showers that summon large numbers of meteors at any time, dragon breath is just a weak move and not worth paying attention to!

But as the armored dragon's output grew increasingly ferocious, the energy beam not only didn't disappear, but instead expanded with the increased power, eventually forming a striking pillar of light shooting straight into the sky...

The students finally realized that something was wrong with this move.

[Wait... is that dragon's breath?? Teacher Yu, are you sure this isn't a destructive beam attack...?]

[Even destructive rays wouldn't last this long, right? The side effects after use are quite noticeable; it can cause complete paralysis and immobility. Do you see any signs of this in the armored dragon?]

I was so stupid... really... I actually fantasized that Teacher Yu had a conscience and sent out a free Pokémon to bring warmth...

The beam of energy shooting straight into the sky clearly startled the Arrowhawk. Known for its speed, it instinctively stopped its attack and used all its strength to dodge and weave in the air, barely managing to escape the Armored Dragon's pursuit.

"..."

The trainer on the other side breathed a sigh of relief, but quickly fell silent, looking at Qingyu with a complicated and clearly resentful gaze.

Teacher Yu, take a look at your armored dragon, is it even right?

Fortunately, my Fiery Arrow Eagle lived up to expectations and remained unharmed even in this unexpected situation.

On the contrary, the armored dragon, which had been full of energy just now, seemed to have lost control of its output and used too much of its energy in one go, and was now somewhat dizzy.

I guess I've passed the first hurdle, right?

Qingyu could only shake his head helplessly and take out a Poké Ball from his pocket.

“You’ve done very well. Come back, Armored Dragon.”

Although it did not win its first battle, the Armored Dragon displayed a fighting spirit and characteristics that amazed Qingyu.

He already had a pretty good idea of ​​how to raise the armored dragons.

"The armored dragon has basically lost its ability to fight, so you win this point."

After recalling Shellder, Qingyu smiled and spoke while silently taking out the next Poké Ball.

"Then, your next opponent will be it."

"Go, O wretch!"

Before the burly man, the challenger, could even rejoice, Qingyu's second Pokémon had already made its appearance.

"Bonnie~"

The adorable Evil Pine landed lightly, and after looking up at the Arrowhawk that had just "defeated" the Armored Dragon, its eyes immediately became focused.

At the same time, its little hand quietly reached behind the cloak and took out the foundation stone mask to put on its face.

"..."

Gazing at this seemingly fragile Pokémon that was in fact a true warrior, the challenger's feelings could be summed up in one word—

hemp!
At the same time, he silently memorized a crucial piece of information:
When facing Master Shangyu, defeating the Armored Dragon may provoke the revenge of the Evil Spirit, so we need to be extra careful...

(End of this chapter)