You're not allowed to play Pokémon!

Chapter 389 Let's turn the tide, Gigantamax Duraludon!

The fire-breathing ability, which Cibana had high hopes for, ultimately caused negligible damage.

Upon immediately realizing this, a look of astonishment crossed his face, and at the same time, a question suddenly arose in his mind—

Qingyu, aren't you afraid I'll continue using the Sandstorm team?

It's true that I have two tactical systems. The Sunny Day team is better at special attacks, while the Sandstorm team is better at defense and counter-attacks, and mainly uses physical output.

By taking such a risky decision to send Sylveon with an Apricot Berry as its first unit, what if Qingyu had sent out a Giant Rockruff or a Sand Snipe? Qingyu's strategy would have completely collapsed...

However, they did make the right bet.

It's unclear whether Qingyu's analysis was thorough enough or just good luck, but the situation is what it is now, and we can only try to salvage it as soon as possible.

Chibana shook his head.

This series of moves seems to have given Sylveon a significant advantage over Torkoal, allowing it to quickly become stronger...

But we also have a solution on our side.

"Coal Turtle, prepare to use Purge Smoke!"

Clear Smoke is a poison-type move that only a few Pokémon can learn. It deals a certain amount of damage and has the unique effect of removing the opponent's stat boosts.

It seems there's information Qingyu doesn't know; at the very least, he probably didn't know that Coal Turtle could use this move.

As he gave instructions, Cibana thought to himself.

That makes sense, since if Qingyu knew this, it wouldn't be difficult for him to draw that conclusion.

Against Torkoal, no amount of power-up moves matters!
really!

Upon hearing Qibana's command, Qingyu's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Sylveon, now it's time to test your accuracy..."

"Aim at the hole behind the Coal Turtle and use mud bombs to block its attack!"

That's right, Qingyu predicted Qibana's prediction.

As a Fairy-type Pokémon, Sylveon's damage to Torkoal is very limited, and even after being boosted, they will still face a situation where they are just scraping each other.

While it's not impossible to learn some strange moves through sketching... he actually has better ways to deal with Coal Tortoise.

First of all, Torkoal is very slow, and this is almost common knowledge, so Sylveon has enough time to counter it before it can make a move.

Secondly, its main method of attack is to convert the heat stored in its body and then release it through the holes on its back.

After a brief observation, Qingyu immediately confirmed the feasibility of her idea.

If you block the opening before it uses its move, it will be difficult for Torkoal to use its move, right?
"Buyi!"

Sylveon instantly understood, immediately extending its two pink front paws and starting to dig on the ground, occasionally rolling the soft soil it dug out into balls and throwing them at Torkoal.

Although it looks a bit unseemly, Sylveon seems to be enjoying it, and a mischievous smile inadvertently appears on its face.

Since my opponent doesn't seem to be very strong either, I won't hold back!

"Coal Turtle..."

Seeing that its opponent's attack speed was not fast, Qibana subconsciously spoke, wanting to give it a command to dodge the attack.

However, he realized his mistake just before he could say it.

The Pokémon on my field is Torkoal, how could a turtle be so agile as to dodge the opponent's attacks?

So he quickly added:
"Give it your all, and gather enough power before Sylveon's plan succeeds, then use the steam to shake off the mud stuck to your back in one go!"

Qibana roughly guessed Qingyu's idea, but at this point there was no other good solution.

Torkoal is not agile enough to dodge or use its speed to shake off the burden on its back, and its four-legged body structure also makes it powerless against Sylveon.

Unless I go out there now and help Coal Tortoise pry it out...

But that doesn't belong to the Master Rules; it's more like the Wilderness Rules that are gradually being phased out!
To be fair, Sylveon's aim is really good.

Of course, it's also possible that aiming at the coal turtle, a fixed target, is indeed not stressful.

Before Coal Turtle could even use its attack, it had already thrown out several clumps of mud, quickly sealing the hole on Coal Turtle's back completely.

Meanwhile, Torkoal, having just exhausted its energy by breathing fire, finally finished charging up and was preparing to use its terrifying internal heat to evaporate the sulfurous fumes and remove Sylveon's enhanced state.

however……

"call--!"

It tried several times, but found that when the air vents on its back were blocked, the once smooth jet of air became incredibly difficult.

Furthermore, because the only exit was temporarily blocked, the more Coalossal tried to use its moves, the more toxic gas accumulated in its body.

As the air pressure inside the cavity gradually increases, the temperature also rises continuously.

There was a loud "boom!"
The mud attached to its back was finally detonated by the high temperature.

The coal tortoise, which had been holding its breath and looking constipated, suddenly opened its mouth wide, and then countless purple wisps of smoke spewed out from its mouth and nose.

Kibana may have subconsciously forgotten that the move Qingyu used to command Sylveon was called...

Mud bomb!
"Wow, you actually have this kind of operation?"

Uncle Haidai, who was in the audience, looked shocked.

Coalossal's hard shell is indeed enough to protect against most attacks.

But what if the attack comes from within oneself?
Looking at the Torkoal, who was dazed and confused after being bombed, even someone who had been dealing with Pokémon for many years had to admire Qingyu.

However, it's no wonder that this kind of battle strategy received unanimous negative reviews from the students...

"Tsk..."

When the coal turtle's body exploded, Chibana couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement.

Was this also part of your plan, Qingyu?
so troublesome.

"Come back first, Coal Turtle."

The Smoke of Purification failed to work, and Torkoal is currently unable to do anything about Sylveon.

At this moment, Kibana decisively chose to retrieve his precious Coal Tortoise, leaving himself the possibility of restarting the weather a second time.

Since the Coal Turtle couldn't be defeated, he decided to stop testing it and fast forward to today's main event.

Under Qingyu's wary gaze, Qibana put the Poké Ball containing the Torkoal into his pocket, while simultaneously taking out two Poké Balls of different sizes from his pockets.

One of them is a relatively easy-to-identify deluxe ball.

As for the other one, it is significantly larger than the other Poké Balls, and its all-white construction does not match any of the currently known models.

The only similar one is the commemorative ball given as a gift, but the commemorative ball should have an extra red stripe in the center.

Of course, after Cibana's performance over the past few days, most viewers now know—

That's a special Poké Ball required to utilize the Dynamax phenomenon!

Since they've revealed this, it means that Kibana is finally getting serious and is sending out his ace, the Aluminum Steel Dragon!
"Teacher Yu, let's end this casual probing session here."

Qibana raised the Poké Ball in his hand and pressed it to his cheek, while looking at Qingyu, who had a strange expression on his face, and smiled as he spoke.

"If you've witnessed the power of Dynamax, I think you'll also be captivated by the majestic figures of Dynamaxed Pokémon!"

"So, I've decided on you—"

"Aluminum Steel Dragon!"

After the luxury ball was thrown by Cibana, a giant beast as tall as a person and covered in silver alloy appeared on the field.

Aluminum-steel dragon, here I come!

"Eevee?!" Its appearance immediately alerted Sylveon once again.

Compared to the cuddly turtle from before, this huge lump of iron clearly made it feel somewhat physically uncomfortable.

After all, Steel and Poison are arguably the two types that Fairy Pokémon hate the most.

However, Cibana's actions went far beyond that.

Before the newly arrived Duraludon could even settle in, it was captured by Raihana into that unique white Poké Ball.

Then...

The colossal energy device built near the site activated instantly, and the roar caused changes in the surrounding aura.

Under the influence of the rapidly increasing immense energy, the world in everyone's eyes seemed to have a purple filter, accompanied by visible energy surges from time to time.

Most of the energy materialized like a vortex, rapidly converging into the Poké Ball that Raihana held high. The Poké Ball was stretched and expanded by this intruding energy, and soon Raihana had to hold it up high with both hands to barely support it.

"It's now!"

After shouting, Qibana suddenly threw the bloated Poké Ball, which was now half the size of a person, out of his hand.

"Turn the tide, Gigantamax Duraludon!"

With a "crack," the Poké Ball, which had already expanded to its limit, burst open and shattered into several pieces that dissipated into the air.

A flash of reddish-purple light appeared, and Qingyu blinked subconsciously.

When I opened my eyes again, I saw a terrifying behemoth that had grown to the size of a skyscraper, its steel body exuding an overwhelming sense of oppression.

"..."

Qingyu narrowed her eyes. Although she appeared calm on the surface, her heart was in turmoil.

Witnessing the visual impact of Dynamax for the first time as an opponent made his neck, which had been tilted back high, ache.

Of course, more importantly...

Even if, theoretically, Duraludon's current appearance is a phantom born after Dynamaxing, it still feels like a far-fetched explanation.

Whose phantom can stomp the ground so hard it sinks in, and use moves that are also Dynamaxed?!

If Qingyu is like this, then it goes without saying that Sylveon, who is already a bit timid, is even more so.

"Bu-bu-ee?!"

Sylveon struggled to raise its head, and after exchanging a glance with the Gigantamax Duraludon that was looking down at it, it was instantly terrified and trembled as it turned its head to look at its trainer behind it.

That wistful look in her eyes seemed to say—

You want me to fight this big guy?

I think you're making things difficult for my little Eevee!
"...You've done very well. Use Baton Pass, Sylveon."

Qingyu shook his head helplessly and took out a Poké Ball to recall it.

Given its type advantage, Dynamaxing, and relatively weak physical defense, it's a bit much to ask Sylveon to deal with Gigantamax Duraludon.

After all, whether it's Meditation or Apricot Berry, it only increases Special Defense. Therefore, against Duraludon's Iron Head... no, it should be called Dynamax Steel, Sylveon is very likely to be KO'd in one hit.

However, the Coal Tortoise that was able to severely injure Chibana had actually achieved a pretty good result.

At least the current development is pretty much in line with my expectations.

Qingyu took out the second Poké Ball and threw it.

Next, let's leave it to Lucario, the expert at dismantling Gundams.

"Luca!"

Lucario, with a calm and unwavering expression, appeared on the field. After receiving the energy from Sylveon in the form of a relay baton, it also subconsciously looked at the steel behemoth standing in front of it like a mountain peak.

There are Pokémon that are this huge...

If I hadn't witnessed this immense power from the two Master Xiongs, I probably would have been utterly shocked.
However, it seems that it is still far from matching its master's imposing presence.

and so……

There's a chance!
Lucario immediately got into position, waiting for its trainer's instructions.

"Ok?"

Qi Shu suddenly tilted his head 45 degrees in confusion and quickly asked a question.

"If I remember correctly, shouldn't my junior's Evil Spirit Pomegranate be more suitable for using the Crystallization technique?"

"Its four masks seem to be a special item that can resonate with the fragments of the Taijing crystal, and can unleash super powerful force after absorbing the power of the Taijing crystal."

"But it seems he has no intention of using Evil Creeper to directly confront this Gigantamax Duraludon?"

"Perhaps to ensure victory, they plan to adjust flexibly according to the situation of the game, so they haven't used this power yet?"

Lip thought about it and it seemed like this was the only explanation.

After all, this is a crucial battle between Crystallization and Dynamax, and who knows what tricks Raihana might have up his sleeve? It wouldn't be a bad thing for Aoba to play it safe a little.

As long as they can stall for time until the Dynamax energy absorbed by Duraludon is quickly exhausted, even if Qingyu loses a Lucario, the cost is still acceptable.

"..."

Aoki remained silent, only staring at Aoba below the arena, his eyes filled with satisfaction.

Unlike the others, he seemed to understand Qingyu's thoughts.

This kid, is he planning something big?

As a high-ranking member of the League who is primarily a corporate worker and also serves as both an Elite Four member and a Gym Leader, he does indeed have more information about Qingyu, so he is very clear about the differences between this Lucario.

This kid seems to have met Steven, the champion of Hoenn, once before, and thus acquired the Key Stone and Lucario's Evolution Stone.

Aside from the two unexpected trump cards, Urgot and Mewtwo, Qingyu's strongest fighting force at present should be Lucario, which can use the power of Mega Evolution.

Of course, relying solely on Mega Evolution Lucario might still be insufficient to defeat Gigantamax Duraludon, which transforms into an impenetrable wall of steel.

After all, its type hasn't changed, and its durability isn't significantly improved like when it Dynamaxes. It'll behave itself after being hit by a Dynamaxed Pounce.

therefore--

A bold conjecture popped into Aoki's mind.

This kid is probably looking for an opportunity to use Crystallization to double his power in order to fight this Gigantamax Duraludon!

And the fact is just as he thought.

Soon, under the expectant gaze of Qibana, Qingyu reached out and grabbed the keystone necklace hanging on her chest, and spoke with a smile.

"We need to get serious too."

As he moved, a dazzling evolutionary glow instantly erupted, and Lucario, standing in front of Qingyu, also closed its eyes, letting itself be completely engulfed by the light.

"Lucario, Mega Evolve!"

After the evolutionary glow quickly dissipated, Mega Lucario appeared with incredibly cold eyes and jet-black markings all over its body.

Looking at its back, and at the increasingly astonished, even somewhat terrified, expression on Chibana's face behind Gigantamax Duraludon, Qingyu suddenly realized—

Thinking about it carefully, it seems that apart from the battle with Giovanni, this is the first time I have sent out Mega Lucario in an official battle.
No wonder Cibanar was so surprised.

Having watched the Psychic Masters tournament recording, he probably thinks that only Mewtwo can Mega Evolve, and that due to type compatibility issues, it's unusable for him...

Thinking of this, a malicious smile gradually appeared on Qingyu's face.

It's too early to be surprised; the main event is yet to come.

To ensure victory, simply using the power of Mega Evolution is far from enough!
(End of this chapter)