You're not allowed to play Pokémon!

Chapter 392 Can the Aluminum Steel Dragon really evolve a step further?

After the two regional champions finished their respective product promotions and the process was completed, the challenge finally came to an end.

After carefully listening to the information from Dan Di and Ye Ci, Qing Yu couldn't help but nod in approval.

I never expected that Galar was also developing advanced technology. This device that can temporarily maintain Dynamax has actually achieved initial mass production.

However, upon closer inspection, the game actually hinted at it.

Even in the Galar region, maintaining Dynamax requires special equipment, which is why Chairman Rose spared no expense in building eight very prestigious arenas.

Apart from the Palace Stadium, which serves as the venue for the Champions League, the eight Gym Leaders only have seven stadiums. The main reason is that Spiketown is far from the Power Point, so they do not have the ability to use Dynamax there.

However, it seems that the problem has finally been overcome.

Of course, Qingyu's deep impression of Spiketown is definitely not due to boring reasons such as background setting.

It was because of a highly popular rival character.

(I was actually the leader of the shouting group?)

Just as Qingyu was lost in thought, the Pill Emperor, who had finally finished his work, quickly approached and greeted him with a hearty laugh:
"Yo, long time no see, Qingyu!"

The powerful, resonant voice immediately brought him back to reality.

"If I remember correctly, the last time we met was at Master Ma's place. It has been quite a while, Mr. Dandi."

After a moment's thought, Qingyu spoke and nodded in agreement.

"However, I didn't expect you to suddenly appear in our Padiya, and in such a... special way."

"Haha, I'm just doing my job as a commissioner of President Loz to promote our new research in Galar. It's part of the Champion's job."

"...As expected of Mr. Dan Di, he truly is the benchmark for champions."

Qingyu sighed sincerely.

Among all the regional champions, Dante truly deserves to be called the most responsible champion, having single-handedly carried the entire Galar on his shoulders.

If we set aside the still controversial title of "strongest champion," everyone has to admit that he is indeed a good champion.

"No need to be so formal, just call me Emperor Dan."

Dan Di smiled and then spoke.

?

Qibana, who had seemed to be out of his mind, heard their conversation and suddenly typed out a question mark.

"Wait...you knew each other before?"

"And so, Qingyu was originally Master Ma's disciple?"

Damn you, Emperor Dan! Couldn't you have told me this important information sooner?!

I was wondering why Lucario's punches seemed so familiar. Turns out, it really is the Invisible Fist style from the Isle of Armor, and it's a secret technique that even Leon hadn't mastered...

If I hadn't sent out Gigantamax Duraludon, I probably would have instinctively used Protect and been instantly overwhelmed.

Although this scene did not happen and he had already lost, it did not stop Cibana from criticizing Dante for being unreliable.

"Huh? Didn't I tell you?"

Dan Di scratched his head in confusion.

"Also, strictly speaking, the master's disciple should be that Lucario."

When this topic came up, Dan Di suddenly became excited again.

"As expected of a Pokémon that was chosen by its master, its resilience and strength are indeed very strong. Moreover, it has the talent to use Mega Evolution and Crystallization at the same time. What an interesting little guy."

"Speaking of which, Lucario used a similar punch in his sparring match with Master Kuma before, and even Master Kuma couldn't withstand his full-force punch."

"By the way, was that last punch a secret technique you developed?"

After hearing this, Qingyu immediately shook her head.

"No, that was just a normal life-or-death struggle."

"No, no, no, it's anything but ordinary!"

Cibana immediately retorted, his brows furrowing even deeper.

"If it's just a fight to the death, there's no way I can defeat Gigantamax Duraludon. That's the only thing I'm very confident about."

"Fight to the Death" is a special move in the Fighting style.

When a Pokémon uses this move, it will unleash a desperate attack by consuming all of its own stamina, and the power of the attack seems to be linked to the stamina it consumes.

However, the damage it can cause is relatively limited, and it can't do what Lucario did, knocking down Duraludon, whose stamina is greatly increased in Gigantamax form, with just one punch.

At least Cibana himself couldn't imagine it.

"..."

Qingyu fell into thought.

Now that you put it that way, it seems to be true.

At this point, explanations like "the child has a strong grip" or "he just works a little harder than other Pokémon" no longer seem to hold water.

Since that's the case, let's come up with a name for Lucario's special move.

Suddenly, a very fitting name appeared in his mind.

"It was a serious punch. Lucario used a serious punch earlier."

Qingyu decisively opened her mouth.

Although it wasn't nearly as terrifying as the "Serious Punch" he remembered, Lucario did indeed give it his all, so using that name wasn't a problem.

Hopefully, after growing stronger again, Lucario can truly become One-Punch Man!

"...I always feel that this name is rather hasty."

Chibana's expression was strange.

It's no wonder they're both disciples of Master Ma, just like Dan Di; their naming aesthetics are practically identical.

Sure enough, the moment the thought crossed his mind, the Pill Emperor exclaimed in surprise.

"Oh, oh, oh! That's a great name!"

"If I have the chance in the future, I really hope to see your and Lucario's special moves in person."

Dan Di added with a smile, then naturally ended the topic and looked at Qing Yu again, his eyes full of anticipation.

"Speaking of which, after the battle ended..."

"Shouldn't it be time for the legendary 'guidance session' next?"

?

"what?"

This time it was Qingyu's turn to ask a question.

"That's it!"

Seeing that Qingyu did not understand his meaning, Dan Di also began to feel confused.

"I don't watch your live streams very often, but I still know a little bit of information, such as..."

Why is everyone so determined to snipe you in the game, even fighting tooth and nail for a chance to play against you?

"It seems like common sense that as long as you can be matched with Teacher Yu, it doesn't matter if you lose, because you can definitely get guidance from him and find a direction to improve."

"Moreover, even strong fighters like Mikuri and Awatari, who possess championship-level strength, seem to have received your guidance."

"That's why I'm so curious, if it's Cibana, what possibilities of improvement are there?"

"..."

Clearly, Qingyu was numb.

So there's another reason?
Why am I, the person directly involved, unaware of this?
But to be fair, it's not entirely anyone else's fault that this happened. After all, one of his roles is as a streamer, and after each tactical demonstration, he routinely does a debriefing and comments on the opponent's weaknesses.

Given this back and forth, it's not surprising that such eerie rumors would arise...

What a ghost!
However, seeing the expectant look in Dan Di's eyes and the expression on Qi Bana's face that seemed to say, "Although I don't understand the situation, what Dan Di said should be fine, right?", Qing Yu could only sigh.

"Let me think about it."

To be honest, in his opinion, Cibana's tactical arrangements were quite good, and the lineup was also quite reasonable.

As a weather master, his lineup can flexibly switch between sandstorm and sunny weather systems in 3v3 battle mode, making him unpredictable.

In the 6v6 all-player battle rules, the combination of sunny weather and sandstorms makes the lineups even more infinitely possible.

Therefore, regardless of whether it's a sandstorm or a sunny day, Qingyu doesn't have much to say about either of Qibana's two systems. The tactics are also very well suited to his own style and that ace Duraludon.

But if we're talking about shortcomings...

Yes, that's true.

"I remember... although Mr. Raihan is nominally a Dragon-type Gym Leader, his preferred tactic is rotating between the three weather types, right?"

Qingyu suddenly spoke.

That's right, in my memory, besides sandstorms and sunny days, Chibana also has a lot of rainy days.

Although the gameplay is quite abstract.

It seems like you manually activate Rain mode with Goodra to trigger the Wet Body ability...

"Indeed, but I'm not really good at handling rainy days."

Cibana nodded.

"However, the main reason is that there are only six Pokémon in a team, and it is almost impossible to fit three different weather systems into it."

"Furthermore, among the Pokémon associated with rain, the only Dragon-type Pokémon that are likely Goodra and Kingdra are probably the only ones."

"If you want to show what makes you different from other Dragon Tamers, it's better to use a Pokémon that is more characteristic of Galar."

Qingyu remained noncommittal about Qibana's idea.

The idea is indeed correct. It's a bit abstract to put three different weather conditions in one team, and there is indeed some truth to the "sunny and sandy" team.

But to say that Cibana's team can't play in the rain...

Not really!

With just a small change, the team will instantly gain a new leader in the rainy weather!

Then, Qingyu suddenly looked at Qibana and spoke in a somewhat subtle tone.

“Mr. Cibaner, do you know…”

"Actually, Aluminum Steel Dragon may have an undiscovered evolutionary form, right?"

"Eh?"

……

About two hours later, in Little Key Town.

Near the Sunny Gym, Qingyu, who had suddenly changed into a researcher's outfit, pushed up his non-prescription glasses and spoke in a calm tone.

"Therefore, Evolution Stones are a very magical item. You only need to let a Pokémon carry them for a period of time to see if it still has the potential to evolve further."

"If a Pokémon has the potential to go further, it will resonate with an Evolution Stone, thereby increasing the Pokémon's Defense and Special Defense."

"While it may not be accurate, there are sometimes instances where an evolved form of a Pokémon is suddenly discovered, and those Pokémon that were previously unable to resonate with the Evolution Stone are suddenly able to use that power."

"But this is an isolated case and does not affect the fact that Evolution Stones can be used to explore the evolution potential of Pokémon."

"Judging from the current performance of Aluminum Steel Dragon, it is clear that it belongs to the category that still has potential."

"Do you understand?"

After Qingyu finished speaking, both Qibana and Dante, who were standing side by side with him observing the Aluminum Steel Dragon, had their eyes light up.

"Oh! Sure enough, the Aluminum Steel Dragon is already emitting a faint glow, completely different from the Coal Turtle that we used as a reference before!"

"This... I've been nurturing it for so long, and I never thought that the Duraludon could continue to evolve."

Cibana let out a sigh.

"Pokémon is truly amazing."

Of course it's amazing...

Qingyu nodded to herself.

After all, a Pokémon in its initial form already has a base stat total of 535, which is at the level of the final evolution of the starter Pokémon, and its type is also quite good. It even has a unique Gigantamax form. It doesn't seem like a Pokémon that can go any further.

But a generation later, the aluminum-steel bridge dragon was born, giving rise to the meme "the young and promising aluminum-steel bridge dragon".

It's all Game Freak's fault!
According to the game's storyline, the discovery of Alumina Steel Bridge Dragon is related to Du Ruo from Blueberry Academy, and it seems that he is the only one who accidentally mastered the evolution method of Alumina Steel Dragon.

However, while waiting for the aluminum steel dragon to recover its strength, Qingyu also took the time to check online.

At least a few days ago, Du Ruo was using Dalmatian when challenging the Unova Gym.

Therefore, theoretically no one should have discovered this yet, which explains why even the ace pilot of the Aluminum Steel Dragon, Chibana, was kept in the dark.

"However, speaking of which..."

As Qingyu reminisced, Qibana, who was standing to the side, suddenly cast a puzzled glance at her.

"Teacher Yu, how did you know about this? Logically speaking, there shouldn't be any habitat for Duraludon in Padia, right?"

"To tame Duraludon, you should only be able to encounter it by chance in the wild of Galar, right?"

It finally appeared!
Qingyu had already prepared an explanation for this unavoidable question.

"Actually, this is also my first time getting up close to aluminum steel dragon, but..."

After pretending to think for a moment, he began to speak in detail.

"When I was a child, I studied with Professor Ichigo in Sinnoh for a while, which is why I developed a strong interest in Pokémon."

"I wanted to understand all the Pokémon and think about what kind of battle style they were best suited for, so I grew up with that in mind."

"Although some Pokémon are quite rare, you will always encounter trainers who own them."

"Therefore, you can gain a deeper understanding of Pokémon simply by battling."

"I see."

Dan Di seemed to agree with him, and nodded repeatedly.

"No wonder you know so much about Pokémon from other regions, Qingyu, and you've mastered so many interesting tactics. It's clear you really like them."

"Seriously, I'm getting more and more excited to have a battle with you. Just one battle is enough for me to experience your passion for Pokémon!"

"Hey, now's not the time to say things like that!"

"Haha, what does it matter? We'll run into each other sooner or later at the Masters Tournament anyway!"

Qibana's well-timed witty remark allowed Qingyu to perfectly resolve the issue.

Seeing this, Qingyu silently breathed a sigh of relief.

Every word he said was true, so when put together, it was an impeccable lie!

However, let's focus on the priorities right now.

"Regarding the evolution of the Aluminum Steel Dragon... there's something I must remind you of."

Qingyu suddenly spoke, looking at Qibana with a serious expression.

"If Duraludon completes its evolution, it might lose the ability to use Gigantamax, right?"

(End of this chapter)