Pokémon: Starting as a Farmer Instead of a Trainer

Chapter 328 Xiao Zhao's Test: Shamelessly Stealing the Mask (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

The appearance of the Green Sword Demon has truly surprised many people. The last time it appeared was in the Sinnoh region 78 years ago, and it has long been extinct. But no one expected that it could be bred.

As expected of Blueberry Academy, it's teeming with talented people!

Xiao Zhao is now known as the youngest teacher at Blueberry Academy, and naturally, she is considered a genius. Not only is she strong in combat, but she is also quite capable in research.

In their eyes, Mingyou was also a genius, possessing such a high level of combat skills at such a young age, and even developing mutant crops to sell across the country, achieving financial freedom at such a young age...

At this moment, in their eyes, this final is a contest between geniuses, a level of skill that would be considered high-level even in the World Championships!

Now, a battle between the two sides is imminent.

"Gather your energy!"

"Sword Dance!"

In the first round, neither of them seemed to have a tacit understanding and did not launch an attack. The Greatsword Demon and Lucario stared at each other and raised their auras. This round... would probably not have any surprises.

"Shell Blade!"

Xiao Zhao knows that the opponent has the Righteous Heart ability, so naturally she won't use Dark-type moves to counter it. Her side doesn't have an advantage in terms of type at the moment.

Upon hearing the sound, Greatsword immediately raised its front legs, drew out its twin blades, transformed into sword form, and leaped into the air. Lucario also clashed its fists together, drew out a bone club, and unleashed a flurry of blows in retaliation.

Swords and clubs clashed repeatedly, and amidst the flashing blades, Lucario unleashed his Aura. But Greatsword suddenly seized the opportunity, leaving behind a water-based afterimage that appeared behind him.

However, when it comes to sneak attacks, with Mingyou here, Lucario has nothing to worry about. Besides, it used to be that kind of guy. So without turning its head, it pushed the bone club in its hand backward and accurately stabbed the opponent.

"Leo!"

The moment the blow landed, Lucario whirled around, swinging his bone club downwards, preparing to pin it to the ground for close combat. But the Greatsword Demon suddenly closed in at that moment, piercing its body with lightning speed using the blade whose head was shrouded in darkness.

"Secret Sword: Thousand Waves!"

Xiao Zhao waved gently at that moment.

Immediately, the Greatsword unleashed a torrent of continuous attacks, its Sharpness ability activated, like layers of surging waves, as dark sword energy relentlessly slashed towards Lucario.

With each attack, many blade fragments would scatter around, some even embedding themselves in Lucario's body, but this was not the worst of it.

The wounds inflicted by the Greatsword Demon healed very slowly and caused intense pain. Lucario was sent flying by the continuous sword energy and almost couldn't stand up due to the pain.

But the righteous heart within it was awakened, and this pain only made it stronger, its momentum continued to rise, and its eyes looked firmly ahead.

"One instance of damage is enough."

Xiao Zhao waved his hand, signaling the Greatsword Demon to create some distance. The pain from the blade fragments embedded in Lucario's body would affect the Demon's movements.

Furthermore, she was somewhat worried that if Lucario continued this offensive, his injuries would affect Naruto in the upcoming battles, since it was a competition, not a no-holds-barred battle in the wild.

What she didn't know was that Mingyou and Lucario had been in sync from the beginning, and the pain had already affected her body, almost causing her to lose her balance.

"It really hurts..."

Mingyou crossed her arms over her chest, pretending nothing had happened, and said softly, "It's our turn!"

"Leo!"

"Forget the pain, let's go!"

"...Leo!"

Lucario hesitated for a moment, but despite his reluctance, he obeyed Naruto's instructions and used his Divine Speed ​​to charge towards the Greatsword Demon.

"Too slow!"

Xiao Zhao immediately noticed that the blade fragments had taken effect and were affecting Lucario's speed, so he immediately had Greatsword use Water Jet.

Upon hearing the sound, the Greatsword Demon, enveloped in water, charged forward with lightning speed, raising his twin blades in the water and using the water surrounding him to create a pair of water wave blades.

It is faster, and at the moment it is about to collide with Lucario, it quickly slashes downwards in a cross shape, delivering a critical blow to its opponent.

But just as it swung its blade, a hand suddenly grabbed one of its front legs. In its shock, just as it was about to swing it back, a fist slammed into its face...

As the light of Extreme Speed ​​faded, Lucario's eyes turned red, and its body was wreathed in red flames. However, the changes that occurred during Mega Evolution did not happen, but its aura was completely different from before!

A judgment from justice!

It is no longer that mischievous brat. With its righteous heart and sword dance combined with close combat, it is enough to take down any evil forces. With such outstanding effect, even a Greatsword Demon with 100,000 lives cannot withstand it.

With just one punch, the double-bladed feet shattered instantly, and the curved blade on the Greatsword Demon's head also broke apart under the impact. His body turned into a beam of light and flew out of the arena, almost crashing into the spectator railing.

The third round of combat has now ended, with Lucario successfully defeating Greatsword Demon.

Listening to the cheers from the audience, Xiao Zhao looked at Lucario, not understanding why the other's actions were not restricted at all, and even deliberately created openings for him to launch an attack.

But when she caught a glimpse of Naruto swaying slightly, her heart tightened, and she instantly realized that Naruto was helping Lucario absorb damage after synchronizing with Naruto.

"you……"

Xiao Zhao almost couldn't help but speak up and criticize. She was genuinely angry. It was just a competition; was it really necessary to fight so desperately? Did she really want to win that badly? Even if she lost despite her best efforts, she could still help him get the Light Stone.

She really didn't understand why the other party would do this. She wasn't an outsider; fighting with all her might wasn't the same as risking her life. Winning or losing didn't matter that much...

Seeing her expression from afar, Mingyou already guessed what she was thinking. She smiled slightly and replied, "Because this is... a promise!"

"..."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhao was immediately stunned. Something seemed to come to mind. She bit her lip and complained to herself in her heart, even wanting to slap herself.

But considering that the other person is someone who always keeps their promises, she withdrew her accusations and sighed softly... but that didn't mean she would easily forgive the other person!

Although the audience had no idea what riddles the two were talking about, the competition finally reached its climax. Naruto had the advantage and had two Pokémon left, while Xiao Zhao only had one left.

"bring it on!"

Looking ahead, Mingyou knew that the Pokémon the opponent was hiding was definitely not ordinary.

Sure enough, perhaps because there were only three Pokémon caught in this world, Xiao Zhao pulled out a Strange Ball. Most people probably wouldn't recognize a Poké Ball like that, but Cynthia and Dawn were completely shocked...

Is it coming?!

Mingyou's lips curled into a slight smile. He had roughly guessed from the beginning that his opponent might use their old Pokémon to finish off this final match.

Xiao Zhao didn't respond at all, but simply picked up the strange ball. A purple light shot out from it, and for some reason, everyone present felt the temperature around them suddenly drop!

What appeared on the field was a Firestorm Beast, but unlike the Firestorm Beasts that the public was familiar with, it was a bit thinner and smaller. It had its eyes closed and did not exude any imposing aura, yet it was full of sinister charm.

"A Firestorm Beast in its Emerald Green form?"

Mingyou was slightly taken aback. Could this be the Pokémon inside the strange ball that the other party refused to tell her about yesterday? It doesn't seem to be awake yet.

Xiao Zhao nodded gently, looking at Typhlosion's back with nostalgia. Memories flashed through her mind before she smiled and introduced, "Yes, it's my starter Pokémon and my longest-lasting companion. I think there's no one more suitable to bring our battle to a close than it."

Her words quietly reached the ears of the Firestorm Beast, and a ball of... no, a full one hundred and eight balls of purplish-red flames suddenly ignited around the Firestorm Beast and circled its neck.

At this moment, the Firestorm Beast slowly opened its eyes. Its bright eyes were almost identical to Xiao Zhao's. Its facial expression and personality were exactly the same as hers. Only the elegance in its behavior was slightly different.

It's rare for Pokémon that haven't spent a lot of time with their trainers to have this level of similarity.

Feeling a sense of familiarity, the Firestorm Beast turned to look behind it and exchanged a smile with Xiao Zhao. Even though it had just woken up, it already understood what it had to do.

"Fufu~"

The Crimson Tyrant's cry was soft and gentle, but its tender tone was very soothing. It stretched out its little hand and waved at Lucario.

"Leo!"

Lucario assumed an attack stance, but the pain from the synchronization failure returned to its body. In the instant its body swayed slightly, many purplish-red, chilling will-o'-the-wisps surrounded it.

Abyss of Blazing Fire!

The flames instantly engulfed Lucario, even purifying its restless mind, calming its heart and causing it to give up resistance. With just one strike, the battle was over.

As the flames subsided, Lucario collapsed to the ground. The audience was baffled, wondering how high Lucario's level was when it fought against the Greatsword Demon, since it hadn't been seriously injured.

"Is this the real ace...?"

Mingyou frowned slightly, but his face was full of excitement. He had learned from the Fiery Deer that Typhlosion had always been Xiaozhao's strongest Pokémon. It had played a significant role in defeating the Mythical Pokémon.

Although Xiao Zhao delivered the final blow that defeated Arceus's clone with his own fist, the damage from the previous blow was inflicted by Typhoon, which successfully stunned Arceus's clone!

To Mingyou, these stories were like listening to real fantasy tales. Even though she knew that their victory over Arceus's clone was a test given by the real Arceus, a test with full buffs, the strength required to participate in that level of battle was unimaginable!

Retrieving the fallen Lucario, Mingyou only had one Pokémon left. Facing such an opponent, he felt no tension at all. Instead, he was very grateful to Xiaozhao for the feast she had prepared for him. However, since they were family, there was no need for thanks.

"Ponpon, it's you I've chosen!"

"Mmm!"

Still without taking out a Poké Ball, Ponpo appeared in front of Naruto when she heard the call.

When Ponpo appeared, the entire arena erupted in cheers. Yesterday's battle with Ash had truly boosted Ponpo's popularity.

"Mmm~"

Ponpo waved to Sister Xiaozhao, indicating that she wouldn't hold back. This surprised Firestorm Beast, who was also curious about their relationship, but they would talk about it after the event.

"Don't get distracted, unleash the flamethrower!"

Xiao Zhao waved and shouted with a smile, "Of course we should finish this final battle of our starter Pokémon with a smile!"

Upon hearing the sound, the Firestorm Beast gracefully raised its right hand, a wisp of purplish-red flame appearing at its fingertips, which transformed into a blazing fire ray in the next second.

Ponpo immediately took out the well mask to put out the fire, and used the blue thorns wrapped around the thorny vine to block the flames.

Strangely, these flames had no heat. Not only were they not extinguished, but they even wrapped around the thorny vines. Startled, Ponpo quickly loosened the thorny vines and gently tested them with her foot.

"Will-o'-the-wisps formed from spirits?"

Mingyou glanced at it and immediately guessed the truth.

Water-type moves won't be very effective, but Dark-type moves will suffice.

"Abyss Thrust!"

"Mmm!"

Ponpon picked up the thorny vine club and used Abyss Thrust to smash the ground. Sure enough, the flames disappeared instantly. Even Typhoon couldn't help but admire its ability to understand the principle so quickly, but it couldn't afford to be distracted during the battle.

"Big characters blast!"

"Use the new base stone mask to push it up!"

The two gave instructions at the same time. Typhlosion stretched out its hand and wrote the character "大" in the air, while Ponpo, who had changed into the Foundation Mask, rushed forward and smashed the flames of the character "大" with a stick, then swung it at Typhlosion.

The effect is outstanding, and the damage is considerable.

But Xiao Zhao suddenly revealed a triumphant smile. Before Ming You could react, the ghostly fire on the Firestorm Beast spread to the Foundation Stone Mask, then transformed into a winged beast-shaped spirit, which ripped off the mask and flew into the air.

"Hmm!?"

"Ponpon's power all comes from the mask. If there were no mask..."

Xiao Zhao briefly reminded him that the masks could be taken away, and losing four masks meant that Ponpo would lose all her powers.

She really didn't want to hurt Ponpo, and if they really fought, it would probably end with both sides being seriously injured. It would be better to use the safest method: take away all the masks and make Ponpo unable to fight.

"Hmm..."

Give me back my mask!

Ponpo raised its hands to try and grab the mask back, but like Groudon, it couldn't fly and could only watch helplessly as Typhlosion took the mask away.

Seeing that Xiao Zhao had chosen this tactic because he didn't want to hurt Pengpeng, Mingyou felt slightly disappointed. He sighed softly. Although he could understand, he didn't want it to be like this. So he clenched his fist and shouted, "As long as we defeat the Firestorm Beast and take it back, that's fine!"

"Mmm!"

Ponpo immediately took out the well mask from her cloak again, but this time she was much more careful. However, no matter how cautious she and Mingyou were, they could never have imagined that the entire arena was now covered by the spirits scattered from the ghost fire by the Firestorm Beast.

This is its ability; it evolved from the Fire Rock Rat due to the influence of the spiritual energy of Tianguan Mountain during the Green Washing period, and possesses the ability to purify souls.

During the Green Age, it is very common for humans and Pokémon to be left to die in the wilderness for various reasons, but Xiao Zhao is kind-hearted and always digs a pit with her companions to bury them, so that those who have passed away can rest in peace.

However, many souls, unable to find their way to the spirit world and with nowhere to go, gradually become lost and transform into evil spirits. The Firestorm Beast will then purify these souls and guide them to the spirit world.

However, some souls that have been lost for too long and have forgotten everything are left as empty shells after purification. Even if they go to the spirit world, it will be of no use. They will voluntarily follow the last fire beast that helped them and become part of its power.

This is the source of the Firestorm Beast's power. When Ponpo took out the well mask, before it could even put it on, its special ability detected it early on and commanded these ghost fire spirits to snatch it away!

"Mmm!"

I got robbed again, that's so unfair...

……

(End of this chapter)