Age of Elves: I started flashing with my handheld.

"Hattori-senpai has paved the way for your rise, so don't waste his painstaking efforts."

"Don't worry, don't worry," Koizumi Jiro readily agreed, but he wasn't worried at all.

He still remembered the last time the gym leader from the Dragon Kingdom challenged Hattori-sensei, he was defeated in no time. Although he himself was no match for Hattori-sensei, beating a rookie gym leader was a piece of cake.

He's supposed to be the strongest genius of the new generation in the Dragon Kingdom. Before he fully matures, he's just a genius, not a strong one!

Jiro Koizumi had already planned it out: he not only wanted to win against the youngest gym leader in the Dragon Kingdom, but he wanted to win spectacularly.

Ideally, it should be a crushing victory, leaving the opponent speechless and ultimately only able to weep and admit defeat.

At that time, I will surely become a prominent figure in the island nation, and Senior Sister Watanabe will definitely...

"Knock knock..." A sudden knock on the door interrupted Jiro Koizumi's reverie.

"The World Pokémon Championship organizing committee needs to verify the Pokémon you used and conduct random checks!"

(An extra chapter, to make up for Friday's.)

287. Steelix's Sword

An hour later.

Having changed his clothes, Nanfeng stood at the exit of the Dongning Gym's contestant corridor, carrying six Poké Balls that had already been tested by the World Pokémon Championship Organizing Committee.

It's no longer the open-air battlefield where Nanfeng and Miaoye fought back then.

Nanfeng specially commissioned the construction of an indoor battle arena.

It is a huge stadium that can accommodate two thousand spectators at the same time, and it is equipped with a king-level defensive energy shield to ensure the safety of the audience. Nanfeng even paid three hundred million for it.

The venue, which can hold 2,000 people, is now full.

As Nanfeng stepped out of the contestants' tunnel, a deafening roar of cheers erupted from all directions, crashing against his eardrums like waves. The sheer volume and complexity of the sound made Nanfeng feel momentarily deaf.

But this feeling was fleeting.

Aside from the distant noise, Nanfeng could hear what the spectators on both sides of the contestants' walkway were saying to him.

"Go, Nan Shen! Blow up those Japanese devils!"

"Nan Shen, you're awesome!"

"Nan Shen! I love you, I want to have your babies!"

Nanfeng glanced at the person who said he wanted to have her babies.

It's a man.

Nanfeng quickened his pace.

Stepping onto the battlefield, Nanfeng quickly spotted his opponent, a young man with a middle-part hairstyle and wearing a sharp suit. In his eyes, Nanfeng had found the answer he had received earlier.

How dare this person do that?

Because ignorance gives him inexhaustible courage!

Jiro Koizumi's eyes were filled with longing and excitement. He craved the cheers and was excited that he would receive them by defeating his opponent.

Therefore, he now looks at Nanfeng as if he has spotted prey.

It was a look that bordered on provocative.

Nanfeng's approach to dealing with this kind of person was simple: no need for words, just beat them to a pulp.

Nanfeng looked at the referee, who was not from the gym but from the World Pokémon Championship organizing committee.

Once both trainers were in position, he immediately began announcing the rules of the match.

"The match now beginning is the World Pokémon Championship, High Ball Division, between Nanfeng from the Dragon Kingdom and Jiro Koizumi from the Island Country. The rules are six to four; the battle ends when one side has four Pokémon unable to battle!"

"Now, both sides, please send out your Pokémon simultaneously!" The referee raised a green flag to signal.

Nanfeng and Koizumi Jiro simultaneously took out a Poké Ball from their waists, gestured to each other, and then threw it into the sky together.

A flash of silver light, and two elves appeared.

Jiro Koizumi's first Pokémon was Enmusubi.

Flames raged around its massive, obese body, and black smoke with sparks billowed from its enormous nostrils. It was clear that this Flame King had been raised exceptionally well!

Southwind sent out a Steelix!

Obsidian Steelix!

Its black body was marked with red flame patterns, which made its already ferocious face even more grotesque!

As Obsidian Steelix appeared, a gasp of surprise rippled through the audience.

"Another shiny Pokémon?"

"Holy crap, a shiny Gardevoir, a Mega Knight, a Gyarados, and I just got a Growlithe not long ago, and now there's a Steelix, so... Nan Shen, are you going to put together a team of shiny Pokémon to compete in the World Pokémon Championship?"

"Southern God, no, you can now be renamed the God of Light!"

"Nobody stop me! I'm going to take a front-facing photo of the God of Light, and then I'll put it on my bedside table!"

"Believe in the Southern God, and you will encounter a flash of light!"

.....

Jiro Koizumi looked at the Obsidian Steelix with a hint of envy, but still scoffed, "Heh, so what if it's a shiny Pokémon? Trainers pursue strength. No matter how beautiful a Pokémon is, it's meaningless if it's weak!"

Nanfeng remained expressionless. He had already foreseen this scenario, and as his shiny sprites appeared one by one in the future, people would become more and more surprised, and then... numb.

The referee gestured to confirm that both Pokémon and trainers were ready, and immediately announced, "Battle begins!"

"Emperor Yanwu, use the Oath of Fire!" Koizumi Jiro couldn't wait to launch the first attack.

Emboar vs. Steelix, he has a type advantage with the first Pokémon.

Not only is Fighting-type super effective against Steelix, but Fire-type is also super effective against Steelix. This is a sure win!

Let me just annihilate you in one move!

The southerly winds at the "tail end" also show no signs of letting up.

The two people gave their instructions at the same time.

Yanwu Wang bent down and slammed his fist into the ground. Instantly, a pillar of fire erupted from the point of impact and shot into the sky. This was just the beginning. Starting with the first pillar of fire, a pillar of fire would erupt from the ground every ten centimeters, rapidly extending towards the giant steel snake.

Before the Flame Pact could reach Steelix, Steelix had already twisted and slashed its own tail hard.

The jet-black steel tail resembled a giant sword, a sword that only giants could wield!

This inexplicably reminded Nanfeng of a description often used in novels.

A heavy sword has no edge, and great skill has no workmanship!

The black sword was adorned with red flame patterns, and when swung, it seemed to unleash a torrent of fire. But now, it wasn't just fire; the greatsword, as it cleaved, was imbued with a dark green energy of dragon attributes—a sword aura that coiled around the blade—as it slashed toward the Flame King.

"Close combat!" Koizumi Jiro wasn't afraid at all.

Yanwu King exhaled black breath from his nostrils and raised his hand to punch the giant sword that was so close at hand!

A loud clang rang out.

A torrent of black smoke rose up like a volcanic eruption, shaking the entire ground. What flew up was not only black smoke, but also dust everywhere.

At the same time, the fire pillar bow that was generated by the Oath of Fire was also severed!

It doesn't seem to be spreading any further.

Everyone eagerly awaited to see how the clash would unfold.

Steelix retracted its tail, dispersing the billowing smoke.

When the smoke completely dissipated, revealing the figure of the Flame King, it was lying on a scorched earth with a huge, visible gash on its body, surrounded by spiderweb-like cracks that stretched for a full three meters!

Without a doubt, King Yanwu has lost his ability to fight.

"Emboost is unable to fight, Steelix wins!" the referee announced the result.

Nanfeng looked at Koizumi Jiro expressionlessly and urged loudly, "Next one!"

(This is the sixth update today. I'm starting to pay back my debts; I currently owe 14 updates.)

288. I am not Sister Li.

"Holy crap, Nan Shen is awesome!"

"One Dragon Tail attack and he's KO'd Emboar! I dare say that Nan Shen's Steelix is ​​definitely a member of his main lineup! Its combat power is comparable to Garchomp!"

"Who dares to say that our Nan Shen, a newly promoted Gym Leader, lacks experience! This is experience! (Shouting loudly)"

The scene was noisy, with some people blowing south winds and others spraying Koizumi Jiro.

Amidst the commotion, Koizumi Jiro was somewhat lost in thought, staring blankly at the Flame King lying in the cracks, a scene that was beyond his comprehension.

Was Yanwu King really defeated so easily?

Although Yanwu King's defense is not high, its physique is undeniable.

Even at his peak condition, Emboar was instantly defeated by Steelix's "Dragon Tail".

Was I hallucinating because I didn't get enough sleep yesterday?

Or did King Yanwu become weak after eating something he shouldn't have?

Or perhaps Steelix took performance-enhancing drugs before the match?

Jiro Koizumi once wanted to slap himself to see if he was dreaming. If he was dreaming, he'd better get out of this absurd and unrealistic nightmare as soon as possible.

"Trainer Jiro Koizumi, please send out your second Pokémon as soon as possible," the referee reminded him when he didn't move.

Koizumi Jiro 063 just woke up as if from a dream.

He hurriedly took out his second Poké Ball and released it.

The Pokémon featured is Gyarados!

Its enormous and majestic azure body floated in mid-air, ferocious and powerful. However, compared to Nanfeng's red Gyarados, this ordinary Gyarados seemed to have nothing to impress.

In terms of size, color, and strength, the audience could see the difference between the two Gyarados with the naked eye.

Jiro Koizumi's Gyarados roared at Steelix with a ferocious expression, but the Intimidate ability did not weaken Steelix.

It seems that Jiro Koizumi's Gyarados is overconfident in its ability!

Overconfidence: Pokémon with this ability raises its Attack by 1 stage after defeating any Pokémon.

This is a characteristic that gets stronger the longer you fight, and it is usually suitable for use against teams that can take on six opponents at once!

However, Jiro Koizumi is sending out Gyarados simply because the Water type is super effective against Steelix!

"Surf!" Jiro Koizumi immediately launched a fierce attack!

"Roar!" Gyarados roared to the sky, causing a five-meter-high azure wave to rise from the ground and surge towards Steelix.

Nanfeng ignored it and raised his hand to give the order. "Rockfall!"

"Roar!" This time it was Steelix's turn to roar to the sky.

A deep darkness descended upon the entire battlefield, with countless rocks raining down from a circular black hole connecting to another dimension. These rocks were identical to those summoned by Tyranitar and Aggron, smaller but with sharp edges.

It was as if what was falling from the sky wasn't rocks, but sharp nails!

The area where Steelix is ​​slightly inferior to Tyranitar and Aggron is probably the density of its rockfall rain.

The two large Pokémon were unable to dodge their opponent's attacks and had no choice but to fight back, exchanging blows.

Gyarados's Surf move deals double damage to regular Steelix.

Southwind's Steelix uses the Rock-type move Rock Slide, which also deals double damage to Gyarados.

The only difference between the two is that Gyarados gets a 50% power boost when using moves that match its type! This is also Jiro Koizumi's biggest advantage!

But when the surging waves crashed against Steelix, Jiro Koizumi's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

The surging tide crashing against the Steel Serpent's body was like hitting a flood control embankment; it did nothing but create a louder noise.

Isn't Steelix weak to Water-type moves?

Furthermore, from a base stat perspective, Steelix has an insane physical defense, but its special defense isn't very high!