"...It's really outstanding. He was able to use Dark-type moves to mobilize Dark-type energy to break free from Psyduck's telekinesis. He is worthy of being the one who can subdue Groudon." Xiaoxia praised Gongsun Yan sincerely.
"It was also a coincidence. If you had not chosen to use a powerful move like mental strengthening to deal with the Heart Scale Treasure in the end, but continued to attack with telekinesis, even if the Heart Scale Treasure continued to use patience and perseverance to resist, it would be useless."
Chapter 31: The Ubiquitous Dragon Flame
"Although it's a good idea to use a powerful move as the final blow, the mental strength required for this move is very high. Once Psyduck starts preparing for the mental strength, the mental strength binding the Heartscale will definitely weaken. This is the opportunity I've been waiting for."
"It's a pity that the gap in strength is still too big. This desperate last attack still failed to turn defeat into victory." Gongsun Yan said with great regret.
As soon as Gongsun Yan finished speaking, the smoke covering the field gradually dissipated, revealing two Pokémon on the field, one standing and one lying down.
The one lying on the ground was naturally Xinlinbao. Even though Xinlinbao's final response could definitely be called a textbook-level response, as Gongsun Yan said, the gap in strength between the two sides was too big.
"Huh?" Psyduck tilted its head slightly, as if it hadn't reacted yet why its opponent suddenly disappeared.
"Gah!"
Psyduck turned its head and looked for HeartScale. When he lowered his head and found HeartScale lying at his feet, Psyduck jumped up dramatically, obviously frightened by HeartScale.
Being scared would have been okay, at most you would have just been laughed at and that would have been the end of it. However, after Psyduck discovered the Heart Scale, it was so scared that it ran directly to Misty's feet and hid, which made everyone present a little at a loss.
"Um... your Psyduck is really special." Gongsun Yan said awkwardly but politely.
Although he had seen the performance and cuteness of the Duck God in the anime in his previous life, after seeing this scene with his own eyes, Gongsun Yan suddenly understood why Xiaoxia had such a bad temper. If he had such a special Pokémon, he would probably be so bad-tempered too.
"Haha, forget it, Psyduck, come back. You can continue to rest from now on." Xiaoxia laughed awkwardly and put the Psyduck at her feet back into the Poké Ball.
As the gym leader, Misty originally did not have the ability to exchange Pokémon, but she made it clear that she would not let Psyduck continue to fight.
Gongsun Yan also understood why. After all, Xiaoxia's Psyduck had already stopped being the one that could kill anyone who stood in its way. Gongsun Yan would definitely be more careful in the future and would not let Psyduck's head get hit again.
In addition, Heart Scale's last attack was not completely useless. Psyduck also had a lot of scars on its body, and it was still gasping for breath, which showed that Psyduck had very little physical strength left.
"Okay, Xiaoyan, let's stop the warm-up exercises here. Let's go all out in the next battle. I've been waiting for this moment for a long time. Please, Gyarados!" Xiaoxia shouted at Gongsun Yan and threw the Poké Ball in her hand out.
"Roar!" A huge Gyarados appeared on the field, and after appearing, it jumped into the pond beside it.
I forgot to mention that because the Cerulean Gym is a water-based gym, everyone specially found a place with water to fight. The reason why the pond was not used in the previous two battles was mainly because it made no difference whether there was a pond or not.
There is no need to say anything about the first game. Lulule is originally a water-type Pokémon and can live in water, but Solilo can do it too. Compared to Lulule which has a fixed form, Solilo in liquid form is obviously easier to hide in water, so in order to end it quickly, Gongsun Yan and Xiaoxia both tacitly chose the land battle method.
As for the second game... which of the two Pokémon that appear can swim? Heartscale might doggy paddle, but Psyduck won't go into the water, so what is a fighting Pokémon that is not good at playing in the water doing in the water?
However, this battle is different. Although Pokémon like Gyarados can move and fight on land, for the sake of Gyarados's health, it is better to avoid this situation as much as possible.
Gyarados's huge size also means that if he lives on land for a long time, his spine will be under great pressure. If this continues for a long time, big problems may occur.
"Gyarados? It's the Pokémon that Misty should use! Wait, isn't that Gyarados' Mega Stone?!"
Gongsun Yan looked at the Gyarados that appeared in front of him. He was originally admiring Misty's growth after she separated from Satoshi, but the next second, his eyes were focused on something that shouldn't have appeared on Gyarados' forehead.
"Hehe, yes, I found this in the warehouse of the Cerulean Gym. I also found this, Xiaozhi, does it look good?"
Just like what happened in the Sun and Moon anime, Misty took out an earring from her pocket, put it on her ear, and began to ask Satoshi if she looked good. Surprisingly, the earring contained a key stone.
"So you can mega evolve, Misty! You must fight me in the future!"
Xiaozhi's performance was as outstanding as ever. He completely ignored Xiaoxia's questions and was only thinking about having a battle with Xiaoxia. Such a straight-forward operation made everyone around him sigh.
"Gyarados? He is indeed a good opponent. It's a pity that my Gyarados is not with me, otherwise I would definitely let the two of them compete. By the way, Xiaoxia, how did you train this Gyarados? It's so big." Gongsun Yan said in some confusion.
"Eh? Xiaoyan, don't you know? These are the special calcium tablets made by Miss Joy from the Orange Islands. When I was planning to train a Gyarados, Xiaozhi gave me these calcium tablets." Xiaoxia said in some confusion.
"Don't blame me. That special calcium tablet is only effective for Magikarp. When your Gyarados was taken out, Xiaoyan, it was already a Gyarados, so I didn't say anything. I still have a lot of calcium tablets that Big Brother Yan gave me. I definitely won't be stingy." After seeing Gongsun Yan's eyes, Xiaozhi hurriedly explained.
After hearing what Xiaozhi said, Gongsun Yan suddenly didn't know what to say. He had directly conquered Gyarados in the game, and the calcium tablets he took during his Magikarp period were really of no use to him, so although he felt a little regretful, he could only accept this reality.
“By the way, who exactly is that Yu Longyan? He actually knows about Miss Joy’s special calcium tablets. Could he also be... Forget it, I must ask him next time I see him. I can’t let him escape again.” Gongsun Yan made a silent decision in his heart.
Chapter 32 Gaining the Upper Hand
"Since your opponent is Gyarados, and if you still want to have a wonderful battle, then it's decided that you should go, Swampert. Let Gyarados see what real strength is!"
Gongsun Yan's right hand slid across the three Poké Balls on his waist one by one, and finally decisively took the front one and threw it over the pond.
"Gah!"
With a low roar, the burly Swampert fell heavily into the pond, causing a violent splash of water, which was far more powerful than when Gyarados entered the water.
"Swampert, he is indeed a good opponent. Then, Gyarados, let's say hello with a water cannon first!" After seeing Swampert, Misty became energetic. This was the opponent she wanted.
"Water cannon? Then let's do it too, Swampert, use water cannon!" Gongsun Yan would naturally not back down from such a direct provocation. He decisively chose to let Swampert and Gyarados fight head-on.
Gyarados and Swampert opened their mouths at the same time. Because they were in a pond, it took almost no time for the water cannon to gather and it was completed in an instant.
A second later, two huge water cannons shot out from the mouths of the two Pokémon and collided in the center of the pond. The aftermath caused ripples on the surface of the entire pond.
"boom!"
The collision of the two moves inevitably resulted in an explosion. Although Gongsun Yan still couldn't figure out why the two water columns would explode, it was indeed the fact.
However, this explosion was actually quite normal. After all, both were water-based moves, and the battlefield was not on land, so there was no dust that could be stirred up, so it did not block much of the crowd's vision.
The only problem was that the water that was thrown into the sky by the explosion immediately turned into rain, soaking everyone's clothes. Liliae was spared because she had a big hat on her head, but the hat also got wet.
Humph, Gongsun Yan is fully prepared and will never let Liliae get her clothes wet because of such a small matter. The temptation of Liliae's wet body is something only he can enjoy.
However, Gongsun Yan and Xiaoxia naturally had no time to care about these details. The only thing that could keep them focused now was the battle in front of them.
Of course, this is also because Lillie does not have the temptation of a wet body, otherwise Gongsun Yan would definitely abandon the battle and run over to serve as a cover for Lillie. After all, fighting is not as good as having a girlfriend, right? He can also take advantage of her at close range, so why not do it?
But since there are no bonus shots, Gongsun Yan's attention will naturally be focused on the battle. The collision just now made Gongsun Yan understand one thing, that is, both sides are evenly matched in special attacks.
Although Swampert is not a Pokémon known for its special attack, the problem is that Gyarados is not either. Just now, these two Pokémon that are good at physical attacks fought for a while using special attacks like Water Cannon, which did allow Gongsun Yan to get some information, but not much, and the effect was not as good as expected.
"Since long-range attacks don't work, then use melee moves, Gyarados, Water Tail!" Xiaoxia shouted loudly.
"Don't even think about succeeding, Swampert, go for it with your arm hammer!" Gongsun Yan was not to be outdone and continued to command Swampert to fight hard.
"Roar!"
"Gah!"
Gyarados's tail filled with water collided violently with Swampert's rock-hard arm, but this collision did not end in a stalemate and no explosion occurred.
When Gyarados and Swampert collided, they were inevitably knocked away by the reaction force. Although Gongsun Yan couldn't figure out why both sides were knocked away, they were both flying in the opposite direction of their own movement.
According to the knowledge of mechanics that Gongsun Yan learned in his previous life, this situation is almost impossible to happen, but this is the world of Pokémon, and such a situation appeared before Gongsun Yan's eyes. No matter how much he didn't want to accept it, it was useless.
After the first collision, before Gongsun Yan and Xiaoxia gave any orders, Swampert and Gyarados continued to rush forward, and their Hammer and Water Tail collided again and again, but this time they splashed a large amount of water.
At the beginning, Gyarados could compete with Swampert on equal terms, and could even gain some advantages with its huge size, but as time went on, problems became apparent.
Gyarados's huge size is undoubtedly a double-edged sword. While it gives Gyarados a stronger physique, it also requires more power to drive this body. The difference may not be noticeable at ordinary times, but it is very deadly in a protracted battle.
Just like the current situation on the field, facing Swampert's arm hammer attack, Gyarados not only lost its previous ease, but began to retreat step by step. Everyone present saw that if this continued, Gyarados's defeat was only a matter of time.
"Damn it, Gyarados, use Water Tail at its maximum power to force Swampert back!" Misty also understood how critical the current situation was, and immediately let Gyarados temporarily force Swampert back.
Gyarados also perfectly executed Misty's instructions, and in an instant, he gathered all his strength and knocked Swampert away before he could react, leaving himself some breathing space.
The Swampert that flew backwards was not seriously injured. After adjusting its body slightly in the air, it landed safely in the pond without any sign of injury.
"As expected of Xiaoyan's Swampert, his strength is indeed strong. I didn't expect that even my ace Gyarados is no match for him." Xiaoxia said with a slight sigh.
"No, I just have the advantage of race. Swampert was trained by me when he was still a water jumper, and it has the current strength because of a strange encounter. But your Gyarados is different, Misty."
"When Gyarados is Magikarp, it basically cannot undergo any training. At most, it can only eat and sleep, sleep and eat. Only after it evolves into Gyarados can it begin to undergo effective training."
"But you've only been training this Gyarados for less than half a year, and not only have you evolved it from Magikarp into Gyarados, you've also trained it to the peak of the Quasi-Elite level. You're worthy of being a gym trainer at the Cerulean Gym. Your skills in training Water-type Pokémon are simply first-rate." Gongsun Yan said sincerely.
Gongsun Yan was not just bragging, he was really surprised. The Gyarados raised by Misty was really outstanding. If he had to describe it, its growth rate was probably similar to that of Ash's Tyrannosaurus, which shows how terrifying it is.
Chapter 33 Mega Gyarados and Mega Swampert
And don't forget, Ash's Splinter Cell didn't listen to Ash for a long time, starting from the time he evolved into Charmeleon, and Ash at that time had no way to deal with Charmeleon.
Ash also entrusted Infernape, the only creature that could subdue Charmeleon at that time, to him, which led to Charizard, which was evolved from Charmeleon, not listening to Ash's command. Finally, Ash's journey in the Quartz Conference ended in the top 16.
Misty's trainer level was naturally not comparable to that of Ash at the time. In addition, before its evolution, Gyarados had been living in the aquarium of the Cerulean Gym, and had been fed three meals a day by Misty and the other four sisters.
Misty's three unreliable sisters don't look like people who can work hard. Even if they come to feed Pokémon occasionally, they only pick those Pokémon that look good. Pokémon like Magikarp, which is so ordinary that it can't be more ordinary, are naturally ignored by them.
But Misty is different. In Misty's eyes, all water-type Pokémon are equally cute, even Magikarp is no exception. Compared to her three sisters who avoid being fed, Misty can be said to enjoy it.
So even a Pokémon with a small brain capacity like Magikarp remembered Misty's figure deeply, and when Misty overcame her fear and decided to train a Gyarados as her trump card, he stepped forward and used a flamethrower to attract Misty's attention.
To be honest, even though Gongsun Yan recognized that the Gyarados on the field was the evolved version of the fire-breathing Magikarp that appeared in the plot, he still couldn't believe it.
A Magikarp that should only be able to splash and crash into water, and would just jitabata (flutter its hands and feet) when the top is broken, can actually use a fire-type move like jet flame. It's simply out of the ordinary.
Gongsun Yan tried several times, but he was never able to create a Magikarp that could inherit the ability to spray fire, which disappointed him for a long time.
"But your strength is still not enough. Let's end the warm-up and move on to the second chapter. Gyarados, mega evolution!" Misty pressed her finger on the key stone on the earring, activating the power of the bond between her and Gyarados.
After the evolution, Gyarados' dorsal fin became even bigger. Its already huge body became even bigger, the sense of oppression became stronger, and it exuded a very fierce aura.
Although Gongsun Yan's Gyarados has also mega evolved, the different-colored Gyarados is good-looking, but the color combination is obviously not as impactful as the original one, and the difference in size is fully revealed at this moment.
"Finally we've been waiting for this moment. I've been waiting for a long time. Swampert, let's also use mega evolution and set an example for Misty and Gyarados. This is how mega evolution should be used correctly!" Gongsun Yan also pointed his finger at the bracelet, and the familiar white light enveloped Swampert again.
"Gah!"
The white light faded, and Mega Swampert reappeared. He stretched his muscles slightly, and a "crackling" sound continued to come out of his body, which made people shudder.
And when Swampert's two huge arms collided with each other, everyone heard a very dull impact sound, which shows how strong the muscles on Swampert's arms are.
And a creepy aura also emanated from Mega Swampert, completely tearing apart the fierce aura left by Mega Gyarados and replacing it with a belligerent aura.
"Xiaoxia, although Gyarados has broken through the bottleneck with the help of mega evolution and reached the strength of the king level, it is ultimately achieved by relying on external objects. If Gyarados has already broken through the bottleneck of the king, then he may be able to use mega evolution to defeat Swampert."
"But now, the victory belongs to us, Swampert, Arm Hammer!" Gongsun Yan shouted.
After hearing Gongsun Yan's command, Swampert stopped moving his body. He slowly lowered his arms, focused his attention on Gyarados, and then kicked back suddenly.
"What, Swampert is actually running on the water? How is that possible considering his size?" Xiaosheng on the side said with his eyes wide open.
"Can't dodge, Gyarados, use Water Tail!" Misty quickly estimated in her mind and found that there was no way Gyarados could dodge this move, so she simply didn't dodge and let the two Pokémon fight head-on.
Gyarados is worthy of being a Pokémon that can be called a leap forward. Although it has only one stage of evolution, its race stats are higher than Swampert's. And after its mega evolution, the distribution of its race stats is also more reasonable than Swampert's.
Gyarados' special attack is originally weak, and it was not allocated much racial value when it mega-evolved. However, its strong point, physical attack, was strengthened a lot. The name of the extremely ferocious one is not for nothing.
If Mega Swampert and Mega Gyarados were to compete with each other at the same strength, Gyarados would definitely be better, but now the strength is uneven and Swampert is obviously stronger.
However, even so, Swampert did not gain much advantage. Although his heavy arm hammer sent Gyarados flying backwards, it failed to cause any damage to Gyarados as the force was completely dissipated.
"Is this the secret technique of the Hualan Gym? It's amazing that it can use the swing of the body to relieve the force." Gongsun Yan praised sincerely. This technique really opened his eyes.
"Ah? No, this isn't the secret technique of the Cerulean Gym. To be honest, it should be the secret technique of the Southern Cross Gym in the Orange Islands."
Xiaoxia thought for a while and gave Gongsun Yan an unexpected but reasonable answer.
"Ah, never mind. Let's continue the fight."
After hearing this unexpected answer, Gongsun Yan's face changed completely. He quickly ended the topic and shifted his attention back to the battle.
As a die-hard fan of Pokémon, how could Gongsun Yan not know where the Southern Cross Gym is? He knew all the chapters involving the heroine by heart, and of course he knew about Satoshi's biggest rival in love.
But Gongsun Yan didn't expect that in such a short time, Xiaoxia had learned the Southern Cross Gym's signature skills. It was really amazing.
Chapter 34: Advantage, the final move determines the outcome
"Swampert, if that's the case, then use Waterfall Climb to restrict Gyarados's movements!"
A large stream of water suddenly emerged from under Gyarados, and the next moment the water rushed up into the sky, carrying Gyarados into the air and binding it above the water column.
As mentioned before, although Gongsun Yan learned from Xue that there was a flying Gyarados, he had never seen one. His own Gyarados had practiced hard for a long time but still couldn't learn the flying trick. For this, he was almost reported by the Pokémon Fans Association for abusing Pokémon.
Because the training had not made any progress, both Gongsun Yan and Gyarados became irritable. When irritable, they tend to be impatient for quick success and try slightly dangerous methods.
It just so happened that Gongsun Yan thought of a story he had read in his previous life, which said that an eagle would throw its cubs off a cliff to force its children to learn to fly. This story obviously gave Gongsun Yan a lot of inspiration.
Then Gongsun Yan did just that, and was successfully stopped on the second day of special training. There were three reasons for this: The first was naturally the warning from the Pokémon Fans Association. They believed that Gongsun Yan was abusing his Pokémon, so they forced him to stop this behavior.
The second reason is that Gyarados's body really can't stand such torture. Although Gongsun Yan deliberately chose a place with water underneath to practice, once the height rises to a certain level, it doesn't really matter whether there is water or concrete underneath, both are very painful.
Gyarados had just recovered from the injuries he sustained at the Caiyou Conference, but after being tormented by Gongsun Yan, he was forced to lie in the pool to recuperate again, and many of his new scales fell off.
As for the last point, Gongsun Yan was naturally distressed as well. Gyarados was his Pokémon. If he was fighting to become stronger, he could accept it even if it meant a little suffering. But how could he endure something that brought no visible gain?
