Heartbroken, Qin Han recalled his Tyranitar. This was the first time his Tyranitar had ever sustained such a severe injury. Although its life wasn't in danger, its body was practically roasted through. It would need at least half a month of rest before its wounds would fully heal.
"Player Qin Han, you may hand your Tyranitar over to the staff for treatment first," the referee said to him.
"Thank you. Sorry for the trouble." After a moment's thought, Qin Han decided to let the staff take his Tyranitar to the medical center immediately.
"Come back, Charizard." Jiang Chen recalled the Charizard that had been such a headache for Qin Han.
"Why recall it?" Qin Han was puzzled. He had originally intended to bring out his strongest ace to deal with that Charizard. However, even if Jiang Chen switched, Qin Han still intended to use his most powerful Pokémon.
"Go, Salamence!"
As he released his Salamence, Qin Han immediately ordered it to Mega Evolve, bringing it to its peak state. Meanwhile, the Poké Ball Jiang Chen threw popped open, and Dragonite emerged.
"It's actually a Dragonite. This is going to be trouble."
Jiang Chen's Dragonite was a greater threat than even his Gardevoir. Rumor had it that this was Jiang Chen's very first Pokémon.
"It's been a while since I've let you fight. This opponent might be a bit weak, but you'll just have to make do," Jiang Chen said softly to Dragonite.
"Mew!"
Dragonite had no objections. It wasn't particularly bellicose by nature, but if Jiang Chen wanted it to fight, it would give its all to help him secure victory. If it wasn't needed, it wouldn't complain either.
"Mega Salamence, use Dragon Rush with everything you've got!" Faced with Jiang Chen's Dragonite, Qin Han did not dare to be the least bit careless.
"Mega Punch." Jiang Chen watched the Mega Salamence charging toward his Dragonite and calmly gave the command.
Dragonite stood its ground, remaining motionless. Only when Mega Salamence was right in front of its face did Dragonite finally swing its fist downward.
BOOM!
With a single strike, Mega Salamence lost combat ability on the spot. It had been one-shot by Jiang Chen's Dragonite.
"This I can't believe it! Even after Player Qin Han brought out his ace, he still lost so miserably. He was one-shot! Heavens, just how strong is this Dragonite?" The commentator's face was a mask of pure shock. "Has this Dragonite already grown to Tier 9 of the Elite Four level?"
Not only was the commentator stunned, but even Jiang Chen's mother, Xie Yulan, was surprised. The Pokémon was not far from reaching the Champion level.
Its growth speed was terrifying. Xie Yulan could sense that Dragonite had already grasped a trace of Origin Power. As long as it could master that power, reaching the Champion level was only a matter of time.
In addition to Dragonite, Jiang Chen's Gardevoir was also Tier 9 of the Elite Four level, and his Metagross had reached Tier 8. Jiang Chen was only sixteen years old and had graduated less than a year ago. To have nurtured such powerful Pokémon in that time what would his future achievements be? Even Xie Yulan couldn't predict it.
Besides, given that Jiang Chen possessed Legendary Pokémon, he was already the strongest trainer in the world. As long as he released a Legendary Pokémon, he could crush anything in his path.
"Player Qin Han, please recall your Salamence and send out your next Pokémon," the referee called out, seeing Qin Han standing there with vacant eyes.
The referee understood his state of mind. His strongest Pokémon had been one-shot by the opponent. Furthermore, it hadn't even been a powerful ultimate move; it was a simple Mega Punch that finished the job. What did that mean? It meant the strength gap between the two Pokémon was so vast it couldn't be measured. That was the only way a basic move could result in a one-shot.
With a bitter smile, Qin Han snapped out of it. When Jiang Chen sent out Dragonite, he'd had a bad feeling that his Mega Salamence might not be able to win, but he hadn't expected it to be settled with a single punch.
"Dragonite, come back."
Jiang Chen recalled Dragonite to switch Pokémon again. Switching during a match was allowed, though it wasn't permitted during an active exchange. If one could switch while a move was about to hit, that would be cheating. However, after defeating an opponent's Pokémon, a trainer had the choice to swap.
After recalling Dragonite, Jiang Chen released his Metagross.
"Go, Typhlosion!"
Since Jiang Chen had sent out Metagross first, Qin Han didn't mind sending out a Pokémon with a type advantage. In terms of attributes, Typhlosion held the upper hand, but in terms of raw power, Qin Han knew perfectly well that his Typhlosion was no match for Metagross.
According to the data he had gathered, this Metagross was also one of Jiang Chen's aces, possessing Tier 8 Elite Four level strength.
"Be careful! This Metagross can use Teleport!" Qin Han warned his Typhlosion.
He knew this Metagross was capable of Teleportation, and he feared Metagross might use it to one-shot his Typhlosion.
"Even if you warn it, you won't be able to defend against it," Jiang Chen said flatly.
So what if he gave a warning? Could they stop it? Even if Jiang Chen played with his hand revealed, he wouldn't lose.
Metagross Teleported directly in front of Typhlosion and raised its fist. Typhlosion tried to move, but its body was restricted by Confusion.
"Use Flamethrower!" Qin Han shouted.
Typhlosion's speed was nowhere near Metagross's. Before the Flamethrower could even be released, Metagross slammed a Meteor Mash into its body.
A Tier 1 Elite Four level Typhlosion facing a Tier 8 Metagross had only one possible outcome after taking a direct hit: a total one-shot.
Qin Han clenched his fists tightly, then slowly relaxed them. He was truly convinced now. Had Jiang Chen used a Legendary Pokémon to crush him, he might have felt some lingering indignation. But the fact that Jiang Chen hadn't used one at all left him with nothing but respect.
How long had these Pokémon been trained? How long had he been training his own? He was twenty-two this year, four years out of graduation. Yet, despite having seven more years of training under his belt, he couldn't even compare to Jiang Chen, who had been at it for less than a year. Qin Han was utterly humbled.
"Ten-minute break," the referee announced. Both sides recalled their Pokémon and headed to the backstage lounges.
"As expected, there's no suspense in this match," Xiao Luoxue said, clutching her support sign.
Crushing an opponent with sheer hard strength left no room for doubt. It wasn't that Qin Han was too weak, but that Jiang Chen's Pokémon were simply too strong. Three of Qin Han's Elite Four level Pokémon were already down. With only one remaining, the second half of the battle was a foregone conclusion.
Ling Wanqiu and the others were happy to see Jiang Chen winning, but the spectators who had bought tickets to see the match weren't quite as satisfied. They wanted to see a fierce, back-and-forth battle.
A one-sided massacre ended too quickly. While the thrill of an insta-kill was exciting for a moment, afterward, it felt like they hadn't gotten their money's worth.
Furthermore, many had come primarily to see Articuno, but the legendary bird was nowhere to be found. They felt a bit cheated.
Ten minutes later, the match resumed. At this point, Qin Han had essentially given up. His strongest Pokémon had been defeated; the remaining ones were certainly no match for Jiang Chen. He doubted he could take down even one of Jiang Chen's team.
Ironically, Xiao Luoxue was now the most successful opponent Jiang Chen had faced, as she was the only one to have defeated two of his Pokémon. No one else had managed to take down even one. Of course, the "prestige" of that achievement wasn't very high, but it sounded good on paper.
"Lucario, come out!"
Jiang Chen released his Lucario, while Qin Han sent out Infernape. This Infernape was the strongest among Qin Han's remaining three Pokémon his last one at the Elite Four level.
Standing on the field, Lucario's expression was cold and aloof. Its sharp eyes were locked onto Infernape. Seeing Lucario's arrogant demeanor, Infernape felt a surge of irritation. It swung its fist at Lucario and made a provocative face.
"Wow! There's a thick scent of gunpowder between these two! Infernape is openly provoking Lucario!" The commentator's eyes lit up. If he could call a close battle, he could finally give a truly passionate commentary.
However, the commentator was overestimating Infernape. Their strengths were simply not on the same level. Jiang Chen's Lucario was far more powerful than that Infernape.
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