Jiang Chen couldn't help but shake his head as he watched the performance of Qin Han's Nidoking.
It was far too cowardly, a far cry from his own Nidoqueen. Jiang Chen's Nidoqueen was not only a diligent trainer with terrifying resolve, but she also never hesitated to strike, no matter what level of opponent she faced. She never backed down.
This Nidoking, whether in terms of strength or character, simply didn't have the qualifications to be compared to his Nidoqueen.
"Slaking, let's wrap this up," Jiang Chen said, looking at his Pokémon.
Hearing the command, Slaking didn't bother to keep releasing his aura to intimidate Nidoking anymore. He lunged forward, bringing down a massive Hammer Arm.
His speed was too high for Nidoking to even find space to dodge. The blow connected cleanly, knocking Nidoking out of the fight instantly.
"You've truly disappointed me, Nidoking."
Qin Han looked dejected as he recalled his Pokémon. If Nidoking had shown even a shred of courage, he might have retained some standing in Qin Han's heart. Unfortunately, his performance was so lackluster that he would likely lose his position even on the second team.
"Come back, Slaking."
Jiang Chen recalled his victorious Slaking.
Qin Han realized Jiang Chen's intention. Jiang Chen wanted to give all six of his Pokémon a chance to take the field. He just didn't know which one Jiang Chen would use as his final choice. Jiang Chen had so many Pokémon that it was impossible to guess.
Regardless of which one came out, it wouldn't be easy to deal with. Since he had already mentally prepared himself for the loss, Qin Han no longer felt a heavy psychological burden.
"Come out, Golem!"
As Qin Han released his final Pokémon, Jiang Chen sent out Garchomp.
"Player Jiang Chen has way too many Pseudo-legendaries! He's used three in this single match alone," the commentator remarked, feeling a pang of jealousy.
If he had that many Pseudo-legendaries, he wouldn't be sitting there as a commentator; he would have become a powerful trainer long ago.
And those three weren't Jiang Chen's only ones. Besides them, he also possessed a Hydreigon, a Tyranitar, and a Dragapult.
That made a total of six Pseudo-legendaries enough to form an entire primary team of nothing but elite species. Who could possibly compete with that? Anyone would be envious.
The moment he saw Garchomp, Qin Han knew it was over. He was cooked.
He had held onto a sliver of hope that Jiang Chen might give him some face and send out one of his "weaker" Pokémon, like Venusaur or Aggron. According to his research, Jiang Chen's Aggron was his weakest link, as it hadn't been in his possession for very long and hadn't fully matured under his care.
But now, Jiang Chen had brought out Garchomp. Against a Garchomp, his Golem wouldn't stand a chance even if it tapped into some hidden inner power. Even its strongest Explosion probably wouldn't leave a scratch on the dragon.
"Gah!"
Garchomp was excited to finally get a turn to fight, but after seeing his opponent, he was utterly dissatisfied. He looked at Jiang Chen with an aggrieved expression, asking why he had been given such a weakling to fight. Facing an opponent this feeble didn't even give him an appetite.
Garchomp preferred battling Pokémon on equal footing; he didn't like being toyed with, but he also didn't enjoy crushing the weak. In his eyes, this Golem was nothing but weak.
"Be glad you're even getting a chance to fight. If you're going to be picky, maybe I won't need you for battles in the future," Jiang Chen scolded.
Upon hearing that, Garchomp immediately switched to a fawning, pleasing gaze.
"That guy acts so arrogant toward everyone else, but he's more obedient than anyone in front of Jiang Chen."
Xiao Luoxue felt a sense of satisfaction watching Garchomp's behavior. She didn't have a good impression of Garchomp at all, mostly because he had mocked her mercilessly in the past.
"Do you know why Garchomp is so well-behaved around Jiang Chen?" Ling Wanqiu asked.
"Why?" Xiao Luoxue asked curiously.
"Actually, Jiang Chen's Garchomp used to be a real troublemaker. He was just disciplined so many times that he finally learned his place."
Ling Wanqiu remembered clearly. Back when he was still a Gible, he was a real handful until Jiang Chen had Gardevoir teach him a series of lessons.
"So Garchomp has a dark history of being bullied into submission, huh?" Xiao Luoxue laughed, her mood brightening even more.
"I'm definitely going to lose, but I might as well lose with some dignity," Qin Han muttered.
He took a deep breath and ordered his Golem to use Self-Destruct. Self-Destruct was incredibly powerful, second only to Explosion. Golem could use Explosion as well, but Qin Han didn't dare order it.
Certain moves were banned in the competition, including Explosion and Draco Meteor, because their power was simply too great and could easily harm the spectators.
While Draco Meteor was dangerous because of its massive range, Explosion was a hazard due to its sheer concentrated force. Using Self-Destruct would leave the user in a near-death state,
but Qin Han didn't care anymore. Golem couldn't beat Garchomp anyway; his only goal was to inflict at least some damage. If even a point-blank Self-Destruct couldn't hurt Garchomp, then there truly was no hope.
Golem detonated on the spot, the blast nearly blowing the entire arena skyward. The referee's face turned pale as he glared fiercely at Qin Han. He had almost been knocked off his feet; he hadn't reached the safety zone in time and had been standing too close to the edge of the field.
Qin Han ignored the referee and stared intently at Garchomp, wanting to see if his Golem's sacrifice had achieved anything.
"Player Qin Han was incredibly decisive, going straight for a suicide attack. However, this means his Golem is now unable to battle. It seems the result of this match is clear," the commentator announced.
No one had expected Qin Han's Pokémon to resort to such a desperate tactic against Garchomp. Not even Jiang Chen had anticipated an immediate Self-Destruct.
"What a shame."
A flash of disappointment crossed Qin Han's eyes once the smoke cleared. Although Garchomp looked a bit disheveled and covered in dust, his injuries were not serious. He just looked a bit messy.
"Roar!"
Garchomp let out an angry shout. He was extremely annoyed. He had finally come out to fight, and before he could even land a hit, the Golem had blown itself up.
"The battle is over! Golem is unable to battle. The winner is Jiang Chen! Congratulations to Jiang Chen for winning the championship of this Hidden Dragon Cup!" the referee announced immediately.
"Come back, Garchomp."
Jiang Chen recalled the begrudging dragon.
"The finals are over just like that?"
"How long has it been? This year's Hidden Dragon Cup finals ended too quickly! I came all this way to watch, and it was over in less than half an hour."
"That Qin Han guy was way too weak. I feel like it would have been more exciting if Shao Feichen had made it to the finals instead."
"Forget it. Shao Feichen couldn't even beat Qin Han. He would have lost even faster."
"It's not that he's too weak; it's that Jiang Chen is too strong. It's hard to believe Jiang Chen is just a rookie trainer who graduated only half a year ago."
The audience wasn't satisfied not with the result, but with the process. It had ended too abruptly. The epic, evenly-matched struggle they had imagined never materialized.
With the match over, the award ceremony began. As the champion, Jiang Chen was the first to be honored. The runner-up also received a reward, though it was worlds apart from what the champion received.
"Congratulations, Jiang Chen."
The person who came to present the award was the Champion of Xia Country, Yi Hong. The Hidden Dragon Cup was no small event, so it was normal for the national champion to make an appearance.
"Thank you," Jiang Chen said, accepting the trophy.
"I have a grandson about your age. If you have time, you two should chat and exchange experiences." Yi Hong wore a warm smile as he spoke to Jiang Chen.
Jiang Chen wondered if it was just a trick of his imagination, but it felt like Yi Hong was trying to curry favor with him.
In truth, it wasn't an illusion. Yi Hong did want to build a good relationship with Jiang Chen. After all, Jiang Chen possessed a Legendary Pokémon, and that alone made him worth the effort.
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