Top 8 to Top 4 Match!
Under the gaze of thousands,
the match began.
To almost everyone watching, Lin Yu was now the final boss.
That Frogadier of his was simply too strong.
Its speed was so great that most Elite-tier Pokémon couldn't even see it move.
Thankfully,
so far, it seemed Lin Yu only had one truly overpowered Pokémon: Frogadier.
That gave everyone hope.
Lin Yu himself was rather shocked.
Standing across from him was a boy with a red cap,
his eyes burning with pure battle lust.
More importantly — his Pokémon.
It was a Pikachu with Champion-tier talent!
[Pokémon: Pikachu]
[Ability: Lightning Rod]
[Gender: Male]
[Talent: Champion-tier]
[Level: 33]
[Moves: Tackle, Thunder Shock, Thunder Wave, Thunderbolt, Iron Tail, Electroweb, Volt Tackle...]
Talent was, to some extent, tied to a species' base stats.
For Pokémon like Rattata,
even with huge populations…
the chance of a "king" appearing was tiny.
For a Pikachu to have Champion-tier talent…
This kid was terrifying.
"Hey! I'm Xiao Zhi — just call me Zhi! I'm definitely gonna beat you!"
Lin Yu almost laughed when he heard the name.
"You wouldn't happen to have a nickname like 'Dummy', would you?"
"Huh?"
"Never mind. Show me what you've got!"
The world was full of surprises — to meet someone so similar here, of all places.
The referee's voice rang out:
"Begin!"
"Go, Frogadier!"
"Go, Pikachu!"
Before the match even started, the crowd was already buzzing with predictions.
In the 16-to-8 round,
Lin Yu had surprised everyone by not sending Riolu at all.
He'd just used Frogadier to sweep straight through.
That made it impossible to guess what his second Pokémon would be.
But his opponent, Xiao Zhi, was the same.
So far, he'd only sent out two Pokémon:
the Pikachu on his shoulder,
and a Pidgeot with a 3-meter wingspan.
Its feathers were glossy and bright,
its strength outstanding —
it had reached Gym-tier!
"Electric Terrain!"
"Pikaa!"
A crisp cry came from Pikachu.
It slapped its cheeks, and lightning burst forth, striking the water.
The entire lake lit up with yellow electricity.
Water-type Pokémon on a lake had a natural advantage:
they could hide underwater and keep firing Water Gun to limit the enemy's movement.
Many Rock, Ground, and even Grass-types had been beaten that way.
So Xiao Zhi's first move was Electric Terrain.
A smart choice!
But Lin Yu had never planned to limit Pikachu's movement anyway.
"Double Team!"
In an instant, countless Frogadier clones appeared on the wooden platforms.
"Water Shuriken!"
Hundreds of shuriken filled the air,
real and fake mixed together.
"Haha! Electroweb, then Iron Tail!"
Electric beats Water.
Xiao Zhi, who'd made it this far, was no dummy.
And with Pikachu's mastery of electricity…
it leaped upward,
and a rough but dense Electroweb burst from its tail.
Area moves like Electroweb were perfect for this kind of situation.
The web was so large it covered the entire sky!
"Incredible."
Lin Yu's eyes narrowed slightly.
He was impressed not just by Pikachu, but by Xiao Zhi's command skill.
The web looked rough, but Pikachu had formed it in a split second.
It zapped almost all of Frogadier's Water Shuriken-wielding clones.
Then —
yellow light flared.
Pikachu's body erupted in electricity.
Volt Tackle!
Its tail also shone with an iron-like glow. It coiled like a spring and lunged at Frogadier.
A two-move combination!
"Come on! Charge!"
Lin Yu wasn't about to back down from such a worthy opponent.
Frogadier raised a massive Water Shuriken.
CLANG!
The two collided. The energy-infused shuriken and Iron Tail sparked brilliantly.
A loud metallic screech shook the entire arena.
Just that one clash
left the entire crowd holding their breath.
They'd never seen such an even, intense fight!
CRACK!
The shockwave of energy shattered the platforms both Pokémon stood on.
"Thunderbolt!"
A yellow Light Ball on Pikachu flashed brightly.
Electricity blasted from its tail in an instant!
"Aerial Ace!"
Lin Yu shot back without hesitation.
Aerial Ace was the fastest move to execute. Frogadier's toes glowed white.
It stomped downward
and dove straight into the water.
Thunderbolt — missed!
"Froga!"
When it reappeared, it was already on another platform.
"That was amazing!"
Xiao Zhi stared in shock at Lin Yu's split-second decision.
He hadn't entered through the city tournament — he was a Traveler Trainer,
who'd challenged Gyms
and collected 8 Badges to reach the Provincial Tournament.
In Xiao Zhi's opinion,
even some Gym Leaders didn't have reflexes this fast!
Using Aura Sense, Lin Yu's mind was razor-sharp.
He didn't miss his opponent's momentary distraction.
"Rasengan!"
Gym-tier Frogadier didn't even need a full second.
A small Rasengan formed and shot straight toward Pikachu!
"Pikachu, dodge!"
Xiao Zhi's face paled.
He knew exactly how destructive that Rasengan was.
Pikachu panicked too. Staring at the Rasengan inches away, it poured all its energy into —
Quick Attack!
An attacking move, used to run away.
But the second Pikachu moved, it froze.
Another identical Frogadier burst from the water right in front of it,
also holding a Rasengan.
Double Team!
That was everyone's thought at once.
The Frogadier that had charged earlier was just a clone!
This was the real one!
Rasengan slammed straight into Pikachu.
One hit —
and Pikachu fainted instantly.
Even with Champion-tier talent,
its low HP was always Pikachu's fatal flaw…
"Match! Lin Yu wins! Xiao Zhi, send out your second Pokémon!"
Ye Rong looked at Lin Yu with clear approval.
"So strong…"
Xiao Zhi mumbled, recalling Pikachu. But his desire to win burned even brighter.
ZZZT…
A faint electric current sparked across Frogadier's body.
It hadn't completely dodged Thunderbolt earlier.
And standing in Electric Terrain had left it paralyzed.
Xiao Zhi called out his next Pokémon: a Level 32 Pidgeot.
Lin Yu frowned.
Another Elite Four-tier talent?
Should he switch Pokémon?