novelraw Chapter 747: Shangren: Is Your Technique Even Legal?
Chapter 747: Shangren: Is Your Technique Even Legal?
A breeze swept across the green field, the boiling cheers gradually fading until only his own breathing and heartbeat could be heard.
Lu Ye stared at the Poké Ball expanding in his palm, and slowly clenched his fist.
Champion means responsibility, burden, mission…
Battles bring injuries, bleeding, tears…
But this time, I want to win.
Not just for myself… but to answer the expectations behind me, everyone’s hopes.
Lu Ye’s eyes hardened. In an instant he hurled the Poké Ball, and the cheers at his ear became immediate!
“Do it, Arcanine!!”
A beam of red light fell onto the field.
“Arrooo!!”Arcanine’s flaxen mane rippled, flames burning along it. It let out a heroic, skyward howl, its imposing cry shaking the stadium.
In the stands, fire master Ji Lie wore an excited expression.
A Pokémon from Donghua legend, after so many years, had again been brought onto the champion stage by a trainer!
At the same time—
“Skree!!”
Champion Shangren’s Talonflame beat its wings, soaring in the midair above the field.
Talonflame’s ability is Gale Wings, allowing it to use Flying-type moves faster when its stamina is high, including Tailwind.
Tailwind raises the entire side’s mobility, one of Champion Shangren’s signature tactics!
“Talonflame, use Tailwind!” Shangren extended an arm and ordered.
“Skree!” Talonflame beat its wings, whipping up a fierce gale.
“Arcanine, Extreme Speed!!” Lu Ye commanded.
The wind direction and flow on the field didn’t favor Arcanine’s dash, but Arcanine crouched low, planted its paws, then with a thud shot forward like an arrow from a bow against the wind!
The ground cracked;
Extreme Speed’s explosive power displayed itself in full. Arcanine lunged at Talonflame like a missile, parting the gusts!
Shangren frowned.
Even Talonflame, famed for speed, was outpaced by this late-starting Extreme Speed—there was no way to dodge!
Bang!
Arcanine’s head slammed hard into Talonflame’s folded wings.
Talonflame flinched in pain, tumbling backward like a kite with a broken wing: “Skree!”
The stadium erupted.
In the first round’s clash, Arcanine had so easily driven back its opponent!
“After so many years, another champion-tier Arcanine has been born.” President Tang sighed.
Damaranch said, “But Talonflame already achieved Tailwind’s tactical purpose!”
Shangren’s eyes showed resolve.
Talonflame is famed as Gale Wings not only for its speed, but for its willingness to “harm a thousand enemies at the cost of many wounds” — its reckless courage!
That belief surged in Shangren’s chest too, trusting his partner and launching a decisive offensive!
“Talonflame—” Shangren’s voice grew deep, “Brave Bird, Overwhelm!!”
The commentators’ voices rippled through the arena, jolting the crowd.
“Champion Shangren didn’t switch out Talonflame, he launched a direct charge!!”
A burst of blazing fire filled their view.
Talonflame, whose wings had been damaged, now opened wings aflame and dove low.
Like a burning arrow, Talonflame screeched, the orange flames turning gold!
Brave Bird, Overwhelm!!
Lu Ye’s gaze was sharp as a blade.
Flying plus Fire—what better typing is there for an all-out explosive move?
Talonflame’s tactic, beyond Tailwind acceleration, was its all-or-nothing charging assault!
But—
Talonflame’s body shone with golden light as it dove, screeching downward.
Lu Ye remained calm, slowly extending his arm.
I won’t give Shangren any room to “show some spine”!
“Arcanine, Wild Charge!!” Lu Ye shouted, extending his arm.
“Arrooo!!”
Arcanine stood on all fours, head held high. The sky above the field darkened;
thunder split the clouds with crackling strikes that hit the ground, sending stones flying, one bolt even striking Arcanine!
The audience’s faces changed;
cries poured out, hard to contain.
Intertwined Power wrapped Arcanine’s body. Bathed in lightning, Arcanine’s coat crackled with pale blue electricity;
even its eyes looked blue-white!
“Arrooo!!”
The chat exploded;
the forums flooded.
“Damn, that dog is handsome!”
“Lightning conditioning?!”
“How is this Arcanine legal, why does its ability say Teravolt?”
At that moment, Talonflame dove straight into the lightning-dense clouds, golden light piercing into the storm.
“Roar!!” Arcanine, soaked in electricity, charged ferociously!
Boom!!
The stadium shook as fire and electricity detonated, raising dense black smoke.
When the smoke cleared, Arcanine stood on the field, surveying ahead.
Talonflame’s wings were scorched and laced with electricity;
exhausted, it lay on the ground, propping one wing uselessly before finally collapsing unconscious.
Beep—
On the big screen Shangren’s Poké Ball dimmed.
The field erupted in loud cheers and encouragement!
“Come back, Talonflame.”
Shangren’s face was stern. He cast a red light to recall Talonflame, then abruptly threw a Great Ball!
“Lucario—use Bone Rush!” Shangren ordered.
A breeze scattered the dust on the field. Lucario, red-eyed and sharp, stood before Shangren.
Master Ma’s eyes held a trace of pride.
“This Lucario, old man Ma trained it.”
“That… such speed!” Mustard’s pupils trembled.
On the field Lucario collided its fists together, metallic movements flashing white as a bone staff slowly pulled into being like a golden hoop.
Swinging the bone staff, Lucario twirled it with stylish strikes and in a blur of speed appeared before Arcanine!
Bone Rush!!
One, two, three—five consecutive strikes!
Lucario swung the staff into a dense wheel of blows that hammered into Arcanine;
in mere seconds the staff’s protrusions left bloody gashes!
It wasn’t random;
Lucario had come prepared!
Seizing the moment that the energy drained and the staff faded, Lu Ye roared:
“Flare Blitz!”
With a swish, before Lucario could react.
Arcanine bared its teeth, mane bursting into blazing flame.
“Close in and use Focus Punch!” Shangren snapped, not giving space for a charge.
“Ruka!” Lucario snarled, ducking low. Muscles contracted sharply;
a short, brutal punch wrapped in a white flash drove into Arcanine!
“Arrooo!” Arcanine wrapped itself in flame and somehow held Focus Punch, toppling Lucario to the ground!
“Crunch!!” Lu Ye said grimly.
Arcanine exposed gleaming, cold fangs!
Shangren’s eyes flickered. Quickly he barked, “Keep going, Focus Punch!!”
Lucario’s palm grabbed the gnashing fang, white light swelling from its hand!
Boom!!
Amid the crowd’s tense breaths, the shockwave from Focus Punch shoved Arcanine back;
both rose awkwardly, eyes locking, neither relenting.
Suddenly Arcanine curled up, tiny static crackling across its body.
“That’s…” Ash’s eyes widened.
“Paralysis.” Bamboo Lan frowned, “The Focus Punch secondary effect triggered.”
“Also…”
Bamboo Lan’s gaze fixed on the cold-faced Lucario on the field, and she said:
“This is also a Lucario with champion-level strength!”
The commentators’ voices echoed through the arena.
“Because of paralysis, Lu Ye directly recalled Arcanine. His next Pokémon is—”
Teacher Lu abruptly tossed a commemorative Poké Ball: “Do it, Sirfetch’d!”
Sirfetch’d brandished its leek and shield, facing down Lucario.
“Gah! ヽ(#`Д´)ﾉ”
Fight hard, win this and we’ll go back and eat a feast!
Pre-match, Teacher Lu’s conviction had infected the little ones.
Even lazy Ducklett dug deep and showed spine.
But…
Sirfetch’d stared at Lucario with indignation and sorrow.
“Gah…(´థ౪థ)σ”
Champion Lucario—do I really stand a chance?
Shangren didn’t dare be careless. He ordered, “Bone Rush!”
“Ruka!”
Lucario collided its fists again, producing a bone staff mid-motion. Holding it behind its back, it watched Sirfetch’d cautiously.
Suddenly Lucario moved like lightning;
Bone Rush blurred into afterimages and slammed down!
Another five-hit combo!!
“True Seeing!” Lu Ye said.
“Gah…(#ﾟДﾟ)” Sirfetch’d widened its eyes and instinctively dodged aside from the falling staff.
Swish!
The staff missed, Lucario’s eyes widened;
it struck again.
Five bone-staff hits, all missed!
Lucario was shocked: “Ruka! Σ(ﾟДﾟ;
)”
The crowd reacted;
Mustard turned to his master for an explanation.
Master Ma smiled: “Compared to Urshifu’s Multi-Strike Secret, Lucario is still too slow.”
After undergoing Urshifu’s special training, dodging similar combos was a piece of cake!
“Sirfetch’d!” Lu Ye called, “Close Combat!!”
“Gah!!”
Coming to itself, Sirfetch’d lifted its spear;
the spear darted like a dragon, lightning-fast repeated thrusts!
“Ruka…”
Lucario crossed its arms defensively, like a lone leaf boat in a storm, completely suppressed by Sirfetch’d’s assault with no room to counter!
“Lucario!!” Shangren bellowed, “Comet Punch!!”
“Ruka!”
Lucario snapped awake, unleashing a comet-like iron fist. An uppercut blasted Sirfetch’d away!
“Gah!!”
Sirfetch’d flapped its small wings, toppled, then staggered up, looked around, and grabbed its leek and shield again.
That scared me—good thing those two are okay~
Lu Ye’s feelings were complicated.
Indeed, ingredients are the true form…
“Go, Sirfetch’d—” Lu Ye’s eyes sharpened, “Aim, fire, Meteor Assault!!”
After using Meteor Assault, Sirfetch’d cannot act the following turn, but because it has that drawback its power is especially fearsome!
“Gah…(´థ౪థ)σ”
Sirfetch’d looked down at its leek in pain, then hoisted its lance and, resigned, revealed a look of determination.
Shangren and Lucario both froze.
In the next instant, a strong sense of danger surged into their hearts.
Shangren roared, “Lucario, Dragon Pulse!!”
“Ruka!”
Lucario’s red pupils reversed;
it clasped its hands and a violent wave formed into the phantasm of a purple dragon that roared forward!
“Gah!”
Sirfetch’d hurled its lance!
The spear cut a golden line through the air;
golden light shot into the dragon’s maw, penetrated its purple form, and a string of explosions detonated.
Lucario’s pupils constricted, reflecting a spear charging forward like Gungnir!
Boom!!
The spear slammed into the ground with a thunderous explosion. Energy vented outward as a golden whirlwind rolled up to the sky!
The stadium reverberated with the blast;
the audience stared up blankly.
The commentator’s voice was dry and uncertain.
“This—this Meteor Assault produced the effect of Max Dragon Claw!”
Master Ma’s face showed surprise, nodding in satisfaction.
Unexpected… two secret arts combining so well with Sirfetch’d!
When the smoke cleared, Lucario was half-kneeling on the ground, looking at Sirfetch’d with confusion.
I lost to… a foodst ap?
For a long while Lucario’s heart churned;
it collapsed.
Thud!
Sirfetch’d had achieved the feat of directly defeating a champion-tier Lucario frontally!
“Now Ducklett has champion-level strength too,” Lu Ye thought emotionally.
“Gah…” Sirfetch’d trotted over, pulled the leek planted in the earth free, examined it a moment, and breathed out.
Great, not charred—still edible in an emergency…
On the big screen Shangren’s two Poké Balls dimmed.
The veteran’s mindset remained undisturbed.
After all… in full 6v6 matches, a single Pokémon cleaning up alone happens often enough!
When Shangren’s third Pokémon appeared, the crowd gasped.
A Steel/Psychic pseudo-legend, Metagross!
Aside from Pupitar, this was Shangren’s second pseudo-legend, and it was debuting in a public competition!
Lu Ye used Aura to sense Metagross’s energy amplitude — about the peak Elite Four level.
A champion’s party doesn’t necessarily all consist of champions.
A Metagross at peak Elite Four level could certainly overcome champion-tier Pokémon despite level gaps.
“This Metagross seems to be one Shangren re-raised,” President Tang said.
“Raising a Metagross to this level in a year shows rare breeding genius,” Damaranch remarked.
President Tang hesitated.
You might not believe it if I told you.
Across from Shangren stood someone who, in a year, had neared ‘battle-legend’ status…
“Metagross, use Zen Headbutt!” Shangren ordered.
“Kangjin!!” Metagross’s eyes glowed blue. Wrapped in Psychic, it hovered and charged at Sirfetch’d!
With double effectiveness, this Zen Headbutt could one-shot Sirfetch’d!
At the critical moment, a beam of red light recalled Sirfetch’d into the commemorative ball.
At the same time, another Poké Ball was thrown — it was a switch!
“Read switch!!” the commentator trembled, “Lu Ye’s classic read switch! He read Metagross’s Zen Headbutt!”
Forums erupted in unanimous 666.
“This is nuts — not content with level-crushing, he even reads the opponent’s commands!”
“This might be the dirtiest, strongest champion who combines tactics, command, and breeding!”
Red light flashed as Sylveon appeared, extending two ribbons to restrain the charging Metagross.
“Bu-bii…” Sylveon’s eyes flashed with a hint of disdain.
Metagross felt Sylveon’s Aura and trembled violently.
A champion… a champion-peak Sylveon!?
(Champion Shangren who can’t sense Aura:) “……”
He beat Overlord Dragonite by type advantage, probably champion-level… but champion-peak?
Just steamroll it!
“Metagross, use Comet Punch!!” Shangren roared.
Metagross: “Kangjin…(⊙x⊙;
)”
You want me dead?
The furious Metagross unleashed iron fists brimming with white light!
“Kangjin!!”
“Sylveon, Shadow Ball!!” Lu Ye ordered.
“Bu-bii! (angry face)”
“Bu-bii! (à chǎo miàn ào)”
A fissile black light instantaneously swallowed Metagross.
Double-effective type advantage plus level-crushing. The shock from this Shadow Ball rattled the arena!
Boom!!
Sylveon turned its back to the explosion, landed gracefully, and flicked its ribbons: “Bu-bii~”
The crowd gaped in astonishment.
The commentator stammered, “Metagross has… lost combat capability!”
Instantly the venue went wild!
“Holy crap, Sylveon!!”
“One-shot? A pseudo-legend Metagross got obliterated!”
“This is Teacher Lu’s Sylveon… so cute…and brutal!”
Champion Shangren looked like he’d seen a ghost.
One-shot?
My Metagross that I painstakingly raised for a whole year—gone in an instant!
Suddenly Shangren understood a bit.
This is a champion-peak Sylveon… equivalent to my Pupitar, or A-Jin’s Dragonite—an ace at that level!
“How long did you spend raising this Sylveon?” Shangren asked with effort.
“One year, what’s it to you.” Lu Ye replied.
“…Nothing. Continue.”
Shangren, badly shaken, shook his head and recalled the unconscious Metagross.
On the big screen, Shangren’s avatar showed three Poké Balls already dimmed.
Shangren took a deep breath, eyes focused, and threw another Poké Ball.
“Go, Venusaur!”
Venusaur’s toxin could effectively restrain Fairy types. This burly, wart-covered dark green Venusaur was a champion’s mainstay.
Its ability is Chlorophyll, which under sunlight greatly boosts speed—even surpassing Haunter!
Lu Ye glanced at the partly cloudy sky.
“Shangren won’t manually set Sunny Day, will he…” Lu Ye thought.
Shangren shouted, “Venusaur, Sunny Day!!”
He actually manually changed the weather!
Venusaur’s back plant bloomed and a dazzling orb of light slowly rose to the sky.
Lu Ye quickly ordered, “Sylveon, Geomancy!!”
With that command, the trainer forums exploded.
“Sylveon can learn that move?”
“No, but this is Teacher Lu’s Sylveon!”
“Bu-bii!!”
Crystalline light stirred beneath the earth and rose toward Sylveon’s snowy-white body.
Sylveon was enveloped in a sacred radiance;
its fur shimmered silver, beautiful and noble.
Any coordination master would give it perfect scores. Even Meloetta perched on Bamboo Lan’s shoulder let out a soft exclamation.
“So pretty~” Bonnie murmured.
“Geomancy taught by Xerneas… truly an astonishing move!” Clemont said dryly.
“Geomancy, the legendary Xerneas exclusive technique, borrows nature’s power to dramatically strengthen the user!!” the commentator recited, prompted by production, his own shock evident.
The curious spectators’ expressions turned into amazement.
Teacher Lu could harness a legendary Pokémon’s power for his own Pokémon!
Fans were excited and teasing.
“Teacher Lu, why can your Sylveon learn Geomancy?!”
“Xerneas taught it—mind your business!”
Shangren’s expression wavered.
Geomancy!?
I set Sunny Day and Chlorophyll, and you even pull out a divine-beast’s exclusive move?!
Then don’t blame me for stooping low!
“Venusaur, use Sleep Powder!!” Shangren bellowed.
Under the bright sun, Venusaur shivered its bulbous body and scattered a cloud of Sleep Powder.
The chat flooded.
“Holy crap, you broad-browed Shangren plays Chlorophyll Sleep Powder too!”
“So dirty! Against Teacher Lu? Dirty and lovable!”
A twist unfolded.
To the stunned audience’s eyes.
Enhanced Sylveon actually turned into a beam of red light and returned to its Poké Ball!
On the big screen Lu Ye clenched the ball, a smile at his mouth.
The tactic of passing on a strengthening state—
A-Jin raised his arm: “Yes! It’s Baton Pass!!”
“Idiot.” Silver covered his face.
Krista apologized on both sides: “Sorry… this guy’s an idiot, don’t mind him, haha.”
“Go, Blastoise, Water Spout!”
Thud!!
“Ka-may…ヾ(⌐■_■)”
Blastoise landed, pushed up his sunglasses, and a thin water screen formed around his body.
After being amplified by Manaphy’s Purification Water Drop, Blastoise’s Water Spout could purge abnormal conditions including toxins and Sleep Powder.
This was Blastoise’s trump card again and again!
The Sleep Powder dissolved in the water screen and the abnormal status was cleansed by the purifying flow.
Baton Pass had transferred the Geomancy boost.
At this moment Blastoise’s output rivaled Kyogre!!
Even Shangren, who couldn’t sense Aura, couldn’t help a cold sweat.
Even though it’s a type disadvantage against Venusaur…
Why do I feel like typing is meaningless for it…
“Venusaur, use Leaf Storm!!” Shangren ordered.
The plant on Venusaur’s back spun up a storm of razor leaves, each blade glowing green and forming a tornado.
Swish!!
The audience showed shock.
This Leaf Storm’s momentum rivaled Sirfetch’d’s Meteor Assault!!
“Blastoise—”
Lu Ye said coldly, “Blizzard!!”
If Blizzard’s accuracy is low, then freeze the whole battlefield!!
“Ka-may!!”
Blastoise, amplified by Geomancy, still wearing sunglasses, let his cannons fire two beams of ice light into the sunny clouds!
For a moment, the weather changed;
the sky dimmed and snowflakes began falling!
Under the Light Screen a heavy snow fell, the field completely obscured.
The two trainers at the command seats stood outside the Light Screen and looked at each other.
Shangren’s expression was grave.
Blizzard… it shouldn’t one-shot Venusaur…
Teacher Lu also felt uncertain.
After a moment the snow slowly cleared. The field had accumulated a layer of snow.
Around the Light Screen stalactites and ice crystals formed, reflecting faint light!
The audience held their breath;
when the image became clear they swallowed.
On the field, Venusaur looked like an ice statue, covered in thick snow!
Shangren paused, jaw dropping.
You call this Blizzard!?
This is clearly Kyurem’s ultimate move—an ice world freeze!