Pokémon cross over into the real world

Chapter 614 The Road to the Championship (8)

In order to slow down Wang Qiyi's progress on the road to the championship, Jia Shangda could only operate the Rotom navigation system in the background to give Wang Qiyi a detour and guide him to a rest stop in the secret realm.

Wang Qiyi didn't think much of it, unaware that someone was deliberately manipulating things behind the scenes. He simply assumed that rest stops were specially arranged after each elder's encounter, and the previous six trials hadn't been particularly taxing. However, the battle with Fan Qingshan in the seventh trial had been incredibly exhausting. If it weren't for the unexpected titanium crystallization, he probably wouldn't have passed so easily. Since there was a place to rest now, he might as well take a break.

During their rest stops, the Pokémon can replenish their energy with food. According to the rules, the Champion's Road only allows Pokémon to use regular energy cubes and regular Pokémon food provided by the League; trainers are not allowed to bring their own supplies. This is indeed a significant restriction for others, but it's completely unrestricted for Wang Qiyi because he has his own cook.

Ah-Dai can use a specially designed energy cube generator to create top-tier, rainbow-colored energy cubes on the spot using tree berries. Hoopa can then use his spatial abilities to retrieve them from the machine, while the tree berries are readily available at the rest stop, as they are included in the spirit food.

The sponsor for this championship run was Wang Qiyi's own company, Radiant Technology, which naturally provided him with the most complete supply of tree fruits. Ah Dai quickly crafted two boxes of Rainbow Energy Cubes, which replenished Ruan Ruan's energy and allowed her to recover rapidly.

Wang Qiyi only rested at the post station for half an hour before setting off again. Jia Shangda, of course, took advantage of this time to invest resources like crazy, having the platform push live stream links everywhere. The viewership ratings soared, the advertising effect was excellent, and the company's market value expanded once again.

The eighth challenge was faced by Elder Zhang Chengfeng, the head of the Zhang family in Sichuan Province and the uncle of Zhang Zhengying, one of the former Four Heavenly Kings. Upon seeing Wang Qiyi, he didn't waste any words but immediately dispatched his own Pokémon—the Night Demon. Ghost-type Pokémon often employ insidious tactics, making them the most common foes for successfully challenging opponents of higher levels. High-level Ghost-type Pokémon are even more formidable.

This time, Wang Qiyi didn't intend to be overconfident and engage in a fair one-on-one duel. Instead, he quickly switched between his Pokémon, taking turns maneuvering against his opponent and making good use of the rules. He was worried that his opponent might use underhanded tactics, such as Destiny Bond or Curse, to wipe out his main force in one fell swoop. He still needed a nine-Pokémon team to defeat the Guardian Steelix, so he couldn't afford to lose any of his Pokémon now.

Wang Qiyi first sent out Egg to probe, using the Agility move to boost its Speed ​​buff, then used Baton Pass to switch out Mewtwo's Squirtle. At this time, Squirtle's Titanium Crystal Dark-type form was still within its one-hour effect, which was perfect for countering the Ghost-type Dusknoir.

With its advantages in speed and attributes, Softie initially held the upper hand. However, the tide suddenly turned when Darkrai used Trick Room. Within a certain range, the faster a Pokémon is, the slower it becomes, and vice versa. Wang Qiyi didn't hesitate to recall Softie and send out Bunta, who was the slowest Pokémon in his team besides Ada.

At the same time, Wang Qiyi used the Key Stone to Mega Evolve Gamabunta, making the already enormous Gamabunta even larger. Now, its bulky body became incredibly agile thanks to the Trick Room skill. Gamabunta shook itself, scattering a large number of spore-like parasitic seeds. This sweet-smelling skill had a mild hypnotic effect, reducing the opponent's evasion ability.

The Night Demon was successfully parasitized by spores, and vines sprouted from its body, draining its energy. The Night Demon is a high-defense, high-attack Pokémon with low stamina, making it difficult to wear down with ordinary attacks. However, skills like Poison and Leech Seed, which bypass its defenses and directly affect its body, are its nemesis.

Zhang Chengfeng shook his head with a wry smile. He had originally intended to use the Trick Room skill to gain a speed advantage, but unexpectedly, Wang Qiyi had an even slower Pokémon, which instead allowed his skill to be used against him. He decisively had Dusknoir end the Trick Room, but Wang Qiyi was prepared. He instantly switched Pokémon; the massive Gamabunta suddenly disappeared and was put into a Poké Ball, while the tiny Cinnamon darted out.

The electromagnetic machine gun in its mouth fired, and a storm of attacks slammed into the Night Demon. The King's Proof equipment's special effect activated, and the Night Demon felt fear, its body trembling and unable to move.

Zhang Chengfeng was shocked. Although Night Demon wasn't his trump card, it still possessed mid-tier legendary strength. Ghost-type Pokémon, like Psychic-type, leaned towards mental power training, and almost no Pokémon could instill fear in Night Demon. Unless someone's mental power was significantly stronger. Could the little mouse opposite him also be mid-tier legendary? Or even stronger?

He sighed and shouted, "I surrender. The battle is over."

Wang Qiyi was stunned. It was over just like that! Weren't Ghost-type Pokémon supposed to have a lot of tricks and dirty tricks? He had been playing very cautiously, afraid that his opponent would suddenly use a dirty trick, but it ended so abruptly. He clearly felt that Elder Zhang had gone easy on him, and he had heard that Elder Zhang's ace was a legendary Gengar. Since Fan Qingshan had equipped him with a Mega Stone, then his Gengar would also have a Mega Evolution.

However, he only sent the Night Demon to fight, and it surrendered after only a couple of moves, completely lacking the determination of the previous gatekeepers. Wang Qiyi cupped his hands in thanks to him: "Thank you for your guidance, Elder Zhang."

Zhang Chengfeng smiled and waved his hand: "You're outstanding. I look forward to your advancement to Legendary. Be careful of Old Li; that old guy doesn't seem to be planning to let you pass easily." Zhang Chengfeng whispered the last sentence, afraid that it would be recorded by the Rotom phone filming from afar, and that it would be bad if it were heard during the global live broadcast. Wang Qiyi smiled confidently, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to Elder Zhang, and then rode Egg to the next level.

After Li Shining and the other two elders took their positions at their respective checkpoints, they stopped watching the live stream. They had no idea how Wang Qiyi was performing or what tactics he used. Li Shining had chosen a location in a canyon on the small island's hills, a spacious area perfect for Dragonite combat.

"You're here!" Li Shining stood on the hilltop with his hands behind his back, the wind making his clothes flutter. A dragon stood behind him, its face beaming with excitement, seemingly unable to wait any longer. He glanced at his watch: "Whether you make it or not, you already hold multiple records on the Road to Champions. The youngest challenger, the fastest finisher."

"Haha, Elder Li is joking."

"Then let's not delay your record-breaking performance. Since you're here, let's get started. My Pokémon is my old buddy—Dragonite. And you? Are you Dracula from Dragon Island?"

“The elders have already called out names, so let’s go with Dracula.” Wang Qiyi said, throwing out a Poké Ball. Dracula’s massive body appeared in mid-air. It circled once in the air and landed to face off against the opposing Dragonite. It activated its Intimidate ability, trying to overwhelm the Dragonite with its presence. However, the opposing Dragonite showed no fear and stared back at Dracula.

Dracula's Intimidate ability was ineffective against Dragonite, and Wang Qiyi mentally assessed Li Shining's strength. He was very familiar with Li Shining's Dragonite, having witnessed its battles many times. He had seen it fight against the guardian Zapdos at the World Masters Tournament in New York City, and had seen it fight against an army of ghosts in Calyrex's Ghost Realm. He was certain that Dragonite's strength was above the high-level Legendary rank, though whether it had reached its peak was uncertain.

On paper, Dragonite is definitely far superior to Dracula, making it Wang Qiyi's strongest opponent on the road to the championship, aside from the guardian Steelix.

Of course, besides their theoretical strength, Pokémon also benefit from equipment enhancements, which gives Wang Qiyi an advantage. Dracula currently possesses five pieces of equipment: a Mega Stone, a Titanium Crystal, a level 7 Dragon-type Gem, a Z-Crystal, and the Dragon Scale given to him by the giant Dragonite. Wang Qiyi himself also has Aura power to provide further enhancements. Considering all these factors, he is not without a fighting chance. The only question is what level of equipment Elder Li's Dragonite is equipped with.