Elves: Angler's Rainy Day Team

Chapter 908: The advantage is mine

"Go, Sneasel!" Ye Yue's expression was solemn. He knew how powerful the Dragonite in front of him was, and he also knew where the Dragonite's weaknesses lay.

Without hesitation, he threw the Poké Ball in his hand. With a flash of red light, Sneasel's agile figure appeared on the battlefield. Sneasel exuded a cold aura, and its sharp claws gleamed coldly in the sunlight.

"It's Sneasel! Player Ye Yue has chosen Sneasel, which is relatively strong against Dragon-type Pokémon. How should Player Yu Hai respond?" The host's voice echoed throughout the venue through the microphone, making the atmosphere tense as the battle was about to begin.

"Come back, Dragonite." Yu Hai's eyes held a hint of regret as he took out a Poké Ball and opened it. A red light flashed, and Dragonite's massive body instantly disappeared from the field.

The Dragonite had expended a lot of energy in that battle, and he didn't want the Dragonite, which had just regained its confidence, to be defeated here because of a Sneasel that hadn't evolved yet.

An unevolved Pokémon can be left to the other little guys; it's nothing to worry about.

He gently stroked the Poké Ball in his hand and whispered encouragingly to the Dragonite inside, "Dragonite, you did a great job just now. You must be exhausted. Get some rest..."

"Awoo." The Dragonite responded from inside the Poké Ball, nodding gently.

It did feel somewhat tired. The immense force it had just exerted during its struggle with the Steelix had almost caused it to lose control, and its claws were still burning with pain.

The spot where my foot stepped on the giant steel snake's head is still stinging, but I've been enduring it. Now I can finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"Yu Hai has recalled his Dragonite. What Pokémon will he send out to fight Sneasel?" The host's voice rang out again, like an invisible hand gripping the audience's tense hearts.

Yu Hai calmly gazed at the battlefield. After the fierce battle just now, the previously set-up invisible rocks and poison nails had all disappeared.

The battlefield was in a mess, with craters and broken stones scattered everywhere, but fortunately there were no safety hazards.

He quickly considered in his mind which Pokémon to use to deal with Sneasel.

Sneasel's speed was good. He thought of a certain little guy, took it from his back waist, and threw the Poké Ball in his hand with force. "I choose you, Swampert!"

With a flash of red light, Swampert's massive body appeared on the field, exuding a damp aura. Its blue skin was glossy, and each step it took left a damp footprint.

"It's Swampert! Swampert versus Sneasel! A battle of speed and strength! Who will emerge victorious?" The host's voice grew louder as the battle was about to begin, igniting the emotions of the audience, who eagerly awaited the epic fight.

"The Dragonite that won the last game has been reclaimed, the first strike is transferred to Sneasel, the game begins..." With the referee's command, the battle officially began.

"Sneasel, Agility, Ice Punch!" Ye Yue gritted his teeth, feeling somewhat helpless. His plan to use Sneasel to finish off a low-health Dragonite had failed.

He thought of the remaining Hydreigon, Houndoom, and Blaziken in his Poké Ball. None of these three Pokémon had much of an advantage against Swampert, especially Houndoom and Blaziken, which were completely countered by Swampert.

The Dream Eater was his last hope, his trump card. Facing Yu Hai, who had more water-type Pokémon, he was at a disadvantage from the start and could only hope that the Dream Eater could play an unexpected role at the crucial moment and change the course of the battle.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but clench his fists, a hint of helplessness in his eyes. The feeling of being restrained was really unpleasant.

"Swamp Monster, Rock Blockade, Rock Slide!" Yu Hai shouted the order, watching the fast-moving Sneasel. To deal with a fast opponent, disrupting the opponent's speed was the primary objective.

"Lagu!" Swamp Monster let out a deep roar, its muscles tensing instantly as it swung its fist, the size of a sandbag, and slammed it hard into the ground.

In an instant, the ground shook violently, as if a small earthquake had occurred. Along the path that Niula was bound to take, thick stone pillars rose up rapidly from the ground like bamboo shoots emerging from spring.

The rough, uneven surface of the stone pillar, carrying the weight and power of the earth, blocked the advance of the Niu La.

Immediately afterwards, the Swampert unleashed astonishing power, charging towards the stone pillars, raising its thick arm high, and slamming its fist heavily into one of the pillars.

With a deafening roar, the stone pillar shattered into pieces, and countless sharp fragments flew out in all directions like bullets.

These fragments struck other pillars, triggering a chain reaction that shattered more pillars, sending fragments raining down on the fast-moving Niula.

For a moment, the air was filled with a sharp whistling sound, the sound of rock fragments cutting through the air, which made people feel a chill and sweat for Niu La.

Amidst the overwhelming barrage of rock fragments, Niu La desperately dodged and weaved through the rubble with incredible agility, each leap and turn displaying unparalleled speed.

When it encounters rock fragments that it cannot avoid, it swings its icy fists and shatters the rock fragments.

The collision between the Frozen Fist and the rock fragments produced a thunderous sound, and the rock fragments were instantly frozen by the Frozen Fist and fell to the ground.

However, there were simply too many rock fragments, wave after wave, continuously surging towards Sneasel. Swampert was also relentlessly creating more rock fragments, giving Sneasel no chance to catch its breath.

boom--

A muffled thud broke the tense situation. Before it could reach Swampert, Sneasel was unable to dodge all the attacks and was hit by a large rock fragment.

The immense impact instantly sent Sneasel flying. Sneasel traced an arc in the air before crashing heavily to the ground, raising a cloud of dust.

Immediately afterwards, countless rock fragments, like cannonballs, continued to rain down on Niula.

Soon, Nyx was buried in the rain of rocks, leaving only a pile of rubble, as if the fierce battle had never happened.

"Niu La?" Ye Yue stared wide-eyed at the scene before him in disbelief.

He never expected that Niu La would lose its fighting ability so easily. His hands clenched into fists unconsciously, filled with resentment and regret. He should have recalled Niu La just now; the two were not even in the same league.

A moment later, the rescue sprites rushed over and quickly dug the Sneasel out of the rubble. The Sneasel's eyes were closed, its body was covered in wounds, and it was already unconscious. Ye Yue sighed helplessly.

This is the drawback of Pokémon not completing their final evolution; these incompletely evolved Pokémon are simply too weak.

Their base stats are not at their maximum potential, like an unsharpened sword that is powerless against a tough and powerful opponent like Swampert.

Just like the Steelix from earlier, with its robust and durable body and powerful strength, even a pseudo-legendary Dragon-type like Dragonite almost couldn't handle it.

Ye Yue couldn't help but recall the previous battle, feeling deeply moved. The saying that size determines combat power still holds true to a certain extent. Larger Pokémon aren't necessarily stronger, but smaller Pokémon certainly struggle to compete with larger ones in terms of strength.

Of course, legendary Pokémon and mythical creatures are a different story. Those abnormal Pokémon that exist like myths are too difficult for ordinary trainers to catch, and are almost not even considered.

"Sneasel is unable to fight! Please recall Sneasel, Ye Yue. The first half of the third round of elimination matches is over. We will have a five-minute break. Please have the performance team enter the arena..."

The referee put down his flag, announced the result of the match, and left his seat, intending to go to the restroom for a drink of water.

Upon hearing the announcement of the intermission, Yu Hai let out a soft breath, a hint of relief in his eyes. He raised his hand and pressed the button on the Poké Ball. A red light flashed, and Swampert transformed into a red light, returning to the Poké Ball. Only then did he step off the arena.

As the halftime break began, the audience buzzed with discussion, all talking about the battle they had just witnessed and marveling at Swampert's power, proving it truly deserved its place among the starter Pokémon selected by the League for rookie trainers.

Yu Hai sat down on a bench by the field to rest. On a small table next to the bench were drinks and soft towels that had been carefully prepared for the contestants.

He picked up a drink, tilted his head slightly to look at the huge screen above the venue, and the situation of the match was clear at a glance. His side had a huge advantage; none of their three Pokémon had been eliminated.

On Ye Yue's side, the portraits of the three elves had all turned gray, a somber color that signified their elimination.

Ye Yue——————Yu Hai

Stealth Dragon [Eliminated] - Queen Bee [Reclaimed]

Steelix [Eliminated] - Dragonite [Recalled]

Sneasel [Eliminated] — Swampert

As the stark contrast between the first half's information displayed on the big screen, a murmur of discussion arose from the audience.

Many viewers shook their heads at the sight of this situation, having given up much hope for Ye Yue after losing three games in a row.

In their view, Ye Yue was at a huge disadvantage at the moment, and it would be extremely difficult to turn the tide unless Ye Yue could come up with a trump card to turn the tide.

……

Dangdang——

The clear chimes rang out in the main venue, signaling the end of the five-minute intermission. The atmosphere in the venue tensed up again, and the audience's eyes were focused on the battlefield, where the battle they had been waiting for was about to begin.

Yu Hai and Ye Yue, the two contestants, had different expressions as they returned to the battlefield. The huge screen was flashing with light, and the battlefield was being drawn again in a tense atmosphere.

"The second half of the knockout stage is about to begin. The newly drawn playing field is the Grass Field." The referee tilted his head slightly and looked at the field drawing results on the big screen.

He saw the cursor steadily stop on the grass field, waiting for the match field to change, then turned his gaze to Yu Hai and shouted in a loud voice, "Yu Hai, please release the Swampert that won the first half..."

Yu Hai immediately threw out a Poké Ball and shouted, "Go, Swampert!"

With his shout, a dazzling red light flashed, and Swampert's massive body reappeared on the battlefield. It should be noted that releasing the Pokémon this time does not count towards the recall count.

"The match is about to begin. What Pokémon will Ye Yue send out to deal with this Swampert?" The host's expectant voice came online again, igniting a fire in the hearts of the audience, and everyone stared intently at Ye Yue.

Ye Yue's expression was solemn. He bit his lower lip and gritted his teeth. He had been thinking about this and knew very well that he only had three Pokémon left, two of which were Fire-type Pokémon. If he went to battle against Swampert, he would definitely be completely suppressed.

After a moment's thought, he took a deep breath and decided it was this guy. He shouted, "Go, Dream Eater!"

"It's a Dream Eater, this Psychic-type Pokémon. Can it help Ye Yue turn the tide of the first half?" The host's excited voice echoed in the venue, and the topic sparked a heated discussion among the audience.

"The winner of the first half is Swampert, who will attack first. The match begins!" The referee saw the two Pokémon in position and immediately blew his whistle. The sharp whistle cut through the air, and he quickly lowered his flag, officially announcing the start of the match.

"Swamp Monster, Waterfall, Slam..." Yu Hai shouted the command, a hint of helplessness in his eyes. Swamp Monster was not easy to fight against Dream Eater.

"Dream Eater, hypnosis..." Ye Yue frowned, but his eyes held a resolute look as he loudly commanded the Dream Eater.

"Sure!" Upon hearing the command, the Dream Eater immediately raised the hypnotic ring in its hand, which emitted a mysterious light. The faint blue light flowing on the ring was steadily aimed at the charging Swampert, intending to hypnotize it.

"Swamp Monster, ignore it, close your eyes and charge!" Yu Hai's eyes were fixed on the Dream Eater as he loudly gave the command to Swamp Monster.

From the moment he saw the Dream Eater, he knew that the other party would probably use hypnosis, a common and effective tactic of the Dream Eater, which was an unsolvable problem for Swampert.

Unlike Poliwrath, Swampert can't transition from moisture sensing to aura sensing and possesses amazing aura sensing abilities. Swampert doesn't even have relatively ordinary moisture sensing abilities. Swampert also lacks a crucial move—Mind's Eye.

This prevents Swampert from actively sensing its opponent's movements in battle, unlike some other Pokémon, and it also lacks the ability to passively sense danger. In terms of perception, Swampert is indeed far inferior to Poliwrath.

"Suri suri!" The Dream Eater's clear voice rang out. It had been confidently casting its hypnosis spell, but was surprised to find that it had no effect on the Swamp Monster with its eyes closed.

At this moment, seeing the giant swamp monster charging towards them with overwhelming force, its massive body exuding a powerful sense of oppression, a hint of panic flashed in the eyes of the Dream Eater.

Knowing that it would suffer severe damage if it took the attack head-on, it had no choice but to make a quick decision and use teleportation. A strange blue light emanated from its body, and it disappeared from its original spot in the blink of an eye, temporarily avoiding the Swamp Monster's fierce attack.

boom--

The Swampert swung its fist down hard, landing heavily on the grass. The immense power contained in that punch dented a large section of the turf.

The once vibrant blades of grass now lie limply in the crater, unable to stand upright any longer.

Swampert, having missed its attack, stood frozen in place for a moment, too afraid to open its eyes to search for its target, and became confused, losing sight of its prey.

(End of this chapter)