You are not allowed to be a Pokémon Trainer!

Chapter 366 VS. Disaster Beast Absol
It's still just one punch!
Even Toxapex, known for its durability and defense, failed to create any miracles when its relatively vulnerable body was directly hit by [Dark Strike], following in the footsteps of Greninja.

The key to this duel is not entirely due to the terrifying power of [Dark Strike] itself.

More importantly, it lies in the fleeting, fatal moment when Supervillain has to expose its true form in order to perform [Provocation].

Undoubtedly, this is also part of Xia Chi's meticulously crafted tactical trap—

He exploited Merdan's defensive counter-attack mentality, misleading him into believing that Martial Arts Master Xiong was about to use [Provocation] to block him, while in reality he secretly unleashed [Dark Nether Strike].

But what if Mordan hadn't fallen for it, or even hadn't realized it and had ignored the threat of the "fake provocation," and had continued to let Supervillain use [Self-Regeneration]?
For Xia Chi, it was nothing more than dragging the battle into a new round of attrition warfare.

Urshifu is one of the Pokémon in his team that is least afraid of attrition warfare.

Its equipped item, [Hand of Light and Justice], grants it a terrifying 30% lifesteal effect when its health is below half.

In addition, there's the terrifying ability of the [Fighting Attribute Bond] that "the lower the health, the stronger the lifesteal," and the all-around ability growth that continuously increases as the battle progresses, brought about by wearing the [Grass Attribute Bond Crest].
Consumption?
This has never been your territory, Supervillain's territory!

At this moment, Martial Arts Master Xiong still stands as firm as a rock on the rippling water.

Its face was a sickly purplish-blue due to the "poisoning" state caused by Supervillain [Fortress], and the slight stinging sensation from the toxins continued to erode its strength.

However, the fighting spirit burning in its determined eyes did not waver in the slightest.

Throughout the match, its goal remained clear: to defeat six opponents single-handedly!

The journey has only just begun, and we haven't even reached the halfway point yet.

On the other side of the battlefield.

Merdan silently retrieved the unconscious Supervillain, letting out a helpless sigh.

We were outmaneuvered after all.
Despite his high level of vigilance after the defeat of Greninja, he repeatedly warned himself not to fall into Natsuchi's rhythm.

But as it turned out, in the heat of the moment, he still couldn't completely avoid the carefully set mental trap when faced with the opponent's intricate tactical maneuvers.

Let alone this time, even if a similar situation arises again, Merdan may not be able to respond perfectly.

The reason is simple: the pace of such top-level battles is breathtakingly fast, and every decision is made almost entirely based on experience and near-instinctive intuition, as naturally as breathing.

Attempting to force change may lead to hesitation, missed opportunities, or even more fatal mistakes.

It is highly unlikely that Merdan will change his deeply ingrained command habits in a short period of time.

In other words, Xia Chi keenly observed and precisely targeted his command style, which relied on experience and instinctive reactions, and thus found a seemingly impossible breakthrough in these two consecutive battles, delivering a fatal blow.

Modan looked up at the young yet unfathomable trainer opposite him, and felt a chill run down his spine.

Xia Chi is even more terrifying than his group of powerful elves.

Although he had vaguely sensed the root of the problem, Merdan did not have any immediate countermeasures at the moment.

The shift in tactical style is not something that can be accomplished overnight. He can only deal with the increasingly severe battle situation while searching for a slim chance to break the deadlock in the fighting.

With the Poké Ball already in his hand, Toxapex hesitated for a moment before throwing out his third Poké Ball of the match.

"Come out, Absol!"

A flash of white light appeared, and an elegant and mysterious figure silently descended upon a rock that had emerged from the water.

It has pure white fur as white as fresh snow, a sleek body like a wolf, and agile limbs.

What's most striking is the crescent-shaped, horn-like appendage on its head, resembling both a crescent moon and the sharp scythe of death.

Absol is the Pokémon that once misunderstood as a "disaster beast" and was known for its ability to foresee the future.

Decades before Pokémon ecology was fully understood, Absol's appearance was always accompanied by natural disasters, large or small.

Ignorant people reverse cause and effect, believing that it brought misfortune and disaster, and therefore they hate and drive it away.

It wasn't until the progress of the times that the truth came to light: Absolu was not the source of the disaster, but rather it was able to foresee its occurrence.

Its appearance stems from its kind nature, attempting to warn those who are completely unaware.

The source of its predictive ability remains a focus of academic debate, with some scholars believing it stems from its powerful sensitivity to changes in the natural environment.

Some theories point to its mysterious, almost bug-like, powerful sixth sense.

Judging from its various performances on the battlefield, the explanation of "super sixth sense" seems more convincing.

And this is precisely why Merdan chose to send Absol at this moment—

Since Xia Chi can predict my command strategy and lead me step by step into his carefully woven trap, I might as well hand over some of the initiative to the elf.

Use Absolna's extraordinary sixth sense to deal with this battle.

Use your intuition to fight against scheming!
------

Merdan said in a deep voice, "Absol, the rest of the battle is yours!"

Absol understood and nodded silently.

Immediately, its gaze locked onto the imposing figure on the distant water.

"Martial Arts Master Bear, charge!"

Upon receiving the order, Martial Arts Master Xiong once again charged forward, riding the surging waves.

At the same time, energy in Absol's scarlet eyes suddenly fluctuated violently at a strange frequency.

The scythe-like horn on its head glowed faintly, and a strange melody accompanied by invisible energy fluctuations suddenly spread outwards!
A song of destruction!

If an elf struck by this song cannot leave the battlefield or be replaced within a certain time, it will immediately fall into a coma!

Because there were no specific move instructions from the trainer, this [Death Song] came without warning and was extremely sudden.

Moreover, the timing of its release was extremely tricky, perfectly timed to coincide with the most intense moment of the Martial Arts Bear Master's charge!

But Xia Chi's senses were incredibly sharp. The moment the first eerie note of the [Song of Destruction] rang out, his waveguide power, which was probing the outside, detected the anomaly.

"provocative!"

At the critical moment, the Martial Arts Bear Master demonstrated its terrifying body control!
The massive, forward-rushing body came to an abrupt halt in a way that defied the laws of physics, creating a huge, circular wave beneath its feet!
Almost simultaneously, it forcibly twisted its body to face Absol, raised its right claw, and a wave of energy filled with chaos and malice shot towards Absol at a speed faster than sound, like an invisible spiritual thorn.

provocative!

Just as the final melody of the [Song of Destruction] was about to begin and the power of the rules was about to take full effect!

The Martial Arts Bear Master's [Provocation] energy struck Absol with perfect precision!
Buzz— The melody of Absol, imbued with eerie power, was forcibly interrupted.

[Song of Destruction], release failed!
With the crisis averted, a fierce glint flashed in the eyes of the Martial Arts Bear Master, and its fighting instincts drove it to unleash its power once more.

Its massive body unleashed astonishing power, shattering the water's surface as it lunged at Absol once more, its fists brimming with the purest, most explosive Fighting-type energy!
The air itself seemed to be distorted by this concentrated power, emitting a hum that seemed unable to bear the weight.

Close combat!
Abandon all defense and pursue a desperate strike for ultimate destruction!
If this punch lands, given Absolna's less-than-stellar durability, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Just as the destructive power of the punch was about to strike, a glimmer of light flashed in Absol's crimson eyes.

As if it had foreseen the future, it suddenly exerted force with its limbs and leaped high to the side and rear in a near-perfect posture.

The Martial Arts Bear Master's powerful close-combat punch, capable of splitting mountains and shattering rocks, whistled past Absol's belly fur with a terrifying gale, and slammed heavily onto the rock where it had just been standing!
boom--

With a loud bang, the solid rock platform was shattered into pieces by this punch, sending debris flying everywhere!
Absol, suspended in mid-air, is already preparing for a counterattack.

A ghostly light flashed from the scythe-like horn on its head, and a beam of ghostly energy, wreathed in an ominous purple aura, burst forth, shooting towards the Martial Arts Bear Master below, who was momentarily stunned by his missed attack!

Misfortunes never come singly!

This Ghost-type special move can deal double damage to opponents who are afflicted with a status condition.

Meanwhile, Martial Arts Master Xiong was still suffering from the torment of being "poisoned".

laugh--

The purplish-black energy beam struck the martial arts master's body precisely.

Although Absol's special attack ability is not outstanding, with the double advantage, this [Misfortune Comes Alone] still deals considerable damage.

The martial arts master let out a muffled groan of pain, and the purplish-blue color on his body seemed to deepen further.

Xia Chi gave the order without the slightest hesitation: "Behind us, Swallow Return!"

Swallow Return, a flying-type physical move, has a built-in "lock-on" effect that guarantees a hit on the target!
Despite the corrosive effects of the poison, the Martial Arts Bear Master suddenly spun around, his massive body surging with energy that transformed into a sharp flight-type energy trajectory, slashing back at Absol, who had just landed!

bang——

Absol was struck by the sudden attack and staggered, letting out a low groan of pain.

Clearly, even though it was just a [Swallow Return] attack that wasn't particularly powerful, with the added strength of the Martial Arts Bear Master's almost superhuman physical attack, it still caused considerable damage to Absol, who wasn't known for his defense.

However, this is far from over!
Before Absol could fully regain his balance, the Martial Arts Bear Master's storm-like attacks came down again.

Unleash the ultimate technique once more, unleashing a barrage of water attacks!
Martial Arts Master Xiong's fists transformed into a sky full of fist shadows, carrying with them a surging torrent of water, like a flood bursting its banks, rushing towards Absol.

The punches were incredibly fast, and each punch contained the power to shatter mountains and split rocks. The force of the punches compressed the air, producing a whistling sound!

Almost entirely on a fighting instinct and his extraordinary sixth sense, Absol reacted at the last second.

A deep, malevolent energy instantly enveloped its entire body, its form suddenly blurring as if merging into the shadows, and with a terrifying speed that was almost instantaneous, it arrived first despite being behind!
Raid!

This Dark-type move is quite powerful, and more importantly, it has a "first strike" effect—

If the opponent uses the same attacking move, it can strike before the opponent!

Accommodation——

Absol's figure appeared eerily behind the Martial Bear Master, its scythe-like horn flashing coldly as it slashed down fiercely at the Martial Bear Master's unsuspecting nape, the sharp horn blade cutting a bloody gash in the Martial Bear Master's tough fur.

"Roar--"

The martial arts bear master, in pain, let out an increasingly furious roar.

It didn't even turn around. Relying on the explosive power of its core, it stubbornly resisted the pain in its back and forcefully reversed the momentum of [Water Flow Strike]!
The Martial Arts Bear Master's entire body transformed into a massive storm of fist blades, sweeping towards Absol behind him!

bang bang bang-

A series of rapid, drum-like impacts resounded as the two elves engaged in a fierce, primal melee on this battlefield of water and rock.

Absol is agile and elusive, relying on his uncanny precognitive instincts to dodge and weave through a hail of punches, occasionally launching a surprise attack to counterattack.

It dances on the edge of a knife, each dodge fraught with danger, each counterattack cunning and ruthless.

However, with multiple bonds and equipment buffs, the Martial Arts Bear Master clearly holds an overwhelming advantage in absolute stats.

Each of its punches is not only powerful and heavy, but it can also draw strands of life energy from Absol's body to nourish itself!
The lifesteal effects of [Hand of Light and Justice] and [Fighting Bond] stack perfectly at this moment.

Although it suffers from attacks and poison, the rate at which its life force is lost is greatly slowed down, and there is even a faint trend of recovery.

With this ebb and flow, Martial Arts Master Xiong's punches became faster and faster, and his punches became more and more powerful!

The surging energy of the water flow intertwined with the fighting spirit, seemingly forming a deathly domain around it.

Absol's precognitive intuition still works, allowing him to sense dangerous trajectories.

However, the body's speed and reaction time were completely unable to keep up with the increasingly dense and frenzied rhythm of the attacks.

The martial arts bear master's power seemed inexhaustible, continuously and even more fiercely launching attacks!

Hold on?

The energy barrier is useless against the Martial Arts Bear Master who possesses the [Invisible Fist] property!
dodge?

You can dodge one or two punches, but how long can you hide from a continuous barrage of attacks that leave no blind spots?
Absol's room to maneuver is gradually being compressed, and the range of its dodges is becoming smaller and smaller.

For the first time, a sense of exhaustion and a hint of despair, anticipating its own defeat, appeared in its scarlet eyes.

And at that very moment, when Absol had just barely managed to dodge, before his new power was generated.

Amidst the Martial Arts Master Xiong's [Water Flow Continuous Strike] fist shadows, which were like a raging storm, a completely different fist aura suddenly revealed its fangs!
That's not water; it's a fighting-type energy that abandons everything in pursuit of a momentary burst of power!

Close combat returns!

boom--

The punch landed squarely on Absol's chest, which he could no longer dodge.

Time seemed to stand still at this moment.

Absol's body seemed frozen in time, and before his scarlet eyes, which could foresee the future, closed in resentment, they reflected the resolute gaze of the Martial Arts Bear Master!

(End of this chapter)