I beg you female trainers to give me money even if you lose!

Therefore, he chose Vine, because as a Grass-type, Vine can defend against many of Whimsicott's moves and even counter the opponent.

—I just didn't expect that the other side would also be a giant vine!

"Giant Vine! Slam it down!"

"Giant Vine! Slam it down!"

Both sides made their moves at the same time and gave the same command. Then the two giant vines burst out with speeds that were almost evenly matched!

In the end, Yang Xiying's side had a slight advantage, but not by much. Both sides stretched out their vines and slapped each other in the face.

Their health bars dropped by nearly 20% in an instant, and then the knockdown effect activated, causing Yang Xiying to acquire a red bulletproof vest.

This is an assault vest! The kind that increases your special defense. Rika's vest is a bumpy safety helmet.

So Yang Xiying's giant vines lost quite a bit of health, a full 35%! This is the giant vines equipped on the TuTu helmet!

Luckily, I wasn't in such a hurry to add the cross bat...

Yang Xiying looked really tense, because Lijia's giant vine was specifically designed for the Crossbat.

After all, he had commanded Crobat to use Brave Bird when he battled the Gym Leader before...

“It seems Miss Lijia has unique insights into giant vines,” Yang Xiying said slowly, taking a deep breath.

The situation is quite clear now. Rika's Giant Vine is similar to her own in terms of configuration, a Giant Vine with maxed-out HP and a relaxed personality!

As for why I was able to confirm that the opponent's Giant Vine had a Relaxed nature, it was because the Relaxed Giant Vine that I hadn't trained with made the first move.

This clearly shows that the speed of both sides has become so evenly matched that the speed of attacks has become a matter of luck...

—One of the two sides will randomly make the first move!

"After all, that's why I became online friends with Mr. Yang, isn't it?" Lijia covered her mouth and revealed a subtle smile.

She also knew that Yang Xiying had a giant vine, after all, that was how she met her online.

The Giant Vine is also quite strategically important in a Grass-type gym, so Rika is also on guard against Yang Xiying's Giant Vine.

—She even prepared a move to counter the giant vine!

"Giant Vine! Sludge Bomb!"

"Giant Vine! Sludge Bomb!"

Yang Xiying followed closely behind. Unlike the Assault Vest Giant Vine, the Convex Helmet Giant Vine couldn't use any variation moves.

Therefore, Yang Xiying wanted to keep the Giant Vine on the field to see what other moves the opponent had, and her own Giant Vine also had moves that could counter the opponent's moves!

The commands from both sides were once again shockingly synchronized, and the two Pokémon gathered dark purple energy on the vines!

This time, it was Lijia's giant vine that made the first move, and as expected, its speed was exactly the same as Yang Xiying's giant vine!

Both Pokémon unleashed large amounts of sludge at that moment, and both hit each other, the venom corroding the vines!

Their health bars had all dropped by 55%! But Yang Xiying's giant vine health bar was almost empty, and she was in a very dangerous state.

"...!"

Yang Xiying's expression darkened slightly. Now that it has been proven that both sides are moving at the same speed, the question of who will make the first move has become a very risky matter.

But Yang Xiying didn't dare to gamble, and his Giant Vine also had the Regeneration ability, so it wasn't worth fighting against the opponent's Giant Vine. He switched to another player!

"Giant Vine! Switch hands!" Yang Xiying withdrew the Giant Vine and then switched to the fire-attribute Azure Flame Blade Demon!

Azure Flame Blade Demon resists the mud bombs, and its imposing aura sash allows it to withstand even being struck.

Therefore, one should be careful of the variable moves that Giant Vine may carry, such as Leech Seed and Sleep Powder.

However, the parasitic seeds are no problem for the Azure Flame Blade Demon, and the hypnotic powder has a very low hit rate, so he can dodge them by perfectly synchronizing with the enemy!

—And he gave Azure Flame Blade Demon a technique that allows it to move even when asleep.

"Giant Vines! Rock Blockade!"

Rika's command followed immediately, and the giant vines stretched out their tendrils, directly lifting several boulders and smashing them towards the Azure Flame Blade Demon!

boom--! ! !

The Azure Flame Blade Demon's health bar dropped by 50%, but its armor also began to crack, spewing out dark blue flames!

Shatter Armor activates, reducing defense by one level and increasing speed by two levels, but due to the rock barrier, the speed only increases by one level!

"What...?!" But seeing this scene, Rika's eyes widened slightly, revealing a look of astonishment.

Because both sides' giant vine health bars were almost depleted, with only 35% remaining for himself and about 10% for the opponent.

They couldn't withstand each other's mud bombs, so the final move and who would fall first was purely a matter of luck, a gamble.

For Rika, whether or not to gamble doesn't matter, because as a Pokémon Trainer, she has priority in exchanging Pokémon.

—Moreover, the Level 2 Gym Trial is itself a test of the opponent.

Even so, Rika had to consider the possibility that Yang Xiying wouldn't dare to gamble on directly exchanging Pokémon.

Therefore, the benefits of using Sludge Bomb in this way are very small. It would be better if the opponent didn't switch Pokémon.

What if the opponent switches to a Pokémon that is resistant to poison, such as Crobat or a Steel-type Pokémon?

Putting everything else aside, Crobat alone is a very troublesome opponent for Rika, because this guy's base speed stat is as high as 130!

Moreover, it is effective against all her Grass-type Pokémon. If it were to use a Flying-type move, I don't know if Rika could withstand it.

However, she was still confident in the durability of her Grass-type Pokémon, since if its speed was slow, she could only increase its defense.

A single successful attack can turn the tide of battle, as Grass-type Pokémon possess a plethora of support moves.

—There are also ways to render them incapacitated…

However, this might not work against Crobat, because it prevents Pokémon from using the status move Taunt!

However, Rika still came up with a solution: Rock Blockade. It wasn't a variation move, but it could definitely reduce the opponent's speed!

This way, her next Pokémon can also seize the opportunity to attack against Crobat, but it still depends on whether Yang Xiying changes her Pokémon or not.

—The opponent has changed, but it's not Crobat, but it's still a Pokémon that feels very dangerous!

P.S.: Update! This is purely to make up for last month's perfect attendance record. It's a bit difficult to achieve 29 days, so I'm really sorry...

NO.278 Cunning Tengu! Full Power!

"This Pokémon looks quite unfamiliar..."

Lijia narrowed her eyes, sensing something was wrong when she saw the Azure Flame Blade Demon, and Yang Xiying gave the order without any hesitation.

"Azure Flame Blade Demon! Regret Sword!"

"Giant Vine! Slam it down!"

Rika followed closely behind, and when facing an unknown Pokémon, she would use Knock Off to see what items the opponent might be carrying!

However, the giant vines could never catch up with the speed of the Azure Flame Blade Demon. The Azure Flame Blade Demon's two swords burned with flames as it sprinted forward!

It slashed straight at Rika's giant vine! The giant vine instantly had two wounds, and 35% of its health bar was emptied at that moment!

Then, Azure Flame Blade Demon's health bar recovered to about 90% at this moment, making the Giant Vine a true tank!

"A fire-attribute attack? And it restores health upon hitting the target...?"

Seeing this, Rika also learned some information about the new Pokémon on the other side: it was a Pokémon that countered her team!

"The rest is up to you."

At this moment, Rika sent out a new Pokémon, which was a cute little black person with a huge ball of cotton on its head. This was Whimsicott!

"So it's being deployed, Whimsicott..."

Yang Xiying narrowed his eyes slightly; the Pokémon he was wary of had arrived, while Rika chuckled.

"Hehe, it seems Mr. Yang is quite wary of this Pokémon..."

"Yes, Azure Flame Blade Demon, Regret Sword!"

Yang Xiying immediately ordered the Azure Flame Blade Demon to unleash its ultimate attack, and Li Jia followed suit with her own command!

"Whimsley! Charm!" This Pokémon looks like a physical attacker. Will this move force it to switch out?

This time, it was the Wind Fairy who made the first move, because it was mischievous. It suddenly appeared next to the Azure Flame Blade Demon and circled around.

She revealed an adorable look, which gave even the Azure Flame Blade Demon a headache, but she still managed to deliver a slash to her opponent!

—The Wind Fairy's health bar dropped by 70%! Meanwhile, the Azure Flame Blade Demon's health bar was full!

"...Azure Flame Blade Demon! Regret Sword!"

Yang Xiying narrowed her eyes slightly. Acting cute is a move that lowers a Pokémon's Attack by two levels, which is somewhat disadvantageous for Azure Flame Blade Ghost.

But switching Pokémon before taking out Whimsicott would be a waste of an attack opportunity. We should eliminate the opponent first!

"Whisker! Tailwind!" Rika gave the command again, and then, out of mischievousness, Whimsker made the first move once more.

A gentle breeze will immediately arise! Tailwind! All Pokémon on your side will have their Speed ​​increased by double for four turns!

Then, Yang Xiying's Azure Flame Blade Ghost also used the Regret Sword to finish off the Wind Fairy, and at this moment, Lijia also spoke up.

"—Mr. Yang is indeed very powerful. You defeated both of my Pokémon."

“But Miss Lijia, you still don’t seem to have given up,” Yang Xiying replied, noting that the opposing team had started with a Tailwind using Whimsicott…

"I said I'd fight with all my might, how could I just give up like this? After all, I still want to see Mr. Yang bring me more surprises."

"I'm counting on you from now on," Rika said, switching to a new Pokémon, the Strider that Kanako had used before!

"Tegu—" The cunning tengu roared as soon as it entered the arena, then it was bathed in a strong wind, and its eyes and the palm-leaf fan in its hand became sharp!

"..." Seeing this cunning tengu, Yang Xiying felt something was wrong, but he couldn't just change the person now.

Because this Pokémon can learn moves that are super effective against all the Pokémon it carries! But if you send out Blademaster... it can win!

"Azure Flame Blade Demon! Sword Dance!"

"Cunning Tengu! Rockfall!"

The commands from both sides were issued at the same time, and the cunning tengu made the first move, as the tailwind greatly increased its speed!

"Tegu—!!!" The cunning tengu lifted the ground, sending a large amount of rubble hurtling towards the Azure Flame Blade Demon!

At this moment, Azure Flame Blade Demon was also hit by a large number of rocks, and its health bar was immediately reduced to zero!

Then, it prepared to perform a sword dance, but at this moment its body trembled incessantly—the Azure Flame Blade Demon! It cowered!

“…Oh my, this is quite a pleasant surprise,” Rika said with a knowing smile upon seeing this.

She was a little flustered when she saw that Azure Flame Blade Demon was carrying an aura cloak, because it meant that Azure Flame Blade Demon had the right to make a move!

The opponent was a Fire Pokémon, and Stranglethorn is a very fragile Pokémon, so this match was her last chance.

But it's still a fight going, although the flames on that Pokémon are burning even brighter now...

"...I never thought I'd be so timid," Yang Xiying was also surprised by the cunning tengu's attack.

That power is comparable to that of a Pokémon of the same type, no, it's even stronger. Could it be because the opponent is carrying a Life Orb?

Hmm, the cunning tengu on the other side is carrying the Life Orb, but Yang Xiying feels that it's definitely not just that.

Speaking of which, that cunning tengu behaves somewhat differently when facing a tailwind. Could it be that it has that "riding the wind" ability?!

When riding the wind, you will not be damaged when a tailwind blows or when attacked by a wind-based attack; instead, your attack will be boosted by one level.

"Azure Flame Blade Demon! Sword Dance!" This time, it seems he has to sacrifice Azure Flame Blade Demon, because the Cunning Tengu is of the Dark attribute!

So even the cunning tengu knows the surprise attack move, but it can only fail to use it against the sword dance.

—The Azure Flame Blade increases the attack power of demons by two levels!

"Oh, Mr. Yang, did you anticipate what tricks I would pull?"

Seeing the cunning tengu looking helpless against the Azure Flame Blade Demon Sword Dance, Rika immediately showed a surprised expression.

—The move she had just prepared was a surprise attack, and it didn't require any orders.

“After all, it’s safer to use a priority move to finish off a Pokémon with low health,” Yang Xiying replied. This time, he didn’t let Azure Flame Blade Ghost use its shadow to launch a sneak attack.