Chapter 405: League Debut
"Huh? Who's that kid? Why did the Saints send a youngster? He looks like he hasn't even graduated yet. Is he a genius student from some university?"
When Basalt stepped onto the field, the players from the Five Venoms Club started discussing among themselves. One reason was that Basalt was a fresh face; another was that Basalt was indeed very young, excessively so.
Seeing this, the head coach of the Five Venoms Club quickly looked up the information on the Saints Club, which contained a complete dossier. As a professional club, their intelligence gathering was certainly effective. Basalt's public information was all recorded there, but only that. Non-public information wasn't so easy to gather, and the cost was too high for a small club like Five Venoms.
"Basalt, 19 years old, a genius trainer from Centralis University. Passed the Pro-level assessment a month ago, signed with the Sanctuary Club, annual salary of 20 million. Sandstorm team specialist, main Pokémon are Excadrill, Bronzong, Cradily, Pupitar..."
"19 years old? Freshman?"
"Sanctuary Club? 20 million annual salary?"
"Fossil Pokémon Cradily? Pseudo-legendary pre-evolution Pupitar?"
Every time the head coach read a part of Basalt's information, his players would exclaim in unison, as if rehearsed. Leaving aside the Pokémon and age, just the 20 million annual salary was enough to make them bitter with envy.
"Coach, with such a big background, Xiao Xi might lose, right?" Someone swallowed and silently watched the dreadlocked girl walking onto the field opposite Basalt.
A match in the Second Division League consisted of six rounds, each an independent 3v3 battle. The final victory or draw was determined by the score. Every player listed for a match had to take the field to ensure fairness.
So as Basalt stepped up, the player from the Five Venoms Club also walked onto the field. It was the girl with a unique personality—He Xiaoxi!
"Not necessarily!"
The Five Venoms' head coach, a pot-bellied, balding middle-aged man, said, "Although Basalt looks good on paper and his lineup seems powerful, he only passed the Pro-level assessment a month ago. How much strength can he really have?"
"I estimate that Jiang Jun on the other side received orders from higher-ups to vigorously cultivate Basalt and give him more practical combat experience, so he sent him out. After all, the club he actually signed with is Sanctuary."
Hearing this, everyone thought it made sense. Basalt's talent was strong because he was young. But the professional league didn't care about talent or age, only strength. Whether you were forty or fifty, or twenty-something, everyone competed fairly on the same stage. Basalt's young age was indeed an advantage in the long run, but in the short term, it was definitely a disadvantage.
Although the unique girl He Xiaoxi wasn't old either, she was an undergraduate graduate, with life experience and battle experience to back her up.
"Players, take your positions!"
The referee and the recording notary were direct personnel of the league, not belonging to any club. Exchanging glances, the two threw out a Pokéball each.
Basalt's Pokémon was Cradily. Knowing the opponent was definitely skilled in using poison, he chose Cradily, who possessed purification abilities and feared no negative effects.
He Xiaoxi's Pokémon was a purple-bodied creature. Its yellow compound eyes each had three black dots, its antennae were golden ovals, its two pairs of legs were deep pink, and it had green wings. It was a Dustox.
Dustox was a Bug/Poison dual-type Pokémon. Though not beautiful, it could blend in with nature. The red ring patterns on its wings added some color, making it look quite vibrant.
"Dustox, Attract!"
As the match began, He Xiaoxi looked delighted and issued the command first. Although she looked rebellious and unconventional, it was undeniable that He Xiaoxi was a top student from Southwest University; her unique style was just an expression of her personality.
During the Fossil Pokémon craze last year, she had read an encyclopedia on Fossil Pokémon, which detailed Cradily's information. She still remembered it vividly. Cradily moved using tentacles and was very slow. As for the gender ratio, scientists estimated it to be an astonishing 7:1; the vast majority of Cradily were male.
Coincidentally, her Dustox was female, and her mastery of the Attract move was already at a high level. The Five Venoms Club was indeed good at using poison, but relying solely on poison wouldn't get a club far. Using poison as the backbone while incorporating other strategies was the true path.
Pink hearts appeared, hitting the rooting Cradily. Cradily was stunned for a moment, then began waving its tentacles wildly, its body swaying unsteadily.
He Xiaoxi was overjoyed. "Now, Quiver Dance!"
Quiver Dance, a super-enhancement move even more terrifying than Swords Dance, capable of simultaneously boosting Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed. He Xiaoxi's entry into the Five Venoms Club at a young age owed much to Quiver Dance. If she could enhance successfully, sweeping the team wouldn't be a problem.
However, Quiver Dance had a huge drawback: it consumed considerable energy and time. If the opponent wasn't incapacitated, she wouldn't dare use it even if her life depended on it.
Watching the dancing Dustox, He Xiaoxi gloated, "Looks like this first round is mine!"
"Not necessarily!"
Just then, Basalt's indifferent voice rang out, causing He Xiaoxi to shudder. Then she saw the previously swaying Cradily recover. An amber energy orb condensed and smashed toward the Dustox still dancing in mid-air.
"How is this possible?" He Xiaoxi's eyes nearly split with rage. At the same time, she didn't understand why Cradily eliminated the effect of Attract so quickly. This wasn't scientific!!!
"Sorry, all negative status conditions are within the scope of Purification Power," Basalt shook his head, muttering to himself. As for Cradily's swaying just now, that was naturally acting. After following Basalt for so long, who didn't have some acting skills?
In mid-air, Dustox was still dancing. Although He Xiaoxi's Dustox knew Quiver Dance, it hadn't reached the advanced level of moving and dodging while enhancing. During Quiver Dance, her Dustox was defenseless.
Boom!
The Ancient Power orb hit Dustox, blasting it away.
Conversely, multiple lights flashed on Cradily, and its aura began to soar steeply.
"Triggered the enhancement effect of Ancient Power? This dumb luck is too good!" The Saints side exclaimed, while the Five Venoms side cursed.
"Dus~tox~"
Dustox shook its head to stay conscious. At this moment, roots burst from the ground, closing in on it from all directions, blotting out the sky.
"Dustox, Sludge Bomb!"
Dustox flapped its wings, spraying black liquid onto the roots, hoping to corrode them. But unexpectedly, upon contact, the venom didn't corrode the roots but slowly disappeared.
"Dustox's venom was absorbed by Cradily?" He Xiaoxi was dumbfounded. Her Dustox's toxin wasn't simple; even Poison-type Pokémon from the same club would get hurt if hit. And Cradily actually absorbed it!!!
The roots closed in, binding Dustox. Stone Edge appeared, and Dustox was defeated.
"Basalt, good job!" The Saints Club rejoiced. Basalt had made a good start!
"That guy, making us worry just now!" Jiang Jun sighed in relief while marveling at Cradily's special ability. Not fearing Sleep Powder or toxins, and unaffected by Attract—was this some special ability of Fossil Pokémon? Or did Basalt have another encounter?
Despite his vast experience, Head Coach Jiang Jun couldn't figure out Cradily. Crucially, he couldn't ask easily, as it involved the player's privacy. Many players from large families or factions had special Pokémon breeding methods that coaches couldn't inquire about.
"Go, Scizor!"
He Xiaoxi threw her second Pokéball. Scizor was covered in crimson armor, with two pairs of translucent wings on its back. Its pincers were formidable, with eye-like patterns used to intimidate opponents.
Li Di crossed his arms and commented, "This Scizor seems to be that little girl's ace, right? I fought it last year; its offense and defense were both very good. I wonder how much it has improved this season."
Scizor, the evolved form of the Bug King Scyther. Although the base stats didn't change after evolution, its abilities and typing changed drastically, reducing its weaknesses by one. Extremely high cost-performance ratio.
Soon, the match continued.
"Sci~zor~"
With a roar, Scizor turned into a red flash, crossing layers of root barriers in an instant. Its glowing pincers landed on Cradily.
Bullet Punch!
Scizor possessed strong attack power and the Ability Technician, which boosted the power of weaker moves. Combined with Bullet Punch being a STAB Steel-type move and super effective against Cradily, this hit was extremely painful. Cradily's head was knocked askew, and many roots beneath it snapped, showing the strength of Scizor's attack.
"Sci~zor~"
Succeeding in one hit, Scizor pressed the advantage. Crossing its pincers over its chest, it slashed outwards, forming an "X" shape on Cradily.
Bug-type move, X-Scissor!
Another super-effective move against Cradily, with much greater power than Bullet Punch.
Boom!
Scizor struck a cool pose as energy exploded on Cradily. The roots at Cradily's base snapped inch by inch, and it collapsed to the ground.
"Xiao Xi, well done!" The Five Venoms Club's morale soared. Two consecutive super-effective hits, combined with Scizor's ultra-high attack, who could withstand that?
"Dily-da~"
But just then, Cradily's voice rang out.
"Sci~zor~"
Scizor was shocked. Two heavy hits in a row without any respite—even with Ingrain, it shouldn't be able to hold on, right? Cradily hasn't fainted yet?
Not only that, Scizor was shocked to find its legs and pincers were somehow bound by layers of roots, unable to move.
"Dily-da~"
Cradily slowly stood up, looking fearful. It had almost been knocked out! This Scizor really hit hard. Fortunately, it held on.
A blue light transferred from the roots to Scizor, and Scizor's aura instantly wilted.
Pain Split!
Conversely, Cradily regained its vitality, looking as if nothing had happened.
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