"The contestants from both sides are in position, the match can begin at any time!"
After Azure finished speaking, he glanced at the barrage.
[Teacher Azure, who do you think will win this match?]
[Who wins is important? Aren't they all "disciples" from our live room? Both hands are flesh and blood!]
[That's right; Teacher Azure has done well. The Master Tournament finals have truly become a competition between chat lol]
Although he knew that the barrage was just teasing, it was hard to keep a straight face when seeing such comments.
Especially when the protagonist was himself.
Azure's lips twitched violently several times. After taking a deep breath, he tried his best to respond in a calm tone:
"At this level of competition, victory or defeat is no longer important. We only need to appreciate the excellent performance from both sides."
Aiden "The Rambler" Swift made an important statement about the Master Tournament finals.
[Don't think we don't know. In fact, the streamer secretly hopes Cynthia will win, right!]
[Teacher Azure, you've changed. You've got a crush on her...]
[Sigh, Sinnoh's move is too ruthless. Can we use this trick in Unova to lure Teacher Azure over? Blueberry Academy needs you, Teacher Azure!]
"That's forcing it, none of that is true, stop spreading rumors!"
Azure furrowed his brows slightly, looking very angry.
But he quickly shifted the topic and said:
"However, after this Master Tournament ends, I indeed plan to take some time off to rest in Sinnoh and Kitakami during the holidays."
"The audience might not be clear, but actually..."
"I was born in Sinnoh, I just inherited my parents' gym in Paldea."
"So calling me a Sinnoh person isn't wrong either."
With these words, countless fun-seekers in the barrage were instantly dumbfounded.
[Huh? We were just joking, and you're serious???]
[Now I'm really afraid Champion Cynthia will lure Teacher Azure back... No, you can't!]
[Teacher Azure, come back quick, Paldea will issue gold bars next year!]
[I'll go give Sunlight Gym positive reviews right now, come back, my proudest Gym Leader Teacher Azure]
Even Caitlin sitting next to Azure couldn't help but frown.
To Sinnoh and Kitakami?
With whom?
It's impossible to go alone, right?
Caitlin felt that things weren't that simple, but...
Cynthia didn't mention anything about this to her. She couldn't possibly ask her directly...
Damn Cynthia! Having a man means forgetting your girlfriends, huh!
For some reason, Azure always felt that the atmosphere was filled with joy.
Just then, a whistle blew across the field, signaling the start of the battle.
Two flashes of red light later, Cynthia and Lance's starters simultaneously appeared on the field.
"Alright, let's shift our focus back to the battle!"
Azure instantly switched to a professional commentator stance, observing the two Pokémon on the field and quickly making comments.
"Lance starts with a standard Dragonite, and Cynthia also chose her ace Garchomp, starting with a clash between the aces!"
Since Cynthia hadn't let Garchomp appear in previous battles, today's Garchomp seemed to be full of energy.
Its sky-piercing roar upon entry was enough to prove its optimal condition.
The audience might not fully understand how powerful Cynthia's Garchomp is, but Azure knew very well.
During the Victory Road assessment, it single-handedly defeated the entire team of Elite Four member Aaron.
Even someone close to champion-level like Lance could easily get overturned if not careful enough.
On Lance's side, a look of realization appeared.
So it's this Garchomp.
Getting information about Cynthia isn't difficult; there are records of her challenging the Victory Road on Poké TV.
So Lance was very clear about its achievements.
But unfortunately...
Dragonite's Ice Punch is equally fatal for Garchomp!
"Dragonite, Ice Punch!"
Lance commanded without hesitation, seizing the initiative.
On Cynthia's side, she revealed a profound smile and quickly countered:
"Garchomp, dodge and create a sandstorm!"
Though both are ground dragons, Garchomp's speed is only faster than the Flygon Dragonite faced yesterday.
With preparation, Dragonite's incoming Ice Punch was dodged by Garchomp's explosive start, and at the same time, its roar echoed throughout the venue.
Soon, a mysterious gale started to blow on the field, followed by a sandstorm carrying debris and sand.
"A sandstorm?"
Lance was momentarily stunned, but noticing that Garchomp's figure had become difficult to see with the naked eye in the sandstorm, he quickly realized.
It's the Sand Veil ability!
But in his memory, Cynthia's Garchomp should have Rough Skin, right?
"It seems that for this battle, Cynthia temporarily changed her Pokémon's ability to Sand Veil."
Azure raised an eyebrow and explained to the audience.
"Garchomp's other ability, Rough Skin, is obviously more practical. When coming into contact with the opponent's close-range attacks, it uses its skin to injure the opponent, causing some damage."
"But because the opponent is Lance's Dragonite, Ice Punch poses a great threat to Garchomp, so in this battle, it needs to avoid being hit by the opponent as much as possible."
"In this situation, the Sand Veil ability is much more useful."
[Switching Abilities? Is there such a thing?]
[Ability Patch, you can buy it in the Paldea region, it's just a bit expensive...]
[If I change it to Huge Power Slaking, wouldn't it be invincible?]
(T/N: Bro out here creating custom Pokemon lmao)
"What are you thinking? If it were truly possible, it would have been hyped to the moon already..."
Azure helplessly placed his hand on his forehead.
Ability Patch and Ability Capsule are newly invented items in recent years, with extremely powerful effects, able to directly change a Pokémon's ability.
However, they obviously can't create something out of nothing, only switching between abilities a Pokémon can naturally possess.
As for other illegal abilities, unless given by friends, there's no other way.
And Garchomp, once a fierce general of the sandstorm team, though not as prestigious as a certain real ground dragon, still has its advantages. (T/N: Excadrill's name in Chinese is '龙头地鼠' which literally translates to 'Dragon Head Ground Rat' lmfao)
Excadrill: What kind of sandstorm brother are you?
Sand Veil allows Garchomp to move freely within the sandstorm, even Dragonite can't do much against it for the time being.
Moreover, the sandstorm has another role in this battle—
As countless pieces of gravel were blown toward Dragonite by the wind, the multiple scales on its chest that effectively mitigate impact quickly vibrated, and within moments, most of them had fallen off.
"Dragonite, Tailwind!" Lance quickly realized and immediately gave a command
Even when it's hard to spot Garchomp, Encore can't land, so naturally, it can't affect the opponent's rhythm.
Thus, Lance's idea was simple: use relative wind power to counteract the sandstorm effect while placing his side in a Tailwind state to further enhance Dragonite's speed.
As Dragonite flapped its wings, a strong current quickly surged from behind, dispersing most of the sandstorm, revealing Garchomp's figure.
However...
When Lance saw Garchomp's crimson eyes, he quickly realized his reaction was still a beat too slow!
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