On the field, facing Huanhuan, who had so easily parried her attack, Blaziken felt a tidal wave of shock crash over her. Only she knew exactly how powerful she was right now; the boost she had received felt like a total game-breaker.
Yet, even in this state, facing a Meowscarada with a type disadvantage, she was performing worse than she had against Erika's Pokémon. Against Erika, she had at least traded blows and only lost by a hair. But here, her opening move had been shut down completely. Did this mean Huanhuan was stronger than a Gym Leader's Ace?
Was this really the same little kitten that used to curl up in Sapphire's lap, acting cute for cat treats?
After a moment of shock, Blaziken steadied herself. She reassured herself that while they were the same age, Huanhuan was the Demon King's Pokémon. It was only natural for her to be freakishly strong. There was no point in being discouraged. On the contrary, if she could defeat Huanhuan, it would prove once and for all that she was the superior one.
With that thought, Blaziken tightened her fists. Flames wreathed her knuckles like burning boxing gloves, and she lunged at Huanhuan again, her strikes cutting through the air with a roar.
You like playing with dual blades? Fine! Taste my twin fists!
Blaziken unleashed a torrential flurry of Fire Punches, a blur of orange and red that completely enveloped Huanhuan's upper body. With such high-density strikes, she refused to believe this "lazy cat" could keep up with the hand speed she had developed through years of competitive battling.
As long as one punch got through—just one—the massive power of her "Super Blaze" would likely take half of Huanhuan's health in a single blow.
This tactic worked, at least to an extent. It forced Huanhuan to... actually pay a little bit of attention.
Heh. You think hand speed is everything?
Under the "God's Eye" of Aura, every "evil" strike was brought to justice. Every fist-shadow in Huanhuan's vision was slowed down to a crawl, stripped of its threat. The only annoying part was that to intercept every single one, she had to match that speed, which was honestly a bit exhausting.
Huanhuan couldn't understand these Fire-types. Why were they all such hyperactive restless souls?
Resigned, Huanhuan matched the pace, her energy blades weaving a web of light that intercepted every punch. For a moment, the arena was a spectacle of clashing steel and fire, a high-speed dance of violence.
However, any skilled observer could see that Huanhuan held the clear advantage. She wasn't even being serious; she was merely playing along with Blaziken's rhythm.
"So, what do you think? Should they keep going?" Li Yuan asked. Bored with the spectating, he pulled Sapphire back into his lap, happily holding the beauty close.
"Huanhuan is incredible, but I don't think Zhizhi is out of the race yet," Sapphire replied. She felt his "salty pig hand" start to wander around her waist again, and her face flushed.
But given they had already swapped spit and shared an intimate moment, she didn't see the point in putting up a fight. She let him touch her. Instead, she focused on the battle. She believed that while Super Blaze was a powerful "cheat," it wasn't Zhizhi's only trump card.
Zhizhi's true strength had always been her Speed Boost ability. Every few moments in combat, her speed would jump, eventually reaching 300% of her original capacity. Once she hit that peak, her movements would become a blur to the naked eye. That speed translated into massive kinetic energy. If a Blaze Kick landed at that velocity, its power would double again.
Huanhuan had needed both Solar Blades to stop the first kick. If the power doubled or tripled, wouldn't she be able to shatter those blades and land a crushing blow on the Meowscarada? This was Sapphire's ultimate strategy, and it was almost impossible to counter unless the opponent could end the fight instantly.
"You really won't give up until you see the results, will you? Unfortunately, it's getting late. I have other customers coming later, so I can't keep playing with you. Huanhuan, end it with Swords Dance," Li Yuan commanded. He held Sapphire with one hand, his fingers starting to slip under the hem of her shirt, while he issued the final order.
"Swords Dance? Do you think I'll give you the chance to use it?" Sapphire protested, quickly pinning down his wandering hand before it could go any further. She frowned.
Li Yuan just smiled. Swords Dance, as the name implied, was a move that required a sequence of movements to massively boost attack power. That took time. Even a master needed a few seconds to complete the "dance." In close-quarters combat, that time didn't exist.
Sapphire didn't understand. Unless Li Yuan's Swords Dance was instantaneous like his Solar Blade, it was a death sentence to try it now. But an instant Swords Dance? That was impossible.
In truth, it was impossible. Li Yuan had tried to develop an instant version, but after studying the Aura functions of the move, he realized it couldn't be forced. So, he took a different route. If he couldn't make it instant, why not integrate the dance into the combat movements themselves? Fighting while dancing.
Anyone else would fail; disrupting the specific "vibration" of the Swords Dance usually caused the move to fizzle out. But with Li Yuan's mastery of Aura, he could maintain the internal rhythm while the Pokémon performed external attacks.
Suddenly, the lazy Huanhuan changed. Her entire aura became elegant, almost regal.
She parried Blaziken's punches with her Solar Blades, but her feet began to move in a graceful, rhythmic pattern across the floor—a deadly tango. Blaziken, in her fury, was forced into the role of a dance partner, her movements becoming clumsy and frantic under Huanhuan's guidance.
Moments later, a surge of energy erupted from Blaziken; her Speed Boost had triggered again, her velocity increasing. She felt a surge of hope. Let's see you dance now!
But before she could capitalize, an even more powerful aura exploded from Huanhuan. It was far more intense than anything Blaziken had shown. Raw, unbridled power flooded Meowscarada's body, giving her a sense of near-omnipotence.
Huanhuan continued to block, but now, every time her blade met Blaziken's fist, the impact made the fire-type's arm go numb. With a single, elegant sweep, she physically threw Blaziken back, leaving the chicken reeling.
Before Blaziken could recover her stance, Huanhuan flipped her wrist. Like a stage magician, she produced a small, glowing red flower. She gave the "petal" an elegant, mocking kiss and tossed the bloom toward Blaziken.
Blaziken tried to dodge, but the magic flower was freakishly fast. It left Huanhuan's hand and, in a blink, appeared directly against Blaziken's chest as if it had teleported.
Then, the world turned white. With a deafening boom, the beautiful Flower Trick exploded. Blaziken was sent flying across the arena, her body slamming into the reinforced wall.
Flower Trick was Meowscarada's signature move—a guaranteed critical hit. Combined with the Super Overgrow and the Swords Dance boost, it was a miracle Blaziken wasn't knocked out instantly, especially with her type advantage.
But the fight was over. Blaziken struggled to even stand. Huanhuan could end her with a flick of a finger.
Sapphire didn't even run to check on her Pokémon. She was paralyzed, staring at Huanhuan in utter disbelief. How... how did she do that? She actually finished a Swords Dance while fighting?
It was too much. How could a Trainer give his Pokémon such broken cheats?