Chapter 139: Eh? Eh? Eh? What's going on?
After seeing the defender's face, Bai Feng was also a little surprised.
It was a young man with an exaggerated appearance, exaggerated hairstyle, exaggerated clothing, and a slightly exaggerated expression. He looked so irritable as if he wanted to hit someone at any moment.
"I believe most people have already recognized the identity of our defender today. He is the Gym Leader of Spikemuth, Nie Zi! Our Galar Region's genius young Gym Leader! With him here, what are you still worried about? Go ahead and place your bets!"
This Pokémon Arena was, after all, gambling in nature, and this Host was also unprofessional, only knowing how to keep inciting the audience to bet.
However, his words did have an effect. Most of the audience who had originally planned to bet on Bai Feng changed their bets to Nie Zi. After all, this was a Gym Leader, and a famous genius Trainer at that.
They just didn't know why this genius Trainer came to the Arena to participate in a match.
But that wasn't important, as long as he could help them win money!
In the VIP Room, Lysandre and Bai Ye naturally still firmly chose to bet on Bai Feng. Lysandre bet a thousand units as usual, while Bai Ye bet all of Bai Feng's possessions, betting fifteen hundred units.
If Bai Feng lost, he really wouldn't even be able to afford underwear!
"You... Hello!"
At this moment, Nie Zi on the opposite side actually took the initiative to greet Bai Feng, and his attitude was quite friendly.
"Hello?" Bai Feng was a little confused.
Just then, the Host announced, "Now, please have both contestants send out their Pokémon."
As the Host's voice fell, Bai Feng and Nie Zi didn't have time to talk and quickly took out their Poké Balls.
The one Bai Feng sent out was naturally the Heliolisk that had voluntarily requested to participate in the match, while the one Nie Zi sent out was an Obstagoon.
Obstagoon evolves from the Galar Region form of Linoone. Its entire body is only black and white. It stands upright on two legs and habitually crosses its arms over its chest.
It must be said that Nie Zi's appearance did resemble Obstagoon somewhat, except that Obstagoon looked very sturdy, while Nie Zi's build was a bit thin.
Obstagoon is a relatively belligerent Pokémon because the competition among Linoone of the same species in the Galar Region is very intense, and the living environment is harsher.
This environment led to their form and abilities differing from those in other regions and also gave them the opportunity to evolve into Obstagoon.
As the Host gave the signal for the match to begin, Obstagoon howled towards the sky, letting out a deafening roar.
Obstagoon has a habit of roaring before the start of a battle, usually to intimidate the opponent. But Nie Zi's Obstagoon had clearly undergone specific training; its roar wasn't just for intimidation.
"Alright! Nie Zi's Obstagoon was the first to use Snarl! As you can see, contestant Bai Feng's Heliolisk's Special Attack ability has been lowered!" the Host said excitedly.
Every time Bai Feng's opponent gained the upper hand, he would get excited.
Heliolisk's speed was extremely fast, and it also used Agility, so before the sound waves formed by Snarl reached it, it had already disappeared from its original spot.
However, although Snarl didn't injure Heliolisk, its additional effect successfully lowered Heliolisk's Special Attack ability.
This was very disadvantageous for Heliolisk because its main offensive methods came from Special Attack.
But the moment Heliolisk disappeared, the entire arena suddenly turned golden yellow, with streaks of current flashing occasionally.
"Amazing!! Contestant Bai Feng's Heliolisk not only dodged the attack of Snarl but also took the opportunity to use Electric Terrain! This speed! This reaction ability! Tsk tsk, as expected of the Pokémon of contestant Bai Feng, who has won two consecutive matches!"
This unprofessional commentator even started being sarcastic.
When Heliolisk reappeared, it was already behind Obstagoon.
"Heliolisk, Thunder Wave!" Bai Feng shouted.
"Aybo~"
Heliolisk casually flicked its hand, and a ball of energy flashing with golden current flew rapidly towards Obstagoon.
"Obstagoon, Pin Missile!"
As Nie Zi's voice fell, Obstagoon suddenly turned around.
It spread its arms, and about ten yellow-green flying needles were flicked from its fingertips, instantly shooting through Heliolisk's Thunder Wave until nothing was left.
After neatly dealing with Thunder Wave, Obstagoon raised its sharp claws, then forcefully kicked back with its two thick and powerful legs, and its entire body shot out like a cannonball.
Just as Obstagoon was about to hit Heliolisk with Obstruct, Heliolisk's neck frill suddenly opened, and a dazzling strong light suddenly erupted, forcefully intruding into Obstagoon's eyes.
Obstagoon let out a loud cry, then subconsciously closed its eyes, and its offensive movement also slowed down.
However, the moment it lost its sight, Obstagoon instinctively crossed its hands over its chest, entering a defensive stance.
It was at this moment that Heliolisk used Dragon Tail to fiercely whip Obstagoon away, then immediately used extreme speed again to disappear from its original spot.
Obstagoon rolled several times on the ground, finally supporting itself with its hands to barely manage to stabilize itself, but it didn't seem very injured.
This couldn't be helped. Physical Attack was not Heliolisk's strong suit, while Obstagoon's thick and soft fur could provide it with excellent Physical Defense. It would be strange if Heliolisk could injure it.
However, the purpose of Heliolisk using Dragon Tail was originally just to create distance when battling Pokémon that excel in Physical Attack like Obstagoon. Causing damage was not important. (Dragon Tail has a knockback effect.)
The moment Heliolisk disappeared, a red light orb rose into the sky, and then the sky suddenly became scorching hot.
"Contestant Bai Feng's Heliolisk used Sunny Day at the same time as knocking back Obstagoon with Dragon Tail! What exactly is it trying to do!"
However, as soon as the Host finished this sentence, he cried out in surprise again.
"Look, look! Please tell me what's happening? Why is such intense current steaming up from contestant Bai Feng's body?"
At this moment, on the field, Heliolisk, which had completely moved away from Obstagoon, had opened its neck frill to the maximum. A large amount of Solar Energy was being collected by it to perform Charge.
This was Heliolisk's special ability.
It was just that as more and more of its hidden Energy Circuits were lit up, this ability became increasingly terrifying. The current generated through Solar Energy was already powerful enough to be frightening.
No wonder the Host was so excited.
As the Charge move's enhancement finished, Bai Feng shouted, "Heliolisk, Thunderbolt!"
At the same time, Nie Zi's voice also sounded.
"Obstagoon, Obstruct!"
As the current around Heliolisk turned into a roaring thunder dragon and slammed towards Obstagoon, both the Host and the audience couldn't help but hold their breath.
Boom!!!
The golden thunder dragon collided with Obstagoon, and the surging lightning instantly submerged it.
However, Bai Feng knew that although Heliolisk's attack just now was terrifying, the possibility of injuring Obstagoon was small.
"Heliolisk, use Magnet Rise, quickly leave your spot!"
"Aybo~"
Heliolisk nodded its head, streaks of current flashed around its body, and the next second it turned into a streak of light and disappeared from its original spot.
As expected, just as Heliolisk disappeared, Obstagoon roared and rushed out from the surging sea of electricity in the distance, punching the ground where Heliolisk was originally standing.
"Too... Too astonishing! Under Heliolisk's powerful attack, contestant Nie Zi's Obstagoon is completely unharmed! Worthy of being our Galar Region's genius Gym Leader, cough cough cough..."
The Host shouted excitedly, his voice almost hoarse from shouting, and finally couldn't help but cough hard.
The reason Obstagoon wasn't injured was that it used the move Obstruct, a defensive move with a similar effect to Protect.
Obstagoon, which rushed out from the sea of lightning, had its eyes become sharp. It used Double-Edge to launch a strong attack on Heliolisk in the distance, not caring at all about the recoil damage it brings.
Bai Feng guessed that this Obstagoon's Ability should be Reckless. Pokémon with this Ability have the power of moves like Take Down, Double-Edge, High Jump Kick, Jump Kick, etc., which cause recoil damage to the user, increased.
Looking at Obstagoon's state, it punched the ground and created a giant pit with one blow. Bai Feng wouldn't believe it if you said its Ability wasn't Reckless.
Just like this, the two Pokémon started a chase in the arena. Obstagoon chased relentlessly from behind, while Heliolisk fled rapidly in front.
It was just that Heliolisk's speed was too fast. Using the Magnet Rise move, it turned into a golden streak of light, constantly darting around the arena.
As Heliolisk moved back and forth in the arena, golden current would occasionally splash onto the ground from its body, then silently merge into the Electric Terrain.
Currently, the entire arena was covered with Electric Terrain. Everywhere you looked was filled with surging golden current, so the current that splashed down from Heliolisk instead became less noticeable. Nobody noticed.
At this moment, Bai Feng shouted, "Heliolisk, finish the fight quickly!"
This Heliolisk of Bai Feng's had the Ability Dry Skin. During Sunny Day, its HP would continuously deplete (conversely, on rainy days or when hit by Water-type attacks, its HP would recover), so they had to finish the fight quickly.
Heliolisk's innate ability and its Ability really didn't match at all. The innate ability allowed Heliolisk to gain power from Solar Energy, but the Ability made it continuously lose HP.
In this situation, even if Heliolisk's Ability were Sand Veil or Solar Power, it would still be better than Dry Skin! (Sand Veil and Solar Power are another Ability and Hidden Ability that this type of Pokémon can have.)
Unfortunately, Ability is something innate and cannot be changed at will, otherwise Slaking would have become incredibly powerful long ago.
"Aybo!"
Hearing Bai Feng's words, Heliolisk suddenly braked and stopped, directly facing Obstagoon.
However, just as Obstagoon intended to charge towards Heliolisk, a streak of current suddenly flashed across its body. The next second its whole body stiffened, and it was forced to kneel on both knees.
"This... What's going on? Why did contestant Nie Zi's Obstagoon suddenly fall into the Paralysis status?" The Host suddenly stood up, his expression agitated, his face full of disbelief.
There was no choice. At this moment, with Obstagoon in the Paralysis status, its defeat was almost certain.
Not only did the Host's expression change, but some of the audience outside the arena even directly collapsed onto their seats.
Nie Zi also showed a look of astonishment, "When?"
Bai Feng smiled and replied, "Just when your Obstagoon was chasing Heliolisk. Heliolisk used the cover of the Electric Terrain to secretly place Thunder Wave on the ground. As long as Obstagoon stepped on it, it would definitely fall into the Paralysis status."
Nie Zi heard the words and suddenly understood, saying, "You're really smart."
Bai Feng could tell he was sincerely praising him, not mocking.
Obstagoon tried to stand up, but current flashed across its body again, and it had to kneel down again.
At this moment, Heliolisk had prepared its finishing move, and the surging thunder dragon roared and charged towards Obstagoon again.
"Obstagoon, Obstruct!"
Nie Zi still wanted to try and salvage the situation. After all, falling into the Paralysis status didn't mean it couldn't move at all. Besides, he had also promised the Arena that he would go all out.
Unfortunately, a miracle didn't happen. Obstagoon tried to use Obstruct to defend. This time, the Paralysis status didn't stop it, but the Obstruct move itself didn't activate.
Just like the Protect move, the more times Obstruct is used, the lower its success rate gets.
In an instant, Obstagoon was submerged by the thunder dragon. Both the Host and the audience outside held their breath.
Gradually, the sea of lightning that submerged Obstagoon dissipated. Obstagoon lay in a large pit, smoking all over.
Seeing this scene, Lysandre and Bai Ye in the VIP box exchanged a glance and smiled in unison.
They made a huge profit!
"Lost... Lost!" the Host said word by word, "Contestant Nie Zi lost! The winner is... is... is contestant Bai Feng!"
The Host almost didn't dare to say the last sentence.
As expected, as soon as the Host finished speaking, a large wave of curses came pouring in. Those cursing Nie Zi were few; most were cursing the Host.
If it weren't for his incitement, many people wouldn't have given up on Bai Feng and switched their bets to Nie Zi.
Another reason that made them curse loudly was actually that they couldn't accept their own failure and wanted to find an excuse for their failure. Although there was suspicion of the Host's incitement, ultimately, it was still they themselves who made the final choice.
Of course, they didn't want to admit they were wrong, so they could only vent all their resentment onto the Host.
But cursing was useless. No matter how fiercely you cursed, the Arena wouldn't return the money you lost. Therefore, many audience members started crying with their heads in their hands on the spot.
This was a very common occurrence in the Arena. There were plenty of people who lost their fortunes because of one match. (So I advise everyone, stay away from gambling!)
Having won the match, Heliolisk happily ran to Bai Feng's side. Bai Feng patted its head and said, "Well done. The effort of these past two years wasn't wasted."
"Aybo~ Aybo~"
Heliolisk was also very satisfied with its own performance.
At this moment, Nie Zi on the opposite side suddenly ran over and stuffed a piece of paper into Bai Feng's hand.
"This... This is my contact information. You can contact me later!"
After saying that, Nie Zi ran off without looking back, leaving Bai Feng looking bewildered.
⊙(◇)??? What's going on?