The day before the finals.
Fang Yuan was fast asleep in the players' village, catching up on some z's.
With a piercing "Bwoo!!!", the dorm became a chaotic mess, and Fang Yuan was rudely awakened.
Groggily rubbing his eyes, Fang Yuan got out of bed, fuming, and pinned down the Eevee that was bouncing on the bed under the blanket.
"What kind of madness is this... Got banned?"
Fang Yuan was furious; he had been in the middle of a wonderful dream.
In his dream, after becoming the national champion, the Twelve Earthly Branches were scrambling to take him on as a student, only to be rejected one by one by his high and mighty self!
Finally, Hirona, a top Pokémon World powerhouse, appeared out of nowhere wanting to take Fang Yuan as her apprentice; this time, Fang Yuan reluctantly agreed.
"Don't bother, I'll give you this Darkrai."
Then, the beautifully voiced and powerful Hirona would often like to humiliate Fang Yuan by offering him Poké Balls containing strong Pokémon... Just as Hirona was about to give him the Darkrai, he woke up.
"My Darkrai..."
"Bwoo Bwoo!!" Eevee wriggled out from under the blanket, wearing a smug expression.
At that moment, the Rotom phone flew over and explained, "Eevee... Eevee has learned the Mimicry Move you talked about, Fang Yuan."
Just now, Eevee had successfully imitated Rotom's Electric Shock Move, releasing a weak electric current.
Even though it quickly forgot how to use it, this was already quite close to the Mimicry Move Fang Yuan had mentioned.
"Really?" Fang Yuan suddenly became fully awake, and his bad mood from being woken from a good dream instantly dispersed.
Having learned the Mimicry Move meant Eevee could now try learning Helping Hand skills like Water, Electric, Grass, Ice, and other types.
These attributes were quite important, aside from some Helping Hand skills that weren't as valuable.
For example, the General Series' Helping Hand technique 'Pounding Breakthrough' didn't differ much from the Payback Technique in Fang Yuan's memory, hard to distinguish, so it was left to chance. Perhaps Eevee's current Gratitude move could be considered a General Series Helping Hand skill.
Compared to the lackluster 'Pounding Breakthrough', the Helping Hand skills of Water, Electric, Grass, Ice, and other types were what Fang Yuan really cared about, and what the Mimicry Move should focus on next.
"Amazing, amazing, you'll get the Evolutionary Stone after the match is over," Fang Yuan said, blooming with joy.
Eevee: ｡:.ﾟヽ(｡◕‿◕｡)ﾉﾟ.:｡+ﾟ
"Rotom~~"
At the same time, the Rotom phone also informed Fang Yuan of something else.
"It's about the Monferno's Thunder Flame Mode, Rotom~~" Rotom said with difficulty.
At the end of the hundred-day special training, the Inferno Shock Microwave was modified, and with the experimental data from the Inferno Shock Microwave and Monferno's body data, whenever Rotom had time, it was calculating the possibility of Monferno mastering the Thunder Flame Mode.
Currently, the research had hit some obstacles and needed new data.
"New data?"
Fang Yuan called Monferno out as well, who looked nervously at Rotom, wondering about this new data.
Monferno was always thinking of a way for Fury and Thunder Armor to coexist; if these two could be used together, it might stand a chance against the Self-detonating Magnetic Monster!
Of course, that's when it's not in Electromagnetic Armed Form.
"Emmm, we need post-Thunder Flame Mode physical data, Rotom~~" whispered Rotom towards Monferno.
Meaning, Monferno needed to engage in self-harm by entering the Thunder Flame Mode and pushing its limits before Rotom could collect the data.
The cost, however, was Monferno lying in a hospital bed or Poké Ball for ten to fifteen days, unable to fight.
"Woah!!" Monferno stepped back, its expression saying "must it be this way?".
Unable to battle or train for over a week, just lying in a Poké Ball...
But, after only a moment's hesitation, Monferno met Fang Yuan's gaze.
"I suddenly feel sorry for Zhuo Yue from Hua University," Fang Yuan said.
```
Monferno: ?
Confused for a moment, suddenly, Monferno understood Fang Yuan's idea.
At this moment, Fang Yuan and Monferno seemed to share a "soul" connection.
Fang Yuan was going to have it enter Thunder Flame Mode during battle, just like during the Fighting Tournament.
Coming up was an important battle.
The opponent's Huge Gold Monster, whether it was just using Thunder Armor or just using Rage, would be tough to handle.
But if… if Thunder Armor and Rage were combined, then defeating a mere Huge Gold Monster would be a breeze for Monferno. In Thunder Flame Mode, it wouldn't be just any ordinary Master level!
"Woooah!!"
Thinking of this, and the possibility to show off at the National Championship in its strongest state, Monferno's grin turned wild. For that, even being out for ten days or half a month would be worth it.
With a terrifying smile, Monferno turned to the startled smartphone Rotom.
Good buddy Rotom, this is letting me cheat in a legitimate way.
...
The National Championship individual battles had reached its climax today, leaving only one peak duel remaining.
Fang Yuan of Magic Capital University vs Zhuo Yue of Central China University.
Fang Yuan, the champion of the East China Division with an undefeated record, had not only won every battle so far, he had fought many three-on-one battles. The audience was most curious about the fact that since the regional competition, Fang Yuan had only sent out three Pokemon—Milotic, Dragonite, Eevee.
Although these three Pokemon were not weak, the viewers were even more curious about how powerful Fang Yuan's other Pokemon were.
However, Fang Yuan had not fulfilled the audience's wishes and had made it all the way to the finals with just Milotic and Dragonite.
Zhuo Yue, the champion of the Central China Contest, drew attention for the power of his Trump Card Elf, the Huge Gold Monster. It was judged by a host of masters to be invincible in the professional field, and it could threaten Master level spirits. Compared to the other quasi-gods that have appeared in the National Championship, this Huge Gold Monster is currently rated the highest.
Even Fang Yuan's Dragonite wasn't rated as highly as this Huge Gold Monster. The combination of Psychic Type and Steel Series gave this Huge Gold Monster a very mysterious aura. It was not only mysterious but also unfathomable in strength. So far, no contender had pushed this Huge Gold Monster to its limits, and it had repeatedly helped Zhuo Yue achieve the feat of three-on-one battles.
The battle between Fang Yuan and Zhuo Yue was one that the media and spectators paid close attention to.
Among the two, one had defeated the team captain of Emperor Capital University, and the other the team captain of Demon Capital University.
Making the captains of these two famous schools miss out on the finals was unprecedented in the National Championship.
Most importantly, due to the competitive nature, both sides were full of hostility, especially with Fang Yuan's words, "In the finals, I'll start with Monferno." This statement completely ignited Hua University, exploding the emotions of all spectators.
Directly revealing the starting Pokemon to the opponent, how would the opponent choose?
Now, everyone was curious how Zhuo Yue would respond to Fang Yuan's starter in the finals.
Would he choose a Pokemon that counters Monferno, or send out his Trump Card directly to suppress Fang Yuan's confidence?
Moreover, whether Fang Yuan really intends to do as he said, or if it's just a smokescreen, also remained a point of curiosity among the audience.
"Zhuo Yue, you have to remember, regardless of whether Fang Yuan sends out Monferno or not, you must take it seriously. That Monferno has participated in the most prestigious Fighting Tournament before, and in the form of Fierce Fire Monkey, it defeated a Professional Trainer's main force! Moreover, although the data shows it has the Iron Fist Trait, it's also possible that Monferno is a Special Pokemon with dual traits… The opponent has entered a special state similar to Rage before, and on top of that, speed is one of Monferno's strengths. The lightning-wrapped technique makes it very difficult to catch Monferno's speed with the naked eye… You must be careful."
"And this is only what we've seen when it was a Fierce Fire Monkey. Now, having evolved into Monferno, its strength is definitely not weaker than Milotic and Dragonite, and it might even be close to your Huge Gold Monster, on the same level."
"If Fang Yuan chooses Monferno for battle… it's almost certain that Monferno is his Trump Card."
Zhuo Yue recalled his mentor's advice with a sense of seriousness.
Fighting and Fire Attribute Monferno, if Fang Yuan's Trump Card is this, and it has strength close to the Huge Gold Monster or on par with it… indeed, it won't be easy to handle.
Although Psychic Type is effective against Fighting Type, the Steel body is also vulnerable to Fire and Fighting.
"Fight!"
No matter Fang Yuan's actual strength, this battle was inevitable. Zhuo Yue, holding onto a belief in victory, motivated himself.
On the day of the finals, Fang Yuan of Magic Capital University and Zhuo Yue of Central China University appeared at the venue, entering the players' tunnel amidst cheers, Fang Yuan stepped onto the stage first!
At the same time, countless eyes focused on Fang Yuan, the audience held their breath... the finals, had begun!
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