Electric Elves, Luzon Cat!
This Pokemon must have been meticulously cultivated by a seasoned master; it was near perfect in every aspect—physique, electric arcs, momentum—all indicating that the Luzon Cat was a formidable spirit.
Moreover, being an Electric type, it was extremely effective against Milotic.
In such a situation, even with Dragonite sweeping everything before him, everyone felt that Fang Yuan was now completely out of the game.
"Luzon Cat? An Electric-type physical attacker, lucky draw."
Seeing that his opponent was a Luzon Cat, Fang Yuan almost couldn't help smiling. He had gambled correctly.
Compared to long-range moves, the majority of the physically imposing Luzon Cats specialize in close combat techniques. If the opponent's combat style leans more toward close combat, perhaps Milotic would win quite easily…
As the Luzon Cat stepped into the arena, its movements electrified the damp ground, quickly turning the rain-soaked field into an Electric Terrain.
At the same time, its eyes seemed filled with thunder and lightning. After locking in on Milotic's position, almost instantly, Luzon Cat charged at Milotic, covered in electrical currents!
Crazy Volt!!
Electric close combat Great Move!
Here it comes!
Seeing this, Fang Yuan's smile grew even wider.
"Dragon Tail!" With a snap of his fingers, Milotic sighed in his heart, grumbling about Fang Yuan's orders. The Dragon Tail he commanded naturally involved the Extreme Strength Technique.
The Luzon Cat choosing close combat was exactly what Fang Yuan had hoped for; if the opponent had attacked with long-range Electric Moves, the less powerful Milotic would have had difficulty defending.
But since the opponent had gone for a close combat technique, unless facing a top-level power, Milotic would definitely not lose within a single round of close combat.
Under the Extreme Strength Technique, even a Six-segment Dragon Dance Dragonite using Extreme Speed couldn't match the sheer destructive power of Milotic's Extreme Strength Technique.
This was purely a technique renowned for its destructive power, capable of unleashing all physical strength and overtaxing Life Energy for destructive force. Seeing Milotic attempting to counter the Luzon Cat with Dragon Tail, many spectators showed looks of astonishment, unable to believe that this was the same Fang Yuan who had just cleared eight challenges.
Even Luzon Cat showed a mocking expression.
The electrical current on its body grew even more intense.
However, what caused everyone to doubt their life choices happened at that moment.
Faced with Crazy Volt, Milotic swept away with its tail.
As the Crazy Volt collided with Milotic's Dragon Tail, an evenly matched shockwave burst between the body and tail, except it wasn't really evenly matched… With a "boom", amid the smoke, the Luzon Cat, still covered in electrical arcs, was sent flying by Milotic's Dragon Tail straight into the opposite wall.
Crack.
A crack appeared in the wall.
After Luzon Cat hit the ground, Fang Yuan scratched his cheek, easier than he imagined?
"This... "
For a moment, the entire arena was silent.
As the extent of Luzon Cat's injuries became clear through the big screen, everyone wore incredulous expressions.
Including the Twelve Earthly Branches, including Yun Kai.
Including Reigning King… the Evergreen Successor, and all the other strong contenders.
"This… this… how is this possible!!"
One-hit KO!!
The ninth Pokemon of the master's challenge, an Electric-type from the upper ranks of the Master Domain, was shockingly one-shotted by Milotic's Dragon Tail while attacking with Crazy Volt!!
Everyone looked at Fang Yuan as if he were a monster, wondering if this Milotic might be even stronger than the previous Dragonite??
No, it wasn't a question of if, the truth was right before their eyes—this Milotic was indeed stronger than the Dragonite from before.
In that moment, the three in the chairman's stand showed serious and puzzled expressions. Did they misjudge?
"No... That's not right!!"
As the smoke cleared on Milotic's side, the audience quickly noticed something amiss. After the confrontation, Milotic looked even weaker than the previous Dragonite!!
It had to have used a special technique that consumed even more than a Six-segment Dragon Dance!
Granted… the outcome was decided.
No matter the process, Fang Yuan had won.
"So I've passed the first stage of the selection, right?" Fang Yuan looked up and asked the still-unresponsive referee.
"Yes…" The referee paused, then spoke quickly.
As the referee spoke up, the spectating Trainers had already been stunned. What was happening? Had Fang Yuan, not even twenty years old, truly passed the first stage of the world championship selection?
You see, only the Four Kings incumbent had passed before Fang Yuan.
No one else made it past the ninth challenge!
Xu Jing, Yun Guancheng, Jiang Ran, and others had their mouths slightly agape. Fang Yuan choosing the master difficulty level… did he truly have confidence?
It wasn't easy, and now a smile creeped onto Fang Yuan's face. He did not expect to pass the first stage of the selection with just Dragonite and Milotic. It seemed he'd met the challenge goals he'd set for himself.
Fang Yuan's smile shocked many onlookers.
"This man is very impressive." Even the Reigning King paused for thought before praising Fang Yuan.
As the second Trainer to pass the first stage of the selection after him, Fang Yuan too was now among the strong competitors.
"Then, will you continue with the tenth challenge?" When the referee saw Fang Yuan retrieve Milotic, he knew that Milotic's last strike could have been its all, completely trading its full physical strength and even overdrawing its Life Energy for that powerful blow.
Although it came at a heavy price, Fang Yuan had indeed passed the first stage of selection, and it was worth it.
The tenth challenge Pokemon was comparable to the Elite Four's main force; even the Reigning King wouldn't dare to claim a 100% chance of victory in a one-on-one fight.
To pass the tenth challenge would be the highest honor, but the difficulty was well known to everyone.
"Of course, I'll continue." Fang Yuan's answer wasn't surprising to anyone. After all, Fang Yuan still had one Pokemon left. Although not a match for the challenge, if he didn't even try, it wouldn't befit the style of a Trainer, let alone the way Fang Yuan had conducted himself before.