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The most painful thing in the world..... is when even your Pokémon understands martial arts better than you do.
Purely in terms of technique, Li Xiang found himself completely outmatched by Doublade.
It was like a master who had immersed themselves in swordsmanship for over twenty years.
It often broke his moves in ways he couldn't comprehend. And the frustrating part was that it only used one sword for this, controlled by its sash.
It didn't use both swords simultaneously, and it only employed sword techniques Li Xiang recognized as belonging to Shimizaki style swordsmanship, nothing else.
This was a serious blow to his self-esteem. So much so that after being thoroughly schooled by Doublade, Li Xiang didn't feel like doing anything else. He hid behind Corviknight's large, crow-like frame, sulking.
Of course, part of it was also exhaustion.
Corviknight squinted, silently sunbathing. With its sharp claws tucked beneath its body, it looked plump and round, like a mother hen enlarged several dozen times.
Meanwhile, Doublade, having relived the feeling of practicing swordsmanship, felt a sudden sense of sublimation, as if reborn, its thoughts clearer than ever.
Its gaze towards Li Xiang grew softer and more human-like.
"Doub~"
Slowly sheathing its long sword, it floated over to Li Xiang.
Li Xiang glanced at it but ignored it. He had told it to stop, but it had insisted on pestering him for over half an hour.
Seeing this, Doublade silently extended its sash and began gently kneading his shoulders.
Don't be fooled by the sash's soft, cloth-like appearance. Under Doublade's spiritual control, it could be as supple as a real hand.
"Mmm... the pressure's not bad. Ah! You hit a bruise!"
Li Xiang pushed Doublade's sash away, discontentedly showing it the bruise on his back.
This guy was just like his third senior sister when she was serious—hitting ridiculously hard, with no concept of holding back.
Doublade looked on awkwardly, unsure what to do. It had gotten carried away during the fight; it didn't mean to.
But injuring its trainer like this was definitely not acceptable. For a moment, Doublade felt at a loss, unsure how to make it up to Li Xiang.
After some thought, it flew into the house, fetched a cold drink from the fridge, and offered it to Li Xiang ingratiatingly.
Its light pink sash swayed back and forth, like a puppy wagging its tail.
"Using the drinks I bought to curry favor with me?"
Li Xiang's eyelid twitched, and he muttered under his breath, but he accepted it anyway.
How could a trainer stay angry at their Pokémon?
He rarely held grudges.
Since Doublade was so impressive after evolving, naturally, it was time to test its practical combat ability.
Li Xiang didn't dare pick an opponent that was too strong, but he didn't want one that was too weak either.
Finally, he selected an opponent with Poké Ball rank, tier 10.
The first Pokémon sent out by the opponent was a Skarmory, a Steel/Flying type.
This naturally powerful type was quite popular in lower-tier matches.
Its weaknesses, like Corviknight's, were Fire and Electric. It excelled at close combat but lacked long-range attack capabilities. It was a type Doublade could handle.
The opponent's strategy was basic: use Skarmory to set up Spikes and use Whirlwind, leveraging its excellent durability to stay on the field. Roost could also restore its health.
When necessary, Brave Bird could be used for offense.
Doublade wouldn't just wait around. It started with Swords Dance right away, letting the opponent set up Spikes.
Then, as it closed in, the short sword on its left unsheathed, delivering a sudden Air Slash draw-cut strike.
It didn't matter if a single attack wasn't very effective; because it wielded two swords, one strike was immediately followed by another.
Two consecutive slashes, too fast for the eye to see, left Skarmory stunned.
Two dents were left on its body.
The key came afterward.
The draw-cut was followed by Metal Sound. Silvery sound waves spread forward in a fan shape, the tone resembling someone playing a violin poorly.
Skarmory's expression showed slight pain, as if wondering what it was hearing, but Li Xiang and his opponent felt nothing.
This was because Pokémon could perceive sound frequencies humans couldn't. To humans, Metal Sound was just discordant violin scraping.
To Pokémon, it was probably like horror movie background music, or nails on a chalkboard. Or maybe even something like a terribly sung song.
Anyway, the point was, Skarmory's already mediocre Special Defense dropped sharply. However, gritting its teeth through the pain, it managed to set up Tailwind.
Seeing this, the opponent wasn't pleased but instead had a bad feeling, as if he'd fallen into a trap. He instinctively wanted to switch Skarmory out, but Doublade used Block, trapping Skarmory on the field.
This was something he hadn't anticipated at all. Not giving up, after a brief moment of calm, the opponent quietly gave an order.
Since Skarmory was meant to stay on the field anyway, he could try using Whirlwind to blow Doublade away.
The Stealth Rock Spikes were still there, and Tailwind was active. Besides, Doublade had the No Guard ability. When it attacked, its defenses were practically zero.
If Whirlwind could be used, blowing it away was a sure thing.
Even if Skarmory's durability might not withstand Doublade's output, what could Doublade do with its shallow movepool?
Of course, it could do very little.
Just a simple Electro Ball.
Just as Skarmory opened its beak to unleash a gust, Doublade sheathed its swords, its body glowing with a bright blue light. Lightning snaked through the air like a serpent, instantly electrocuting Skarmory inside and out, interrupting its half-formed Whirlwind.
If Doublade's Special Attack weren't so abysmal, Skarmory might have fainted right there.
The opponent felt his scalp go numb. He didn't dare try Whirlwind again and immediately had Skarmory distance itself from Doublade and use Roost to recover.
Skarmory quickly gained altitude, flying close to the ceiling. Countless feathers fluttered around it, gradually covering its body.
Healing was slowly taking effect.
Doublade had been waiting for this. Its pink eyes fixed on the Skarmory above, a look of "just as expected" in them.
It hadn't pursued earlier precisely for this moment. The moment Skarmory was recovering and its movements slowed—
Unsheathe!
A flash of silver light!
With the clang of metal, Doublade swept along Skarmory's wings, striking it with Air Slash from both left and right!
Sky-blue light flashed brightly, accompanied by two explosive sounds, knocking Skarmory down from the sky!
'What terrifying burst power!'
The opponent's eyes almost popped out. Even with Tailwind, Roost might slow flight speed, but it shouldn't be that easy to catch, right?
And its attack speed was so fast!
Though Air Slash's power wasn't high, it still temporarily robbed Skarmory of its ability to fly high.
Its wing joints were knocked out of alignment.
A flying-type Pokémon without its wings is worse than a chicken; its combat ability plummets. They aren't like Dodrio, with strong, well-developed legs. So once grounded with injured wings, they're almost helpless.
The opponent really wanted to switch Skarmory out, but Block prevented it. Without moves like Baton Pass or U-turn, it was impossible.
He shouted for Protect.
But Skarmory was struggling to get up; with its joints shattered, it seemed to have lost its balance.
If it had the Weak Armor ability, it might not be so panicked, right?
Too bad it had Sturdy.
Helpless, he could only watch as Doublade's merged third sword—Sacred Sword— struck it, knocking it out completely.
Four Air Slashes, one Electro Ball, and one Sacred Sword. It had used Roost briefly but not for long. This Skarmory was quite tanky.
The referee blew the whistle, declaring the single battle outcome.
The opponent sighed regretfully. He had fallen into Doublade's rhythm, lost the initiative, and ended up defeated.
But fortunately, Stealth Rock and Tailwind were still active.
This was the only good news he found comforting and his chance to turn things around.
His second Pokémon entered the field.
A Pokémon with a shiny silver body, somewhat resembling a mechanical Godzilla, claws with irregular patterns, and various colored metal substances all over its body.
—The eighth-generation, Steel/Dragon-type Duraludon.
A powerful Pokémon that, while not a pseudo-legendary, was said to compete with Tyranitar for territory in the lore.
Its type combination was excellent, and it had a good ability in Light Metal. Its offensive capabilities were also reliable, though its Special Defense was a bit low, making it somewhat extreme.
'Dragon Tail to force a switch? So fond of playing with Spikes?'
Li Xiang remained silent on the surface but complained inwardly. Doublade happened to lack hazard removal; it could only switch out to clear them.
But if Doublade could break through, clearing Spikes wouldn't matter. The worry was being hit by Dragon Tail and forced to switch.
That would be a joke.
Not only would he have to find a way to bring Doublade back in, but it would also lose a chunk of health for nothing.
'Duraludon... what ability? Light Metal? Heavy Metal? Does Doublade have moves to hit it?'
'Yes! Use Sacred Sword! Slash down directly!'
'Who cares what Dragon! It's time to unleash a burst! Don't give the opponent a chance to use Dragon Tail! Dragon your head!'
"Swords, rise!"
He suddenly shouted, startling his opponent.
Doublade's gem-like pink eyes gleamed as it rose high into the air, an terrifying aura emanating from it!
The opponent initially wanted to attack but, for some reason, chose to play it safe.
"Iron Defense!"
Duraludon's body quickly shone with a silvery light, giving a sense of heavy solidity, as if even cannonballs couldn't pierce it.
'Iron Defense? Even if it were alloy armor, we'd smash through it!'
Li Xiang spread his hands. Doublade flung off its scabbard with a swoosh, exposing its gleaming silver blades defenselessly, suspended upside down on left and right.
Thump!
A dull, nameless sound!
Pillars of blazing light shot skyward, dotted with starlight, like two brilliant pillars reaching heaven and earth, even overpowering the fluorescent lights!
The fully enclosed field dimmed slightly, all light converging on these two pillars of light, as if they were the focus of all things!
After Swords Dance, its energy output surged, doubling the scale of the light blades!
Seeing this, whether emboldened by the earlier Iron Defense or driven by desperation, the opponent didn't use Protect but chose to attack!
"Dark Pulse!"
He roared. The Duraludon in front of him crouched, its head opening like a mech's hatch, filling with countless black-purple rings of energy!
But Doublade had already given it one chance to attack; it wouldn't give a second.
"Now!"
Li Xiang bellowed!
The two pillars of light crashed down upon Duraludon!
Shimizaki Sword Technique - Formless Slash!
A scene as terrifying as the sky falling or the sun setting manifested within the field!
Dazzling light devoured everything! Including the beam Duraludon was about to fire!
BOOM——!!!
An ear-splitting explosion reverberated through the field, smoke billowing out and engulfing the entire arena, crashing back and forth!