You're not allowed to play Pokémon!

Chapter 239 Teacher Yu, your black-hearted cotton is just too black-hearted...

After taking his position on the battlefield, Kato's eyes quickly hardened, and he gripped a Poké Ball tightly in his right hand.

The last gym challenge turned into a huge embarrassment, so much so that even Teacher Yu remembered his name because of it, not to mention the comments in the live stream and the students of Orange Academy.

If I suffer another crushing defeat against Teacher Yu in today's match, I'm afraid I'll become a laughingstock for everyone!

I don't want that kind of thing...

and so!
To salvage his image, victory is the only path he can take today!
Fortunately, after a week of preparation, I am now a completely different person. I saw through Teacher Yu's tactics a long time ago and quickly came up with a countermeasure that even Teacher Yu approved!
You mere Shunfeng team, eat my magic space!
Kato was full of confidence in his tactics.

Standing opposite him, Qingyu had a smile on his lips as he silently observed his opponent's expression.

[Even though Teacher Mingyu is smiling, why do I feel a chill down my spine...]

[The streamer is definitely thinking something dirty again. It feels like this "lucky" challenger's mentality is about to be completely destroyed by Teacher Yu!]

How could there be such a wicked trainer as Teacher Yu in this world?!

"Well then, before the battle begins, let me briefly explain the rules for this week's gym challenge?"

Aoba narrowed his eyes and spoke quickly, and Kato, standing opposite him, immediately nodded emphatically.

"The battle rules are 2v2, with the challenger going first. The Gym Leader cannot change their Pokémon, but switching moves are not restricted. The challenger has no restrictions."

"When all of one side's Pokémon are unable to battle, the other side is considered the winner."

"No objections, right?"

"I have no opinion!"

After giving an affirmative answer, Kato quickly took a deep breath and prepared to throw the Poké Ball.

"Wait, there's one more thing."

Qingyu stretched out her palm, interrupting his action.

"Kato-kun, I can feel the speed of your progress this week."

"Knowing shame and then striving for improvement is truly admirable."

"But that's precisely why you shouldn't care too much about what other people think. Just focus on growing yourself."

"If you fight with a burden on your shoulders, you will never be able to unleash your true strength."

"so--"

"Please fully enjoy the battle and don't worry too much about winning or losing."

Kato, a student from Orange Academy, froze on the spot after hearing this, his expression turning somewhat strange.

Don't worry too much about winning or losing...

Does that mean I shouldn't think too much and should just focus on the battle in front of me?
As long as your strength is recognized by the gym leader, you can still get the badge even if you lose the battle.

There was a similar example last week.

but……

If they had a chance to beat Teacher Yu, I doubt many students could resist giving it their all!

While Kato was still stunned, Aoba had already taken a red and white ball out of his pocket and gently pulled the center trigger.

After a flash of red light, the Cotton-type Pokémon that the audience recognized immediately appeared on the battlefield, its adorable little eyes fixed on Kato on the other side.

【What?! It's a wind sprite! Teacher Yu actually brought out some rotten cotton, is she trying to keep up her mischievous ways...?】

[Wasn't Mischievous Heart already defeated last week? You can just use a Dark-type Pokémon to be immune to its status moves, right?]

You're right, but is it possible that Teacher Yu was playing a winning strategy today...?

Although Tailwind is also a variation move, its target is not the opponent, but the half of the field where you are located.

Therefore, even if a Dark-type Pokémon senses the change in energy in advance, it is difficult to stop Whimsicott from using Tailwind.

This simple principle is not difficult for new trainers who are improving every day to understand.

Kato, who was on the battlefield and couldn't see the bullet hell, quickly realized what Aoba was thinking.

"If we take advantage of the wind first..."

"Then let's use the magic space!"

Kato quickly made his tactical plan in his mind and immediately threw out a Poké Ball.

"I choose you, Crimson Knight!"

(The Last Dance of the Crimson Armored Knight)

A humanoid Pokémon, radiating red flames, covered in a suit of pure gold armor, and with a ball of flame burning fiercely above its head, appeared before Qingyu.

"Oh? There are even Crimson Lotus Knights?"

Qingyu immediately raised an eyebrow.

He knows this Pokémon very well; he's seen it and used it countless times in his past lives...

Crimson Knight, a Pokémon that has only appeared in Padia, evolves from Samurai like Blademaster, but belongs to a different evolutionary branch.

Samurai, resembling a tiny knight, is a very common Pokémon found on almost every road in the Padilla region.

Its evolution process is also quite interesting. It requires the use of two special types of armor to evolve, and the manufacturing techniques for both types of armor are controlled by humans.

By collecting fragments that naturally or unnaturally fall off the Bronze Mirror Monster and Lai Bei Cha, you can create special armors with superpower and ghost attributes respectively.

When Tanjiro, who aspires to become a knight, puts on the armor, he quickly merges with it and eventually evolves into two different forms.

Therefore, theoretically it is almost impossible to see wild Crimson Armor Knights/Azure Blade Demons.

This can be seen as evidence of how humans and Pokémon influence each other after living together.

The Crimson Armor Knight in front of Qingyu is the evolved form of Charcoal Servant, whose attributes changed to fire and superpowers after absorbing the superpowers of the Celebration Armor.

Because of its superpowers, it is better at using energy attacks and can create magic spaces on its own.

Is this Kato's answer?
Qingyu nodded silently, acknowledging his idea. Unlike in the game where you need to find a special NPC to exchange for evolution items, in the real world of Padia, you can directly buy mass-produced, reasonably priced armor with money. As long as Tan Xiaoshi is strong enough, he can easily evolve.

Therefore, Crimson Armored Knights and Azure Blade Demons are not actually rare in Padia. Many new players will catch a Charcoal Servant on the road and buy a set of armor when passing through the town of Azusa, just in case.

Kato's lips curled into a smile as he realized that Teacher Yu had seen through his tactics and seemed to have accepted him.

Soon, a command came from his mouth.

"Crimson Armored Knight, Trick Space!"

Using the dojo rules, his own Trick Space can even be used faster than Master Yu's Tailwind!
【What?! This kid's up to his old tricks again? Teacher Yu hasn't even activated her ultimate skill yet and he's already using magic tricks?】

[So confident? If Teacher Yu didn't use Tailwind, wouldn't you just explode...?]

[Kato-kun, you have a kind of innocent beauty, but you haven't been tortured enough by Teacher Yu!]

Seeing the opponent so proactive, Qingyu couldn't help but laugh, but quickly suppressed her laughter and gave instructions:

"Wind Fairy, provocation."

Although this week's gym theme is indeed the Tailwind Team...

But it seems he never said that his first command would always be favorable, right?

First move, Trick Room, you're really something!
Confident previewing isn't done like that. Let Teacher Yu give you a good lesson today!
Because the use of Trick Space requires accumulating psychic energy, even with the first move, Crimson Knight cannot immediately use Trick Space.

Just as it was working hard to accumulate half of its energy, the cute creature opposite it, whose body was mostly covered in cotton and was soft and fluffy, suddenly revealed a mischievous grin.

Then, he beckoned to it with his finger.

What a smug smile!
Suddenly, an unnamed fire swept over the Crimson Lotus Armored Rider's entire body, causing it to uncontrollably want to use a mental shock to blast its opponent, shattering its smile.

Unconsciously provoked, the super-powerful energy that Crimson Knight had been accumulating in his hands dissipated instantly.

???

Kato was stunned, and cold sweat quickly streamed down his cheeks and back.

Teacher Yu, you're not playing by the rules!
At this point, shouldn't we be using the "tailwind" feature and praising our own good pre-reading skills?

How come I seem to have become a negative example again...?

Why do I suddenly feel a bit thirsty and sweaty on my head even though it's still a cold winter day at the end of January?

"Hmm... It's good to have the ability to anticipate moves, but you must always remember that your opponent isn't a game boss who only plays by the same old tricks. Every anticipation command may come with risks~"

Prediction itself is only part of the game; unless one possesses an outrageous superpower that allows them to foresee the future, every instance of prediction is inherently risky.

And if the pre-read fails...

Regardless of what you actually think, you just seem a bit dull.

Just like Kato now, Aoba didn't know what to say. He wanted to laugh but was too embarrassed to laugh out loud, afraid of hurting Kato's confidence.

All I can say is that this has created another memorable moment for his live stream.

Thank you, Kato!

After Qingyu uttered a casual remark, both sides quickly resumed their commands:
"Crimson Armor Knight, Magic Flame!"

"Wind Fairy, Substitute!"

Almost simultaneously, both sides opened their mouths. Due to the characteristics of the Wind Fairy, its substitute formed first and stood in front of itself, blocking all the fire-attribute energy emitted by the Crimson Armor Knight.

In terms of elemental advantage, Whimsicott is indeed at a significant disadvantage when facing Crimson Knight.

However, this can also be compensated for through command and various techniques.

"Now's the time, parasitic seeds!"

"Use Protect immediately after throwing it out!"

Seizing the moment when the Crimson Lotus Armored Knight unleashed its magical flames and was waiting for its energy to recover, Qingyu immediately spoke, giving a series of commands.

"Watch closely, this is what you call previewing!"

Because of its mischievous nature, Whimsicott was extremely fast. By the time Kato reacted, the parasitic seeds it had conjured were already flying into the air, accurately hitting Crimson Knight.

The seeds with special effects took root and sprouted instantly upon contact with the Crimson Lotus Knight's body, and began to slowly absorb its life energy.

Even though the Crimson Knights managed to burn some of the seeds with flames in time, it still didn't have much of an effect.

With things having come to this point, Kato knew that even if he commanded a counterattack, it would be pointless, so he could only choose to recall the Crimson Armored Knights that had been parasitized.

Holy crap, this is the seed of a mischievous heart, who can defend against it?

Teacher Yu always manages to pull out some inexplicable moves, but they're surprisingly effective. Isn't that similar to the "Substitute Poison" technique...?

[While it might not be considered a dirty trick, it is still a dirty trick. The team that's ahead hasn't even shown up yet; all we've seen is the Wind Fairy annoying the enemy!]

[As expected of "black-hearted cotton" personally certified by Teacher Yu, you really can't tell just by looking at it. How can a Pokémon be so wicked? I'm getting so angry just looking at it through the screen!]

[Teacher Yu, your use of substandard cotton is just too unethical!]

Turn around! I don't want to see your face!!!

Even the viewers in the live chat were shocked by Qingyu's unreasonable prediction.

Teacher Yu, wasn't it supposed to be a team with a favorable wind...?

And I only used one move, how come you've already used four? Shouldn't Pokémon battles be one where you take turns attacking?

Kato was on the verge of tears, pondering which Pokémon to send out next, when Aoba quickly spoke up again—

"Wind Fairy, tailwind!"

Taking advantage of the fact that the opponent's field had no Pokémon, Qingyu quickly commanded Whimsicott to create a Tailwind in his own half of the field.

A tailwind might be late, but a tailwind is unlikely to be late.

(End of this chapter)