Elf: I have a secret realm of emerald green.

Although Gengar has been frozen, the power of its subsequent special attack moves will be halved.

But the opponent truly lived up to its reputation as the second-best attacker; Gengar's attack power was higher than expected.

Even with the damage reduced by half, Zoroark could definitely withstand one or two more Dark Pulse attacks. But if it were to come any more, even with the Special Defense boost from Calm Mind still active, she would have a hard time holding on.

Therefore, Xia Shen had no choice but to sacrifice his qualities as a trainer.

What would a trainer do with this thing?

…………

"Gengar, use Nasty Plot!"

As expected, Wang Ran did not doubt Xia Shen's instructions. People are like that; once a habit is formed, it is difficult to change it in a short time.

So, he took advantage of this opportunity to secretly use tricks to strengthen himself.

But less than a second later, he realized something was wrong.

Instead of a barrier forming in front of Zoroark, the familiar power of resentment reappeared beneath Gengar's feet.

"Ignore it, Gengar, let's keep strengthening!" Wang Ran chose to ignore it.

Judging from the damage dealt in the first two instances, Zoroark's power is far inferior to Gengar's.

Let alone taking one more shot, even two more shots to continue the cycle of revenge, Wang Ran felt it wouldn't be a problem.

However... Gengar's reaction the next moment extinguished the confidence he had finally regained.

“gengar——”

As the chilling, resentful power tightened and eroded Gengar's body like strands of hair, its agonizing howls far exceeded Wang Ran's imagination.

Wang Ran was confused. Why was the damage so high and so low?

Just like how Shadow Sphere failed at the start of the game, Wang Ran didn't have time to think at all.

Xia Shen's extremely fast offensive pace forced him to keep moving.

Is it a pause in a counterattack?

Or should we hold out until the scheme is over before launching a counterattack?

Wang Ran instinctively judged that the only option was to fight back now.

Because now is also the time when Zoroark is least prepared.

Wait until Gengar finishes its trick before retaliating; the Shadow's sneak attacks and protection are enough to torment you.

With that in mind, Wang Ran no longer hesitated, "Gengar, Dark Pulse!"

Fortunately, both Trick and Dark Pulse are Dark-type moves and both utilize Dark energy; one is used to enhance oneself, and the other is used to attack enemies.

Otherwise, if Gengar were to switch to a move of a different type, it might not be able to do it quickly.

…………

[Can you still hold on? If you can, continue using the "an eye for an eye" strategy. If you can't, use a shadow ambush to stall for time.]

Xia Shen heard the opponent's command and let Zoroark make the decision himself.

Zoroark did not respond, but instead gathered its Ghost-type energy and made its own choice.

The shadows on the ground didn't lengthen; it's a cycle of revenge!

Because Gengar adjusted its move midway through the process, Dark Pulse, which was originally cast very quickly, was now cast almost simultaneously with Revenge.

It also hit the opponent at the same time.

“gengar——”

As expected, the scenario of mutual destruction did not occur; instead, a world where Gengar was injured appeared.

Zoroark, who was in great pain from the Dark Pulse last time, reacted much less this time.

Only her slightly trembling claws revealed that the evil aura had indeed struck.

It's one thing for the opponent's damage to fluctuate, but why is my own damage also fluctuating?

Wang Ran didn't know how many questions this was on his mind today, but he still had no answer.

But he refused to believe it and gritted his teeth, shouting, "Gengar, again..."

Before he could finish speaking, his incredulous gaze fell upon him.

In front of him, Gengar swayed and collapsed.

…………

The tournament ended abruptly, without any hail or sandstorm, and without any signs of poisoning or burns.

Gengar just suddenly collapsed.

Not only Wang Ran, but the audience was even more confused.

From the appearance of "Ursa" to the fall of Gengar, there are too many things that cannot be explained with the current knowledge of Pokémon.

Is Zoroark really just a regular Ghost-type character?

What exactly is the effect of the tactic of revenge begetting revenge?

Why do Kommo-o and Gengar's damage values ​​fluctuate?

What kind of damage ultimately defeated Gengar?

......

Everyone initially thought it was just an ordinary subspecies of the ancient East China Sea, with nothing particularly special about it.

The more information Zoroark reveals through battle, the less everyone realizes about her.

What are the answers to all of these questions?

But what secrets does this mist-shrouded spirit hold?

The audience at the scene and those watching the live stream, as well as countless people who had just learned of Zoroark's new form, were all waiting for the moment when the answer would be revealed.

----------

Author's Remarks

How about we spread the [frostbite] status beyond just revenge? Is that acceptable, xdm? Or... should it be exclusive to revenge? Let's see what Zhu Zi says in the future.

2022-06-29 08:00

## Chapter 154 How to evolve from Dark to Ghost type?

[A second Ancient East Sea Pokémon has appeared at the National High School Championship!]

[A typical Ghost-type combination? It's this Pokémon!]

[Another discovery by Xia Shen! New Pokémon information revealed!]

Each media outlet has its own way of writing, but in the past six months, they have been surprised to find—

Whenever Xia Shen appears in the news, there's no need to rack one's brains to come up with a catchy headline to attract readers.

Because as long as Xia Shen's actions are condensed exactly as they were, the resulting news headlines will be enough to grab people's attention!

From the discovery of the Moon Bear to the youngest amateur 9-dan, and now to the discovery of the new form of Soroak, the same pattern applies.

If they knew that the discovery of the Crown Snowfield, a secret realm in Britain that caused a sensation around the world, was also related to Xia Shen, they would be utterly astonished.

In short, Xia Shen has once again dominated all social media platforms.

This time the theme is equally amazing—another Pokémon from the Ancient East Blue has been added: Zoroark!

Unsurprisingly, the video of Zoroark battling Kommo-o and Gengar has once again become a sensation in every place with internet access, both at home and abroad.

Countless trainers turned on their TVs or watched live streams, eagerly awaiting the launch of this Pokémon.

However, what the world didn't know was that at that moment, Xia Shen was considering whether or not to release some pigeons for them.

…………

After the game.

Xia Shen sat in the meeting room of the athletes' lounge at Zhijiang Middle School, receiving important guests from the Trainers Association.

One of them was about the same age as Yan Jing, and was the official representative sent by the Trainers Association this time. He was Chen Mo, the president of the Beijing Trainers Association.

Strictly speaking, this chairman's status is even higher than that of the one in Nandu City.

After all, Beijing is the capital of China.

But Xia Shen is no longer the helpless nobody he was six months ago. In a sense, he represents the interests of at least three groups behind him.

Therefore, he responded to Chairman Chen Mo's half-bribing, half-pleading response with neither humility nor arrogance, "I'm sorry, Chairman, I have no intention of holding a press conference this time."

Chen Mo paused for a moment, then asked, unwilling to give up, "Xia Shen, you also know that the whole country... no, the whole world is really looking forward to the press conference."

"But I never promised that I would drive it every time," Xia Shen blinked innocently.

With so many "Emerald Washers" (a euphemism for emerald-washing sprites), if they were to be activated every time, not only would it be tiring and annoying, but the audience would also likely experience aesthetic fatigue.

Moreover, Zoroark wasn't part of his plans for the Green Elf Conservation Area, so the meeting wasn't very meaningful.

After all, even in Xicui, there is only that one tribe. Xia Shen has no intention of moving the entire tribe here like the Lily Root Doll tribe did.

However... if Chief Zoroark brings up this idea himself, then that's a different story.

Of course, these are things to follow.

……

"If all else fails, a simple Q&A session with reporters will do, right?" Chen Mo conceded.

In any case, the new form of Soroark has appeared at the National High School Championship held in Beijing. If I don't take advantage of the hype, the sponsors will probably have something to say.

This time, Xia Shen did not immediately refuse. He pondered for a moment, seemingly considering the pros and cons.

"The highest-grade energy cubes, attribute gems, and other top-tier breeding items that all your Pokémon need, three years' worth." Seeing an opportunity, the guild leader started raising the stakes.

Xia Shen remained silent, inwardly scoffing. He could have as many of these things as he wanted now.

Seeing that this was not enough to impress Xia Shen, the president tapped his finger on the table.