Elf: I have a secret realm of emerald green.

It is said that what people fear most is the fear of the unknown.

Now that the snail's shell has revealed its true form, there's nothing to be afraid of.

Jiang Feng looked at the pitiful-looking sticky dragon and his mind started to work.

Its entrance was so cool, I thought it was some new spirit, but it turns out it's just a little dragon.

While it's not as weak to Ice as Garchomp, it's still a complete novice compared to Darmanitan and Primarina.

Furthermore, Goodra is not as agile as Garchomp and is slower than Darmanitan, which in some ways makes the match even easier.

Since that's the case...

Eat my icicle strike!

"Dharma Baboon, use Ice Pillar Strike!" Ignoring what kind of nonsensical move Xia Shen was shouting about in seclusion, Jiang Feng immediately ordered the Darma Baboon to unleash its power.

Seclusion?

It sounds like a trash skill. Does its name have even half the imposing presence of my Ice Pillar Strike?

…………

On the field, Darmanitan, having heard its trainer's command, finally snapped out of its daze and began to gather icy energy above the Goodra's head.

Nian Meilong also heard the opponent's command, but she neither dodged nor flinched, seemingly gathering her energy.

Then, a metallic sheen shimmered on the sticky, wet body of the sticky dragon.

It was clearly the move Xia Shen had mentioned, a closed-door cultivation technique.

So this seclusion is a way to enhance your skills?

Ice Pillar Strike is a physical attack, and the Daruma Baboon is also a physical attacker, so seclusion increases physical defense?

This was the guess of all the viewers, including their opponent Jiang Feng.

The guesses of the crowd were quickly confirmed. Goodra, who had unleashed its attack first, had also completed its secluded training first.

Under the midday sun, her body shone with a metallic luster similar to the steel shell behind her, making her appear indestructible.

Not only that, in the eyes of the audience, Nian Meilong's figure inexplicably became somewhat blurry.

It was as if an invisible mist was emanating from his body, obscuring the view of the outside world.

What does this state mean?

The strange changes that occurred to Nian Meilong puzzled everyone who witnessed the scene.

The metallic sheen is easy to understand; it's similar to the physical defense boost from Iron Wall, but the effect doesn't seem as obvious.

But what on earth is that invisible smoke that blurs vision?

White fog, black fog, murky fog... none of them seem like it.

The unprecedented changes reminded them of the "frostbite" effect of Zoroark's "tit-for-tat" technique.

Could it be yet another new state of affairs?

……

Some people were right after all. In addition to the physical defense being increased by one level, the enhancement brought about by the seclusion also included a new status.

Smoke screen state.

Unlike Shadow Clone and Shrink, which both increase evasion rate, Seclusion allows Goodra to enter a smoke screen state for a period of time.

The effect of the smoke screen is to increase her evasion rate by one level.

The difference between it and the normal direct increase in evasion rate is that it cannot be dispelled by clearing fog!

However, there are also drawbacks, namely that it cannot be leveled up like ordinary abilities.

In other words, if Niu Meilong wants to use seclusion a second time, the only thing he will increase is his physical defense level.

However, an increase in evasion rate is enough.

…………

Just now, the ice pillar that the Daruma baboon had just conjured was falling from directly above the dragon's head, but it missed its target...

The straight-falling ice pillar seemed to twist slightly as it entered the vicinity of the Nume Dragon.

It's not a distortion in the physical sense, but rather, from an external perspective, two objects that are clearly about to come into contact miraculously miss each other.

It's like a magic trick!

Looking at this outrageous scene, Jiang Feng was even more shocked than when he first saw the giant snail's steel shell.

The appearance of that snail shell was still shocking, but after all, it was Xia Shen. Everyone was prepared for strange things to come out of his Poké Ball.

But the Gooey Dragon was completely still, and the ice pillar falling from directly above missed its target!

Hell?

Jiang Feng, who had no concept of what a smokescreen looked like, was somewhat at a loss.

There aren't many moves that can increase evasion rate: Shadow Clone, Shrink, and that's it.

Oh, and there are also two other unpopular moves and traits: pressure point strike and mood swings. What's more, the way they increase evasion rate is random.

Jiang Feng hadn't seen these moves used, so he didn't immediately connect them to the concept of evasion rate.

He just felt that he was unlucky, after all, the accuracy of the Ice Pillar Strike was indeed a bit disappointing compared to other moves.

Since I didn't win the first time... let's try again!

"Dharma Baboon, continue the icicle slam!"

Jiang Feng's tone was already somewhat defiant.

This is actually the mindset of most people when they are playing: if I miss once, I can't miss a second time, right?

With this mindset in mind, the Daruma baboon gathered ice energy again, preparing for the next ice pillar strike.

……

Meanwhile, Xia Shen didn't rest after completing his seclusion; he commanded Nian Meilong to launch a counterattack.

[Soulcalibur, with its powerful Iron Tail!]

The seclusion is complete, and the Steel Dragon is not weak to ice, so taking the ice pillar impact is not a problem at all.

Therefore, Xia Shen did not use a swift move, but instead chose the powerful Iron Tail, which has a longer charging time but also higher damage.

To be honest, he felt a little disappointed about his unfortunate miss when his opponent struck him with an icicle.

It's not that he has masochistic tendencies or anything, it's just that Nian Meilong hasn't suffered any injuries since he came out.

It doesn't do justice to her thick and hard texture at all...

Moreover, that top-quality healing stone has never been used since I put it on, which is really a waste.

Because it was a powerful and fierce move, this time, it was the Daruma Baboon's Ice Pillar Strike that struck first.

An ice pillar carrying a chilling aura hung above the head of the sticky dragon, but the latter didn't even bother to move, focusing instead on transferring the steel-type energy within its body to its massive steel tail.

This insulted even the gentle and honest Damo baboon, who couldn't help but become agitated.

In the past, when you dragon-type Pokémon saw me, you all ran away faster than anyone else.

Dragonite, Salamence, Haxorus, Altaria, Garchomp, Desert Dragonfly...

Which dragon haven't I slain!

In a fit of extreme rage, I can even slaughter Rayquaza!

You little sticky dragon, you're trying to play along with me?

Before the ice pillar could fall, the Daruma baboon couldn't resist pouring in even more ice-type energy.

And so, filled with stubbornness and anger, the icicle, chilling to the bone, crashed down, and then...

A sharp, hard, and chillingly cold crystal-blue icicle crashed down at Nianmeilong's feet.

Missed again!

…………

Jiang Feng's heart was ice-cold at this moment, colder than that icicle that had once again missed him.

How can such a thing happen?

He saw with his own eyes that the icicle from the Daruma baboon crashed down from directly above the Nymphaloid. Was I seeing things?

You can miss this too!

Even though he was slow to react, he's now realizing the problem.

That seclusion...something's not right!

But then something else puzzled him: since the dragon was neither shrinking nor creating shadow clones, how could it increase its evasion?

……

The two consecutive "Miss" comments sparked heated discussions among viewers.

"Two consecutive misses on the icicle strike, Jiang Feng is really explosive today!"

"That's definitely a bit unlucky, but this is just too exaggerated. Even with the camera pointed at me, I couldn't see it. How could those two icicles miss the motionless Sticky Dragon!"

"Brothers, I just watched the slow-motion replay, it's absolutely unbelievable! I suggest you guys watch it too, it's like magic!"

"I saw it. That move called 'Seclusion' should increase the evasion rate, but the principle is different from Shadow Clone and shrinking. We can only wait for Xia Shen to explain it after the match."

……

Jiang Feng and the audience were puzzled, and Xia Shen was also speechless.

Why did I miss it again?

Can the opponent give us some leeway?

I really want to try out this brand-new healing stone!

Fortunately, Jiang Feng doesn't have mind-reading abilities. If he knew what Xia Shen was thinking at that moment, he might have rushed over and started a real-life fight.

However, Miss is Miss, and it will not change according to the will of the two trainers.