Pokémon, you're not allowed to expel me from human form!

When Rocco saw Arcanine open its mouth and unleash a burst of flame in a starfish shape at that distance, he decisively changed the force of his sword, using it to propel his body to the right.

He hid!

Carmen was somewhat excited upon seeing this.

The fact that Rocco dodged meant that such an attack posed a threat to him, and that he still had a chance to win.

at the same time......

If the Flame Burst is dodged, then Carmen will have Arcanine use its special move called "Go All Out"!

The effect of this move is simple: when the previous move misses, or when the move fails, or in many cases it is unsuccessful, the power doubles!

But is Luo Ke really hiding?

No, that's not it.

As he changed position, Luo Ke used his feet to propel his entire body, completing the flip.

With this movement, he withdrew the sword he had previously slashed out with, and then swung the shield in his other hand onto the Exploding Flame.

At that moment, the Shield Sword Monster's spiritual power pulled the flames of the Great Blazing Inferno towards its shield.

As the shield accumulated a large amount of spiritual energy and became heavy, the flames of the Great Blazing Inferno were also engulfed by the shield.

As Rocco turned around, he used the sword he had just drawn to connect with the burning shield.

boom!

As he completed his turn, his outstretched front foot landed with a thud, leaving a thick footprint on the field.

Using this as a fulcrum, Roc gripped the sword hilt with both hands, and with his waist driving his arms, he slammed the shield horizontally towards Arcanine!

Previously, due to Arcanine's change of moves, the Protect it had been providing had begun to disappear.

With his Aura power, Rocco seized the moment of Vanishing with perfect precision and slammed his shield into Arcanine's face without any hindrance!

At this moment, Luo Ke's aura power amplified the Great Flame Burst and the Shield Sword Monster. When the spiritual power began to erupt, the flames generated by the Great Flame Burst also erupted along with the sharp spiritual power!

boom--

Roco's full-force swing of the shield had already caused a huge impact on Arcanine, knocking all four of its feet off the ground!

The subsequent explosion left Arcanine's vision blurred.

Even more terrifying is that the explosion changed the trajectory of Rocco's shield, turning the horizontal shield into a downward slash. This knocked the Arcanine, which should have been flying away, down and forced it, already damaged twice, into Rocco's attack range!

Can't run away!

Arcanine was stunned by the attack, while Carmen, amidst the violent shaking, finally saw the situation clearly.

If he wasn't thrown off balance, then even if he used his speed to retreat again, Luo Ke could catch up at any time. In that case, retreating would only give the opponent the initiative and would be meaningless.

So...

'call--'

Carmen first casually stuffed some berries into Arcanine's mouth, and then, riding on Arcanine's back, she started dancing.

At that moment, the Z-Bracelet on her wrist unleashed its power, resonating with the Arcanine that had already begun to burst into flames!

To break through the current situation, the only way is to move forward and attack!

so......

Super powerful explosive bomb!

A Z-Move unleashed with the power of a Champion-level Pokémon!

Not only must we break the deadlock, but we must also use this strike to establish an advantage!

Carmen and Arcanine thought so, but Rocco's expression remained unchanged in the face of the Z-Move.

At this moment, the sword and shield in his hand had separated again, and he naturally returned to his original fighting rhythm.

There's no need to be nervous.

When faced with an enemy attack, the first thing to do is...

King's Shield!

Aegislash's unique "Protect" ability cannot completely resist Z-Moves, but when the protective barrier is breached, Arcanine's Z-Move power is also weakened by more than half.

In this situation, the Shielded Swordsman is still in a daze after its King's Shield has been breached, and it has no time to react.

But it is a sword, it is a shield—and the user is Rocco!

Power, come forth!

Rocco's eyes widened. Normal attribute energy emanated from the arm holding the shield, and the Normal Z-Bracelet he wore resonated with it.

At that moment, Luo Ke also took a step forward.

boom!

With the shield of the Fighting King in his hand, he clashed with Arcanine, who was engulfed in flames and charging at him like a blazing sun!

Ultimate Invincible Massive Crash!

boom!

The Fire Z and the regular Z collided head-on and remained locked in a stalemate for a moment.

With its power greatly reduced, Fire Z only managed to do this much before being utterly defeated.

Snapped!

As Rocco raised his shield, the flames were dispersed, and Arcanine, which was inside, was also blasted away along with the sparks flying everywhere.

At this moment, Luo Ke used the force of raising his shield to bend over, kneel, and turn around quickly!

He leaned directly towards Arcanine, and with the step he took as he turned around, he swept his way to Arcanine's lower body!

With this turn, Rocco gripped the sword hilt with both hands once more, and the Shield of the Fighting King was once again attached to the sword.

As Arcanine flew a little further, Roco had already completed his waist twist, and along with it... the shield that had gathered some spiritual energy slammed into it once again!

boom!

The violent explosion completely shattered the device that secured Carmen to the Growlithe. The aftershocks carried her into the air, flying five meters before crashing to the ground. Even with the protective suit, she was immediately knocked unconscious.

The Arcanine, which had been slammed down by Rocco again, was now lying in front of him, its eyes turning into spirals, and it had lost its ability to battle!

Without a doubt, Luo Ke won the first match quite easily.

Not only did he defeat Carmen, but he also silenced all the trainers like John who were preparing to challenge Rocco using the Cowboy Rules.

Hit a punch, lest a hundred punches come!

so...

Roko, having returned Aegislash to its Poké Ball, maintained the same stance, expression, and tone as before addressing everyone.

"next."

......

37. Alice: Use your strongest spirit!

Although Luo Ke is still in the stage of setting up the arena, he is now a true superstar, so he has all the rights that a superstar should have.

This, combined with his terrifying wealth, means that there are many things he doesn't need to worry about.

Just like now.

Arcanine was lying on the ground, and Carmen was lying on the ground. Faced with this situation, a team of highly professional medical personnel decisively stepped in. Arcanine was immediately carried away for treatment, while Carmen opened her eyes during the examination.

"The sunlight is so bright..."

She realized her condition when she saw these medical personnel.

However, as she was being lifted up and prepared to be taken away for treatment, Carmen turned to look at Rocco and said directly what she had originally planned to say when the battle was at a stalemate.

"Roco, although as the loser I have no right to ask for anything, as Karen's sister I want to say—please pay more attention to her."

"My silly little sister really likes you."

All her original plans were overturned, and Carmen could only leave with these words before leaving the field.

This was the best she could do as the older sister.

Hopefully, this can help my silly little sister.

Otherwise, you never know whether an accident or tomorrow will come first.

Just like herself... Although she is already this age, before being eroded by a trace of the power of that vermilion pearl, Carmen had never been anxious, and had never even actively considered such a thing.

But when she learned that she had lost an eye and that this power would gradually expand and disfigure her, she didn't show it at all. However, in the quiet of the night, she began to worry about such issues for the first time.

But for her now, anxiety is probably useless.

Well, all I can say is I hope everything goes well here.

She went into the competition with that thought in mind.

Her words made many people in the audience want to watch the drama unfold, and people like Alice and Ningya started to think about Karen.

Eureka, however, is different.

Even through the screen, she could still discern Luo Ke's thoughts from his reactions.

Faced with Carmen's words, Rocco first pondered, then... he was first surprised, then questioning, and finally confused!

Even Eureka was puzzled by Roco's appearance.

But of course, Rocco would be confused!

During this period, he and Karen met every day. So what did Karen do every day?

Eat, sleep, find a secluded dojo and stay with your Pokémon!

Since she was free from pressure, these are the things she does every day without fail.

She didn't come with me when I interrogated Haojiao before. On the way back, I thought about checking out the shops, but she refused when I called her. Ningya has seen her staying at the dojo several times in the past few days and tried to find her to go out, but the result was always the same...

If you say she has a deep love for elves, then Rocco absolutely believes it.

You're saying she likes me?

...Is there some misunderstanding here?

That's what Roco thought, but considering that his knowledge in this area was entirely built from Eureka's experience, he might just be too slow to grasp it, so he didn't say it out loud.

We all get along well, so if I were to refuse, I would definitely do it in a more tactful way in private.

Karen, sitting in the audience, was even more bewildered than Rocco!

Do I like Luo Ke?

is this real?

She crossed her arms, frowned, and felt like she'd been set up!

At this moment, Alice, who had come to the arena with her and was sitting next to her, stared at her for a while before asking a question.

"Sister Karen, do you like Roco?"

Why would you think that?

Karen spoke directly, her voice filled with doubt.

"I had been thinking of introducing Luo Ke to my sister, but heaven knows why she said that on the field."

Alice listened to Karen's words while carefully observing every detail on her face.

Karen is an absolutely easy person to understand.

Alice realized that her doubts were genuine and that what she said was true, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

Even if Karen does join the battle, she will stake the name of Lorraine and face the enemy squarely—the Lorraine family's dictionary does not contain the word "defeat"!

But it's a good thing that we don't gain an enemy.

So Alice, now relaxed, got up and began answering Karen's questions.

"Perhaps Luo Ke really has many attractive qualities that make people want to linger."