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

Just as Luo Ke was thinking this, with the arrival of the sandstorm, there were visible changes on the Sand Devourer's side.

The reason it is one of the 'sandstorm brothers' in the real world is not because of its characteristics, but because of this Pokémon and its exclusive move in its degenerate form - Sand Gathering!

In the game, this move only restores health, and it restores even more health during a sandstorm.

However, in reality, the sandstorm summoned by Tyranitar concentrated on it, increasing its size from over three meters to five or ten times its original height!

In the blink of an eye, Tyranitar's enormous form had disappeared from sight.

All that remained amidst the swirling sandstorm was the sand fortress, its original form now completely unrecognizable, its gaping hole filled in!

'Whoosh—'

Its voice is deeper, and many of its abilities have been greatly enhanced due to its increased size!

This Pokémon, which was originally a Champion-level Pokémon, now possesses stats that even Altaria has to take seriously.

but...

Luo Ke has made his move!

The increased size of the Sand-Eating Fortress caused it to passively spread towards Roco.

So while it was still expanding, Luo Ke took something out of his backpack, rushed forward, and shoved it into its body!

Pay attention to your glasses!

Trainer Rocco once again demonstrated his unique ability by replacing Sandcastle's original Rock with a skillful technique that increases Special Attack but locks in special moves.

Do you like collecting sand?

Then you can just collect sand for the rest of your life!

......

25. Sand and gravel reinforcement tactics

"Tricks or switchers, these kinds of item-swapping tricks... this illusionary tactic is actually a bit troublesome."

Bai Youyou frowned when she saw Luo Ke give the Sand Eater a new pair of fancy glasses.

She felt like she had walked right into the line of fire.

While it's reasonable to prepare multiple strategies for a Pokémon like Ditto, Ditto didn't bring that backpack when it fought her in the gym last time.

She just saw it; Ditto took out those fancy glasses from that backpack.

It seems they planned to use the trick of changing items to gain an advantage from the very beginning.

Thinking about it that way, it's possible that it brought some strange props.

She was pondering this, while King crossed his arms and burst into laughter.

"I see. Knowing that your Pokémon is lacking in strength, you chose this method to provide assistance."

"interesting."

Following King's voice, Bai Youyou also gave the order directly.

"Mode Two!"

Whoosh!

Suddenly, Lord Sand Eater began to move.

If this were a game, then under the rule that each trainer can only have one Pokémon and cannot change Pokémon, being locked in a Pokémon pool is basically useless.

But this is reality.

Even if a Pokémon's special move is locked, it can still run around freely, throw punches and kicks, and bump into people.

And the Sand Eater, a special type of sprite, has other ways to play its role.

boom!

The massive sand fortress exploded instantly, transforming from its original castle back into flying sand, merging with the sandstorm and making the sandstorm summoned by Bangiras several times more intense!

'scare!'

The weather forecast for the Qixi Bluebird is still in effect.

Even such a sandstorm couldn't harm Roko, but as the sandstorm grew larger, its original function of obscuring vision became even more terrifying.

The Tyranitar had long since disappeared from the sight of the Altaria and Rocco.

At this moment, the Tanabata spread its wings and suddenly rose upwards, raising its position. Luo Ke also leaped up and jumped directly onto the Tanabata's back, flying into the sky with it.

He paid attention to everything around him, while the Tanabata bird hummed to the sky after flying to a certain height.

Sunny day!

Upon hearing this sound, Luo Ke became even more focused.

Actually, before the battle, when Eureka mentioned doing this, Rocco, as a Pokémon player, didn't quite understand.

Since the real world isn't turn-based, you can change the weather just like that. Why do you need to keep your distance and make him carefully guard against the other party's attack for the Tanabata Bird?

Eureka understood his lack of understanding, so she took the opportunity to explain some common knowledge that only powerful trainers and Pokémon would know.

When you first master the sandstorm technique, you have no idea how it works; you can only activate the technique to change the weather.

But once you gradually discover that the principle behind this move is that the Pokémon emits a power to maintain the weather, and the weather will return to normal once this power disappears, you will definitely want to use more power to maintain the weather for a longer period of time.

Then you'll start thinking about maintaining this power, keeping the weather going.

King's Tyranitar has a special ability that boosts its mastery of sandstorms, and it has long since reached that level.

In such a situation, if you want to change the weather, you must have your Pokémon concentrate their power to challenge Tyranitar's strength.

Altaria has undergone extensive training to fight Tyranitar, and it is capable of doing so.

However, it's a fact that its raw power is inferior to Tyranitar's, so it will take time to accomplish this. Will Tyranitar just stand by and watch you change the weather?

No, I don't.

so...

'Roar--'

A terrifying roar came from the depths of the sandstorm, echoing from all directions.

The sound was like a bugle call before a charge. As it appeared, the sandstorm, which had been flying haphazardly, instantly lined up and concentrated its attack on Luo Ke and the Seven-Star Bluebird!

Bang, bang!

The sandstorm was now several times more powerful than before. The sand and stones hitting the Tanabata Bird were like invisible hands banging on your window!

Seeing this change, Luo Ke, who was on the back of the Qixi Bluebird, also widened his eyes and focused his attention.

Before the battle, Eureka had planned to talk to Rocco about King's Sand Upgrade tactics, but because of the time constraints, Rocco had to teach her how to use Z-Moves.

That dance... was weird!

Especially since she was dancing in front of Rocco, it made Yurika very hesitant and took up a lot of her time.

So much so that Yurika only briefly told Rocco about the things he needed to pay attention to right before he went on stage.

Be careful of sandstorms, especially when they change shape.

There may be something hidden in a sandstorm, and the sandstorm itself is also a dangerous element.

The name of the Sandstone Upgrade Tactics has been changed many times, and the final name is formed by retaining as many elements as possible.

The reason is that this tactic is too free, too varied, and the approach is not fixed.

If I have to say...

When you enter the sandstorm, it's like entering the kingdom of King and his Tyranitar, where everything around you is their subject, and you will be at odds with the world.

You are the prey, and they are the hunters!

As Rocco recalled the description, his exceptional eyesight and focused attention led him to discover something.

He hadn't noticed it when the sandstorms were flying around haphazardly before, but now that the sandstorms are flowing in a unified direction, even intangible things will leave traces in these sandstorms.

Those were invisible, irregular particles that had previously existed silently within the sandstorm, but now, as the sandstorm's force increased, they moved along with its flow.

Snapped!

The moment Luo Ke noticed these things, he lunged forward and swiftly threw a punch, instantly blasting the closest ones to smithereens.

The sensation he felt upon contact with the sand, along with the fragments that, though broken, still flew with the sandstorm, defying the weather and piercing his body, made him realize what this thing was.

Invisible Rock!

While the Sand Eater was drawing attention, that Tyranitar must have lost countless Invisible Rocks in the sandstorm!

These things, which normally wouldn't attack unless you released a Pokémon into the field, have now become a whole new Rock-type move under this powerful sandstorm!

Moreover, since the overall trend of the sandstorm remains unchanged, simply breaking it apart is not enough, because those fragments are still invisible rocks, not sandstorms, so they cannot be defended against regardless of the weather!

'Hu~'

With that thought in mind, using the recoil from punching the Invisible Rock, Luo Ke returned to the back of the Albizia and breathed a sigh of relief.

He reached into his backpack again and took out a piece of Z-pure crystal!

At this moment, his gaze coldly swept over everything below.

Whether it's a sandstorm, an invisible rock or something else hidden inside, the Sand Eater, or Tyranitar...

"I'll blow you all up."

......

26. Fighting needs no reason (1)

"This is my first time watching Mr. King's match; the sandstorm was incredibly powerful!"

'Can this even be called a sandstorm? I suggest giving Mr. King's sandstorms their own name; it's not even the same thing anymore.'

'Mr. Rocco's Ditto is amazing too. It can move freely even in this sandstorm, and it can still throw punches at a speed that's impossible to see. I wonder what kind of Pokémon it's turned into this time.'

'Indeed... Luo Ke's initial exchange of glasses was simple, but very effective. Although I don't know what King and Bai Youyou were originally planning, their Sand-Eating Fortress was indeed subdued by Luo Ke's simple move.'

"What's useful is best. Besides, look at the contestants in this competition—the kings, the champions, the strongest kings. Mr. Luo Ke is already very impressive."

Because it's a live broadcast, and a competition featuring many well-known trainers, there are many viewers watching.

Just as Bai Youyou had initially thought, this match was very beneficial to Luo Ke.

Especially considering that he not only wasn't eliminated, but was even quite useful.

The reputation of the Mythical Trainer soared dramatically across the world in an instant!

The audience was discussing, and King and Bai Youyou were also exchanging ideas on the high platform.

Compared to some viewers who didn't even know about the weather-independent characteristic and were still marveling at Ditto's ability to move freely in the sandstorm, the two of them had a much clearer understanding of the battle situation.

"It seems difficult to break through that Ditto using Stealth Rock in conjunction with Sandstorm. That makes sense. Eureka deliberately let Altaria fly to this height to prevent me from having Tyranitar resonate with Sandstorm."

"And if we can't use the earth... well, all fifty-two transformations are restricted, so the ways to reach that location without taking risks are starting to become limited."

At this point, King's face broke into a fanatical smile, brimming with fighting spirit.

"In other words, Eureka originally wanted to force me to use more risky tactical changes. She trusted that Ditto, no... I should say she trusted Rocco so much."

"It seems that Ditto is quite powerful."

That's what he said, and Bai Youyou shook her head slightly.

"I saw that Ditto in the gym battle. It's strong, but it's nowhere near as strong as your Tyranitar. I guess it's holding onto its Z-Move, waiting for an opportunity to unleash it."

"Although it would have taken some time to modify your Sandstorm, Altaria, the progress this time is far too slow. It's probably to create an opportunity for you to unleash your Z-Move."

"Moreover, once Altaria changes the weather like this, it will take some time for your Tyranitar to change the weather back."

"So we'd better achieve some significant results before it finishes changing the weather."

At this point, Bai Youyou sighed softly.

"Hey, if my Sand Eater hadn't been locked in the sand, with its moves used for support, our tactical options would be much more flexible. Even in this kind of weather, its stats are good enough, so it might not be impossible to attack directly."

“But once the Sand Gathering is locked down, there are far fewer things we can do—so now I’ll have Lord Sand Devourer rush up and hold them off for a bit, and then you can look for another opportunity.”