Chapter 177: Serpent Patterns! Arbok's Growth!
"Arbok has now mastered six pattern variations: Defense Pattern, Regeneration Pattern, Attack Pattern, Speed Pattern, Immunity Pattern, and Toxic Pattern," Grandma Liu said.
Kenji was slightly startled. Arbok's learning speed was truly terrifying. He remembered that during his last video call with Grandma Liu, Arbok had only mastered four patterns. In such a short time, four had become six.
Before Kenji could marvel further at Arbok's learning ability, Grandma Liu continued, "Besides these six basic Serpent Patterns, Arbok has developed an even more powerful pattern based on the original Intimidate Pattern. No... I call it the Dragon Pattern. Its ability to suppress aura is countless times stronger than the standard Intimidate Pattern."
The Intimidate Dragon Pattern had already begun to manifest before Arbok formally started learning the Secret Pattern Technique under Grandma Liu.
Now, with the help of Grandma Liu, who had studied the technique for nearly a century, the Dragon Pattern had fully awakened.
"Cha!!—"
Hearing Grandma Liu praise it in front of its trainer, Arbok let out a joyous cry.
"I have a premonition that Arbok's potential is definitely not limited to this. If given more time, Arbok might even awaken other patterns," Grandma Liu said.
Kenji smiled and said, "I'm sorry, Grandma Liu. I promised Arbok that I would pick it up after the National Collegiate League ended."
Before leaving, he had promised Arbok that he would definitely take it back after the league concluded.
As for Kenji himself, after the National Collegiate League, he needed to continue his journey to collect badges. naturally, he couldn't stay at Mt. Dreadmist for too long.
Therefore, the excavation of Arbok's Serpent Pattern potential would have to be put on hold for now. Perhaps after he secured the remaining five Gym Badges or won the National League Championship...
Only then would he have time to take Arbok back to Mt. Dreadmist to continue its cultivation with Grandma Liu.
Even so, the current Arbok had already mastered seven patterns (including the Dragon Pattern). Its strength had skyrocketed, making it the second strongest general in Kenji's team, second only to Beedrill.
A flash of regret passed through Grandma Liu's eyes, but she didn't try to persuade him further. She simply sighed faintly and joked self-deprecatingly, "Well then, this old woman will just have to try and live a few more years."
...
After a brief rest and adjustment, the second day of the competition began.
At the entrance tunnel, the Metropolis Academy team led by Coach He and the Imperial Academy team led by their female coach crossed paths.
After yesterday's matches, the contestants from Imperial Academy had regained their confidence. They looked at the Metropolis Academy contestants with slightly provocative gazes.
Only Zephyr, wearing his team uniform, trailed at the back of the line, seemingly uninterested in the rivalry between the two major academies.
Bai Bai kept a straight face, her gaze sweeping coldly over the Imperial Academy contestants. The other Metropolis Academy contestants weren't to be outdone and glared back.
As for Coach He and the female coach from Imperial Academy, they kept stern faces from start to finish, not saying a single word to each other. It seemed their grudge ran deep.
The air between the two academies was thick with the scent of gunpowder.
...
The second day's matches commenced. On this day, Metropolis Academy contestants didn't encounter anyone from Imperial Academy.
The afternoon matches officially ended with Xie Mu's successful advancement.
During the second day, the Metropolis Academy contestants had good luck with the bracket. The opponents they encountered weren't too strong, and only one contestant was eliminated.
Among all the Metropolis Academy contestants, only Kenji had yet to take the field for this round.
...
"It's here!!"
Before the first match of the third day began, Kenji's name appeared on the display screen above the lounge, prompting a gasp from one of the players.
When everyone looked at Kenji's opponent, they all gasped in unison again. The entire lounge boiled over with excitement.
Imperial Academy!! Wei Xinhong!!
Kenji the corners of his mouth lifted slightly as he looked at Coach He. Coach He was grinning from ear to ear, looking incredibly happy.
"Go! Let them have a good look!" Coach He said to Kenji before he went on stage.
Kenji gave a soft hum of acknowledgment. He hadn't expected to be so lucky as to run into an Imperial Academy contestant.
Perhaps this was the best arrangement.
Wei Xinhong ranked within the top five among Imperial Academy's ten contestants.
His strength might not compare to Xie Mu or Bai Bai of Metropolis Academy, but he wouldn't fear any other Metropolis contestant outside of those three.
"Ohhh!!! Is today's match starting off this intensely right from the get-go?!!" On the commentary platform, Forrest's eyes lit up with excitement as he looked at the matchup on the screen.
Kenji was already the hot favorite to win this National Collegiate League. Add to that the fact that this match was between Metropolis Academy and Imperial Academy...
It was safe to say this match was full of highlights.
Kenji walked into the trainer's box. Opposite him, Wei Xinhong gripped his Pokéball tightly, his expression incredibly nervous.
Mainly because Kenji's notorious reputation had already reached the ears of the Imperial Academy contestants before the league even began.
And now, having seen Kenji's performance in the league...
Facing such a terrifyingly strong opponent, saying he wasn't nervous would be a lie.
Trade one... I just need to trade one of his Pokémon...
Wei Xinhong chanted silently in his heart.
The moment he was matched against Kenji, the thought of victory had vanished from Wei Xinhong's mind. His goal for the battle was simply to take down one of Kenji's Pokémon. He absolutely could not get swept 1v3. Losing that badly would shame Imperial Academy.
"The match... begins!!!—"
"Go!! Hitmonlee!!"
"I choose you!!"
Two beams of red light flew into the battlefield, forming one large and one small mass of light.
The smaller red light dispersed first, revealing the Pokémon within.
A brown Pokémon with no mouth, legs longer than its body, and spring-like sections on its limbs that could extend and retract freely appeared on the battlefield.
Hitmonlee, also known as the "Kicking Fiend." Its legs could extend at will, and it was a Fighting-type said to be capable of learning every kicking technique in the world.
It evolves from Tyrogue, requiring its Attack stat to be higher than its Defense stat.
"ROAR!!!!—"
As Hitmonlee appeared, the red light in front of Kenji shattered immediately after. A behemoth, nearly ten meters tall and covered in cold, hard green armor, stood silently on the battlefield.
Accompanying a furious roar, the battlefield was instantly engulfed by yellow sand. Centered on Tyranitar, a sandstorm swept out in all directions. The gale, carrying grit and sand, rolled and surged, covering the entire arena in an instant.
Hitmonlee raised its hands to shield its eyes, taking two steps back.
The sandstorm battered against the energy barrier of the battlefield, creating a crackling cacophony.
Behind Hitmonlee, Wei Xinhong swallowed hard. Just looking up at the creature from a distance gave him an overwhelming sense of powerlessness.
"This has to be fake..." Wei Xinhong squeezed the words out of his throat with difficulty.
"This... this is... Tyranitar!!!!"
"Heavens!! A Pseudo-Legendary has taken the stage! It's the Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon known as the Tyrant of the Desert!! Tyranitar!!!"
"Contestant Kenji's Tyranitar is massive! It must be at least ten meters tall!"
Above the arena, commentators Forrest and Candy had moved far away from the open air above the field, exclaiming in shock as they looked at the behemoth below.
A standard Tyranitar was considered large at five meters tall (in this world's setting), but the Tyranitar on the field reached a staggering ten meters!
It was double the size of an ordinary Tyranitar!!
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