Xiangling, Xingqiu, Yanfei—all the group members were heatedly discussing Hu Tao's opponent.
"There is nothing we can do," Yanfei sighed. "This A Jiu is too small! A toddler, practically. There is no age limit for registration, but all Trainers who register usually need parental consent. How did she get the green light?"
Hiroshi stared at this "A Jiu" and narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Is it really him?" he muttered. "Fatty Tuo... no, the incarnation of the Azhdaha (Ruo Tuo Dragon King)!"
A Jiu. She was the mysterious girl found near the Dragon-Queller Tree at the foot of Mt. Hulao in the original game. Hiroshi had browsed the list of players for the Super Tournament earlier, and when he saw the other party's information, he had already made a guess.
Unexpectedly, it was really the chubby Dragon King himself.
"Now in this state of incarnation," Hiroshi mused, raising the corner of his mouth, "Should I call him Azhdaha, or Sister Tuozi?"
For a Demon God who has been suppressed and sealed, and whose true spirit is almost worn away by erosion, Hiroshi had no intention of expelling him. Hiroshi had confidence. Let's not talk about his lineup of Mythical Beasts like Zekrom; were Venti and Zhongli in the audience just for decoration? These two were gods on earth!
As long as the Demon God did not destroy the event or engage in conspiracy, Hiroshi welcomed him. Embrace the great Age of Pokémon... change jobs and become a Trainer or something. Hiroshi welcomed it all. The more ancient beings that joined, the better it proved his success as a promoter.
"This is a No-Limit Rule, Super Match," Hiroshi said softly, his voice amplified by psychic power. "Trainers and Pokémon fight together. Director Hu Tao is usually carefree, but against this opponent... the possibility of overturning is very high."
The group members who didn't see the mystery of A Jiu had question marks appearing on their foreheads. Overturning against a little girl?
But at this moment.
"Beep!"
The intelligent voice of the virtual venue announced: "After 3 seconds of countdown... The battle begins! No limit on fighting methods, no limit on the number of Pokémon! When one of the Trainers loses consciousness, the battle ends!"
3, 2, 1...
At the last second, Hu Tao threw three Poké Balls at once.
"Oya! Come out!"
The balls grew larger in mid-air and landed on the ground, bursting with red light.
Garchomp (Fanged Land Shark): Level 47.
Flygon (Desert Dragonfly): Level 50.
Exeggcute: Level 39 (Not yet evolved).
If one judged Hu Tao's Trainer Rank based on her highest-level Flygon, she had obviously reached the Mid-Elite Level (50~59). An Elite Trainer! Even in the native Pokémon world, she would be considered a relatively powerful figure, strong enough to serve as a city's Gym Leader or peace officer. After all, High-Level Elites (60~69) were only one step away from the status of a Heavenly King.
Hiroshi nodded secretly when he saw Hu Tao choose to release all her Pokémon. When it comes to Sister Tuozi, your caution can save lives.
As Hu Tao threw the Poké Balls, she also took out an inherited elemental weapon from the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor—the Staff of Homa!
In the history of old Liyue, during that war-torn era where plagues occurred frequently and filth was everywhere, the descendants of the Wangsheng Hall held this staff to ignite things contaminated with death. They were doctors, but also mourners. Only unbridled fire could purify the filth of heaven and earth, raise red firewood, and drive away all evil spirits.
"Butterflies attract life!"
"Rise—!"
Hu Tao shouted, shaking the Staff of Homa. The phantom of a Flame Butterfly exploded behind her.
"The spear opens the road to the Yellow Springs, and the butterfly leads to the bridge of the afterlife!"
The spear struck out. It merged with the person. She moved like a fire dragon!
When Hiroshi saw this, he shouted internally, "WOC! Starting hand, it's Elemental Skill + Physical Attack? This Director... she's not holding back at all!"
When Hu Tao rushed out with a scroll of flames, her Garchomp growled at the Flygon, as if commanding and urging.
(Little brother, it's time! Big Sister Head will sweep the formation for you!)
Although the Flygon was higher level, it looked very respectful to the Garchomp. There was no way around it; the bloodline suppression of a Quasi-Legendary was absolute.
The Flygon fluttered its wings. As Hu Tao took action first, she didn't forget to give instructions to her team.
"Flygon, Screech!"
SCREEEECH—
Suddenly, a sound wave skill capable of piercing eardrums was emitted by the Flygon.
Rumble... The audience area was protected by a light film, but the rebroadcast signal released these sharp sounds, causing many people to cover their ears with uncomfortable expressions.
In the live broadcast room, ordinary people watching the Super Match were speechless. "If that Desert Dragonfly roared like this at us, we'd be stunned like a group of sheep being slaughtered, right?"
At the same time, Yae Miko, who was watching the broadcast closely from the Grand Narukami Shrine, noticed A Jiu.
During the terrifying sonic offensive, A Jiu remained motionless.
"This player..." Yae Miko saw the camera zoom in. There was a touch of sarcasm on A Jiu's childish face. She froze for a moment.
Sudden!
Loud bang.
A stone wall suddenly rose from the ground, blocking the camera's view. It also blocked Director Hu Tao, who had charged forward with the power of a fire dragon.
Wall of Geo Element!
Many people stood up in shock.
"A Jiu! She manipulated the Rock Element! But she clearly doesn't wear a Vision?!"
The wall blocked the heavy attack. Hu Tao was slightly shocked, but she didn't forget that there were three of her Pokémon in the outer circle.
"Flygon, use Earthquake!"
"Garchomp, Draco Meteor!"
"Exeggcute... Target the trainer on the opposite side and keep using Hypnosis!"
On the sidelines, Liu Su, acting as the commentator, was speechless.
"Player Hu Tao's attack was blocked! Hey, A Jiu blocked Hu Tao's attack with a rock wall. What—? Hu Tao issued the battle order... all three of her Pokémon launched a general attack!"
Hearing the commentary lines, Hiroshi secretly sighed. The training of these "commentators" was still too hasty. They watched too few battle videos and lacked the experience to grasp the flow of battle.
No way, Hiroshi thought. Regular competitions outside can still be fooled around with. But the Super Tournament is different. What I want to create is the most valuable event.
So, he reluctantly stepped in as a Guest Commentator. In this virtual space, there was no need for a microphone. When he spoke, his psychic voice spread throughout the audience.
"Player Hu Tao is really awesome. Have you seen it?"
"She regarded herself as the bait—the striker—to test A Jiu's strength and reaction first. If she can't hit with one strike, it doesn't matter. Her intention is only to spy!"
"Then, Hu Tao chose to use Flygon as a fast attacker, which was undoubtedly correct. But the main Carry position in her team is always the Garchomp with Quasi-God potential!"
"Did you see it? The Flygon has already approached Player A Jiu, while the Garchomp has jumped into the sky, brewing a Dragon-type ultimate move..."
"Hiss, the dirtiest thing is that Exeggcute, the back-row DPS, is trying to use Hypnosis to interfere with the trainer directly! So! Did you see it? This is the biggest difference between Super Matches and regular competitions! Pokémon can directly attack the Trainer!"
While Hiroshi spoke quickly but clearly, lightning flashed on the court. The Flygon had already flown near A Jiu.
(I only have control! Leave the kill to the Elder Sister!)
The Flygon slammed into the ground. At least half of the football field was shaken by a major earthquake.
The ground shook!
Yet, A Jiu's small figure stood firmly on the field. Layers of faint Geo Elemental shields appeared on her body surface, ignoring the massive earthquake around her.
When Hiroshi saw this, his expression became even more subtle. Gan! Isn't this Zhongli's Jade Shield skill? Brother Tuozi, you and Morax really have a deep bond!
A Jiu raised her head and looked at the Garchomp leaping high. A group of meteorites was clearly reflected in her deep, ancient eyes.
"Rumble..."
Countless spectators were shocked.
This swarm of meteorites, summoned and smashed down by the Garchomp using pure Dragon power, covered an entire area the size of a football field! Powerful, terrifying! The scene that appeared in that moment was like a comet hitting Teyvat.
Full of the aura of destruction!
"W-what?"
Inazuma City, Hanamizaka Street.
Breaking through many obstacles along the way, Kujou Sara led 500 Tenryou soldiers to encircle the Arataki Gang, who were stubbornly resisting. In the middle of the encirclement stood Kuki Shinobu and Arataki Itto.
There were also ordinary citizens of Inazuma who were attracted by the event and couldn't move away before they had time to evacuate.
Boom!
The world-destroying meteorites fell on the broadcast screen. There seemed to be a strong smell of fire and sulfur wafting even through the digital signal.
Kujou Sara was heading forward to interrogate Kuki Shinobu. Hearing the sound, she couldn't help but look up at the giant screen. An uncontrollable look of horror suddenly appeared on her face.
"This is... what you said before? Pokémon? Competing with Pokémon?"
Kujou Sara was stunned. Seeing the meteorites falling down, the simulated scene of Tranquility Cove on the screen was immediately eroded by destruction. Her voice was dry, and she lost the intention of asking for guilt.
Kuki Shinobu could not control her heartbeat. She stared at the screen in shock and awe.
"I... I didn't expect it either," Shinobu stammered. "A Pokémon that has not yet reached the top level can cause such a destructive scene."
"If it is a Mythical Beast in the top field..." she whispered, "Wouldn't it be possible to destroy a city and a country with just one blow?"
After hearing this, Kujou Sara couldn't say a word for a long time. The reality of the outside world had just crashed into her secluded nation like a meteor.