"Gym Leader Morty really knows how to praise people," Zhang Tian smiled, unconcerned with the flattery.
"Pampered and not shocked. Good, good. No wonder that old guy Shilong whispers about you in my ear every day," Morty laughed. "Your Acidic Glavenus should be the most talented of your three Pokémon. It gives me a very unusual feeling, like a brilliant swordsman. I didn't necessarily have such skills when I was young."
"No, no. The talent of the Acidic Glavenus is not the best," Zhang Tian shook his head.
"What! Not the best yet?" Morty's eyes widened in shock. The sword technique of the Glavenus had already surpassed most swordsmen. To say it was not the best... could it be that his other Pokémon was already a sword saint? A Pokémon as a sword saint? Was this a joke?
"That's right. The talent of the Seregios is the best. It has a nickname: the Sword Saint," Zhang Tian smiled gently.
"A sword saint in a Pokémon... then let me see. I am looking forward to it more and more," Morty smiled. Zhang Tian's excellence exceeded his imagination.
"Please get ready. The countdown begins!" the referee announced.
"Begin!"
The two trainers threw their Poké Balls. Because this was a test, they tacitly agreed not to use Dynamax or other similar abilities. It would be difficult to see the talent and skill of the Pokémon's swordsmanship otherwise.
A handsome Ceruledge, two meters tall, appeared before Morty.
[Ceruledge]
Level: 69 (Elite Four)
Ability: Flash Fire
Item: Charcoal
And before Zhang, a tall, cold Seregios appeared. Unlike the Acidic Glavenus, it had an air of leisurely confidence, as if victory was already in its grasp.
"A Sword Saint!" The moment Morty saw the Seregios, his pupils shrank. As a sword saint himself, he knew the temperament of the Seregios very well. It was a temperament only a sword saint possessed. "A Sword Saint in a Pokémon?" His eyes were full of shock. Only those who knew the sword could understand how strong the Seregios was now. It had its own Dao, its own comprehension.
"Truly an excellent young man. So excellent it's a little scary," Morty sighed to himself.
"Ceruledge, Taunt!" he ordered.
"Seregios, Taunt!" Zhang commanded telepathically.
The Seregios and the Ceruledge used Taunt at the same time, stacking the buff on each other and preventing the use of status moves. The Seregios habitually put its tail in its mouth to grind, an old habit from before it had developed its skills.
BANG! BANG! The Seregios took a big stride and rushed towards the Ceruledge.
"Flame Charge!" A terrifying ridge of flame covered the Ceruledge, triggering its Flash Fire ability while increasing its speed by one stage. It crashed towards the Seregios.
"Hot Slash!" The Seregios slashed out its huge tail like a greatsword.
BOOM! The moment the Ceruledge and the Seregios's tail collided, the Ceruledge barely blocked the attack with its "four ounces to move a thousand pounds" technique. It wanted to lead the Seregios's tail downward, but in an instant, the Seregios was out of the strange movement trajectory. The Seregios was stronger than the Acidic Glavenus, and the technique could only control it for a moment. BRUSH! The Seregios twisted its waist, and its huge tail swept again, leaving no time for the Ceruledge.
"Repentance Sword! Four Ounces to Move a Thousand Pounds!" The Ceruledge swung the sword in its hand, wanting to repeat the old technique. But this time it failed. A strange power of "four ounces to move a thousand pounds" also rose on the huge tail of the Seregios, and its own way of transportation offset the Ceruledge's technique.
BANG!
The Ceruledge was slashed by the Seregios's sword, fell to the ground, and was instantly knocked out.
"Four ounces to move a thousand pounds! How can it be!" Morty exclaimed, looking at the Seregios with disbelief. The Seregios had just used his own technique to ignore the Ceruledge's defense.
Not only Morty, but Fantina and the other trainers were also shocked.
"How did the Seregios learn to dial four ounces to move a thousand pounds?" Fantina was dumbfounded. You must know that this was Morty's signature stunt. Many had been taught it over the decades, but few could learn it, including Pokémon. And now, the Seregios had learned it just by watching. This kind of learning ability was too terrifying. Was this really a Pokémon? If you said it was a legendary beast that held the law of learning, she would believe it.
The live broadcast room exploded.
"Holy crap! Learning the enemy's skills in battle? Isn't that the treatment of a protagonist in a novel?"
"Awesome!"
"This Seregios's learning ability is too exaggerated. It learned it in an instant, and it looks very skilled."
"Your Seregios learned my 'four ounces to move a thousand pounds' after seeing it once?" Morty asked, shocked.
"My Seregios's attainment in kendo is very powerful, no less than an ordinary sword saint's. Without anyone to teach it, it was able to hone its sword technique to the level of a sword saint. So, it is not surprising that it learned your technique after watching it once," Zhang Tian smiled. Not every Seregios could be called a sword saint.
SHHH! The audience gasped. They were not swordsmen. They did not understand the temperament of the Seregios. And now, from Zhang Tian's mouth, they learned that the Seregios was a sword saint. It had a great impact on their worldview.
"The Seregios is a sword saint?"
"Are you trying to kill me? I have studied the sword for more than 20 years, and I'm not even a swordsman, and this damn Pokémon turned out to be a sword saint!"
"The Ceruledge is unable to fight! The Seregios wins!" the referee announced.
"Come back, Seregios," Zhang said, recalling his monster.
"Whew," Morty took a deep breath, forcibly calming himself, and recalled his Ceruledge. "Your Seregios... to be honest, I don't dare to preach to it. I can only say 'communicate.' Those who can become sword saints have their own Dao. They don't need to be taught by others."
"It doesn't matter whether it's communication or teaching, as long as you are willing to teach," Zhang smiled indifferently.
"Hahaha, yes, yes," Morty nodded with a smile. "All three of your Pokémon have passed the test. How about you? You should be an Elite Four-level martial artist and an Elite Four-level psychic. This is my test for you," Morty said.
"How do you want to play?" Zhang asked.
"I'm old, otherwise, I would personally fight you. I will send an Elite Four-level Pokémon to fight you. Is there a problem?" he asked with a smile.
The trainers around the battlefield frowned. How could a trainer beat a Pokémon?
"Is this old man Li joking? How can a human beat a Pokémon?"
"He's crazy! If he doesn't want to teach, he should just say so."
"In the history of mankind, there are a few martial artists and psychics who can compete with Pokémon, such as Morty when he was young."
"No problem, but I need to change my gear," Zhang nodded directly. He had faced even more terrifying monsters. Why would he be intimidated by a Pokémon? He changed into his Brachydios equipment and took out the matching greatsword. The moment he did, Morty's face changed slightly. The greatsword was over two meters long. One slash could kill not just a person, but even a large Pokémon.
"What a big knife!"
"This murderous weapon!"
"It must weigh hundreds of pounds, but he looks like it's a piece of paper."
"He is an Elite Four-level martial artist, not an ordinary person."
"Come on, Gym Leader Morty," Zhang said, taking the sword and walking to the battlefield.
"Well, be careful," Morty said, throwing a Poké Ball. A 1.7-meter-tall Iron Valiant holding a pink large knife appeared.
[Iron Valiant]
Level: 69 (Elite Four)
Ability: Quark Drive
Item: Booster Energy
Introduction: Pokémon from the future???
"What kind of Pokémon is this?" Countless spectators were confused.
An Iron Valiant? The plot says it's a Pokémon from the future, but it has never been released. It may have evolved into its future form because of the power of a legendary beast, not really from the future, Zhang thought.
"Wu?" The Iron Valiant looked back at Morty, as if asking, "My opponent is him? A human? You're not kidding, right?"
"Iron Valiant, no need to look. Your opponent is him. Don't underestimate him. If you do, you will lose," Morty laughed softly. The Iron Valiant nodded and became serious.
"Referee, start the countdown."
"Begin!"
The moment the countdown ended, Zhang moved. "Sakura Aerial Blade Slash!" he cried, rushing towards the Iron Valiant.
"Wu!" The Iron Valiant waved the long-handled greatsword in its hand to block.
WHILE!
Zhang's huge greatsword collided with the Iron Valiant's pink blade, emitting a sound of gold and iron. The Iron Valiant felt a terrifying power come from Zhang's sword. Its own blade was about to break. Zhang's strength was too great. Just as it was about to strike, it used "four ounces to move a thousand pounds" to lead the sword downward, barely parrying it. It was clear that Zhang's strength was far greater than the Iron Valiant's.
RUMBLE! Zhang's greatsword pressed the Iron Valiant's blade into the ground, smashing out a huge pit hundreds of meters in size.
"Holy crap!"
"This is the power of a human! Wow!"
"The strength of this Iron Valiant is not comparable to Zhang Tian's? It took 'four ounces to move a thousand pounds' to barely parry? What kind of monster is Zhang Tian?"
"You're on the hook!"
Countless people who were watching burst into foul language. Zhang's performance was too exaggerated. They could understand a human barely fighting a Pokémon, but to far exceed it in power... this had never happened in history. Brother, you're a Pokémon with the Huge Power ability pretending to be a human, right?