Not only was Lord Wang stunned, the two Pokémon were even more stunned.
Just now on the ground, they had been keeping their eyes on that Gyarados, waiting for their master's command so they could give Gyarados a fatal blow.
But somehow, they suddenly felt strange spatial ripples appear around them, and then the two Pokémon were up in the sky.
As Ground types, it wasn't like they had never imagined what it would be like if they could fly.
Especially when they were little, they even felt a longing for flying.
But now that they were actually airborne, all their fantasies about flying had completely evaporated.
Who in the world faces a huge spatial rift the first time they ever get off the ground?
'Seriously, put us back down!'
"ROOAAR!", Seeing the two Pokémon terrified by the Spacial Rend, Gyarados forced an exaggeratedly humanlike smile onto its face and lightly nodded its big head.
'Send you back? That's easy!'
Even if Aggron and Bastiodon hadn't said anything, Gyarados was already planning to do just that.
The power of Spacial Rend tore open space in an instant and slammed into Aggron and Bastiodon, who hadn't had time to put up Protect.
But the fierce slicing they imagined didn't show up. Instead, they were once again teleported by Spacial Rend and popped up right in front of Gyarados.
Before Lord Wang could give his next command, violent torrents of water burst from Gyarados's tail and came crashing down on the two Pokémon.
The instant Protect ended, a huge wave smashed onto the ground, and the two Pokémon took the full hit from Aqua Tail with no defenses at all.
Their bodies were completely out of control as they fell back to the ground.
At the same time, Gyarados's Moxie activated, and two massive upward-rising rings of light flashed over its body.
Only at this moment did Lord Wang and his steward snap out of it.
"This... this is over already?"
They stared at Axel in disbelief, eyes full of shock.
He sent out only a single Gyarados and crushed all three of their Pokémon from start to finish, not a single dull moment.
Even Guan Yu warming his wine before slaying Hua Xiong wasn't this fast.
"Yeah, it's done," Axel looked at Lord Wang and the steward with a squinting smile.
"Does this count as passing the test?"
"It counts, of course it counts!", Lord Wang answered at once, his whole body shaking with excitement.
He seemed terrified that if he spoke too slowly, Axel would change his mind and refuse to join tomorrow's battle.
As a single-Pokémon combatant, this guy could rival a top general.
Their Wang Manor had struck pure gold being able to host such a talent.
It wasn't an exaggeration. As long as Axel went onto the battlefield, they were almost guaranteed to win one match.
Even if it didn't change the final outcome, it could save ten percent of the city's people.
At this point, they didn't even care whether Axel knew how to command Pokémon. Raising a Pokémon to this level meant that even if he were mute, he would still be stronger than most trainers.
The only thing they needed to consider now was Axel's identity.
And how to keep this living ancestor happy.
"My lord Axel, may I ask where you are from? When we prepare meals next time, we can make food suited to your tastes."
Without even noticing it, Lord Wang had already gone from calling him "sir" to "my lord".
Not that he was weak-willed. It was just that at such a critical time, Axel was too important to Xiapi.
If not for strict rules, he wouldn't even dare ask about Axel's background now.
Axel didn't expose his intentions and casually made something up.
"I used to be from Aurient, then later went to Hisui and stayed there for a while."
"Thought I'd come back for a look. Anything you make is fine for me."
Hisui!
The moment he heard the name, Lord Wang's eyes popped wide.
No wonder he felt something familiar in Gyarados's power earlier.
Decades ago, they had once seen the sky over Hisui turn red.
One of the powers that caused that scene was extremely similar to what he sensed on Gyarados.
Later, great scholars of Aurient said it was a space dragon fighting a time dragon.
Could this Gyarados be a descendant of that space dragon?
Lord Wang twitched the corner of his mouth, suddenly feeling like he had stumbled into something extraordinary.
This person was very likely the crown prince of Hisui.
Even if not the prince, definitely someone extremely important.
"Lord Axel, please stay here tonight."
"I'll go report to Lady Diao Chan right away and tell her that a powerful Gardevoir trainer has arrived at our manor, so she can send you some resources."
"Thanks," Axel answered with a smile.
He had come this time for Diao Chan's training methods.
Although he wouldn't meet her today, he should be able to deduce something from the resources she sent.
At Axel's level, most training methods were universal in his eyes.
He just needed one entry point to start breaking things down.
"I'll head over to Lord Lu Bu's residence now. You should rest."
"Or the steward can take you to look at tomorrow's battlefield. You're strong, but that battleground is strange. Many soldiers died there, creating unique terrain."
"Entering without caution might put you at a disadvantage."
"Of course, if you don't want to go, there are also some places in Xiapi where you can enjoy listening to songs. I can invite a few girls for you to appreciate..."
Lord Wang offered multiple options, giving every detail, clearly too afraid to make any decisions on Axel's behalf.
The steward beside him was even more respectful, practically ready to tattoo "service staff" on his face.
"Let's go see the battlefield first," Axel didn't want to waste his rare trip to the Three Kingdoms.
And if Lord Wang described the battlefield as strange, then it must have something special.
Perfect chance to let his Pokémon have some fun, like a little sightseeing break from the mission.
———
[Outside Xiapi]
Inside a huge command tent, Cao Cao sat at the head wearing armor.
Below him on both sides sat more than ten generals.
"Everyone, tomorrow is an important day for the duel. Who wants to volunteer?"
Hearing Cao Cao's question, many generals, including Liu, Guan and Zhang, all turned their heads away in annoyance. Clearly none of them wanted any part of this.
They could go kill Lu Bu, but snatching Diao Chan?
No matter if they succeeded or not, their reputations would be ruined.
Seeing their reaction, a flicker of displeasure crossed Cao Cao's eyes. Just as he was about to lash out, he saw a general step forward.
"Zhang Liao is willing!"
Seeing Zhang Liao step up, someone who had just surrendered, Cao Cao froze for a moment.
He hadn't expected the newly surrendered Zhang Liao to betray his old lord this fast. Was he trustworthy?
Zhang Liao seemed to read his thoughts and slammed his greatsword onto the ground with a clang.
"I've long been disgusted with that Diao Chan. If not for her, Lord Lu Bu wouldn't have neglected improving his strength and ended up defeated here."
"I submit to the Chancellor for the sole purpose of killing that woman!"
"As long as you permit it, I will devote my life to you!"
Hearing Zhang Liao's reasoning, Cao Cao's doubt melted away.
Privately he thought the guy was stupid. Beauty is a crime?
A king neglects duty and it's the concubine's fault?
But none of this showed on his face. He hurried down to support Zhang Liao back up.
"General Zhang Liao, no need for formality. Since you have a grudge with Diao Chan, I'll let you lead the squad."
He picked eight long-following generals at random, "You eight, go with General Zhang today to familiarize yourselves with the battlefield."
"If you find any of their people, tie them up and send them back. Give them a thorough humiliation!"
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