Lu Zhengjie waved his hand with a bitter expression. "Switch, switch — Snorlax is too strong."
He understood that if Snorlax weren't limited by its speed due to its massive frame, fighting it would be like playing a game for Snorlax.
Of course, that bulk also gave Snorlax tremendous power. That much was undeniable.
"Then how about Crawdaunt?"
"Sure."
Lu Zhengjie nodded, then gestured for Lucario to come closer.
Once Lucario leaned in, Lu Zhengjie whispered into its ear.
"We watched Crawdaunt's matches too. The key is preventing its setup and surviving its rushes, then taking it down with special attacks. Got it?"
"Koh!"
Lucario gave a determined nod, its fighting spirit surging.
But the stronger Lucario's fighting spirit burned, the calmer its mind became.
It walked quietly to its position, eyes fixed warily on Crawdaunt across the field — who looked rather dopey at the moment.
"Tch, how nice."
Lu Ze watched Lu Zhengjie's Lucario with undisguised envy, his matchmaker instincts stirring once more.
There wasn't a single Aura user who didn't want a Lucario.
But look at the situation now. Lu Xingguo had one, Father had one, Lu Zhengjie had one — and Lu Ze had none.
And all three Lucario were male, which left Lu Ze with absolutely no idea what to do. He couldn't exactly… emmm.
"Forget it, forget it."
Lu Ze shook his head, then flipped the coin he'd just picked up.
"Go!"
The instant the coin hit the ground, Lu Ze's hand swept through the air, and Crawdaunt was already moving the moment he spoke.
The same three-hit combo as always. First hit: Aqua Jet.
"Block it!"
Lu Zhengjie and Lucario both pupils shrunk as they watched Crawdaunt blur into a streak. Instinctively, Lucario crossed both arms over its chest, preparing to weather the assault.
With Aqua Jet boosting its speed, Crawdaunt was just too fast. Despite Lucario's mental preparation, there was no time to use a move.
Shell Side Arm.
Second hit — Shell Side Arm came down on Lucario's arm, leaving it completely open.
"Close Combat!"
The moment Crawdaunt's claws finished their follow-up, Lu Ze's command was already ringing in its ears.
"Bam!"
Crawdaunt's fluid assault stuttered ever so slightly, but it still managed to unleash Close Combat — though its mastery clearly wasn't maxed out yet.
Even with that brief hitch in momentum, Crawdaunt's speed was still overwhelming. Lucario barely managed to shift its body an inch before Crawdaunt crashed into it head-on.
"Sub…stitute..."
It was only after Lucario was sent flying that Lu Zhengjie's command came out.
Too late.
After Crawdaunt's three-hit combo, Lucario was down for the count.
"T-That was way too fast."
Lu Zhengjie stared blankly at Lucario lying on the ground.
If Snorlax was the textbook example of positional warfare and counterattacking…
Then Crawdaunt had taken the concept of finishing fast to its absolute extreme.
From the coin landing to Lucario collapsing — barely five seconds had passed.
In just five seconds, Lu Zhengjie's pride and joy, his starter Pokémon, Lucario lay defeated on the ground.
Lu Ze watched Lu Zhengjie stand there in shock. "Go ahead and give Lucario some basic treatment."
"Oh — right."
Lu Ze's words snapped him back.
Lu Zhengjie hastily grabbed the healing spray and gave Lucario a quick once-over.
A moment later, Lucario stirred back to consciousness as its energy recovered somewhat.
But when it opened its eyes, its gaze toward Crawdaunt was filled with terror.
Now that it looked properly, Crawdaunt's dopey expression from before had vanished entirely.
The Crawdaunt before it now had the air of an aloof master. That vacant stare had been reframe as calm detachment.
"Want to keep going?"
Lu Ze crouched down and patted Crawdaunt's back. Once Crawdaunt waddled aside, he turned to Lu Zhengjie with a grin.
Lu Zhengjie glanced at Lucario.
"Koh!"
Lucario gave a firm nod, staring back at its trainer with resolve.
Lu Zhengjie grit his teeth, then rose and turned to Lu Ze.
"Let's go!"
Lu Ze smiled. "Alright, I'm sending out Sirfetch'd."
Lu Zhengjie looked at Sirfetch'd, then at Baloon standing nearby.
"Mine is Baloon. They should be around the same hatch age."
"Sounds good."
Lu Ze nodded. Sirfetch'd, expression cool as ever, rose and strode onto the field, leek shouldered, radiating delinquent-duck energy.
"Shing…"
Once Sirfetch'd took its position, Baloon glanced weakly back at Lu Zhengjie, eyes welling with tears. It let out a pitiful cry.
I'm so scared of that thing.
"You can do it. This isn't your first battle — don't be afraid. I believe in you."
"Shing!"
Bolstered by its trainer's encouragement, Baloon finally found its courage and stepped up to face Sirfetch'd.
"Shing!"
"Ya!"
The two Pokémon exchanged greetings.
Compared to Baloon's deference, Sirfetch'd was utterly formal.
When greeting, Sirfetch'd not only leveled its leek forward but also gave a slight bow.
Lu Ze shook his head with a helpless laugh. He'd noticed this ages ago — Sirfetch'd could be过分 serious sometimes. Every battle, it treated the whole thing like a formal duel.
"Ready to start."
Once Lu Ze confirmed both Pokémon were set, he tossed the coin skyward.
"Ding~"
The crisp ring was followed by the heavy thud of the coin landing.
"Sirfetch'd, Quick Attack, then Feint!"
"Sirfetch'd, Feint!"
Baloon's eyes sharpened. It threw a punch at Sirfetch'd with lightning speed.
Sirfetch'd didn't react in the slightest — still cool, still composed, still following Lu Ze's orders.
In an instant, the two clashed. But Sirfetch'd's Quick Attack was interrupted by Baloon's Feint.
Sirfetch'd took the punch dead-on without any reaction, still following Lu Ze's command, launching into Feint.
Its long, thick leek swept down from above, tracing a beautiful arc through the air.
"Clang~"
It cracked Baloon right on the forehead, dead center as Baloon tried to press its advantage.
Critical hit!
For a moment, space itself seemed to freeze.
A beat later, Baloon collapsed from beneath Sirfetch'd's leek, spinning in circles.
"Pffft."
Just like a coin hitting the ground, Baloon flopped onto its back.
Sirfetch'd's Feint had landed a critical hit and taken Baloon out in one shot.
"This…"
Lu Zhengjie felt his eye twitch. He was pretty sure he'd been rendered speechless more times today than this entire month combined.
"Heh heh, luck. Pure luck."
Lu Ze recovered quickly, scratching his head as he turned to Lu Zhengjie.
Who could've predicted Sirfetch'd landing a critical hit? But gotta admit — that felt pretty good.
———
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