Substitute!
No way! When did it do that!
Countless spectators, media, and online commentators couldn't believe their eyes.
A Pokémon can't just use a move whenever it wants; not only is it easy for the opponent's attacks to interrupt, there's also a certain interval between moves.
It's like how humans need oxygen, but in the process of taking in oxygen there's that step of exhaling.
Porygon II had already locked on Hundred Thousand Volts to clash with Archeops's Acrobatics—when did it ever get the chance to use Substitute and make the Substitute eat Archeops's attack?
It makes no sense!
Unless it used Substitute even earlier—but when would that opportunity have appeared?
Many people's faces were filled with confusion, yet the shouts of the pure popcorn-eating crowd were especially loud; they didn't care about the specific logic and circumstances of the battle. As long as the visuals were shocking and awesome enough, that was all that mattered.
Xiaoguang asked, "Could it be that this kind of Artificial Pokémon like Porygon II has some special trait?"
Xiaogang pondered for quite a while, then shook his head. "Maybe, but as far as I know, at this stage only Baimu owns this kind of Pokémon. No one knows how many secrets are still hidden inside it."
Mann Chong and Liuqia neither agreed nor disagreed.
On the field.
The wind and sand died down.
Alice was not very pleased.
Even though Archeops was just the first Pokémon to lose the ability to battle, the mental pressure it brought her was on par with directly entering the mid-match break.
Clearly, Archeops's performance had been excellent, and Acrobatics triggered by the Flying Gemstone delivered exactly the power she had envisioned.
Yet it still hadn't managed to take down Porygon II.
Far too frustrating!
But that's Porygon II's strength for you—the strength of this mysterious Artificial Pokémon…
She took a few deep breaths, forced down the surging emotions in her heart, recalled Archeops into its ball, and said softly, "Thank you, Archeops."
The outcome of that round was decided.
Instead of dwelling on it, better to push forward even harder!
She refused to believe she couldn't figure out what was going on with that Substitute!
She hurled out a new Pokeball and shouted, "I'm counting on you! Dragonite!"
Bang!
A flash of white light.
Dragonite, brows tightly furrowed and known by the nickname Little Overlord, landed on the field and, in the very first second it saw Baimu, let out a ferocious, ear-splitting roar.
"Rooaaar!!"
It hadn't forgotten how it had been defeated by Hydreigon back then.
Today it was going to take it all back in one go!
The commentator said, "Contestant Alice's third Pokémon is Dragonite! With the Sandstorm Weather having just stopped, what kind of tactics will she employ?"
Baimu was completely unaffected by the roar; he merely felt that Alice really couldn't hold herself back anymore.
The consecutive failures of Garchomp and Archeops had made her gradually grow impatient. Her sixth sense was being clouded by her emotions.
Dragonite was indeed one of her three strongest trump cards, but in the current situation, it might not be the best choice…
Of course.
She didn't have many Pokémon on her team with Flying Ability. Porygon II's Electromagnetic Levitation coupled with its long-range output forced her hand into choosing Dragonite.
If only Excadrill could Levitate, she wouldn't be this passive.
And this state of affairs was exactly what Baimu had deliberately engineered; it was extremely favorable for the tactics he planned to use next.
"Dragon Dance!"
Alice gave a stern order, completely casting aside the previous loss.
As a wild girl who had grown up roaming the forest with Wild Pokémon, her ability to withstand pressure was far above that of ordinary people.
So even though she'd been knocked out by Drilbur countless times, she still kept challenging it tirelessly, until by a twist of fate she managed to defeat it and they became close partners.
The few times she'd truly broken down in those early years were either when Excadrill curled up, shut itself off and refused to communicate, or when Dragonite went on a rampage, ignored her commands, and started rampaging everywhere.
This shows that Alice isn't afraid of losing; what she fears is not being able to reignite her fighting spirit.
"Roar!"
Little Overlord Dragonite beat its wings and shot straight into the sky, crimson and azure energies dancing around it, finally blending into an orange current of energy that raised its overall state.
Porygon II wasn't idle either; under Baimu's command, its eyes lit up with prismatic light a moment earlier.
"Magic Space."
Four blue light waves rose up from the edges of the field, connecting to form a cuboid shape, like a gigantic glass greenhouse.
In the end, the space was opened.
Even though Alice had been guarding against it again and again, the initiative was in Baimu's hands; she ultimately had no way to stop it.
Dragonite had just finished using Dragon Dance, and seeing this, it couldn't help but glance around.
At the moment, With the Wind was still in effect on the field.
Dragonite's speed far surpassed Porygon II's, and With the Wind plus Dragon Dance as two speed-boosting Techniques made Dragonite's mobility increase a foregone conclusion.
However.
No matter how strong Magic Space is, it's not omnipotent!
Alice's right fist clenched tight. Her main purpose in using Dragon Dance was actually to increase ATK—she planned to take down Porygon II with even more ferocious offense, to avoid another situation like Archeops's.
Suddenly.
Porygon II dropped rapidly from the sky.
The faint strands of Electric Light that had previously coiled around its feet dissipated.
Electromagnetic Levitation's duration ended?
The unexpected situation startled her, then delighted her. She hurriedly ordered, "Dragon—"
Whoosh!
Recall-red light shot through the air, enveloped Porygon II, then flew back into the Pokeball in Baimu's hand. Deprived of its target, Dragonite's movement stalled; it hovered in mid-air, wings beating.
The commentator exclaimed, "Contestant Baimu suddenly recalled Porygon II! Which Pokémon will he send out as a replacement?"
The Pokeball was thrown.
Bang!
"Haa-lo!"
The Giant Steelix, towering like a mountain peak, entered the field. Its roar rang like a metallic cavity's hum, and its ridiculously massive size drew a chorus of excited shouts.