The noisy venue fell into an eerie silence, followed by a burst of dissatisfied cursing.
"Useless! Money-loser!"
"Damn it, I bet three thousand league coins, and it's just gone?"
Ariel stood in the shadows, his gaze slowly sweeping over those angry, greedy, and distorted faces.
He didn't recall Malamar. Instead, he tilted his head slightly, his voice not loud but laced with undisguised contempt:
"Just this level? Can you arrange some who can actually fight?"
These words were like a spark falling into a barrel of oil, instantly igniting the emotions of the entire colosseum.
"Arrogant brat!"
"Cold Blade, is it? Don't think you're invincible just because you beat a piece of trash!"
High up in the stands, a man dressed in a black suit who looked like a butler frowned and whispered a few words into his earpiece.
A moment later, the gate on the other side of the iron cage slowly rose.
Heavy footsteps approached, each step making the ground tremble slightly.
"Roar—"
A massive Emboar walked out.
Scorching flames erupted from its neck, and its thick nostrils snorted out two plumes of white smoke.
Behind it followed a grim-faced middle-aged man, a professional thug specifically hired by the casino to handle the arena.
"Brat, if you're too arrogant here, your life will be very short," the middle-aged man spoke coldly.
Ariel didn't waste words:
"Third match."
The battle erupted instantly.
Emboar's speed wasn't fast, but its power was terrifying. With every step it took, the sandy ground beneath its feet was scorched black by the high temperature.
Flamethrower!
A pillar of fire as thick as a bucket roared past, the air distorted beyond recognition by the heat.
Malamar flipped nimbly in the air, using Psychic to interfere with the airflow, narrowly avoiding the tongues of flame.
Flame Charge!
Using the move Flame Charge allows speed to increase by one stage!
Emboar's entire body was enveloped in flames, like an out-of-control heavy tank, charging madly at Malamar.
Its target wasn't just the Pokémon; the aftershock of that collision even rushed toward Ariel's position.
Ariel didn't move a step, the gaze behind his mask showing no fluctuation.
Contrary.
The light on Malamar's head flashed again.
The originally imposing Emboar, which was supposed to be increasing its speed, suddenly paused weirdly.
It felt that the power within its body, instead of being strengthened by the move, had become sluggish and heavy.
Dark Pulse, continuous attack.
Malamar seized the opportunity, its tentacles waving repeatedly.
One black wave after another accurately struck Emboar's thick back.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions rang out one after another. Emboar let out a painful roar, its massive body's momentum forced to a halt.
It tried to counterattack, but Malamar used its Psychic-type anticipation to always stay in its blind spots.
This was a patient game of chess.
Finally, after enduring several impacts from Dark Pulse, the mountain-like beast collapsed with a crash, the resulting dust filling half the field.
Ariel's breathing remained steady, as if he had just casually dealt with a Raticate.
Fourth match.
The opponent was replaced by a Scizor.
It was the embodiment of speed and slaughter.
Its crimson metal shell shimmered with a cold luster under the lights, and its massive pincers made a crisp metallic clinking sound as they opened and closed.
Bullet Punch!
Scizor's figure vanished from its spot.
Too fast.
Malamar released a Substitute almost instantly, but the all-red killer had already appeared on its flank.
Bang!
The Substitute doll cracked and shattered.
Malamar quickly pulled away, its tentacles dancing desperately in the air.
Continuous Bullet Punch!
The opposing Trainer was clearly an expert, issuing commands with extreme decisiveness.
Scizor turned into a streak of red lightning, darting madly back and forth across the field.
Every impact left scars of varying depths on Malamar's body.
The gamblers grew excited again, eager to see this arrogant Newcomer torn to pieces.
Ariel's pupils contracted slightly, his brain rapidly calculating Scizor's movement trajectory.
Psybeam, cover the entire field.
Enduring the sharp pain, Malamar's head organs erupted with brilliant and chaotic light.
The beams shot out haphazardly in all directions, hitting the iron mesh and reflecting into countless hallucinatory afterimages.
Scizor's speed was too fast; such beams would normally be difficult to hit it.
But what Ariel wanted wasn't a hit, but interference.
Amidst the chaotic light and shadows, the information captured by Scizor's compound eyes instantly overloaded.
Its high-speed moving body experienced a momentary lag.
"Grab it."
Malamar's tentacles were like venomous snakes that had been lying in wait; the moment Scizor paused, they tightly coiled around its waist.
Dark Pulse, point-blank range.
Ariel's voice carried a hint of ruthlessness.
Black energy gathered madly between Malamar's tentacles, then exploded violently against Scizor's abdomen.
Boom—!
Scizor let out a piercing shriek, its metal shell cracking in the violent explosion, and its body flew out like a kite with a broken string.
Fourth victory.
Ariel stood in the center of the field, the tips of Malamar's tentacles still stained with Scizor's blood.
He looked up at the shadows on the second floor, his tone still flat:
"Are there any more?"
The entire venue was dead silent.
Four consecutive wins, and the opponents were getting stronger and stronger. This man wearing the tengu mask was like a combat machine without emotions.
"The final match."
A low voice came from the stands on the second floor.
A massive figure slowly moved out from the shadows.
Snorlax.
With every step it took, the entire underground space seemed to tremble.
This Snorlax was even a size larger than normal members of its species, the skin on its belly as rough as old tree bark, and its squinted eyes held a heart-chilling indifference.
This was one of the casino's trump cards.
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