Chapter 288: The Shining Child Of Weather!
Nurturing a Pokémon to Elite Late Stage in four years, this talent is actually pretty good, after all, paying players can’t beat cheaters.
Lu Li, with the corners of his mouth slightly upturned, said happily: “Then I’m really looking forward to the afternoon battle.”
After chatting about matters between the two of them, Long Ying probed nonchalantly: “But speaking of which, did you do something to Li Ning?”
Lu Li shook his head in confusion, his face full of bewilderment.
“What’s wrong? Did something happen to her?” Lu Li asked with concern.
This wasn’t because she cared much about Li Ning, but because she was afraid of getting pinned with a baseless accusation.
“Li Ning withdrew from school directly after the match, without even giving a reason.” Long Ying explained.
Lu Li nodded thoughtfully, then replied: “Is that so? Maybe it’s because I disappointed her.”
Li Ning was clearly after the Rainbow Hero, and after confirming he wasn’t the Rainbow Hero, she withdrew without hesitation.
This logic was perfectly normal.
After all, for Secret Realm Remnants, the real world is the Lower Realm, and few remnants are willing to stay in the real world.
“Then this is actually a good thing.” Long Ying said with a smile.
Having one less fierce rival was indeed a good thing for her.
After finishing lunch, Lu Li didn’t go to the library, but watched the matches from the audience seats.
Time passed slowly, and soon it was the final finals, and as expected, the final was between him and Long Ying.
“I’m getting excited, Lu Li.” Long Ying looked at Lu Li excitedly, as if she had taken some drug.
Lu Li grinned and released Tropius: “I’m pretty looking forward to it too.”
So with both Pokémon entering the field, the referee nearby announced that the match officially began.
“It’s going to rain.” Before Long Ying finished speaking, Dragonair’s Dragon Pearl suddenly lit up, the clouds in the dome swirling like a vortex, and heavy rain pouring down in the blink of an eye.
Weather Skill Rain Dance.
In theory, the higher a Pokémon’s proficiency with Rain Dance, the heavier the rain, even turning into terrifying heavy rain.
Dragonair’s Rain Dance had reached this degree.
The heavy rain poured down relentlessly, coldly striking Tropius’s body, and even Tropius’s own flight speed was suppressed quite a bit by the heavy rain.
Lu Li wiped away the rainwater obscuring his vision, Tropius’s broad leaves rustling loudly in the gale.
“Starting off so big?” Lu Li joked with a smile, then asked Tropius: “Can you seize control of the weather?”
Tropius shook its head and replied through the bond link: “Big Sister could probably do it, but I can’t.”
Hearing this, Lu Li didn’t push it, since Tropius wasn’t good at weather skills anyway.
“Hydro Pump.” Long Ying’s voice pierced through the rain curtain.
The water-type ultimate move, which should have been a straight-line blast, turned into shocking waves under the boost of the heavy rain.
Tropius, which had just taken off, was caught in a ten-meter-high wall of water before it could climb higher.
The drenched Tropius was nearly slammed into the ground.
“This is Hydro Pump?” Lu Li almost shouted.
This was absolutely the Dragon Family’s secret technique, but Long Ying, playing the little girl in front of him, was just using tactics.
“Leech Seed Machine Gun!” Lu Li’s command exploded amid the rain.
Countless green projectiles pierced through the water curtain, but just as they were about to hit Dragonair, the green Leech Seeds suddenly frosted over, condensing into ice crystals and freezing.
Unnoticed, the heavy rain had turned to hail, and Long Ying’s Dragonair had completed the weather switch in a breath.
The frozen Leech Seeds fell onto Dragonair, but didn’t cause it much damage.
“Hahahaha!”
Long Ying’s wild laughter rang out: “Lu Li! This is our Dragon Family’s ultimate secret technique, changing the weather in an instant! Now your Leech Seed tactic is restricted, so how will you cope?”
At the same time, gasps rose from the audience seats. In the close-up on the floating screen, Dragonair’s forehead Dragon Pearl swirled with triple halos: inner layer of unrelenting heavy rain, middle layer of encircling ice crystals, outer layer with faint lightning flashes. This was the innate talent of the Child of Weather, triple-layered weather states!
Lu Li finally remembered Dragonair’s other name—Child of Weather!
“Is this the Dragon Family’s weather secret technique? Truly impressive.” Li Ning sighed softly.
Hearing the noise nearby, Peng Kaka turned his head in confusion and asked Li Ning: “Didn’t you leave?”
“If I left, I wouldn’t get to see such an exciting match.” Li Ning replied casually.
Peng Kaka nodded and said: “The Dragon Family’s strongest is still the Twin Dragon Battle Method. The weather secret technique Dragonair is using is just part of the Twin Dragon Battle Method.”
“I’ve heard of this. They say the Dragon Family’s Twin Dragon Battle Method can achieve a 1+1=10 effect.” Li Ning replied with a smile.
The Dragon Family’s Twin Dragon Battle Method was famous worldwide.
Li Ning sincerely remarked: “The triple weather secret technique can already cover all attribute disadvantages. No wonder the Twin Dragon Battle Method can take on ten with two.”
Peng Kaka didn’t refute. If there really was a list of the strongest secret techniques in the world, the Dragon Family’s weather secret technique would definitely make it.
“Blizzard.” Long Ying’s wild laughter abruptly stopped, her command sharp as a knife.
The hail turned into a million ice blades amid the dragon roar, and frost instantly coated Tropius’s wings.
Another of Tropius’s advantages was nullified!
A Tropius that couldn’t take off was just a living target.
“Is it going to backfire?” A bad premonition flashed in Lu Li’s mind.
To be fair, the Dragon Family’s weather secret technique was indeed stunningly brilliant, even making Lu Li, a cultivator, sigh in admiration.
“Photosynthesis!” Lu Li could only switch to defense, Tropius’s damaged leaf wings regenerating at a visible speed.
“Reduced to using recovery skills to tough it out? This just proves your Tropius is at the end of its rope.” Long Ying looked at Tropius excitedly.
Finally… she could finally defeat Lu Li!
Long Ying shouted excitedly in her heart.
“Dragonair! Give it the final blow.” Long Ying, now confident of victory, shouted.
Lei Yun descended during the third weather switch, Dragonair soaring against the lightning, golden electric light flowing along its slender body, like the Dragon God wielding heavenly punishment from myth.
Thunderbolt, Thunderbolt, Waterfall Climb…
Lu Li didn’t know how many skills Dragonair had fused in that instant, but he knew if Tropius took this hit, it would be crippled if not killed.
“Now!” Lu Li suddenly shouted.
Tropius, seemingly on its last breath, abruptly spread its four leaf wings, vines on its back shell growing wildly at some point—the Leech Seeds that had quietly sprouted in the heavy rain were now spreading along Dragonair’s lightning veins!
Long Ying, who had been thrilled, saw this and her pupils contracted sharply.
So the previous Leech Seeds were a feint; the real killing move was the second wave hidden in Photosynthesis, and Tropius had used itself as a culture medium to make the parasitic vines grow at super speed in the thunderstorm.
Endless vines continuously wrapped around Dragonair, which writhed in pain, trying futilely to break free from the vines’ restraints.
But the emerald vines bloomed beneath its crystalline scales, every tendril sucking Dragonair’s life energy.
The HP bar on the big screen began to flicker oddly—Tropius’s remaining life energy dropping at a visible speed.
“Impossible! How could this happen!” Long Ying’s fingertips dug into her palm, her face full of disbelief.
She had been just one step from victory, having held every advantage before.
Why did the reversal come so suddenly, so inexplicably.
After disbelief, Long Ying laughed lightly in relief, then smiled bitterly and mocked herself: “This time it was a tactical crushing.”
In the first battle with Lu Li, he crushed with absolute physical fitness.
In the second battle with Lu Li, he crushed with Pokémon’s numerical values.
And this third time, he won with tactical crushing.
Three battles, three different ways of winning, the gap between them now crystal clear.
In this battle, Long Ying’s arrogance vanished completely.
“Is someone like me really worthy of him? Besides my family background, what advantages do I have?” Long Ying began to doubt herself.
“Congratulations to player Lu Li for winning!”
“The champion of this Freshman Competition is—Lu Li!”
The referee announced excitedly nearby.
The dejected Long Ying silently recalled Dragonair.
Clutching the Poké Ball, Long Ying whispered bitterly: “Dragonair, you did great. This time it was me who held you back.”
Wen Gongmao, who had been watching the match, let out a heavy sigh, then chuckled lightly: “That scared me. I thought the kid was going to flip the car.”
Dragon Throne, watching the match via video call, sighed lightly: “Truly, heroes emerge from the youth.”
“Old Dragon, since you’ve given the Dragon Island spot, be generous and don’t hide all the good stuff.” Wen Gongmao teased with a smile.
“Our Dragon Family isn’t so petty.” Dragon Throne, looking displeased, hung up the call.
Dragon Throne didn’t take his granddaughter’s crushing defeat to heart.
After all, his daughter would eventually marry out, and if she was a bit weaker, so be it. The Dragon Family never expected Long Ying to become a master-level trainer.
After the match ended, it was time for the awards.
This predetermined reward was simple to hand out—just receive it on the podium and take a photo.
What Lu Li cared about most was the Dragon Island spot, but there was a little accident.
In the Principal’s Office.
“You’re saying I can only enter Dragon Island in half a year?” Lu Li asked incredulously.
Wen Gongmao nodded, then explained: “Dragon Island only opens every half year. The last time was September 9th, right around the start of school.”
Lu Li: “…”
“Why couldn’t this Freshman Competition be earlier?” Lu Li couldn’t help complaining.
It perfectly missed the time, truly speechless.
Wen Gongmao smiled and comforted: “Don’t worry, the spot is yours and won’t be lost.”
Lu Li nodded glumly, having no choice but to accept this fact.
He had clearly won the championship and gotten the reward, but still felt uncomfortable all over. Lu Li felt like he had been tricked.
The next Dragon Island Secret Realm opening would be half a year later… half a year later, he would already have a divine beast by then.
Back at the villa, Lu Li gave Starry Sprite a good rub.
The nurturing direction for Starry Sprite had always been a big problem. It carried divine beast genes, making its qualification the strongest among all Lu Li’s Pokémon.
This was also why Lu Li was troubled—Starry Sprite was too excellent, and he simply had no nurturing direction for it.
（ps: Does any big shot know how to nurture Starry Sprite? Psychic Power plus Dark Attribute Eevee, seeking all kinds of opinions and suggestions online.）
But fortunately, Starry Sprite was currently in a rapid strength improvement phase and didn’t need nurturing in other aspects at all.
During the day, Ekaterina wasn’t at the villa but cultivating deep in the Qingyun Mountain Range.
The Secret Realm Entrance in the Qingyun Mountain Range was now an ideal training ground for Ice Type trainers.
After checking the Melmetal in the basement and confirming they were still normal, Lu Li went to the backyard to train with Milotic.
Milotic was just one step away from Gym Level, and Lu Li wanted to spend more time with her during this period to help her break through sooner.
Time passed slowly, and a month flew by in the blink of an eye.
Today was the day Ekaterina left. As the Empress of the Extreme Ice Empire, a month off was her limit.
After seeing Ekaterina off at the airport, Lu Li returned to the villa alone.
Riding on Tropius’s back, Lu Li spread his arms, closed his eyes, and enjoyed the feeling of the wind flowing past his fingertips.
“Boom!”
A crescent-shaped arc blade suddenly struck Tropius’s wing precisely, nearly knocking the flying Tropius out of the sky.
This sudden change instantly shattered Lu Li’s leisure, and he entered battle mode in a second, spiritual sense fully activated.
Several youths in black cloaks were glaring menacingly at Lu Li.
Two trainers riding Bidoof blocked his path and retreat, while on the ground was a Nidoking trainer.
The previous attack had come from Nidoking.
The Bidoof trainer in front threatened: “I advise you to land obediently, if you don’t want to splatter like a meat pie.”
Hearing this, Lu Li sneered back: “Elite Level strength? Who gave you the courage to block me?”
Hearing this, the Bidoof trainer behind was unhappy—he hated most when people looked down on his strength.
“Brat, you’re pretty arrogant!”
“Bidoof, teach him a lesson! Use Tackle!”
The rear Bidoof trainer directly commanded his Pokémon to attack.
“Tropius, land! Then spread-type Leech Seed!” Lu Li countered coldly.
Tropius instantly folded its wings and dove, while at the same time firing Leech Seeds in all directions like a celestial maiden scattering flowers.
Only a Tropius that ate pills daily could play like this; a normal Tropius’s attribute energy definitely couldn’t support such consumption.
Both Bidoof trainers laughed in anger: “Good! You dare counterattack?”
“Bidoof! Wing Attack! Teach this brat a lesson.” Both Bidoof trainers shouted at once.
“Tropius! Use Body Slam on the Nidoking on the ground.” After saying this, Lu Li activated a Teleportation Talisman and left Tropius’s back.
What followed was “meteor crashing into Earth”; if he stayed on Tropius’s back without cushioning, he might really get hurt.
The wing attacks from behind followed closely, but Tropius ignored them and charged at the Nidoking on the ground.
Back on the ground, Lu Li quickly released Milotic.
Lu Li commanded: “Milotic! Captivate.”
