The goal of capturing all the excellent trainers in one net was truly a monumental one. However, looking at the scene in the arena, San Lang remained hidden in the darkness, and the experimental subjects, piled up, could be replenished as they were defeated. If one truly wanted to employ a tactic of overwhelming numbers, it wasn't impossible.
"If you have the guts, come out! See how I'll deal with you!"
Some of the more hot-tempered trainers directly cursed at San Lang. As soon as they finished shouting, before they could even close their mouths, a blob of an experimental subject stuffed it shut.
A foul stench flowed from his mouth all the way to his stomach, irritating his windpipe and other organs, directly forcing him to his knees, frantically clawing at his throat.
"See, this is why you shouldn't curse. If you want to see me, ask nicely. The victor doesn't mind fulfilling a small wish for the loser, does he?"
Though he said this, San Lang still deactivated his invisibility. A man about 1.75 meters tall, slightly overweight, then stood on the podium. He reached out and took the microphone that Maranchi had been using. "See, I'm right here. But what of it? You can't even take care of yourselves, what can you do to me?"
Saying this, San Lang waved his hand towards the sky, and another swarm of experimental subjects was spewed out from above. "See, I told you you couldn't handle it."
Seeing that the experimental subjects he had to deal with were increasing, some intelligent students perceived the truth of the matter. "Was it you last night too?"
Hearing a student ask this, San Lang chuckled. "There are still smart people. I was also there in the dream last night, but today is different from the dream..."
With that, the students understood clearly. Last night, they had no idea how they had won; these chaotic things had simply disappeared in a daze. But it seemed today wouldn't be like that.
San Lang continued to talk about the events of the dream last night. "Today, that scoundrel Xia Huanao won't come to cause trouble. With just you lot, you won't be able to stir up much of a fuss."
Mentioning Xia Huanao, Shen Yu and Chu Xiaodie both froze. Did they really summon Xia Huanao last night? Was this dream that effective?
Seeing that he had gained an absolute advantage, San Lang snapped his fingers, and all the experimental subjects stopped fighting. "Let's chat. You can use this time to let your Pokémon rest. I think this proposal is quite reasonable."
Seeing that San Lang had stopped his attack, the trainers also recalled their Pokémon. San Lang was right; if there was an opportunity for a collective rest, they should seize it.
San Lang glanced at his watch as he chatted casually with the trainers. "So, back then, they insisted on killing Xia Huanao, and I was against it. Without him, executing this plan is just meaningless."
As he spoke, he looked towards Shen Yu. "Xia Huanao is your ex-boyfriend, isn't he? You can try to summon him, just like you did in the dream last night. Maybe you can even turn the tables."
Shen Yu clenched her fists. Using Xia Huanao to provoke her was a surefire way to hit her weakness. At this moment, Shen Yu's mind was suddenly filled with auditory hallucinations. Xia Huanao's voice echoed around her like a demonic mantra, "Since he said so, why not give it a try?"
Instigated by this mysterious voice, Shen Yu clasped her hands together. "Xia Xia, come save me!"
Shen Yu truly attempted to summon Xia Huanao, just as San Lang had suggested. San Lang blinked. He hadn't expected Shen Yu to actually do such a thing.
And after Shen Yu shouted, someone clapped their hands. "Alright, the atmosphere should be sufficiently built up now. If it continues, something might happen. But speaking of which, I didn't expect anyone other than my wife to be thinking about me all day long."
The voice was clear and resonant, seemingly coming from the loudspeaker. Upon hearing this, Shen Yu and the others found it hard to believe. Could it be that Xia Huanao was still alive? San Lang was somewhat dazed. He was the only one in the entire venue whose microphone was connected to the sound system. What was this voice? No Pokémon should have this effect.
At that moment, San Lang felt a pat on his shoulder. He turned his head and saw a face peeking at him from behind, smiling and saying, "You were just saying it's meaningless without me, and now that I'm here, you look like you've seen a ghost."
San Lang retreated several steps. "You, you, you..."
"Whether I'm a human or a ghost is hard to say, but as a lifeform that has died several times, I advise you not to bother with such questions. Just enjoy yourself."
After saying this, Xia Huanao, with a backpack slung over his shoulder, walked off the podium and straight to Shen Yu's side, draping a raincoat over her. He also draped one over Chu Xiaodie before turning back to San Lang. "Takeda San Lang, your father's surname is Takeda, your mother's surname is Takeda, and you're the third child. What went wrong for you to end up with a Japanese name?"
Takeda San Lang, his secret revealed by Xia Huanao's single sentence, was so startled that he stumbled back several steps. He patted his shoulder, and in a flicker of light and shadow, he disappeared again. Then, those massive pipes reappeared in the sky above the stadium and began to spray water.
Xia Huanao reacted quickly, raising an umbrella over his head to shield himself. The two girls, now wearing raincoats, had no problem. As for the other trainers, they had to fend for themselves.
High-level trainers like Tong Ruo and Zheng Xiaoxiao directly used their Pokémon's abilities to shield themselves from the wind and rain. Trainers like Gongsun Du could also dodge and weave with their Pokémon's cooperation. Amidst this display of unique skills, only those who were too slow to react or whose Pokémon had lost their battle capabilities were thoroughly soaked.
Takeda San Lang, still invisible, looked at the pipes in the sky with confusion. They were supposed to be deploying more experimental subjects, so why were they suddenly spraying water? Even if all the experimental subjects had been deployed, this shouldn't have happened.
Xia Huanao, seeing the sudden "small flood" end, put away his umbrella. "Alright, your show is over."
"Is that so? Even without any more experimental subjects, it's more than enough to deal with you. Experimental subjects, attack!"
Following Takeda San Lang's command, nothing happened...
The experimental subjects writhed on the ground like piles of mud but made no move to attack the crowd. Xia Huanao smacked his lips. "So, can't you use your brain a little? The fact that you stopped deploying experimental subjects just proves we've taken control of the deployment system. In that case, why spray water? It's to administer medicine."
With that, Xia Huanao rallied the trainers present. "Come on, everyone, get them back! Settle old scores and present grievances!"
This clearly indicated that this was now a cakewalk, a match that could be won with ease. The trainers, along with their Pokémon, vented their frustrations. In an instant, thunder, surf, and solar beam erupted throughout the venue, and the experimental subjects were quickly cleared out.
Xia Huanao, however, showed no inclination to join the trainers in beating the defeated. He merely wandered around the arena with his six Pokémon, like a mob boss leading his gang. The security team, at this point, was not cooperating with the trainers' counterattack. With the situation firmly in hand, their task was to apprehend Takeda San Lang. But Takeda San Lang had vanished, so they pinned all their hopes on Xia Huanao, who was casually strolling around the field.
Every step Xia Huanao took in the middle of the arena landed on Takeda San Lang's heart, keeping him in a state of extreme anxiety. "What is this kid up to? Why is he always walking towards me?"
Takeda San Lang incredulously moved to the side. Xia Huanao's steps paused for a moment, then he turned and continued to walk towards Takeda San Lang, saying as he walked, "Stop struggling. I've figured out your invisibility effect. That cloak you're wearing is made from the skin of a Smeargle, right? To be precise, you must have skinned quite a few Smeargles, otherwise, how could you make two or three cloaks for invisibility?"
Xia Huanao pressed forward. Takeda San Lang retreated, bewildered. It wasn't strange that Xia Huanao could tell how his cloak was made, but being able to see through Smeargle's invisibility was incomprehensible.
Xia Huanao continued to walk forward. "Is it hard to understand? Then let me show you."
Saying this, Xia Huanao also patted his shoulder. Then, just like Takeda San Lang, Xia Huanao also disappeared from everyone's sight.
"By imitating the skin of a Smeargle, I got this invisibility cloak. It would be a waste not to study it."
Seeing Xia Huanao also disappear, Takeda San Lang became increasingly flustered. At first, Xia Huanao was visible and he was the one who was invisible. He could still stall for time. Now, he was visible and the opponent was invisible. How could he play this game?
Glancing around, Takeda San Lang saw the trainers, who had finished their battles, gathering together. He suddenly thought of a plan. If he could take Shen Yu hostage, he could leverage her to control Xia Huanao.
This was a rather good idea, but the fool had overlooked one problem: Shen Yu's current strength was not something that could be easily controlled.
As Takeda San Lang rushed towards Shen Yu, Shen Yu suddenly had an epiphany and looked up. "Inferno Blaziken, Magic Flame, Air Slash, multi-attribute attack!"
Magic Flame and Air Slash, one fire and one lightning, shot towards the direction Shen Yu pointed with her finger. They then collided with the invisible Takeda San Lang. Paralyzed and burned, Takeda San Lang was disoriented and rolled on the ground twice before exiting his invisibility.
Xia Huanao walked over with a sigh. "Why bother? Wouldn't it be better to surrender? You just had to take that hit."
He gestured for the security personnel to deal with Takeda San Lang and then greeted everyone. "Yo, hello everyone. It's been a while."