The biggest news of the day in the Minglong Kingdom was that student Yi Mengbi was back in the hospital for the second time. No one had anticipated that the reigning star, the popular young idol of the Minglong Kingdom, would be hospitalized twice in the span of a single month, and both times due to Xia Henao. Was this a testament to student Yi Mengbi's poor physical condition, or was it the unparalleled ability of Xia Henao and his teammates to provoke people?
After a professional medical examination, the doctors concluded that Yi Mengbi's poor health was indeed due to excessive indulgence, compounded by a series of complications. It was entirely normal for him to experience a severe reaction after being provoked by a few words from Xia Henao and Yu Longdu. It could only be said that he was lucky to have survived.
Meanwhile, Xia Henao, with no competition in the morning, sat on a chair, blankly watching the ongoing matches in the arena. Shen Yu stood by and asked Zheng Xiaoxiao, "Sister Xiaoxiao, I feel like Xia Xia's condition seems to be improving."
Yu Longdu took a pastry from his pocket and dangled it in front of Xia Henao's eyes. "Old Xia, look, this is your favorite pastry. Do you want a bite?"
Seeing that Xia Henao showed no reaction, Yu Longdu turned around. "As you can see, there's no response at all."
Yu Linglong pinched Yu Longdu's ear and pulled him aside, handing him over to Yu Rui. "Xiao Rui, keep holding onto his ear like this so he doesn't cause trouble. Honestly, what is he playing at?"
After speaking, Yu Linglong turned back. "So, Xiao Yu, what's your reason for saying his condition has improved?"
Shen Yu held Xia Henao's hand. "Whenever I hold his hand, I feel a sense of peace. Before, when I held his hand, my heart was very restless. While this might sound incredible, I'm willing to believe in this possibility."
The group continued to watch the matches in the arena as they chatted. Shen Yu and Zhang Hong had both successfully fallen within Xia Henao's calculations and did not enter the second stage of the elimination rounds. Meanwhile, Yu Longdu had also successfully defeated Yu Tingyun in their last match, personally blocking his sister from advancing to the second stage.
The morning matches concluded quickly. In the afternoon, Xia Henao would face his first opponent in the elimination rounds.
Shen Yu pushed Xia Henao's wheelchair onto the arena. Looking at his opponent, a young man named Miao Longque, Xia Henao reached into his bag and pulled out a Poké Ball, throwing it out. Although Shen Yu wished she could change Xia Henao's highly random battle choices, after various attempts, Xia Henao remained resolute, clutching the bag and selecting Pokémon for battle from it.
However, judging solely from the first match of the second stage, Xia Henao's luck was quite good; at least, he had chosen Greninja, who had a type advantage against his opponent.
Greninja appeared for the second consecutive time that day. The opponent was well aware that Greninja was Xia Henao's trump card and treated it with extreme caution.
"Sandygast, be careful of the opponent's attacks."
Xia Henao remained silent, simply sitting. His posture was remarkably obedient, his legs together with his knees slightly to the right, and his hands resting by his waist, giving him the air of a noble young lady from ancient times. If not for the sword strapped to his side, it would have been perfectly fitting.
As for why Xia Henao had a sword strapped to his waist, it was during the lunch break. Shen Yu was feeding Xia Henao when Greninja, after finishing its lunch, went to find Gongsun Xue, who had also been watching the matches in the morning. Gongsun Xue was aware of Xia Henao's current unusual state but couldn't fathom why Greninja would seek her out at that moment.
It was only after Greninja's gestures that Gongsun Xue understood that Greninja wanted a sword. Without a second thought, Gongsun Xue sent Gongsun Yu back to retrieve one.
Gongsun Yu's morning match had already concluded, and after his sister's request, he reluctantly left the arena to fetch a sword. Upon receiving the sword, Greninja returned and hung it on Xia Henao's waist.
Shen Yu was very displeased with the act of strapping a sword to Xia Henao's waist. Regardless, in his current state, playing with a sword could very well lead to his own demise. However, Xia Henao stubbornly refused to let go of the sword hilt at his waist, leaving Shen Yu with no choice but to let him have his way.
Returning to the match, Sandygast, a Ghost/Ground-type Pokémon, put Greninja at a significant disadvantage. Furthermore, its ability, Water Absorb, was not conducive to Greninja's situation. If Sandygast hadn't immediately initiated a sandstorm upon entering the field, it might have been defeated by Greninja in a few turns.
However, sandstorms also had a time limit. Greninja, using Double Team in conjunction with Water Shuriken, continuously bombarded Sandygast within the sandstorm. Although direct hits were difficult, it was still possible to slowly deduce Sandygast's precise location.
"Sandygast, use Sand Attack!"
Sandygast lunged forward, and the massive sandstorm surged directly towards Greninja.
"Using Sand Attack to redirect the sandstorm? This player is not simple. Their control over the sandstorm is truly exceptional."
Yu Longdu was puzzled. "What do you mean?"
"The Sand Attack move itself relies on kicking up sand to damage opponents. The sandstorm earlier was not very wide-ranging, completely engulfing Sandygast's vicinity. And once the sandstorm formed, it's difficult for ordinary Pokémon to alter its state on their own. The ability to make the sandstorm move a second time is truly remarkable."
Hearing Zheng Xiaoxiao's explanation, everyone nodded. Zhang Hong, however, asked, "But didn't the sandstorms we encountered sweep in gradually?"
"A Pokémon's strength is limited, making it difficult to achieve the same effects as nature."
While Zheng Xiaoxiao was explaining Sandygast's sandstorm to everyone, on the field, Greninja had managed to dodge the sandstorm's edge through its agile movements.
While this technique of miniaturizing the sandstorm could increase variability on the field, its drawback was that it was too small. Although Sandygast was heavy, its overall size was not particularly imposing, making it unable to block the path on the field.
Because of this, the sandstorm that initially covered Sandygast could only block half of Greninja's escape routes, allowing Greninja to easily maneuver around it.
After the sandstorm swept past Greninja, it dissipated, as there was no further reason for its existence in this context. However, Miao Longque did not stop there. He commanded Sandygast to create a second sandstorm, this time directly targeting Xia Henao.
This was inspired by the previous match against Yi Mengbi. Those in the same group as Xia Henao had tacitly agreed that in battles against Xia Henao, external factors were far more important than internal ones.
Sandygast used Sand Attack once more, directing the sandstorm towards Xia Henao. This time, Greninja did not shield Xia Henao but instead bypassed the sandstorm to attack Sandygast. After all, Sandygast was the creator of the sandstorm; if Sandygast were defeated, the sandstorm would naturally dissipate with the end of the battle.
Greninja's tactic of "luring the enemy away from their base by attacking the capital" was successful. A Water Shuriken accurately hit Sandygast, while Xia Henao was successfully engulfed by the sandstorm.
Just as Xia Henao was swept up, Sandygast suddenly surged forward and trapped Greninja beneath it.
"It's Giga Drain, this is troublesome."
Although Greninja could have changed its type to Ice-type with Ice Beam, Giga Drain could establish a significant advantage within the time it took to switch types.
Miao Longque, looking at Xia Henao and Greninja, who were both controlled by the sandstorm and Sandygast respectively, said, "Good, with this, the first objective is achieved!"
Just as victory was within reach, a voice speaking in Man Ying suddenly sounded in Miao Longque's ear: "Greninja, Water Shuriken."
Miao Longque's eyes widened in shock. Although he didn't understand what was being said in Man Ying, the scene unfolding before him sent a chill down his spine. A silvery light shot out from the center of the sandstorm, and a blue spot appeared on Sandygast's body. The two spots rapidly traced a path from bottom to top, cleaving through both the sandstorm and Sandygast.
Greninja, reappearing from beneath Sandygast, performed a backflip and returned in front of Xia Henao. Together, they executed a sword flourish, their blade tips pointing menacingly towards Miao Longque.
Unlike most Pokémon, Sandygast, despite being split in half by Greninja, was a highly malleable amalgamation of sand. It could recover even if bisected, let alone by a single Water Shuriken from Greninja.
"What is this? Can Greninja use a sword?"
"Did Xia Henao wake up at this moment?"
The audience buzzed with discussion. Gongsun Xue, watching from the sidelines, let out an "Oh," seeing the scene. "So this is the trump card Xia Zi had been hiding. Quite interesting. I'm starting to want to catch a Greninja."
Shen Yu and the others were in tears. "That's great, Xia Xia has recovered!"
"Yes, Boss Xia, defeat him!"
The only one in the arena with an unpleasant mood was Miao Longque. "Damn it, so close! You recovered at this moment? Or have you been pretending to be foolish all along!"
Xia Henao swung his sword. "That's not something you need to worry about. Greninja, attack."
Greninja lunged forward, sword in hand. Its blue blade accurately struck Sandygast's red crest, followed by a barrage of attacks that dazzled the onlookers.
With Greninja's final sword strike, Sandygast collapsed on the ground. Xia Henao secured his first victory.
As Xia Henao, still in his wheelchair, exited the arena, he was immediately surrounded by Shen Yu and the others.
"Xia Xia, what's going on? You'd better explain clearly, or I'm going to be angry!"
"Can I explain this here? Or should we wait until after today's matches?"