Chương 11: An Invisible Battle

"Battle begins!"

With the two shouts landing almost simultaneously, the second round of the match officially began.

Unlike the previous match, this time Cattleya did not launch an attack, and did not even issue a single command.

She simply crossed her arms, her posture so composed that it seemed she wasn't in battle, but rather a princess confident that her knight would surely triumph.

At the very moment the battle began, Lu Sha moved.

Without any fancy charging up, he opened his mouth wide and took a bite out of the hard rocky ground.

Although I haven't yet learned the proper digging techniques, I don't have any energy boost.

But with his terrifying bite force, strong enough to crush rocks, he managed to turn himself into a shark-shaped excavator.

In just three seconds, accompanied by flying debris, his figure completely disappeared beneath the ground.

These brief three seconds are fleeting in a match between newcomers.

Because it was the second match, Cynthia opted to strike back as a precaution.

It was precisely this caution that caused her to miss the best opportunity to interrupt.

Her instructions were only conveyed after Lu Sha disappeared:

"Gible, quicksand hell! Force it out!"

"Click!"

Upon receiving the command, Gible stomped its foot, causing a wave of Ground-type energy to spread.

Centered on the cave entrance where Lu Sha disappeared, the rock strata within a three-meter radius instantly collapsed, turning into a terrifying quicksand vortex that frantically swallowed up the depths of the earth.

"it's useless..."

Cattleya murmured softly, her emerald eyes calm as still water.

too slow.

After all, it's a rookie trainer paired with a young Pokémon. No matter how talented Cynthia is or how good her synergy with Gible is, that's about it.

There are some objectively existing gaps that Cynthia cannot bridge.

From the moment Cynthia gave the order, to the Gible carrying it out, and then to the formation of the quicksand vortex, enough sand was dug to other places.

Lusha is not a Pokémon that will sit idly by and wait to die.

That was a Pokémon that thought further and more deeply than most trainers.

"Gible, cease attacking! Remain vigilant, observe your surroundings, and locate the enemy!"

After missing her target, Cynthia quickly changed tactics, attempting to use stillness to counter her attack.

However, the scene fell into dead silence.

For a full thirty seconds, the only sounds besides the wind were the breaths of the two trainers mingling with each other.

Where is it? Where exactly is it?

Cynthia warily surveyed her surroundings. The standard match rule for this type of digging and flying technique is that you can only hide for a maximum of one minute.

Otherwise, if they keep hiding, they won't be able to fight Pokémon that can't dig.

But now it's only been 30 seconds, and no one knows where the Gible will attack from next.

Having learned her lesson from being instantly defeated by Gadriya, Cynthia was determined not to lose again.

"Gible, jump out of the way!"

The next second, seeing the ground ripple slightly, Cynthia shouted almost simultaneously.

The giblet reacted quickly, immediately preparing to leap up by pushing off with its legs, but the ground trembled even faster.

The next moment, the ground collapsed without warning, and a quicksand vortex with a diameter of only 2 meters was instantly formed.

This is the quicksand hell initiated by Lu Sha.

The giblet, which was ordered to jump, failed to do so due to the ground collapsing. Instead, it lost its footing and its legs sank into the quicksand.

"Gible, calm down, use Quicksand Hell!"

Cynthia immediately changed her command, choosing to escape by using a counter-attack.

Unfortunately, this was a trap that Lu Sha had meticulously set up for 30 seconds, so how could he possibly break free so easily?

Before Gible could activate Quicksand Hell, the sand had already emerged from the ground and firmly bit into Gible's right foot.

The next second, the two giblets plunged into the depths of the quicksand and disappeared without a trace.

Only a vortex of quicksand remained, still swirling within the arena.

"Gible, come to the surface!"

Cynthia was genuinely flustered now, her voice unusually urgent.

If both Pokémon are underground, there is no time limit.

If you can't control them, it just means the trainer is incompetent.

"It's no use. The quicksand has masked your commands, so they won't reach your Gible's ears, and even if they did, they wouldn't be clear."

Cattleya spoke softly, but Cynthia could hear her clearly.

"Is this your tactic? Using silent command to cover up the Pokémon's low level."

Cynthia pursed her lips, feeling resentful but also filled with admiration.

Superpowered individuals almost always give commands silently. Although this could be considered using superpowers, she didn't think Cattleya had broken any rules.

Silent command is not a privilege reserved for superhumans; many ordinary trainers can also do it.

She's not good at it now simply because she doesn't have enough chemistry with Gible.

In real battles, there aren't that many restrictions.

In the wild, they even attack trainers.

Ultimately, it comes down to being less skilled than others.

"So, how do you plan to crack it?"

Caldelia stood calmly, and even as an opponent, she was willing to praise Cynthia's mentality.

Even at this point, Cynthia still doesn't have many negative emotions and remains purely focused on the battle, which is already quite remarkable.

Unfortunately, in order to remove Lu Sha's enchantment, she had to bury him.

"The situation is clear now. You can't interfere with the battle. Given the autonomy of your Gible, it's only a matter of time before you lose."

Gadriya continued to speak, attempting to distract Cynthia and buy time for Lu Sha.

In reality, she didn't use telepathy to give commands at all; it was Lu Sha who was acting entirely on her own.

But she doesn't care about being misunderstood, nor will she explain anything.

Even instinctively, she didn't want Cynthia to know about Lu Sha's special nature.

"What... should I do!"

Cynthia's gaze swept across the seemingly calm ground, a fine layer of cold sweat beading on her forehead as she racked her brains for a solution.

As Cattleya said.

Unable to relay commands to the Gible and unable to see what was happening underground, she was truly at a loss.

Five minutes later.

As expected, the Gible, exhausted and unconscious, was brought up from underground by the Sands.

"I lost!"

Cynthia slumped in defeat, walked onto the field, picked up the unconscious Gible, and gently stroked its dorsal fin.

This time it wasn't that Gible wasn't trying hard enough, but rather that she failed in her duty as a trainer.

In terms of trainers, she is no match for Cattleya.

In terms of Pokémon training, Gible's training is not as good as Garuda's.

"Gible, you've done a great job!"

"Lu Sha, you did a great job!"

Almost identical words rang out from the sidelines of the arena.

Cynthia held the dejected Gible and gently comforted it.

Caldelia held the delighted Lu Sha and softly praised her.

The joys and sorrows of humans and sharks are different at this moment.

"Crunch! (That feels good!)" Lu Sha stood at Gadriya's feet, enjoying the dorsal fin stroking treatment from Gadriya, while letting out a series of hearty laughs, his face full of joy.

Tunnel warfare was a tactic he had planned long ago.

If you lack the skill, make up for it with your brain.

In terms of trainer ability, Gadalia is definitely no match for Cynthia.

In terms of Pokémon strength, he is definitely not as good as Cynthia's Gible.

With Cattleya's superpowers banned, they can no longer win using conventional methods.

If conventional methods don't work, then resort to some unconventional tricks.

Lu Sha noticed it during the very first match.

That Gible was rather dim-witted; even when Cattleya appeared in front of it, it wouldn't instinctively dodge. Instead, it would observe first and wait for its trainer's instructions.

This is a typical domesticated Pokémon; it is obedient but lacks autonomy.

When facing Pokémon that haven't undergone independent training, Lu Sha has many more options available.

The simplest way is to place the battlefield where Cynthia can't see it.

The area below ground is where Ground-type Pokémon excel.

If it were a wild giblet of the same level, it would absolutely scatter the sands.

Unfortunately, Cynthia's Gible is not good.

Unable to hear commands, Gible instinctively tries to escape upwards, giving Gible an excellent opportunity.

One quicksand hell after another.

As we all know, the more you struggle to rise when you're in quicksand, the more your body will sink.

The Gible sank deeper and deeper, its strength dwindling until it had no strength left to struggle and collapsed completely into the quicksand, where it was pulled out of the water by the sands.