area51novel Chapter 182 is titled "The Scales of Fortune"
Chapter 182 is titled "The Scales of Fortune"
Chapter 192 The Scales Called Luck
Emerging from the pile of banknotes were emerald green leaves.
The edges of the leaves, seemingly floating weightlessly, glowed with a faint blue fluorescence, rising from the gaps in the banknotes.
Like a missile that can automatically track targets, these blades hover and actively choose their targets. After locking on, they aim at the old man standing blankly at the gambling table and suddenly accelerate!
Without a doubt, this could only be a move used by a Pokémon.
Grass-type move "Magic Leaf".
Vio instinctively sensed danger and hastily raised his arm to protect his head, waving his heavy purple robe in an attempt to block the attack from the unknown.
Although the Plasma Group's Sage's Robe was magnificent, it had absolutely no defensive capabilities. The "Magic Leaf" easily pierced through the robe and struck Vio, bullying the weak and vulnerable.
The skill pierced the old man's body without hindrance, and blood and fragments of internal organs flowed out—but no bloodshed occurred.
The reality was quite the opposite. Perhaps the Pokémon that used the move was too weak; Vio, though knocked into a pile of banknotes by the impact of the move, did not lose consciousness.
However, with this level of power, if the Pokémon were hit instead of a human, it probably wouldn't even leave a scratch.
Just as he was about to fall into the water, the wise man grabbed the edge of the table and briefly unleashed a vitality beyond his years, struggling to climb back onto the relatively stable gambling table.
At the same time, the "Frozen Ray" that the geometric snowflakes were gathering was fully charged once again and was unleashed the moment its master left the danger zone.
Six beams of ice-blue light shone from different corners of the water tank, each sweeping across the area beneath the gambling table in a fan shape.
After the skill was unleashed, the spot where the King of Blueberries had been hiding was completely covered in frost. The soft and valuable banknotes, after being processed at low temperatures, became thorny, sharp, and rigid fragile objects.
Blueberries can't avoid it.
Humans could not possibly survive such an offensive. Even if Lanting somehow found a helper Pokémon, it would be impossible to completely defend against this all-encompassing area-of-effect attack...
Vio slumped onto the table, still shaken, and thought to himself.
The next step is to find those tickets. As long as those documents with your signature and the Plasma Group's seal are completely destroyed, the worst-case scenario can be avoided.
Just as the old man was about to relax his tense nerves, he heard a faint meow behind his ear.
Then the old man felt an unusual itching sensation in the area where the "magic leaf" had hit him.
Looking down, he noticed that his tattered purple robe had somehow become covered with several pale yellow plant seeds. The seeds were growing rapidly, sprouting tiny vines that had already wrapped around Vio's body.
This is "Leech Seed." The Blueberry Pokémon hides the seed generated by its move under the leaves of a Magic Leaf, using it to attack itself.
The old man identified the type of move, but it was too late.
Unlike the previous wave of weak attacks, these vines exhibited extremely strong control, and even with vigorous pulling, they could not break free, with more and more branches and leaves growing from the seeds.
Perhaps the other party deliberately reduced the power of "Magic Leaf" in order to conceal the existence of "parasitic seeds" in the leaf.
The vines continued to grow, and despite Vio's constant struggles, the sprawling branches and leaves trapped the old man's hands and feet within ten seconds, rendering him completely immobile.
The Pokémon that unleashed its skill remained hidden among the piles of money, its small size allowing it to nimbly roam the room, meowing as it moved about.
Judging from the Pokémon's cry, it was most likely the Pokémon that was perched on Lanting's shoulder before the betting began, and it was the Grass-type beginner Pokémon that was adopted from the Padilla region through the Order's channels.
It's no wonder he's called the Dark-type Elite Four member; he's only been trained for less than three months and already possesses such power.
The geometric snowflakes inside the surrounding walls had stopped attacking for some reason, which was also very strange.
Being bound by "parasitic seeds" should have panicked them and caused them to attack indiscriminately, so why is it so quiet inside the reflective glass wall?
Were they quietly dealt with by Blueberry's underhanded tactics? How did that Uranus, who was already frozen in frost, manage to do that?
The next moment, a long-awaited, even somewhat nostalgic, click sound rang out.
The sound wasn't loud, but it seemed to echo throughout the entire glass-enclosed room, making Vio's heart sink even further.
That was the sound of the door lock being opened.
.
As the glass door leading to the gambling room opened, a torrent of ten-thousand-yuan banknotes surged toward the doorway with the force of a landslide. The figure standing at the doorway, however, was prepared for this, remaining firmly steadfast amidst the surging cash.
The person who opened the door to the secret room from the outside had an exaggerated hairstyle and wore a dark blue suit; he was none other than the cranberry that should have been sealed under the frost inside.
Behind him were the turbaned thugs who were part of the Heavenly King's main force and were meeting with their master.
The thug with the turban had loose, disheveled hair like a rooster's comb, and looked menacing. His orange-red fingers seemed to have just unleashed a skill, with faint scorch marks between them.
Seeing his opponent's expression, Vio instantly understood why the geometric snowflakes arranged in the water tank on the wall had all failed to fire simultaneously.
The clear water stored in the tank is not only a stage for Water-type Pokémon to swim in, but also an excellent conductor for electric current. If a powerful Pokémon uses an Electric-type move at the water's surface, all the Geometric Snowflakes in the tank will be attacked simultaneously, with no room to dodge.
It now seems highly likely that this bandana-wearing thug used "Lightning Fist" repeatedly on the water's surface, and the fluffy rooster-like hair was caused by the electric current dissipating into the air...
Vio's mind was filled with meaningless thoughts, so much so that he hadn't realized the simplest of facts.
As Lanju re-entered the casino, a small green cat, like a wild elf by the roadside, jumped out from the pile of banknotes and affectionately climbed onto the shoulder of this gambling king.
"You lost, Vio."
The gambler raised the object in his hand: checks and securities sealed in a specially made transparent document bag.
The signature is clearly black and white, and the seal is as red as blood.
The outcome is obvious.
The old man, bound by the "parasitic seed," looked lost and dejected, and lowered his head.
In a chess endgame, a king in check can still survive for a while, and may even have a chance to use the remaining pieces to threaten the opponent's king, but that's about it.
A hasty counterattack is often too impulsive. No matter how desperately one tries to survive, it is impossible to defeat an opponent who has the upper hand, especially when the opponent is well-prepared.
Now that they've reached the end of their rope, even their last struggle has failed.
At this moment, Vio was completely checkmated.
.
After dealing with the commotion on the Royal Navy, Yueju finally found a moment to rest. Just as she was about to return to her cabin for a short nap, she turned around and saw the Kanto Gym Leader sitting on a sofa in the corner of his office, staring at her with a forced smile.
"Miss Naz, is there anything I can help you with?"
Sensing an unfriendly atmosphere, Universal Heavenly King cautiously asked.
"Although I said I was willing to play a supporting role in this performance, isn't the position I've been assigned a bit too peripheral?"
Naz rested her cheek on her hand, her tone full of dissatisfaction.
"Oh?" Yueju feigned surprise. "I thought the powerfully inspired Magic Queen had already foreseen this future."
"The Magic Queen is just a character I played in the movie. In reality, I'm just an ordinary girl with superpowers."
Naza was saying things that seemed nonsensical to others, but she herself looked very serious.
Blueberry sighed: "At the last moment, New Leaf Cat was able to catch Vio, wasn't that all thanks to you, Miss Sabrina?"
"This credit is so unfulfilling!" the actress complained loudly.
"From beginning to end, you've been completely secretive. Even though I clearly expressed my willingness to help, all you did was entrust that new Leafy Cat to my care, without giving me a single hint, and saying that I would find out in time. I was even nervous for a long time when the bet was decided!"
"Didn't things turn out perfectly in the end?"
"Heh." Naz scoffed disdainfully.
"It wasn't until I saw the item that Shin-Ye-Nyan was carrying that I finally understood your intention. Apart from your audacity, I didn't see anything perfect."
Hearing its name again, Shin-Ye-Nyan poked its head out from behind Ling-Ju's neck.
A small, pale green leaf hangs from its neck, with a few dark spots on it, making it resemble a human face from a distance. If you bring it close to your nose and sniff it, you can also smell a pleasant fragrance.
Shin-Ye-Nyan really likes this prop.
The item's scientific name is "Imitation Vanilla." When used in battle, if the opponent's stats are raised, the Pokémon holding the item will also gain the same stats.
If a Pokémon wears a Pokémon in its daily life, it will be more likely to learn Egg Moves from other Pokémon around it, moves that could only be learned through inheritance.
"Don't you have any concept of risk management at all?"
Without hesitation, Naza reprimanded the Heavenly King in front of her.
"If I hadn't discovered this item in time, hadn't identified its type (which is rare locally), hadn't taught Shin-chan moves quickly enough... or if the move I taught wasn't 'Try Switch,' you would definitely have been overwhelmed by that Team Plasma elder's attack."
Naza recalled how, until the end of the card game, she was still completely unaware of anything, and she couldn't help but use her superpowers to find inspiration. Then she saw the leaf hanging around Newleaf Cat's neck, and Vio and Blueberry enclosed in a glass-enclosed room.
A powerful inspiration flashed through the superpowered girl's mind—she had to teach Shin-chan the skill of "Switch Fields" so that the kitten could physically interact with Blueberry to prevent a violent attack from Team Plasma.
So she hurriedly sent out Alakazam to demonstrate the effect of "Switch" to Kitty, while secretly taking Shinyanagi to the ninth deck of the ship beneath the transparent gambling room...
If any one step is not done well, the consequences will be irreversible!
"That's because I trust your abilities, Miss Naza and Shin-chan. When I find a suitable betting target, I can't help but test it like this."
Ignoring the pen and documents around her that were gradually becoming weightless and floating, Lanju smiled and spoke candidly.
"The conditions for Newleaf Cat to learn 'Turning Places' are very strict, and it's all thanks to you that it was able to master this skill."
"This kind of meaningless gambling could undo all your efforts in the Double Dragon Poker game, you really went through a lot to win that duel with the casino legend."
Naz, who watched Double Dragon Poker on the big screen, couldn't help but say this.
To gamble on gambles is no longer courage, but foolish madness.
However, the King of Oranges' smile became even more rampant.
Its smile, though elegant and measured, held the gaping maw of a Megalodon. It even instilled an instinctive fear in the gym leader, whose primary fighting style was Psychic.
.
"Unexpected luck can make people reckless and arrogant, but luck that has been honed can become a reliable weapon. Similar to the theories developed by mathematical geniuses like Vio and Fischer, I also have a consistent life creed, which has little scientific basis and is just the superstition of a gambler with no ambition."
Lingju slowly revealed the gambler's principles that she adhered to—
"In life, the good and bad things you encounter are basically equal. No matter how unpleasant the days are, there will eventually be a turning point. However, if you are particularly successful for a period of time, you should be especially careful of unexpected disasters. Good luck and disasters will always maintain a certain balance."
"Misfortunes never come singly," Naz concluded succinctly. "It's quite a casual theory, though it's also difficult to prove it wrong."
"That's why whenever I try to do something with a high degree of difficulty, I adopt a steady and methodical strategy, trying to avoid any accidents caused by random probability, and using this crucial advantage at the most critical moment. For example, in the Four Heavenly Kings championship league competition, I completely abandon high-risk, high-reward tactics and use the most solid fundamentals to compete with those terrifying opponents. When facing problems that are not challenging, I am not so restrained. I will always deliberately try riskier strategies to see if something new and interesting will happen after taking different approaches."
For some reason, at this moment, the image of a black-haired youth commanding Chimchar in battle appeared in Elite Four's mind.
It's become so novel that it's no longer interesting but rather a source of curiosity, right?
“But if that’s the case…” Naz looked puzzled, “Do you think the poker duel with that Vio is a very easy thing? So you chose to take a risky approach to the rest of the game?”
"Of course. Besides, there are some safety precautions. Even if you and Shin-chan couldn't arrive in time, the bandana thugs would be there around the same time, but I'd probably get hit by a few of Geometric Snowflakes' 'Freezing Rays' by then. Thank you all so much for your help."
Blueberry bowed to Natsume in thanks, then patted the head of the green kitten on her shoulder as a reward, grateful for its timely rescue.
The latter was confused, but enjoyed the trainer's praise and happily made gurgling noises.
"But that poker match looked incredibly intense. The people in the casino lobby were on edge watching the game, and they were betting astronomical sums that I wouldn't even dare to imagine. How could you say it was easy?"
“No matter how many gamblers Vio’s are, or what the betting is, I can make them lose everything.”
The cranberry shook its head and arrogantly proclaimed.
It was as frightening as ever, as suspicious as ever, and it was hard to tell if it was just bluffing.
"Anyone, after a short period of special training and mastering certain techniques under special conditions, can win this Double Dragon poker game. This game is so boring that the outcome is already determined before the game even starts. It can't even be called a decent game, so I have to seek excitement outside of the game. Otherwise, the scales of luck in my heart simply cannot be balanced."
Naz stared at the former's expression for a long time, but still couldn't tell whether his fantastical words were true or false.
Was Vio always facing such a mysterious and unpredictable face at the gambling table?
Naz suddenly felt a little sympathy for the defeated old man.