Chapter 54: The Ultimate Great Dragon Shakes the Heavens and the Earth

Xia Yu already had a clear plan in mind regarding how to release the usage method of this Kommo-o Z-Crystal, but finding the right timing for the announcement was crucial.

"Elder Lin, since you happen to be here, has there been any result on the matter I troubled you with last time?" At this moment, Long Fan, standing off to the side, suddenly spoke up.

"The issue of how to stabilize the power of Z-Moves has always been an important subject of our research. However, the current results are far from satisfactory." Elder Lin shook his head. The Z-Crystals had only been developed a few years ago, and the domestic research was still in its infancy. Applying them in actual combat still came with minor issues and flaws, one of the most obvious being that the power of Z-Crystals was not fixed and fluctuated quite significantly.

Take Long Fan as an example: when he used a Z-Crystal, even with the same Pokémon executing the exact same move, the power would fluctuate, and the margin of fluctuation was not small. Because of this, he had recently asked Elder Lin for help in the hope of resolving the issue.

Unfixed power with noticeable fluctuations caused Xia Yu's heart to skip a beat as he vaguely guessed the crux of the problem.

First of all, there were actually two methods of using Z-Moves. The first was the method from the video games, which required a Pokémon to hold the corresponding type of Z-Crystal in order to unleash the corresponding Z-Move. However, this presented a problem: a Pokémon holding a Z-Crystal could no longer hold other items, such as Mega Stones, Berries, or Focus Sashes.

The second method was the one from the anime. Unlike in the games, the anime did not require Pokémon to hold Z-Crystals; instead, the Trainer wore a Z-Power Ring embedded with the Z-Crystal on their wrist.

Both methods were officially released—one belonged to the game mechanics, and the other to the anime. As for which method this world adopted, Xia Yu had no idea, because up until now he had never seen anyone execute a Z-Move, nor had he ever seen Z-Moves broadcast on television. Basically, everyone's Z-Move was kept as an absolute secret.

Regardless of which method this world employed, there was one crucial element: the corresponding dance steps for the Z-Moves. At the mere thought of those twenty-nine awkward dance steps from his past life, Xia Yu could not help but want to laugh.

He guessed that the key to why the power of Long Fan's Z-Moves fluctuated lay right here. Xia Yu believed that this world could develop Z-Moves and Z-Power Rings, but surely it couldn't possibly have developed all twenty-nine dance steps as well?

These twenty-nine dance steps were the key to preventing the energy of Z-Moves from dissipating. In the anime, Team Rocket discovered that if one could constantly maintain the posture used for executing a Z-Move, the power of the Z-Move could be sustained indefinitely without vanishing.

Moreover, when utilizing a Z-Move, if the bond between Trainer and Pokémon reached an extremely high level, the corresponding dance steps performed by the Trainer would closely mirror the pre-attack movements of the Pokémon. The two sets of motions would be almost identical, creating a sensation of absolute unity of mind and will. The power of the Z-Move unleashed under such conditions would be staggering—for instance, Ash and his Pikachu; when Ash-Pikachu used 10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt, Ash's dance steps were almost completely synchronized with Pikachu's movements.

The more Xia Yu thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. Right at that moment, Elder Lin spoke again: "Heavenly King Long, since you happen to be in the laboratory today, could you use a Z-Move once? It will be a good opportunity to record the data."

"Alright." Long Fan did not refuse. He took a Poké Ball from his waist and tossed it out.

Kommo-o entered the arena.

Compared to Long Yanning's Kommo-o, this one was slightly larger, clearly at its peak physical condition, and even stronger, having reached the quasi-champion level. A quasi-champion pseudo-legendary Pokémon was virtually invincible beneath the champion tier, unless it encountered another pseudo-legendary or a divine beast. At the same time, the Dragon Z-Crystal around Kommo-o's neck was particularly striking.

A quasi-champion-level Kommo-o equipped with a Z-Crystal—no wonder Long Fan could become one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the North China region. This Kommo-o could rival an average champion-level Pokémon. What was more, Long Fan possessed a second pseudo-legendary Dragon-type Pokémon.

Looking at the Z-Crystal on Kommo-o's neck, Xia Yu realized that the usage method of Z-Crystals in this world must be the same as in the games, requiring the Pokémon to wear it.

"Kommo-o, aim at the wall ahead! Clangorous Soulblaze!"

*(Every time I write the name of a Z-Move, I feel so embarrassed. I strongly suggest renaming it to something like Dragon Soaring in the Sky, Repentant Dragon Thumping, Dragon Reclining in the Field, or Dragons Fighting in the Wild.)*

Xia Yu stared fixedly at Long Fan, watching every single one of his movements intently. Yet he saw Long Fan remain completely motionless. With a wave of his hand, the Z-Crystal around Kommo-o's neck emitted a massive burst of light, resonating with the Z-Power Ring on Long Fan's wrist as boundless energy surged into Kommo-o's body.

Xia Yu could not help but roar internally in his mind: *Where are the dance steps? Where are your dance steps? What happened to the required choreography?!*

"Roar!"

Kommo-o spewed a massive wave of Dragon-type energy from its mouth, transforming it into a soaring giant dragon in mid-air that bombarded the open ground in the distance, triggering a colossal explosion. A violent gale swept through, whipping their clothes into a frenzy and kicking up countless shards of rubble.

Even without the soulful dance steps, the power was still quite astonishing.

"As expected of Heavenly King Long, every time I watch you execute a Z-Move, it is breathtaking," Elder Lin praised. The Long and Lin families had been on good terms for generations, maintaining an extremely close relationship; otherwise, Long Fan would not have been among the very first batch of people to acquire a Z-Power Ring. Similarly, the very reason Xia Yu was able to enter the Dragon-type Secret Realm training class so effortlessly was because of this. "Thank you for your hard work, take a short rest. The test results will be ready shortly."

With a smile, Long Fan replied, "Regarding the matter of Z-Moves, I will still have to trouble Brother Lin and Elder Lin."

As he spoke, Long Fan turned his gaze toward Xia Yu, throwing the Lin family a favor. "This must be your grandson. I've heard Yanning mention him. Although his foundation is a bit weak, his talent is quite decent. Why don't you let him train with Yanning during the weekend holidays?"

"I've mentioned it to him, but he's more interested in the laboratory and wants to become a Pokémon researcher in the future, which is why he came here," Elder Lin said with a smile. He was actually quite proud that his grandson had such aspirations.

"That's a good thing. The Lin family produces such outstanding Pokémon Doctors, and they naturally need someone to inherit the mantle. It couldn't be better for Xia Yu to have such ambitions," Long Fan encouraged with a smile.

Standing nearby, Long Yanning glanced at Xia Yu. Over the past few days, she had witnessed Xia Yu's hard work and diligence firsthand, and she was quite satisfied with his serious attitude. If Xia Yu could maintain this training intensity over the weekends as well, given his Pokémon's potential, he might still have a sliver of a chance of making it into the main tournament of the High School Cup. However, if he wasted that precious weekend time, there would be virtually no hope.

Long Yanning felt a sense of frustration that he wasn't living up to his potential.

"Heavenly King Long." Right at that moment, however, Xia Yu suddenly spoke up, drawing everyone's attention. "Actually, I have my own thoughts regarding the power fluctuations of Z-Moves. Perhaps I can solve the issue."

"Xiao Yu," his eldest uncle, Lin Xueyun, exclaimed in shock upon hearing Xia Yu's words, quickly turning to Long Fan. "Heavenly King Long, children speak without restraint."

Lin Xueyun frowned as he looked at Xia Yu, harboring deep dissatisfaction toward his nephew's audacity. It was fine for young people to want to stand out, but they needed to know their limits and not just blurt out anything that came to mind.

An issue that the entire laboratory could not resolve—yet an eighteen-year-old kid who hadn't even started university had the audacity to claim he could solve it. He was completely unaware of the immensity of heaven and earth. After all, he was just a wild boy from the countryside, lacking in manners and recklessly bold. His second sister really needed to discipline him more strictly.