In the spectator stands, everyone was buzzing with discussion.
Steelix's strength was well known. After all, it was Feng Laiyi's ace, exceptionally powerful both in terms of endurance and offensive output. Li Xiang agreed with this assessment.
Her Steelix was incredibly tough. Lucario couldn't take it down with a single Aura Sphere, and even after using Close Combat, it still didn't faint, allowing it to use a last-ditch Body Press. If not for his accelerated perception and quick physical reactions, getting hit by that Body Press could have easily cost him half his health.
But despite being such a powerful Pokémon, Steelix never managed to land a single hit on Lucario throughout the entire match. The only damage it took came from Hippowdon's Stealth Rock.
It made people question who was really the upperclassman and who was the freshman who had just enrolled.
As observers with a god's-eye view, they could see things more clearly than Steelix and Feng Laiyi. Although the sandstorm obscured vision, it was still quite clear that Lucario had used the dust and smoke to mask its approach, exploiting the blind spot shared by both Feng Laiyi and Steelix to climb to higher ground. By the time they noticed, Lucario had already leaped up and slammed an Aura Sphere down.
After being blown away by the force of the Sand Tomb, Lucario charged straight ahead as if it had predicted where Steelix would emerge, finishing it off with Close Combat. The power behind that move looked painful just to watch.
The fact that Steelix could muster a fierce counterattack in its dying moments was also quite surprising.
Many thought Lucario's speed was astonishing, but the team's regular members were more focused on the dodge at the very end. This was definitely not a fluke or blind luck.
Lucario had clearly let itself be hit on purpose, dodging at the most opportune moment to achieve its goal without taking further damage. Such terrifying reaction speed surpassed that of countless Pokémon.
Since the match wasn't over yet, no one could say for sure what would happen next, so they could only continue watching.
After the sandstorm subsided, Excadrill, which had little stamina left, was naturally no match for Lucario.
As soon as it entered the field, Lucario sent it back with an Aura Sphere. Excadrill had actually tried its best. The moment it landed, it attempted to block the Aura Sphere with Protect.
But Lucario aimed for its landing spot, dashed over at extreme speed, and pressed the Aura Sphere against its forehead, using it like a Rasengan.
Excadrill couldn't react in time. Even when it activated Protect, the shield was shattered, leaving it no choice but to faint.
The match ended with the freshman junior beating the senior upperclassman, and the volume of chatter instantly grew louder.
At the edge of the field, Feng Laiyi looked at the fallen Excadrill and realized her defeat in hindsight.
She couldn't help but show a helpless smile, then wiped the sweat and sand from her forehead. She hadn't expected that after wishing her junior good luck in the morning, he would end up using that good luck against her in the afternoon.
She had gone from being a spectator to becoming part of the show herself.
Feng Laiyi's feelings were a bit complicated, but she didn't have much resentment or other negative emotions. How many trainers these days had never lost?
She also didn't think that just because she was an upperclassman, she had to win. There were plenty on the team stronger than her.
That said, Feng Laiyi was both surprised and reassured that Li Xiang possessed such strength as a first-year student.
Who wouldn't want a powerful teammate, especially one who didn't interfere with their own chances to compete?
The only thing she couldn't figure out was that Li Xiang's Pokémon hadn't seemed this strong when he first enrolled. After just a month of special training, he was like someone on stimulants, his strength skyrocketing.
Lucario aside, she heard that Metagross had only been with him for a little over a year and was already this powerful.
It left those of them who had been training their Pokémon for nearly a decade at a loss for words.
Feng Laiyi could only quietly walk over and give Li Xiang a like.
"Junior, you're really getting stronger."
"You flatter me. I still need to rely on you, Senior, for support." Li Xiang smiled modestly.
The senior sisters on the school team had always treated him fairly well, much better than those who had mocked him before.
On the platform, Xu He watched the two of them interact and nodded approvingly, waving his hand to prepare for the next match.
Beside him, Miao Shuang patted Ruan Jingjing's shoulder. The latter understood and silently sighed.
It was finally her turn. No way around it.
Whether early or late, she had to face it. The junior was destined to crush them all one by one, just like Su Qian and Abigail back in the day.
Ruan Jingjing adjusted her breathing and began warming up. Like Feng Laiyi, she wasn't afraid of losing to Li Xiang.
However, the moment she stepped onto the field, she was there to win.
"We're still fighting?"
Li Xiang looked at Miao Shuang in confusion. "How many rounds are there total? Or do I have to fight every single senior sister and brother?"
"Of course, all of them."
Miao Shuang answered matter-of-factly. "Just do your best. Jingjing is the last one today. The rest will continue tomorrow."
Since that was the case, there was nothing left to say. He would just have to keep battling.
In the spectator stands, the murmuring was incessant but gradually quieted down as Ruan Jingjing appeared.
Anyone could see that Li Xiang was on a roll, trying to sweep the entire team.
Good heavens. After sweeping through Hongcheng Team and Meicheng Team, now he wouldn't even spare his own school's team?
Many were surprised but also curious to see how far Li Xiang could go before he stopped.
Would he sweep them all? Or would he fall to some senior sister?
Shen Qing, the senior specializing in Water-types, couldn't help but grab Bai Xiang's hand. If Ruan Jingjing lost, she would probably be next. The order was all too clear.
Bai Xiang patted the back of her hand reassuringly as she looked down at Li Xiang, her eyes sparkling with light, though no one knew what she was thinking.
Down below, Xu He gave Li Xiang ten minutes to rest.
Ten minutes later, the second round began.
Unlike Feng Laiyi, who specialized in Ground-types and was known for her fierce and sturdy style, Ruan Jingjing specialized in Flying-types. She excelled in speed-based assaults, hit-and-run tactics, and fancy flying techniques, having considerable experience in dodging moves.
All of this relied on the exceptional observational abilities of bird Pokémon.
However, her weaknesses were also quite apparent.
Both sides took their positions.
The effects of Stealth Rock had worn off, so there was no need to worry about residual damage from fighting on the same field.
Flying-types were still quite afraid of Stealth Rock. Charizard, in particular, was notoriously vulnerable to them. How could you play if you lost half your health just by entering the battle?
Both sides threw their Poké Balls.
Ruan Jingjing chose a classic anti-Intimidate pick: the Normal/Flying-type Braviary with the Defiant ability.
The training threshold for this Pokémon was even higher than for some pseudo-legendaries. Its evolution level of fifty-four had deterred countless trainers.
But it had to be admitted that Braviary was a very useful Pokémon.
Apart from its ability and type combination, Braviary, true to its name, was a Pokémon that never gave up or cowered, no matter how severe its injuries. The more scars it bore, the braver it was considered.
A born warrior. That was how many people described it.
On this point alone, it outclassed countless other Pokémon. The difference between being willing to fight and being afraid to fight was enormous.
Li Xiang's choice was simple: he sent out Wash Rotom.
The battle began.
Rotom set up Reflect as usual, while Braviary flapped its wings, summoning a gentle breeze to surround its body.
Then, Braviary withdrew, and Ruan Jingjing's ace took its place.
An Intimidate Salamence.
"ROAR!!"
The winged dragon let out a ferocious roar at Rotom, causing the very air to tremble.
Decisive!
Li Xiang had thought Ruan Jingjing wouldn't bring out her ace so early, but the moment she saw Rotom, she made the switch.
Had she brought out Braviary first to bait out Incineroar?
He glanced at Wash Rotom, which had taken advantage of the switch to use Nasty Plot.
"Dragon Pulse!"
Salamence flapped its wings violently. With the help of Tailwind, its massive body moved like lightning.
A dual-colored flame, mixing blue-green and crimson, blazed fiercely, transforming into a writhing, clawing dragon in mid-air that surged toward Wash Rotom.
This Salamence was a fast mixed attacker, capable of fighting at both long and close range. There was an eighty percent chance it wouldn't get close to Rotom.
The precedent had been set by the Hongcheng team captain's Flygon, which got close and was instantly frozen.
So it would only use ranged attacks.
The blazing dragon charged forward. Rotom, having just finished its Nasty Plot, decisively used Protect, blocking the attack.
Salamence certainly had special attack power, but it lacked any boosting moves. Once an opponent put up screens or raised their special defense, it would be in trouble.
Of course, Ruan Jingjing didn't intend to give Li Xiang that chance.
"Defog!"
Strong winds howled, forming visible pale blue currents that dispersed the Reflect in front of Wash Rotom.
She had predicted that Li Xiang would have Rotom set up screens.
But since he knew Salamence had Defog, why would he waste time on that?
"Discharge."
"Wooosh!"
Wash Rotom let out a strange cry as blue electricity crackled all over its body, then formed into a circular field of lightning that charged toward Salamence.
Large area-of-effect moves were always very effective against highly agile opponents because they left no room to dodge.
"Dragon Pulse!"
Another Dragon Pulse. The dual-colored flame blazed fiercely as a massive dragon head, emitting a terrifying howl, charged toward Wash Rotom, which had transformed into a giant electric ball.
BOOM!!
A terrifying explosion that made eardrums wail!
A purple protective barrier appeared, blocking the sound waves and thick smoke. The wide area of effect caught many by surprise.
Number One Battle Hall's arena was designed to the specifications of many large stadiums, with the spectator stands placed far from the battlefield.
Moreover, most Pokémon moves concentrated their power within a fixed range, so it was rare for them to affect things tens or hundreds of meters away.
This single exchange demonstrated just how powerful both sides' moves were.
However, in the thick of the smoke, the blue electric glow did not dim with the explosion. Instead, it flickered even more violently.
Another loud bang rang out, followed by a barely suppressed roar of fury.
Then, the sound of a hurricane rose, and the smoke was instantly dispelled, revealing the scene inside.
Salamence's body was covered in scorch marks from the electric strikes. It flapped its wings desperately, conjuring one emerald wind blade after another.
The wind blades shot forward but exploded midair, transforming into fierce gales that pushed against Wash Rotom's body, preventing it from getting closer.
The situation on the field clearly showed Salamence at a disadvantage.