What did this feeling resemble?
It was like guessing a coin toss for heads or tails. You thought you guessed correctly, but then the coin landed on its edge.
How were you supposed to play that?
Just seeing it was frustrating enough.
Abigail stared blankly for a full three seconds before a self-mocking expression appeared on her face, vanishing just as quickly.
That was right. No one ever stipulated that Greninja could only control one substitute.
It could control two, so what could you do about it?
Up on the stage, many people were also clamoring non-stop.
Although the entire match felt like watching a Spiritomb attack empty air, if you imagined one or two Greninjas in the scene, you could still follow along.
But that final move was too much for many people's brains to process.
Of course, there were some sharp-minded individuals, as it wasn't entirely incomprehensible.
The battle against the school's third-ranked member ended here.
Spiritomb was defeated, and Greninja was also just about at its limit.
The Pressure ability consumed a tremendous amount of energy, and its type energy was nearly depleted.
If that last attack hadn't hit Spiritomb, or if Spiritomb had managed to restrain it with Psychic, Greninja probably would have lost.
Perhaps Greninja should consider just using its fists?
It wasn't that easy to smash a Keystone, right?
"Good work."
Li Xiang quietly patted Greninja on the head.
The latter coolly crossed its arms and said nothing, using its eyes to hint to its trainer that he should return it to its Poké Ball quickly.
If he waited any longer, it would collapse on the ground.
Li Xiang naturally wouldn't let his beloved Pokémon embarrass itself in public. After feeding it a few Pokéblocks, he quickly returned it.
"Get some good rest."
At the same time, Abigail also recalled Spiritomb, comforting the unfortunate creature that had lost the coin toss and was in a bad mood.
She intended to say something to Li Xiang, but seeing all the eyes in the spectator stands, she decided to communicate with him on Ant instead.
She felt more at ease chatting online anyway.
"Keep it up."
Abigail walked over, patted Li Xiang on the shoulder, and then left. Before Li Xiang could respond, she was already gone.
He had a feeling she wanted to say something. He would ask her on WeChat later.
Li Xiang withdrew his gaze.
Having defeated the third-ranked member, it was naturally time to face the second.
Up on the stage, before the arrival of the three freshman brothers, Chao had been the only male on the school team.
Handsome, strong, and the vice-captain, despite having slightly dark skin, he was still very popular.
Moreover, as a member of the Water People, a rare special group in Zhuxia, many girls had confessed their feelings to him.
Unfortunately, Chao had never responded to any of them.
Many people privately rumored that the Water People usually married within their own clans, similar to the Dragon People.
Li Xiang was quite curious about this Senior Chao.
In the original work, the Water People were closely related to a certain Prince of the Sea, who lived in the Sea Temple.
He wanted to know if the exact same Sea Temple existed in this world, but since they weren't particularly familiar with each other, he had never dared to ask.
Additionally, it was said that the Water People were naturally able to communicate telepathically with Water-type Pokémon, though he didn't know if that was true.
Speaking of which, although Chao was a Water Person, he only owned a single Water-type Pokémon, which was rather peculiar.
As he was thinking this, Chao had already arrived on the opposite side.
On his shoulder was his ever-present Pokémon, Aipom. The monkey looked quite cute.
Miao Shuang was about to blow the whistle but was stopped by him.
"Coach Miao, let Li Xiang rest a bit more," Chao waved his hand.
They had all witnessed Li Xiang's condition after five consecutive matches earlier, which had left him so exhausted he needed to go to the hospital.
This was just an internal school practice; there was no need to push him that hard.
Miao Shuang was momentarily stunned, then realized that she, as the vice-coach, hadn't been as considerate as the student.
She felt a bit embarrassed.
"Alright," she nodded.
But truth be told, the ground was so flat, and there were no annoying weather conditions like hail, snowy ground, or sleet.
There was no way it would get to that point.
Li Xiang was quite confident in his own stamina. He turned his head to look up at the spectator stands and saw that most people had expressions of agreement.
Good grief, it was as if the number ten had been removed from the age fifteen, making people wonder if he was the Special chapter's Hikari.
But resting was good. Li Xiang didn't refuse.
After about ten minutes, he spoke up to suggest starting.
The battle against the school's second-ranked member thus began.
Two Poké Balls were thrown.
Bang! Bang!
The light blazed brightly.
A Pokémon with a head resembling a B-2 stealth bomber, a body like a salamander, and a semi-transparent lower half appeared on the field.
Dragapult, the pseudo-legendary of the eighth generation, a Ghost/Dragon-type stealth Pokémon with the Clear Body ability.
It was a rare multi-in-one Pokémon that could also separate into individual entities.
On the sides of its head were four openings resembling missile launchers, two of which contained Drakloak, its pre-evolved forms.
This brought up a special competition rule regarding Dragapult.
Except for Dragon Darts, in most official matches, the two Drakloak are not allowed to launch any attacks or use any status moves.
In the wild, you can use them however you want, but in a competition arena, it's not permitted.
Violators generally receive punishments ranging from warnings to forfeits or even suspensions, depending on the severity.
The same applies to other similar Pokémon, unless you're something like Magneton, Exeggcute, or Falinks.
Due to the hassle and the need to raise two additional Drakloak, many Dragapult trainers simply abandon the move Dragon Darts altogether, especially since it's not particularly useful anyway.
On Li Xiang's side, the one to appear was Corviknight, which had been cooped up for a while.
The moment this guy landed, it started grumbling and cursing, making it seem like someone had upset it.
But as its trainer, Li Xiang knew it was because the lunch that the Galarian Meowth had prepared for it had been stolen and eaten by one of Mewtwo's lackeys.
Although that guy got a thorough beating from Corviknight afterward, the fact remained that the food was gone.
Corviknight was furious, and even the Galarian Meowth making a new meal for it didn't soothe its anger.
Of course, it quickly entered battle mode.
When it saw the opposing Dragapult, it decisively transferred its pent-up anger onto its opponent.
An indistinct, hoarse cry, like a great compassion mantra, traveled to the ears of the distant Dragapult.
Dragapult narrowed its already long and narrow eyes.
"?"
Its overly comical expression made people wonder if it was nearsighted and had to squint just to see.
The corner of Li Xiang's mouth twitched.
Dragapult was a relatively rare Pokémon in Zhuxia, so he hadn't fought against it much.
It was either brief sparring in practical classes or battling trainerless Drakloak in training halls.
The deepest impression this Pokémon left on him was its ability, which didn't exist in the games and wasn't related to Camouflage, similar to Kecleon's special ability.
Invisibility.
Just like its inspiration, the B-2 stealth bomber, this creature was naturally endowed with an ability akin to optical camouflage.
Unlike the "disappearing" act of other Ghost-type Pokémon, it could turn invisible even in broad daylight, without expending any type energy, without being affected by Taunt, and without being stolen by Snatch.
This meant that Li Xiang, who had always made his opponents play hide-and-seek, would now have to experience it himself.
Furthermore, since Dragapult's special move pool included Electric and Fire types, sending out Corviknight first was arguably a major mistake.
But Corviknight still had things it could do.
Using Taunt was better than not using it at all, as Dragapult had many status moves to be wary of.
"Taunt!"
"Dragon Dance!"
Both trainers issued their commands.
Opening with a boosting move was standard procedure.
Although the two sides were far apart at this point, finishing the boost quickly was still very important.
As the fastest among the pseudo-legendaries, after one Dragon Dance, Dragapult's speed successfully reached an eerie level.
Coupled with its invisibility, it seemed to disappear instantly without a trace.
Corviknight lost its target but didn't panic.
Its battles with Greninja on Phantom Island had accustomed it to the pain of not being able to find its opponent.
Invisible or not, that didn't stop it from trash-talking.
"Caww! Caww!"
Vicious words flowed like the stinking pus from a wound, spreading in all directions.
Chao didn't understand what Corviknight was saying, but seeing the Aipom by his face looking furious and wanting to rush up and beat Corviknight, he immediately knew that whatever it was saying couldn't be good.
His junior's Pokémon really was... something left him speechless.
Was Taunt successful?
Chao observed the arena, spotted a faint dark light in a corner, and silently sighed.
It had taken effect so quickly.
He couldn't use his Baton Pass strategy anymore. Should he stall?
"Blast Burn!"
Chao was confident that Corviknight hadn't located Dragapult, so he decisively ordered an attack.
From the void, a massive fireball materialized, then burst open with a smack, forming the character for "big" as it flew toward Corviknight.
"Protect!"
A green shield materialized in front of Corviknight, blocking the flames.
The flames exploded but failed to harm Corviknight behind the green shield.
Li Xiang's gaze swept across the field, but unfortunately, he couldn't find any clues.
Dragapult's invisibility was even more excessive than Greninja's because this creature could fly.
Before the next move was made, he decisively switched Corviknight out.
The Pokémon that re-entered the field was Lucario.
"Agility!"
Lucario's form darted across the field.
Its eyes lit up with a blue glow, and its aura spread out like a vast net in an instant.
Aura vision acted like Foresight, easily locating the hidden Dragapult.
It was in the air.
Lucario abruptly looked up, kicked off the ground with its right leg, and leaped up with a thud.
Its right fist became encased in an icy blue cold current.
Ice Punch!
Swish! The sound of cutting wind rang out.
Dragapult moved at extreme speed.
As expected of a Pokémon with a base speed of one hundred forty, its reaction and explosive power were quite exceptional.
It managed to evade Lucario's swift attack by twisting its body at the very last second of contact.
At the same time, a flame began to burn in its mouth.
Flamethrower!
The distance between them was too close; there was almost no room to dodge.
Thud! Boom!
First came a muffled sound, followed by torrents of blazing hot flames erupting from Dragapult's mouth, the high temperature scorching everything in its path.
Unfortunately, it didn't hit Lucario at all because in the second before the flames were expelled, Lucario had already stabilized itself in midair using Magnet Rise and kicked upward with its right foot, slamming into Dragapult's jaw.
A swift strike that directly jerked its head upward.
Since it wasn't a move, it didn't have much power, but it was enough to adjust the trajectory of the Flamethrower and prevent it from hitting itself.
Invisibility, high speed, frailty.
Lucario "countered" all three of these elements.
Greninja would have had a lot to say on this matter, because that was exactly how it had lost.