Xia Huanao’s question was not particularly difficult to understand, as his identity would change if he agreed.
He was currently just a simple assistant coach, primarily responsible for assisting Tong Ruo with teaching, which involved no difficulty. He just needed to do whatever Tong Ruo told him to. Just like the trouble he caused last semester, if it weren't for Tong Ruo and Zheng Xiaoxiao vouching for him, he would have been expelled long ago for overstepping his bounds.
However, it would be different once he became a coach. If Xia Huanao became a coach, it would mean he would be responsible for the entire performance of the Six Spirits University team. Xia Huanao didn’t believe he could bear such a heavy responsibility.
Seeing Xia Huanao’s hesitation, Zheng Xiaoxiao nodded silently. Xia Huanao not agreeing impulsively made her very satisfied. Zheng Xiaoxiao nodded at Tong Ruo, and Tong Ruo said to Xia Huanao, "Just take it. Didn’t you forget? I just said that I am the team’s advisor."
Xia Huanao looked at Zheng Xiaoxiao. Zheng Xiaoxiao gave him an encouraging look. Only then did Xia Huanao say, "Alright, then I will take on this task. I will do my best."
Seeing Xia Huanao's expression, Tong Ruo placed a hand on his shoulder. "Alright, don't put too much pressure on yourself. I will manage the overall direction."
Xia Huanao nodded. "Okay, I understand."
Tong Ruo took out a set of keys. "This is the key to our Six Spirits University team’s training room. Remember to be on time tomorrow for a meeting. Prepare yourself well today."
Xia Huanao nodded and left the principal’s office. Inside the office, Zheng Xiaoxiao looked at Tong Ruo. "Ruoruo, the students on our team really trust Xia Huanao."
Tong Ruo sat into Zheng Xiaoxiao’s embrace. "Isn’t that good? Your keen eye has found a great talent for our school."
Zheng Xiaoxiao pushed Tong Ruo out of her embrace. "Don't mess around, this is the office."
Tong Ruo refused to move. "What are you afraid of? No one is coming now, and it’s not the first time..."
...
Let’s continue talking about Xia Huanao. As soon as Xia Huanao entered the school, he was dragged into the office. After leaving the office, he walked across the campus with his suitcase rattling along. The school had not fully opened yet, so there weren't many people on campus. Most were in their dormitories or training halls. Xia Huanao walked all the way to his small room, simply put away his luggage, and then began to rest.
The next day, February 28th, Xia Huanao brought his notebook and Poké Balls to the team’s training room. He gently pushed the door, and it creaked open.
"Oh, someone’s here even earlier than me. I thought I was the first one. Who’s inside?"
Yan Chunyu’s voice came from the training room. "Is that Assistant Coach Xia? I’m Yan Chunyu."
Xia Huanao walked into the room and saw Yan Chunyu wiping a medicine cabinet. Xia Huanao asked, "Do you need my help?"
Yan Chunyu shook his head. "No, I’ll be done soon."
Before long, Yan Chunyu put down the cloth in his hand. "Assistant Coach Xia, did you agree?"
Xia Huanao was startled. "You know already?"
"Of course. We unanimously approved it, and I voted for it."
Before long, all the team members had arrived. They sat on both sides of a table, and Tong Ruo clapped his hands. "Alright, let’s have a meeting."
Tong Ruo opened the notebook in his hand. "As you may have seen, your request has been approved. This semester, Assistant Coach Xia will serve as the team's coach and analyst."
Xia Huanao nodded to everyone. "Please take care of me."
Tong Ruo continued. "We ranked third in the previous competition, losing to Linglong Pokémon University in the semifinals. This time, we must defeat them. Do you have confidence?"
The team members shouted, "Yes!"
Xia Huanao, standing beside them, was a little troubled. Tong Ruo looked at Xia Huanao and asked, "What's wrong? You seem to have something on your mind?"
Xia Huanao nodded. "Yes, the fighting style of Linglong Pokémon University..."
Wei Chiting, sitting next to Tong Ruo, said, "Indeed, their team’s martial arts combat style is a bit difficult to deal with. However, we haven’t stood still this past year, so Coach Xia doesn’t need to worry too much."
Xia Huanao shook his head. "That’s not what I mean. I mean their tactics have been updated..."
Everyone immediately turned their curious gazes towards him. "What did you say? Tactics updated? How did you know?"
Xia Huanao leaned on the table. "As you all know, I went to Linglong City during the holiday. Due to some accidental circumstances, I met Gongsun Xue a few times. So, I provided them with some of their new tactical reserves..."
The team members' morale immediately took a blow. They all knew what kind of person Xia Huanao was. The tactics he provided were difficult, though not impossible, to counter. Take the almost doll tactics from before, for example...
"Coach Xia, what tactics did you provide..."
"I expanded their martial arts repertoire and added weapon options for them."
Xia Huanao’s brief explanation made everyone present understand. A team member suggested, "If that’s the case, we can study them too."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Xia Huanao, Tong Ruo, Li Qiufeng, and Wei Chiting all said in unison, "No."
The four of them opposing in unison made the team member confused. "Why?"
Tong Ruo pointed at Xia Huanao. "You three explain it."
Xia Huanao pointed at Li Qiufeng. "Captain Li, please explain."
Li Qiufeng then looked at Wei Chiting. "Vice-Captain Wei, please explain it to everyone."
Wei Chiting watched as they passed the responsibility down level by level, finally finding himself tasked with answering. He was also taken aback. "You guys are like this... Fine, I’ll explain."
Saying that, Wei Chiting looked at the team member who had just spoken. "Jin Dongshan, your idea of studying and improving is good, but you must understand that martial arts is a broad and complex field. Learning any category requires considerable time. We only have a few months left, and without a solid foundation, it is difficult to flexibly use tactics like martial arts combat."
After speaking, Wei Chiting looked at Li Qiufeng. "Captain, please continue the explanation. I was just offering a starting point."
Li Qiufeng looked at Wei Chiting, thinking, *This kid is clever, causing trouble for me again...* But Li Qiufeng continued to explain. "Using such half-baked tactics to deal with this year's Pokémon competition will leave many loopholes. Especially in Linglong University, they will see through your every move. It would be like trying to draw a tiger and ending up with a dog."
Jin Dongshan nodded upon hearing this. His idea was indeed a bit naive. Li Qiufeng then looked at Xia Huanao. "Assistant Coach Xia, do you have anything to add?"
Xia Huanao nodded. "Yes, I discussed this martial arts combat strategy with a teacher from Linglong University. This type of combat is built upon trainers having a considerable martial arts foundation and Pokémon that excel in fighting or are allowed to undergo a certain degree of martial arts training."
At this point, Xia Huanao thought for a moment and gave an example. "For instance, Gardevoir is not very suitable for this type of martial arts combat. However, Gallade, which evolves from Kirlia just like Gardevoir, is different. The difficulty of learning martial arts combat for him would be much smaller. Another example would be the evolutions of Tyrogue. Those skilled in boxing cannot be trained in kicking. Therefore, this is a highly targeted combat technique, and it’s not easy to learn. Your Pokémon are already accustomed to the current combat style, and changing it is very difficult."
After hearing Xia Huanao’s words, everyone gave up the idea of "learning from the enemy to defeat them." However, Xia Huanao didn’t completely close this path. "Every Pokémon you have has accompanied you for a considerable time. Forcing them to use martial arts combat now is unrealistic. However, if you obtain a new Pokémon, before you develop a certain level of默契 (mòqì - tacit understanding) with it, you can try to cultivate it in any direction. However..."
Xia Huanao paused here. Everyone looked at Xia Huanao, and Xia Huanao looked at Tong Ruo. Tong Ruo said, "I'll finish what he was about to say. That approach would be a considerable burden for the trainer."
Saying that, Tong Ruo stood up. "It’s not difficult for a Pokémon to learn a combat style, but at the same time, your brain will have a significant amount of related information. The more information you add, the more choices you will have, and the more choices you have, the harder it will be for you to choose."
Tong Ruo said this, and Wei Chiting suddenly interjected, "I understand. It’s like a multiple-choice question where we are given many options. Although all the choices seem correct, you can only fill in one answer. And that answer may not even be appropriate for the question."
Tong Ruo looked at Wei Chiting with approval. "As expected of the vice-captain, that’s a good example. The more you know, the greater your thinking process will be to a certain extent. In combat, your first reaction will definitely be one of your tactical reserves, but this tactical reserve may not be suitable for your Pokémon."
Xia Huanao continued after Tong Ruo. "Let me elaborate on my previous example. For instance, if the vice-captain and I are battling, and the vice-captain uses a Gardevoir. My Quagsire uses Water Pulse. Then the vice-captain has many ways to respond, such as dodging backward or countering with a move. But unfortunately, he was training another Pokémon in martial arts combat before, so his repertoire might include a move called 'Iron Plank Bridge,' which can evade Water Pulse while standing still. But if he commanded Gardevoir to use Iron Plank Bridge, the situation of the battle would immediately change."
Tong Ruo listened to Xia Huanao finish his example before saying, "So, if you master a new tactical skill, you will need to put in several times, or even ten times, the effort to train your command ability to ensure no mistakes."