Everyone on the team was not someone who couldn't endure hardship, and a slight increase in training volume was not a big deal. Being able to get stronger was a good thing.
Seeing that everyone seemed to have made up their minds, Tong Ruowei nodded imperceptibly. They were all good students.
...
Although the meeting was sidetracked by Xia Huanao's self-confessed blunder midway, Tong Ruo quickly steered the discussion back to its original course.
The meeting was not a big deal, just a simple back-to-school rally that ended shortly. After the meeting, Tong Ruo said, "Next, it's Coach Xia Huanao's turn."
Xia Huanao stood up from his stool and walked to the whiteboard in the training room. "How should I put this? It's not appropriate to have a training session that consumes a lot of physical energy on the first day. I'll just impart some of my theories."
Upon hearing that Xia Huanao was going to expound on his theories, Tong Ruo asked Xia Huanao to wait a moment. Then, he initiated a large video conference, intending to invite other teachers from the school to listen to Xia Huanao's views. When the teachers saw that Xia Huanao was mentioned in the video conference's title, they all became interested.
Seeing Tong Ruo signal that he could begin, Xia Huanao posed the first question: "First, I hope everyone on the team can think about what kind of trainer you are?"
Hearing Xia Huanao's words, those present and watching on video began to ponder. Xia Huanao waited for a moment and then said, "I believe everyone already has an answer. You don't need to answer me. I'll share my thoughts next."
Saying that, Xia Huanao wrote a few terms on the whiteboard. "In my opinion, all trainers can be broadly divided into the following five schools. Let's start with the first one, the 'Aesthetic School.'"
Upon hearing this term, everyone present chuckled. Xia Huanao tapped the whiteboard. "Everyone, be serious. What are the characteristics of the Aesthetic School? Most people catch Pokémon based on intuition, and they choose moves based on their effect. As long as they feel that a Pokémon meets their aesthetic standards, they'll catch it. This school primarily appears in Contests. If it's a normal Pokémon battle, then the polarization is very severe. Because some trainers match moves based on the spectacle, while others can control any move to create any situation."
Listening to Xia Huanao's words, everyone nodded. If one could control any move to create any desired effect, then what did it matter if they were of the Aesthetic School? They would still be outrageously strong.
After briefly introducing the Aesthetic School of trainers, Xia Huanao began to discuss other schools.
"Let's talk about the Offensive School, which theoretically has the largest number of practitioners. In my opinion, Offensive School trainers can be roughly divided into two categories and three types. The first type is the 'Aggressive Offense' faction, whose Pokémon pursue speed and attack power, are adept at seizing opportunities, and attack aggressively from the start. Their characteristic is to retreat immediately if a strike fails. Take Lu Bingming, for example. I call this the 'Sparrow Style'..." 138 Reading Network
Lu Bingming nodded after listening. This summary was quite accurate; it was indeed his style.
Xia Huanao continued his explanation: "The second type is the 'Brute Force Offense' trainer, which I divide into the 'Charger Style' and the 'Artillery Style.' The Charger Style is like the captain's; they enjoy close-quarters combat and one-on-one confrontations, feeling the thrill of every punch. The Artillery Style, while possessing strong offensive capabilities, is more adept at fighting from a distance. Their signature moves include Solar Beam and Hyper Beam.
However, there are differences within the Artillery Style. For instance, Blastoise and Gardevoir can both be considered representatives of the Artillery Style, but Blastoise is more durable than Gardevoir. Regardless, the Artillery Style is inextricably linked to the third major category we're about to discuss."
Saying that, Xia Huanao pointed to the words 'Defensive Style' on the whiteboard. "Defensive trainers are the most favored by the Artillery Style. Because as long as there is a Defensive trainer present, the Artillery Style can attack with peace of mind. Of course, Defensive trainers can also be divided into two types."
Someone asked, "Isn't defense just simply taking hits?"
Xia Huanao wagged his finger. "It's different. What you're referring to is the 'Iron Plate Style.' Compared to offensive power, their defensive power is stronger. They generally engage in a battle of attrition with their opponents, seeing who has better stamina. However, among Defensive trainers, there is a special school I call the 'Hedgehog Style.'"
"Hedgehog Style? How do you explain that?"
Xia Huanao thought for a moment. "I remember the school has Sharpedo available for borrowing, right? What is Sharpedo's characteristic? It can injure its opponent after being attacked up close. Pokémon with such characteristics are favored by these Hedgehog Style trainers. However, the main force of the Hedgehog Style consists of more robust Pokémon. Besides that, using Pokémon like Wobbuffet, and relying on your opponent to attack you, all fall under the Hedgehog Style."
Wei Chiting nodded. "Indeed, it's quite difficult to deal with these Pokémon during matches."
After introducing the Hedgehog Style, Xia Huanao pointed to the fourth major category: "Support Style. There are also quite a few trainers of this type. For example, our team doctor is a professional Support Style trainer."
A team member asked, "Then are there also different styles within the Support School?"
Xia Huanao nodded. "No. Although based on the moves a Pokémon carries, they can be roughly divided into purely healing, primarily offensive, and primarily defensive types, since a trainer can bring six Pokémon, theoretically one trainer can encompass all Support Style effects. However, in major competitions, they can only focus on one."
This was indeed true. In team battles, having two Support trainers would not be enough to create offensive pressure.
After introducing the preceding four major categories, Xia Huanao looked at the last major category. "This last major category is the most troublesome. The 'Tactical Style' trainer."
Someone asked, "Is the Tactical Style like the vice-captain's style of training?"
"Roughly. The characteristic of a Tactical Style trainer is a quick reaction. However, depending on their individual traits, some are adept at responding to attacks, like Wei Chiting, while others are proactive attackers. If we classify them by style, they are divided into the 'Technical Style' and the 'Special Effects Style.' The Technical Style relies on tactical design and using moves to gain an advantage. The Special Effects Style is similar to the Ditto strategy we discussed last semester. It mainly relies on various moves and items to achieve tactical objectives."
After explaining this last major category, Xia Huanao thought for a moment and said, "We can say that there are very few trainers who are completely focused on a single school nowadays. Most trainers will have some influence from other schools to varying degrees. For example, Lu Bingming, do you have no trace of the Brute Force Offense Style at all?"
Everyone nodded. "Then, Coach Xia, which school do you belong to?"
A team member said, "Do you even need to ask? Coach Xia is naturally of the Tactical School, but I think he encompasses both Technical and Special Effects."
Everyone looked at Xia Huanao. Xia Huanao smiled and said, "Me? I'm outside the three realms and not within the five elements. These schools cannot encompass my fighting style."
Wei Chiting was startled. "Does that mean Coach Xia is not of the Tactical School?"
Xia Huanao shook his head. "If I absolutely had to categorize my fighting style, I would be a 'Gamble Style' trainer."
Everyone was stunned. What was the "Gamble Style"? Lu Bingming cautiously asked, "Is it like that trainer from the Contests last time, the one named... what was his name? He liked to use moves like Sketch for battles?"
Xia Huanao pointed at Lu Bingming. "Get out of here. What you're talking about is not the Gamble Style, but the 'Gambling Style.' The Gambling Style trainer should only have one type, and that is a destined lucky emperor. All they need is a Sketch, and they can shake out any move they want."
Wei Chiting, true to his role as the tactical core, could always understand Xia Huanao's or Tong Ruo's intentions. "What Sketch produces is not fixed, so it's like gambling. But the prize pool for a lottery is fixed. As long as you draw enough times, you can get what you want."
Xia Huanao nodded. "Yes. Battling me is like playing a lottery. You can never guess what you'll draw. This sense of mystery and excitement is the foundation of the Gamble Style's effectiveness."
"Then is it different from the ordinary Tactical Style?"
Xia Huanao nodded. "Of course. The premise of the Gamble Style is that you absolutely cannot have a one-on-one battle. If both sides send out one Pokémon for a one-on-one battle that ends the match, then the Gamble Style cannot exert its power. For the Gamble Style to be effective, it must be a multi-Pokémon or multi-round free-for-all. This way, the prize pool for the lottery can be widened sufficiently. A single Pokémon can achieve this, but I would feel uncomfortable."
Seeing that everyone still didn't fully understand, Xia Huanao decided to give an example.
"Question: If I were battling you all and used Growl, how would you respond? First, Li Qiufeng, don't think, answer quickly."
Li Qiufeng answered without hesitation, "Growl doesn't affect attacks, so we should just attack and defeat him."
Xia Huanao nodded. "This is a typical Brute Force Offense way of thinking. Lu Bingming, what about you?"
"Dash behind the opponent and launch a surprise attack."
"See, that's the response of the Aggressive Offense Style. Wei Chiting, what about you?"
"Close my eyes and create distance."
Xia Huanao pointed at the whiteboard. "See? This is the Tactical Style approach: don't fall for the move and create distance to avoid being tricked again. Yan Chunyu, what about you?"
"Use Defense Curl."
"Do you understand now? This is the difference in how each school responds."
A student asked, "Then what about Coach Xia's Gamble Style?"
Xia Huanao smiled mischievously and then said to that student, "Come, try to imitate Growl on me."
The student stared wide-eyed at Xia Huanao. Then, Xia Huanao quickly took out a flashlight and shone it at him. "See? This is one of the methods used by our Gamble Style."