Xia Huna stopped by none other than the Gongsun sisters. Looking at the two sisters, who appeared especially spirited in their sportswear, Xia Huna said, "Indeed. It would be strange if you two weren't here."
Since Xia Huna had mentioned his interactions with the Gongsun sisters when he was in Linglong City, most of the school team members were not surprised. Even Chu Xiaodie and Guo Shuang'er had teammates to explain things to them. However, it was different for the Linglingda team. No information about Xia Huna had reached them at all. Seeing their two teachers seemingly familiar with people from Liulingda, they were all taken aback.
A team member quietly asked, "Teacher Gongsun, who is he?"
Gongsun Shuang did not hide anything. "He's a friend we met during the winter break. Is there a problem?"
The Linglingda members: "No."
Gongsun Xue asked, "How did you become a member of Liulingda?"
"It's a long story. You wouldn't have called out to me, Sister Xue, just to say hello, would you?"
Gongsun Xue produced a Poké Ball. "You won't refuse, will you?"
Xia Huna understood her intention upon seeing her action. They had previously agreed to have a proper battle the next time they met. This Poké Ball likely contained Gongsun Xue's yet-unseen Timburr.
However, Xia Huna was now the coach of Liulingda, and it wouldn't look good to abandon his team for a battle with Gongsun Xue. With this thought, Xia Huna turned to Tong Ruo, hoping to seek her opinion. Tong Ruo readily agreed, "Go ahead, Xiao Xiazi. Don't have too many reservations. It's just a battle."
With Tong Ruo's permission, Xia Huna turned back and produced the Poké Ball for Froakie. "Of course, I'd be delighted. But let's do it after we get back."
The battle was thus decided, and both the Liulingda and Linglingda school teams returned to the contestants' living quarters together.
Although Linglingda had eliminated Liulingda in the semifinals last year, the relationship between the team members was still amicable. They ended up choosing to ride the same bus back, leaving the other bus empty.
On the bus back, the Linglingda members learned that Xia Huna was the coach of Liulingda. Although information about each school was synchronized on the official website after registration, Linglingda clearly received the firsthand news.
Learning that Xia Huna was a coach surprised the Linglingda members. However, due to Gongsun Xue's prior training, they did not have any extreme reactions.
There were battle halls in the contestant living quarters, and quite a few of them. One reason was that there were over a hundred schools participating, and sometimes students who didn't get along well would arrange fights after confirming the other party's arrival. Another reason was that some schools would arrange practice matches to conduct reconnaissance.
Xia Huna and his companions casually chose an unused battle hall, and all members of both teams became spectators without exception. This was an incredibly exciting battle to watch – a duel between the coaches of two teams was not a common sight.
Xia Huna and Gongsun Xue took their positions on opposite sides of the arena. Gongsun Xue held her Poké Ball and said, "The rules are the same, no referee. Is that alright?"
"No problem. Let's have a proper fight this time."
"Go, Timburr!"
"Go, Froakie!"
They released their Pokémon simultaneously and then gave the same command: "Froakie/Timburr, attack!"
The two Pokémon shot forward simultaneously and instantly collided in the center of the battle arena. Timburr's small claws lunged directly for Froakie's head, while Froakie's hand also aimed for Timburr's head. Their fists collided rapidly in the air, then separated upon contact.
"Sister Xue, what style of martial arts does your Timburr practice? Froakie, use Quick Attack!"
"You'll find out when we fight, won't you? Timburr, keep an eye on him and prepare to attack."
Froakie moved quickly, closing the distance again, while Timburr's head bobbed continuously, following Froakie's movements. As Froakie approached Timburr, Gongsun Xue gave the command: "Timburr, Double Slap!"
Generally, a Timburr is twenty to forty centimeters taller than a Froakie. If Double Slap were used in the conventional way, it would miss. To ensure it hit Froakie, Timburr's movements were slightly adjusted.
Upon seeing Timburr's movement, Xia Huna quickly responded, "Oh, looks like we've met a fellow practitioner. Froakie, as Timburr's claws press down, duck low and use Wild Horse Parts the Mane!"
When Double Slap attacks an opponent, it raises both arms, leaving the armpits exposed to some extent. Froakie was already slightly shorter than Timburr, and by ducking low, it could see Timburr's armpit. Wild Horse Parts the Mane aimed directly at Timburr's armpit.
Attacking the armpit would affect Timburr's movements. Gongsun Xue quickly commanded, "Timburr, change your move, White Crane Spreads its Wings!"
Timburr's claws immediately changed from forward extension to a downward press. Its lunging leg retracted a step, and its claws pressed towards Froakie's hand.
"We'll change our move too. Left Kick!"
Froakie withdrew its hand. Because it was ducking low, executing this Left Kick was not particularly difficult. The only challenge might be the change in body orientation.
Froakie's Left Kick landed precisely on Timburr's pressing hand. The force of Froakie's kick was slightly greater than the force of Timburr's press. This collision directly disrupted Timburr's movement. Both of Timburr's arms were now raised, leaving its chest exposed.
"Froakie, use Parting the Mane!"
"Timburr, block it directly with Beginning Stance!"
The commands and the Pokémon's movements were both swift. Although Tai Chi Chuan itself was not a speed-oriented martial art, Froakie and Timburr were not Pokémon that could slow down. The exchange between the two Pokémon was truly like a flash of lightning. Although the onlookers could understand the commands, most of them didn't quite grasp what was happening.
It was understandable that the Liulingda members didn't understand, but why couldn't the Linglingda school team, trained by Gongsun Xue, understand either? The main reason was that the moves they were using became bizarre as the battle progressed. Although the names of the moves were the same, sometimes they only had the footwork and not the hand techniques, or vice versa. Everything seemed to flow perfectly yet was subtly off. This made the Linglingda members feel quite awkward.
While an amateur might watch for the spectacle and an expert for the skill, sometimes understanding the skill wasn't a pleasant experience. At least the Linglingda members were already feeling a bit confused.
After a few brief exchanges, Froakie and Timburr retreated and separated. Xia Huna then took the opportunity to glance at the HP bars. Although the battle was fierce, most of the time was spent countering moves, so both Timburr and Froakie's HP were still healthy, with no significant fluctuations.
Xia Huna breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, this was just a clash of techniques. Otherwise, given the difference in their offensive and defensive base stats, coupled with Timburr's level advantage, Froakie would have long been defeated.
"Sister Xue is holding back. Otherwise, Froakie would have been defeated long ago."
"I can't help it. I want to battle for a longer time, so I can only resort to this method."
"Thank you very much, Sister Xue. Froakie, use Bubble Beam!"
Froakie shot out its bubbles and charged towards Timburr under their cover. Timburr quickly swatted the bubbles away with its claws and then lunged at Froakie.
Seeing the smile on Xia Huna's lips, Gongsun Xue blurted out, "Timburr, be careful!"
"Froakie, use Grasping Knee and Twist Step!"
While charging forward at high speed, Froakie was still able to grab a handful of bubbles from its neck and then, with the hand holding the bubbles, caught Timburr's attacking claw and used its momentum to throw Timburr back.
Timburr skillfully stabilized itself in the air and landed steadily. Gongsun Xue looked at Xia Huna with a hint of admiration. "Very impressive. You managed to execute such a move while charging."
Xia Huna looked at the thrown Timburr. "Your Timburr is also extraordinary. To ensure speed, it must be lighter than a normal Timburr, right? Otherwise, it wouldn't have been so easy for Froakie to throw it."
Xia Huna had experimented. If he were using a Shield, theoretically, as Froakie's level increased, it might be able to throw any object with a medium-speed impact up to ten times its own weight. However, that was purely Froakie's Tai Chi technique. Even after over ten days of high-intensity training that had raised its level to nearly thirty, it wouldn't be able to simply throw Timburr like that. Timburr's low stance must have been trained by Gongsun Xue. In that case, there could only be one explanation.
"You're right. My Timburr is indeed lighter than other Timburr, but that doesn't affect its combat power. Timburr, use Shuttle Pass!"
Seeing Timburr approaching at high speed, Xia Huna suspected this might be a variation of Left/Right Shift. To counter this move, Xia Huna chose: "Froakie, don't engage. Use Repulse to create distance!"
Although Froakie's retreating step with Repulse was not slow, the approaching Timburr with the initial advantage of Shuttle Pass was clearly faster. Froakie only retreated five or six steps before Timburr closed in. "Timburr, use Cloud Hand Strike!"
As Timburr's Cloud Hand Strike was parried to the sides by Froakie's Embrace the Monkey, the distance between Timburr and Froakie rapidly decreased, and finally, Froakie's head collided with Timburr's chin.
"Are you okay, Froakie/Timburr!"
Hearing their trainers' voices, Froakie and Timburr pulled away again, facing each other.