Gua Gua shook its head, then gave Xia Hu Nao reassurance that it was fine. Meanwhile, the Fighting type Pokémon was in much better condition than Gua Gua.
“Sister Xue, it’s boring if we just keep using Tai Chi. Shouldn’t the Fighting type Pokémon have other moves?”
“Of course, but can Gua Gua take it?”
“Who knows? I want to try! Gua Gua, jump up and smash down!”
Xia Hu Nao’s move made no sense. Gua Gua’s evolutionary line did not allow it to perform such a reckless maneuver, as it was not a power-based Pokémon. Gongsun Xue, who was sparring with Xia Hu Nao, also felt that something was amiss and decided to have her Fighting type Pokémon retreat a few steps to observe first.
Normally, a move where one jumps high and smashes down would be considered a Flying Kick. If the kick misses, it would result in significant recoil damage. However, Xia Hu Nao’s Gua Gua did not have a Flying Kick, only Bounce. Bounce was a move that surpassed its level, making the current situation particularly bizarre.
However, Xia Hu Nao knew that his Gua Gua could not perform either of these moves. He had simply instructed Gua Gua to jump, and the smashing part was just a bluff.
Gua Gua directly enveloped its legs in countless bubbles. When the frog landed on the ground, bubbles splattered everywhere. Gua Gua, prepared for the landing, only felt a slight impact and did not sustain any damage.
The Fighting type Pokémon, which had just dodged, was not so fortunate. The scattered bubbles upon Gua Gua’s landing were an indiscriminate attack, and a considerable amount stuck to it.
“Fighting type Pokémon, shake off the bubbles!”
“It’s not that easy! Gua Gua, Launch!”
The spectators from Ling Ling University were stunned by Xia Hu Nao’s commands. What were these moves? They had never heard of them. While the Tai Chi exchange between the two had been somewhat predictable, this time it was completely out of the blue.
Huang Tianxiao, the captain of Ling Ling University’s team, approached Li Qiufeng. “Old Li, what kind of fighting style is your coach using? I’m utterly confused.”
Li Qiufeng turned his head. “You’ll get used to it. Our coach is just like that.”
Huang Tianxiao looked at the students from Liu Ling University. “You guys aren’t going to adopt this fighting style too, are you?”
Li Qiufeng shook his head. “In our Coach Xia’s words, it’s unspeakable, unspeakable.”
Unable to glean any information from Li Qiufeng, Huang Tianxiao refocused his attention on the battle in the arena.
Gua Gua, using Launch, was significantly faster than before. It directly collided with the Fighting type Pokémon, which had not yet cleared the bubbles from its face, knocking it to the ground. Then, it launched into a flurry of punches and kicks. The Fighting type Pokémon, naturally, did not stand idly by and began to fight back against Gua Gua based on instinct.
Although the two Pokémon had initially carried an air of distinguished experts, their battle had devolved into something akin to a brawl between street thugs.
“Fighting type Pokémon, use your knees!”
“Gua Gua, we use our knees too!”
The battle between the two Pokémon became increasingly nonsensical. From the looks of it, it was likely to continue for quite some time, as both Pokémon still had more than half of their health bars remaining.
Fortunately, the two trainers could still assess the situation on the field and soon had the two Pokémon separate.
Gua Gua and the Fighting type Pokémon returned to a state of standoff. Xia Hu Nao looked at Gongsun Xue. “Sister Xue, let’s settle this with one move. I’m getting hungry and want to go eat.”
Gongsun Xue looked at the surrounding students. “Alright, although this match wasn’t as satisfying as it could have been, we can’t keep them waiting. You make your move.”
“Then I won’t hold back. Gua Gua, charge!”
“Fighting type Pokémon, block it!”
The Fighting type Pokémon extended its hands to block Gua Gua’s attack, but Xia Hu Nao did not make his move at that moment. “Gua Gua, use Fighting type Pokémon as a springboard to jump up!”
Gua Gua used the Fighting type Pokémon as a launching pad, exerting force with its legs and leaping into mid-air. Watching Gua Gua in mid-air, Gongsun Xue suddenly felt a sense of familiarity.
“Let’s decide this with this move! Gua Gua, True Rulai Shen Zhang Kai Yi!”
Gongsun Xue had seen Gua Gua use Rulai Shen Zhang before. It was an attack from top to bottom, and it wasn’t particularly difficult to block or dodge. However, Gongsun Xue was unsure what effect Xia Hu Nao’s prefixes of “True” and “Kai Yi” would have.
In mid-air, Gua Gua released a large amount of bubbles, which coalesced into a massive palm print in the air, pressing down on the Fighting type Pokémon. “Sister Xue, what do you think of this move?”
Due to the obstruction of the bubbles, Gongsun Xue couldn’t see Gua Gua’s exact location. However, by the shape of the palm print, she could roughly guess where Gua Gua was.
“Fighting type Pokémon, aim for the center of the palm print and punch!”
The giant palm print and the Fighting type Pokémon’s punch beneath it collided rapidly. The Fighting type Pokémon’s punch did not hit Gua Gua. Gua Gua landed directly behind the Fighting type Pokémon and struck it.
“Sister Xue, it seems I won, doesn’t it?”
Gongsun Xue recalled her Fighting type Pokémon. “Yes, you won. I must say, your progress is very rapid. Did you develop these moves within this short month?”
Xia Hu Nao also returned Gua Gua to its Poké Ball. “How could that be? Developing all this in a month would be too difficult. I started practicing Tai Chi at the beginning of winter break, and for the others, I’ve learned a bit here and there.”
After the match, the two well-matched school teams decided to go eat together. The team members paired up casually, while the four key figures from the two school teams sat together.
Xia Hu Nao’s table was a feast for the eyes. Gongsun Sisters and Tong Ruo were all beautiful and elegant women. Xia Hu Nao, sitting beside them, seemed to sense the murderous intent emanating from the surrounding men.
“So, which group are you in?” Gongsun Xue asked Tong Ruo.
“A1. We’re playing the opening match.”
“Alright, we’ll definitely be there to watch,” Gongsun Xue replied.
“Are you that keen on studying us?”
Gongsun Xue shook her head. “Not studying you. I just want to see how far Little Xia can go.”
On the other side, Gongsun Shuang was inquiring about Zhang Hong’s dance practice. Although she was reluctant to admit it, Zhang Hong was her student, and it was impossible for Gongsun Shuang to be entirely unconcerned.
Xia Hu Nao overheard Gongsun Shuang’s question. “I think if possible, you might need to take a whip to Jinghai City.”
Gongsun Shuang nodded. Xia Hu Nao’s statement had already told her a lot.
The four of them ate lunch and chatted, their conversation soon turning to the recent match.
“Little Xia Zi, what was that Rulai Shen Zhang move of yours?”
Xia Hu Nao chuckled. “How should I put it? I took a shortcut. According to established rules, skills cannot be used. However, both my Bubble Clone and the final Rulai Shen Zhang were modified based on bubbles. But because the bubble skill was activated subtly, it was barely not considered a violation. If we were to be strict, I would have lost.”
“Don’t overthink it. Just tell us about the final Rulai Shen Zhang.”
Xia Hu Nao thought for a moment, then explained, “Actually, it was a modification of Bubble Clone. Originally, bubbles were used to create a Froakie clone, but I changed it to use bubbles to create a large palm print. However, because the palm print was too large, it was very thin and could only barely obscure vision.”
Gongsun Xue suddenly understood. “So that’s how it is. Gua Gua wasn’t attacking me from the center of the palm print, so hitting the center of the palm print was useless. But why is it Kai Yi? Are there Kai Er and Kai San?”
Xia Hu Nao was taken aback for a moment, then replied, “No, I only trained Kai Yi. I haven’t trained any Kai Er or Kai San yet.”
“Then why did you say Kai Yi?” Gongsun Xue asked, confused.
“Just to bluff everyone. It’s a habit of mine.”
Tong Ruo asked, “You said you haven’t trained them yet, which means you already have ideas?”
Xia Hu Nao nodded. “Yes, for example, hiding Water Pulse behind this palm of mine. But Gua Gua cannot perform such a move yet; it always scatters this bubble palm print with Water Pulse.”
Xia Hu Nao hadn’t completely failed to learn it. With his creativity and Gua Gua’s talent, he could easily learn this technique. However, Gua Gua was not far from its second evolution. Evolving into Greninja was only a matter of time. After evolving into Greninja, it would be much more troublesome to create bubbles, and Xia Hu Nao did not intend to keep the bubble skill, which was why he hadn’t practiced it.
…
After lunch, the two groups parted ways.
As the Ling Ling University team walked back to their villa, Gongsun Xue said, “He’s truly extraordinary. His talent is exceptional.”
Gongsun Shuang agreed. “Indeed. In just this month, he has trained Froakie to this level.”
“Huang Tianxiao, Liu Ling University will be much tougher to deal with this year than last year.”
Huang Tianxiao nodded. “Teacher, don’t worry. We’ll be careful. Besides, don’t we have a new trump card prepared by our coach?”
Gongsun Xue shook her head. “That trump card was developed by me and him together. Liu Ling University won’t be completely unprepared.”
Ling Ling University team: …
…
Meanwhile, Xia Hu Nao and his group walked back. Xia Hu Nao asked, “When is our opening match?”
Li Qiufeng looked at the webpage on his phone. “The opening ceremony is tomorrow morning at eight o’clock. Our opening match is scheduled for one o’clock in the afternoon.”
Xia Hu Nao turned his head. “Five hours? The opening ceremony lasts five hours? Are you kidding me?”
Li Qiufeng looked a bit embarrassed. “Well, there’s nothing we can do. Although the opening ceremony has fewer segments, one of the segments is called ‘Speech by the League Chairman.’ This particular item usually takes about two hours.”