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The next day.
The revenge battles began.
Li Xiang had competed with many others for Pokémon—sometimes in teams of two, sometimes four. So naturally, quite a few wanted a shot at revenge.
After all, he'd ended up with all the Pokémon they'd fought over. Who else would they target?
Li Xiang was more than happy to oblige. Free points? Who wouldn't be thrilled?
"Five people have submitted requests for revenge battles against you."
Zhong Qizhi flipped through a notebook, marking something down before looking up. "Who do you want to face first?"
"Doesn't matter to me."
Li Xiang had no preference for the order.
"Then head to D86. We'll go down the list." Zhong Qizhi checked off a name.
Revenge battles were organized by the instructors. Challengers submitted requests, the instructors arranged the order, and then notified both parties where to meet.
"Got it."
Li Xiang nodded, flipping through the photos on his camera. The small screen displayed the faces of one teenager after another.
'There should've been seven groups I had conflicts with. Why only five?'
He'd specifically photographed everyone he'd competed against, just so he could match them up during revenge battles. Yet only five had actually applied.
'Do they not understand what 'competition' means?'
Li Xiang sighed. Since he was the one who'd won the Pokémon, he couldn't initiate revenge battles himself. So knowing who he'd fought with was pointless.
Song Jie, having no points to reclaim, hadn't challenged him and was instead back in their dorm, video-chatting with his private tutor for an online lesson.
—This was a common occurrence. Extra tutoring was routine for Song Jie.
As his roommate, Li Xiang had been lucky enough to sit in on a few sessions.
Though he was only allowed to listen—no questions or interruptions—he still learned a lot.
It was a perfect example of the saying: It's not the rich you should fear, but the rich who work harder than you.
While many of those without challenges chose to relax for the day, Song Jie was still climbing toward the peak of the trainer pyramid. Step by step, widening the gap until it became an insurmountable chasm.
Until he stood at the very top.
...
D86 Arena
The rules were the same as the pre-meal battles: Single Battle, one-on-one, one round decides the winner.
Wanting to get back early and eavesdrop on Song Jie's tutoring session, Li Xiang went for the fastest possible win—catching his opponent completely off guard.
Riolu took the field.
Agility activated, turning it into a near-invisible blur.
Double Team split it into countless afterimages, like a swarm of arrows shooting forward!
The combo was executed flawlessly.
The opponent's Hypno didn't even have time to lock onto Riolu before its Hypnosis hit nothing but an illusion.
Then, the real Riolu—now at its side—suddenly lunged, baring pitch-black fangs as it Crunched down on Hypno's neck!
CRACK!
Dark energy exploded on impact.
Hypno, caught entirely by surprise, crumpled instantly.
Battle over.
Total time: Less than 20 seconds.
The opponent stood frozen, his next command still stuck in his throat. Only when the referee blew the whistle did he realize what had just happened.
'That's… it? Since when does Riolu hit that hard?'
'A single Crunch one-shot Hypno?'
He sucked in a sharp breath, barely able to believe his eyes.
But when he turned to look for Li Xiang, the boy was already gone—having retrieved his ID card and Riolu in record time, sprinting away like he'd just been passing by.
The same scenario played out in the next three battles.
Most ended in one super-effective hit. The tankier ones barely lasted two.
The gap was just too wide.
After their losses, many of these challengers went to the group chat, asking the No. 1 Middle School's students just what was up with Li Xiang's strength.
It was downright absurd.
The replies they got were infuriatingly consistent:
[The Vice Class President's always been this strong. If you didn't prepare beforehand, that's on you. Don't blame him.]
Students from other schools chimed in too—mostly those who'd faced Li Xiang in pre-meal battles and been thoroughly crushed.
[His strength is top-tier. He's basically guaranteed a spot in the top twenty. How could we compare?]
Someone replied bitterly. Every school had its geniuses.
No matter the era, there would always be those who surged ahead, leaving everyone else in the dust. All they could do was watch their backs—until even that disappeared from view.
For a moment, the chat was filled with sighs.
Living in the same environment as a genius was demoralizing. Especially when you realized no matter how hard you chased, you'd never catch up.
Meanwhile, the "genius shepherd" Li Xiang was rushing to his next battle.
His last opponent was Luo Dayou, the top student from No. 4 Middle School, and the only one among the five revenge battles who might actually pose a challenge.
Arena D41.
When Li Xiang arrived, Luo Dayou was staring at the ground, lost in thought. Only when the referee began announcing the rules did the boy snap back to reality, finally noticing his opponent had arrived.
Luo Dayou looked at Li Xiang with a complicated expression.
Truthfully, he hadn't really wanted this revenge battle. Six points weren't worth seeming petty over.
But he just couldn't swallow his pride!
Remembering how Li Xiang had snatched every Pokémon they'd fought over—and even thrown his own sarcasm back at him—Luo Dayou felt a knot of frustration tighten in his chest.
After much deliberation, he decided he had to reclaim some dignity. The points were secondary. This was about face.
"I'm going all out," Luo Dayou raised his PokéBall, voice low, "So I hope you'll do the same."
Li Xiang, who'd just finished selecting his Pokémon, paused briefly before nodding.
The referee blew the whistle.
Both Poké Balls flew through the air simultaneously.
BANG! BANG!
Two flashes of light.
On Luo Dayou's side, a massive, muscular gorilla-like Pokémon landed with a thud.
Thick green hair resembling a dense thicket. Brown and gray fur covering its powerful frame. Arms so long they could touch the ground even while standing upright.
In each hand, it gripped a wooden drumstick, and in front of it—a massive, circular wooden drum.
Rillaboom.
The Grass-type starter of the eighth generation.
The new king of doubles.
Li Xiang's choice, of course, was Incineroar.
Knowing Luo Dayou's strongest Pokémon, there was no reason to send out anyone else.
This battle?
The new king vs. the old king.
A singles showdown.
(Though only Li Xiang understood the reference—a little inside joke for himself.)
The moment Rillaboom hit the field, a pulse of green light radiated outward, covering the entire arena.
Ability: Grassy Surge.
Grassy Terrain took hold, slowly healing all grounded Pokémon while boosting the power of Grass-type moves.
Meanwhile, Incineroar let out a deafening roar before charging forward, arms raised.
"Fake Out!" x2
Both trainers shouted the command simultaneously.
Rillaboom, seeing Incineroar closing in, raised a glowing white hand and brought its drumsticks down!
Unlike Incineroar's clapping motion, Rillaboom's Fake Out was performed by striking its drum.
But before the attack could land—
SMACK!
Incineroar was already in range. Its palms slammed together with a sharp crack, light flashing as the soundwave hit Rillaboom first!
The gorilla's eyes glazed over momentarily, its drumsticks freezing mid-swing as the glow around them flickered out.
Luo Dayou's eyes widened. He hadn't expected his Rillaboom to lose a speed clash against an Incineroar.
'Is it trained for Speed?!'
"Bulk Up."
Li Xiang snapped his fingers.
"RRROAR!"
Incineroar flexed, muscles tightening as a reddish-brown aura enveloped its body. Steam rose from its skin like Luffy activating Gear Second.
Attack up! Defense up!
"Snap out of it! Use Stomping Tantrum!"
Luo Dayou urgently called out, snapping Rillaboom out of its daze.
Stomping Tantrum—a Ground-type physical move. If the user's previous attack failed, its power doubled!
Rillaboom's gaze sharpened. Seeing Incineroar now right in front of it, the gorilla slammed its foot into the ground!
A shockwave of yellow energy rippled across the terrain, surging toward Incineroar!
But before the attack could connect—before Rillaboom's foot had even fully landed—
Incineroar leaped, soaring through the air like a tiger pouncing on prey!
Its claws ignited, forming massive flaming gauntlets as it slammed down onto Rillaboom with a devastating Fire Punch!
Rillaboom, caught mid-animation, couldn't even activate Protect in time. It hastily crossed its arms to block—
BOOM!
Fire exploded on impact, scattering embers in all directions!
Rillaboom staggered back, elbows screaming in pain from the sheer force.
Super effective!
"Toss its drum away!"
Li Xiang's voice rang out.
Almost simultaneously, Luo Dayou shouted, "Grassy Glide! Don't let it!"
Rillaboom, teeth bared in pain, blurred into a streak of green light, darting toward Incineroar with insane speed!
Under Grassy Terrain, Grassy Glide was near-unavoidable!
But the distance Incineroar had created with its Fire Punch—four to five meters—wasn't insignificant.
By the time Rillaboom shot forward, Incineroar had already heaved the massive drum off the ground.
Then—
WHOOSH!
The flames around Incineroar's waist erupted, blasting the drum like a rocket over the fence and out of bounds!
Rillaboom's Grassy Glide slammed into Incineroar's chest a split second too late.
Thud.
The impact was oddly light.
Rillaboom stumbled back, revealing its towering form once more.
Despite being taller than Incineroar, under the tiger's feral grin and the way it casually brushed off the attack like it was nothing—
Rillaboom's pupils contracted. Its confidence wavered.
"RRROAR."
Incineroar bared its fangs.
'Out of tricks? Good. Now it's my turn.'
Turquoise flames erupted from its belt, engulfing its body in an instant!