Chapter 172: I'm Just Gonna Wipe the Floor With Them
Squirtle's Torrent state lasted until the match ended. Jiaotong University's remaining Raichu and Ludicolo met the same fate.
Ludicolo, a key Rain Team attacker, had excellent support moves like Fake Out. But Squirtle slid under an Energy Ball, leaped forward, bit onto Ludicolo's leafy hat, and landed a critical hit.
"Wait… Teacher Lu landing a crit?!"
"Who are you, and what have you done with him?!"
Against Raichu, the strategy was the same. Squirtle used Dig to dodge a Thunderbolt, then Headbutted Raichu straight into the advertisement board!
Lu Ye scratched his head. "I feel like… it's not far from learning Skull Bash at this rate."
With Raichu's defeat, the stadium erupted. "A 3-KO streak?! And Squirtle still looks completely fine?!"
"Maybe it just looks fine. It did activate Torrent, after all."
"That… actually makes sense."
Thanks to Squirtle's incredible performance, the rest of Modu University delivered solid plays in the team battle. As cheers flooded the arena, the commentator shouted excitedly—"The final ticket to the Championship Match has been claimed! Congratulations to Modu University!"
On both sides of the stands, flags waved wildly. Even though this was just the University League, the sheer popularity of Pokémon battles meant it had captured countless eyes.
And as the center of attention, after the match, Lu Ye took Squirtle to the Pokémon Center. Even though Squirtle was fine, at its insistence, the doctor wrapped its shell in thick bandages. "Squirtle! (≖ᴗ≖)✧" Now fully bandaged, it nodded in satisfaction.
Lu Ye's mouth twitched. "Your shell just got slightly scratched—do you really need to be this cautious?!"
Just then, Squirtle's eyes lit up as it spotted something in the Poké Mart. "Squirtle!" It pointed at a shelf, its eyes gleaming. Following its gaze, Lu Ye saw rows of neatly packaged Max Potions.
His expression turned strange. "Last time, it was Hyper Potions… Now we're moving up the ranks?" But thinking about it, the "injuries" this time were more serious. Lu Ye sighed and waved to the clerk. "I'll take all of them."
The clerk's eyes widened. "A-All of them?!"
Lu Ye shot her a look. "Problem?"
Looking thrilled, the clerk swept the entire shelf into a bag and bowed deeply. "Thank you for your generous patronage!"
Lu Ye checked his balance—another 50,000 gone. But seeing Squirtle's happy expression, he shook his head. "Stocking up on potions is fine… Just as long as you don't start hoarding Revival Herbs or Max Revives."
…
That Night – Shuckle Inn
The Modu team gathered in Lu Ye's room, excitedly discussing the match. "Squirtle is way too strong!"
In the corner, Torkoal—who was getting knocked on the head by Sylveon—looked up in confusion.
"Uh… Sorry…" one of the players scratched his head. "I meant Squirtle, not you." Torkoal immediately looked dejected.
Lu Ye chuckled. "Make sure you bring your A-game tomorrow. You're the core of our Sun Team, after all!" Torkoal perked up, eyes shining.
"Teacher Lu, you should go for MVP tomorrow," another player added.
Lu Ye rubbed his chin. Originally, he had planned to slack off. But now that they'd made it to the Finals, taking it easy wasn't his style. Sure, the MVP prize was 2 million plus a Mystic Water, but money was whatever—the real goal was to bring glory to Modu University.
"I'll try my best," Lu Ye said, coughing lightly.
At that moment, Coach Zhai knocked. "Lu Ye, remember that TM I mentioned?" he smiled. "I talked with the Headmaster, and we think Iron Defense would be perfect for your Squirtle!"
Iron Defense boosted Defense by two stages—stacked with Withdraw, it would turn Squirtle into a walking fortress. Lu Ye's expression turned odd. "If Squirtle learns Iron Defense… won't its Defense stat just be maxed out?!"
"Uh… how much does it cost to train?" he asked cautiously.
"Iron Defense isn't too expensive—it just requires endurance training." Coach Zhai thought for a moment. "Actually, Gu Zhong's Torkoal learned it thanks to your Sylveon." Gu Zhong grinned gratefully.
Lu Ye froze. "Endurance training? …So, basically, Squirtle just needs to get hit?" He glanced at Squirtle, covered in bandages, then at Sylveon, who looked extremely annoyed.
Lu Ye smirked. "Guess it's time for Sylveon to get some action, too." He nodded. "Leave it to me. I'll just wipe the floor with them."
…
September 17th, Thursday – The University League Finals
At Ho-Oh's Nest stadium, the Championship Match was about to begin. Helicopters hovered overhead, while major media outlets swarmed the venue. A reporter murmured, "Teacher Lu… grinding levels at the University League… That's exactly his style."
Over 10,000 spectators packed the arena, one side cheering for Modu, the other for Imperial University. "Let's go, Modu!"
"4-time champs! Imperial University!"
Compared to Imperial's deep roots, Teacher Lu's fanbase was still small. But every Modu supporter knew—this year, they had nurtured a powerful Trainer. A Gaming Content Creator, Indie Game Developer, Tactical Genius, The Pride of Modu… a second-year student from Modu University—Lu Ye!
Both teams walked out from the tunnel as camera flashes lit up the stadium. The commentator's voice rang out—"Welcome to the University League Championship Match! Two century-old powerhouses—Modu University and Imperial University—will battle for the ultimate title!"
In the VIP section sat the Headmasters of both universities, Imperial City's Dragon-type Gym Leader, Ji Shiyin, and Donghuang's Master Trainer, Tu Yong.
"So, who do you think is winning this one?" one headmaster joked to the other.
His rival shot him a cold look. "Winning doesn't matter. I'm just here to watch you make a fool of yourself."
Ji Shiyin and Tu Yong, not ones for small talk, focused their attention on the arena. The Finals had officially begun.
[Inorin Note:
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