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The next day.
The first round of matches was completely over.
The matchups for the next round were posted on the bulletin board in the school hall, and someone took a picture and shared it in the group chat.
Li Xiang's luck was still pretty good; he didn't run into any early birds, but Song Jie wasn't so fortunate.
"A level 38 Crobat? Can you handle that?" Li Xiang couldn't help but gloat a little. That level was practically the upper limit.
"Steel and Rock types, what do you think?" Song Jie remained calm. He had the type advantage—Steel countered Poison, and Rock was strong against Flying.
Overall, Crobat really couldn't do much to Larion. The only uncertainty was Crobat's speed, which was ridiculously fast.
At that speed, Larion's attacks might not land.
If the attacks don't land, no matter how tanky you are, you're just a punching bag.
"Good luck," Li Xiang patted Song Jie's shoulder and went to study his own opponent.
Then, he realized that while his new opponent wasn't an early bird, their strength was nothing to scoff at.
The guy was from the class next door, named Yi Hao.
His team consisted of Gabite, Hippopotas, and Slugma.
Among them, Gabite was at level 25 with the Sand Veil ability, while the other two were at level 20, with Sand Stream and Flame Body abilities respectively.
Clearly, this guy had chosen a pseudo-legendary starter.
And his choice, Gible, was a solid pick. The first evolution requirement wasn't high—just level 24—and now, at the end of the first academic year, it had evolved.
"Specializes in Ground types, running a sandstorm team..." Li Xiang pondered, realizing he didn't have many options.
Choosing Froakie was the straightforward and correct choice.
Because no matter which Pokémon the opponent picked, Froakie could handle it.
It was just a matter of whether it would be difficult or easy.
As for the opponent - The likelihood of them choosing Gabite was high, assuming they weren't completely clueless and had done some research on him.
They might have even paid Yang Tianwang for information.
"It's up to you, Froakie. The opponent might not be easy, so be careful," Li Xiang shook Froakie's Poké Ball.
Froakie pushed the Poké Ball in response.
...
Match day.
As expected, Li Xiang's prediction was correct.
The opponent chose Gabite.
It was taller and bulkier than the average Gabite, standing at about 1.6 meters.
Its signature moves were Sand Tomb, Outrage, and Dragon Breath...
That's it?
Li Xiang recalled Gabite's move pool and realized that as long as Froakie kept its distance, Gabite basically had no moves that could hit it while it was in its Camouflage state!
This guy didn't even know Sandstorm!
And it didn't know how to vary its Sand Tomb, just spamming a small whirlwind!
Li Xiang smirked, and Froakie in front of him slowly put on its foam helmet, completing its transformation. Its pupils narrowed into slits, cautiously watching the opponent.
Soon, the match began.
Gabite charged straight at Froakie, its mouth filled with a mix of blue, green, and red energy, ready to fire as soon as it closed the distance.
At low levels, few Pokémon could cover the 20-meter gap with their moves.
Basically, everyone had to get close to hit their opponent, but after just a couple of steps, Froakie disappeared from its spot.
Then, a thick black smoke erupted from nowhere, quickly covering most of the field!
The opponent was gone!
Gabite stood still, confused, the dragon flame in its mouth dimming slightly.
"Use your ears!" Yi Hao shouted. The oval-shaped objects on Gabite's head were its ears.
They were also Gabite's means of tracking enemies in sandstorms!
Hearing this, Gabite closed its eyes and used its ears to sense its surroundings.
Unfortunately, its ears weren't Aura senses.
Froakie's Camouflage could even fool Buzzwole's antennae, so what chance did a mere Gabite have?
Time passed.
Yi Hao had thought finding Froakie would be easy, but after searching for a while, there was still no sign of it.
"How is this possible? Camouflage only affects vision, right? It can't just disappear!"
Losing track of the opponent for so long made Yi Hao anxious.
Just then, Gabite stepped on something slippery yet sticky, causing it to pause and look down.
Yi Hao's attention was also drawn to it.
"What's this..."
Before he could finish, a bolt of icy-blue lightning shot through the smoky field, accurately hitting Gabite's body!
Frost instantly spread from the point of impact, freezing its entire left leg!
"Gah!" Gabite couldn't help but let out a painful cry. The quadruple-effective Ice Beam was something it couldn't withstand!
"Over there! Dragon Breath!" Yi Hao, with no time to worry about Gabite's injury, pointed in the direction the Ice Beam came from and shouted!
If they didn't attack now, they'd lose track of the opponent again!
Gabite endured the pain, and the blue-green-red dragon flame turned into a massive fireball, flying towards the spot!
Wherever it passed, the black smoke dissipated, and the dust retreated!
Unfortunately, the attack missed.
The terrifying-looking fireball only hit air, and at its maximum range, it slowly dissipated.
"It moved? That fast?"
Yi Hao's expression changed, and he caught a glimpse of blue out of the corner of his eye. "Dodge forward!" he yelled.
Gabite tried to leap forward, but hindered by the ice on its arm and the sticky substance on its feet, it stumbled and fell flat on its face!
A second Ice Beam struck as expected!
This time, it hit Gabite's leg, and the frost spread like a tidal wave, rapidly climbing up its body!
"Gah!!!" Gabite let out another agonized cry.
For Froakie, with the Protean ability, all offensive moves were STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus), and with the quadruple type advantage, it was essentially dealing six times the damage!
Six times! What does that mean!?
Gabite's Special Defense wasn't high—in fact, it was quite low. Taking one Ice Beam was already tough, let alone a second one that hit cleanly!
No amount of HP could save it!
Poor Gabite slowly closed its eyes, its intact right paw reaching forward.
"Gabite!!!" Yi Hao shouted, but it was too late.
By now, the smoke on the field had cleared, and the referee approached to check on Gabite.
After confirming that Gabite had lost the ability to battle….
"Beep—!!!"
"Gabite is unable to battle! Froakie wins! The victor is Li Xiang!"
The match was over!
Outside the field.
Most of the students looked confused.
With the smoke covering the field, they couldn't see what was happening. All they heard were a few cries, saw a big fireball, and then.
The pseudo-legendary Gabite was already down.
That was fast!
From start to finish, it didn't even take five minutes?
Was this guy really that strong?
The students turned their gazes to Li Xiang, who was standing at the edge of the field. A few of them were frantically writing in their notebooks.
...
On the field.
Li Xiang let out a sigh of relief.
Froakie revealed itself not far from Gabite, its pupils narrowed into slits, and the foam on its face retracted.
The battle had been completely one-sided, with Gabite unable to fight back at all.
This proved just how powerful the combination of Camouflage and Smokescreen could be.
When the opponent couldn't find Froakie, they really could only take hits.
Froakie even had time to use Work Up to boost its stats.
Aside from being slightly surprised and annoyed that one Ice Beam didn't take Gabite out (thanks to its HP locking), the match went almost perfectly.
"Great job, Froakie!" Li Xiang praised.
"Froak~" Froakie scratched its head sheepishly, then ran towards Li Xiang, leaping up to land on his shoulder.
But at that moment, Froakie's body suddenly emitted a brilliant blue light, and it fell to the ground!
Countless glowing specks of light swirled around it, dazzling and mesmerizing!
It was evolving!
After nearly four months!
Froakie was finally evolving!
Li Xiang's face lit up with joy, and the students and teachers watching couldn't help but turn their attention to the scene!
No one could resist the allure of evolution!
In the light, Froakie's body grew larger and more slender, the foam on the back of its head forming a small tail-like appendage, resembling a scarf.
Its eyes were no longer as oval, and its eyelids grew straight up like horns!
Soon, the evolution light faded.
Froakie had officially evolved into Frogadier, with a significant boost in its stats, especially in Attack and Speed!
The foam around its neck also became thicker and larger!
"Frog!" Frogadier let out a crisp cry, its pupils narrowing into slits again as it happily called out to Li Xiang!
Come on! Come see your best partner's new form!
Li Xiang naturally rushed over, examining Frogadier's body, touching it here and there, murmuring in admiration.
"The toughness has definitely increased!" He tugged at Frogadier's foam scarf, finding that even with his strength, he couldn't tear it. His joy was hard to contain. "Frogadier! This is a huge win!"
Not to mention the cotton-like, water-filled texture, the once-light foam now felt substantial and heavy in Li Xiang's hands!
"Kero!" Frogadier nodded vigorously, though it felt a little regretful that it could no longer perch on Li Xiang's shoulder now that it had grown so much.
Still, getting stronger was a good thing.
A fair trade, perhaps.
"Let's head to the dojo and test this out!" Li Xiang quickly returned Frogadier to its Poké Ball and hurried off the field, running out of the school.
It was already after school, so he was free to leave.