Pokémon: Hard work pays off, moves can be upgraded infinitely.

While Shin-chan was enjoying the feeling of being the center of attention, the Scizor trainer on the other side was completely blank-minded, standing there in a daze.

Seeing that he hadn't moved for a while, the referee immediately reminded him, "Ahem, please change your Pokémon!"

Upon hearing this, the Scizor's trainer finally came to his senses and switched Pokémon.

Awesome!

A bright green figure instantly replaced the mantis.

It was a sturdy creature with arms like knives, resembling a praying mantis.

..............................

[Pokémon: Scyther]

Gender: Male

[Attribute: Insect + Flying]

Level: 59

..............................

Scyther, one of the most beloved Bug-type Pokémon among Bug-type trainers, is known as the "Lone Warrior of the Bug Race".

It is also the degenerate form of the Scizor from before.

Describing it as a degenerate form might be somewhat inaccurate.

Because both Scizor and Scyther have a base stat total of 500.

The only difference is in the distribution of base stats, attributes, and move pool.

Compared to Scizor, which has excellent physical attack but low speed, Scyther not only has excellent physical attack but also has a very high speed.

"sand!"

After Scyther entered the fray, it leaned its arms slightly forward and stared intently at the leisurely Shin-chan with its sharp eyes.

If Shin-chan hadn't just instantly defeated Scizor, anyone could have guessed the outcome of this "Predator" versus "Lively and Elegant Young Lady" battle.

After all, the combination of Grass and Evil makes the Magic Masked Cat four times weaker to Insects, which is an inherent disadvantage.

But now, even the Scyther trainer himself is a little hesitant.

I wonder if Scyther, with only a double weakness to fire, can defeat its opponent.

"Both Pokémon are in position, let the match continue!"

"Scyther, use Shadow Clone first, and pay close attention to your opponent's movements!"

This time, he didn't let Scyther attack first, but instead prepared to wait for an opportunity to strike.

"sand!"

The Scyther flashed, and several emerald green figures appeared in the arena.

Shadow Clone is a general transformation-type move.

You can create afterimages to disrupt your opponent's judgment.

However, its essence is still to leave afterimages in place with extremely high speed and special skills, rather than being a real clone.

Even though Scyther is extremely fast, Shin-chan, with all his enhancements, could still clearly see Scyther's true form.

then......

"Meow~!"

Just like before, Shin-chan lightly touched the ground with his slender toes, his body as light as a feather, and glided towards the Scyther with elegance but extremely fast speed.

At the same time, the beautiful flower around her neck had somehow turned into a pale yellowish-brown.

..............................

[Type: Grass/Dark → Rock/Rock]

..............................

The earthy yellow energy swirled out like quicksand, then covered her arms like armor, layer upon layer.

It eventually formed a giant rock hand that was larger than her body.

Rock-type move - Rock Slug

Full name: Parallel Techniques Rock Energy Ball Attached Version Knock Down!

A massive, earthen-yellow hand slammed down, as if patting a chick, engulfing the unprepared flying mantis.

"boom!!!"

The large hand pressed down on the ground, making a series of loud noises.

After Shin-chan waved his hand and dissipated the Great Rock Hand, only the Scyther, whose eyes had turned into mosquito coil eyes, remained in the crack.

..............................

[Ding! Magic Masked Cat (54) defeated Scyther (59). Permanent Quest 1: Battle Completed. The opponent's level is equal to yours. Congratulations, host! You have gained 59 points. Magic Masked Cat's growth level has been slightly increased!]

..............................

[Ding! The target has been detected as the objective of Short-Term Mission 18: National Pokémon High School Tournament. You have received an additional 590 points and a small boost to your growth level!]

..............................

"???"

The Scyther trainer's face was once again filled with question marks.

No, are you really using a Grass-type Pokémon?

How come it's a blade formed from flames one moment and a giant hand formed from rocks the next?

Is this still the Pokémon battle I remember?

We shouldn't be taking turns making moves, with one of us unable to defend and the other losing regretfully!

Grass (a type of plant)!

I'm not going to quit!

The Scyther's trainer, utterly dejected, put the Scyther away and then listlessly released a third Pokémon.

It is also a member of the mantis family.

A Scizor with both Bug and Rock types.

Compared to Scyther and Scizor, which have four times the weaknesses, Scizor only has three weaknesses: rock, steel, and water.

They are only twice as restrained.

He refused to believe that Mu Yun, that magical masked cat, could actually produce water...

"Whoosh~~"

With a bewildered, blank, yet seemingly relieved and liberated expression on his face, the azure water gathered into a giant water ball in Shin-chan's palm.

Water Ripple - Jade Energy Ball!

"Bang!!"

Points +649!

Your growth level has been slightly increased!

Scyther Trainer:............

I'm not going to quit!

I really won't quit!!!

He abruptly raised his hand to retrieve the axe-wielding mantis, then left the command post without looking back.

Fortunately, the third round of the competition was a 6-3 system; otherwise, he would have really collapsed.

With the team's strongest captain eliminated, the outcome of the subsequent battles became even less of a surprise.

Facing a group of opponents whose highest level was no more than the late stage of the Overlord level, Xiaoxin basically took them down in one go.

If you encounter an opponent that is weak to Ice, use the Ice Spike move, which is a modified version of Energy Ball.

When encountering an opponent that is weak to Electric, use the Thunder Spear move modified from Energy Ball.

If you encounter an opponent that is weak to Flying-type moves, use Hurricane Energy Ball.

In short, every battle is at least a four-fold advantage, and occasionally an eight-fold advantage will occur.

With the double reward for short-term mission 18, Xiaoxin's level increased by another level.

By the end, I had already reached level 55!

With this, Heijiang University has successfully advanced to the quarterfinals!

The other seven universities are:

Northern Region – [Imperial Capital University], Northern Region – [Shuimu University], Eastern Region – [Magic City University], Southern Region – [Huadu University], Southern Region – [Xindu University], Central Region – [Shanhe University], and Southwest Region – [Southwest Insect University].

That's right, Southwest University of Insects has also advanced.

Like Heilongjiang University, Xikun University was lucky and was matched with a non-top ten university, thus making it into the quarterfinals.

It is also the only non-top ten university among the top eight.

As for the top ten universities in the Northwest region, Xiyu University was unfortunately eliminated in the round of 16 due to an unexpected encounter with Didu University.