Elf: I have a secret realm of emerald green.

"Wow, that's so tall..." Yan Yan exclaimed. "It must be at least two meters high, right?"

"To be precise, 2.11 meters." This is the accurate data that was just measured at Zhou Keke's home.

Gible also hopped over with its short legs to see its evolved predecessor.

Even with her head tilted back, she, who was less than a meter tall, could only see Garchomp's nostrils, if he had nostrils at all...

Looking at the image of Garchomp and Gible together, Xia Shen inexplicably recalled a famous photograph from his past life: "Yao Ming and Guo Jingming in a photo."

—It's the photo that only shows Yao Ming...

Looking at the similar and comical scene before him, he suddenly wanted to take a picture of the two elves together.

Having satisfied Wanyan Yan and Yuanlusha's curiosity, the two finally began training.

First, Xia Shen arranged a self-training plan for Zoroa and Bear Cub. Then, Xia Shen brought Garchomp to the physical move tester to prepare for the test.

The extent of improvement in numerical values ​​is the most direct indicator of how much strength has increased.

(Please continue reading~)

## Chapter Fifty: The Backup's Backup's Backup (Please continue reading~)

"Garuda, use Dragon Claw."

"Awooo—" Garchomp roared, its sharp and large white toe instantly turning dark green. Without charging up, it slammed its claw into the force gauge.

Xia Shen nodded secretly. Putting aside its power, both the speed at which it gathers Dragon-type energy and the speed at which it strikes its claws are significant improvements over its Gible form.

"316!"

The numbers on the instrument were alarming, nearly 70 percent higher than the test conducted more than two weeks ago!

If you wear that Dragon Fang, the power can even reach over four hundred!

It's important to know that most Pokémon that have just reached the professional level only have a maximum move power of just over a thousand.

It's increased by over a hundred in just over half a month. At this rate, breaking a thousand before the college entrance exam is not a dream...

Of course, Xia Shen was only thinking about it; he knew in his heart that such an exaggerated increase was not something that could be replicated.

On the one hand, Pokémon grow quickly in the early stages, and on the other hand, they benefit from the evolution bonus.

It's estimated that such a terrifying rate of improvement won't be possible until the next evolution.

After testing the power of the moves, the next step is to test strength, stamina, and speed.

The improvement in the first two is about the same as the improvement in the power of the moves.

In terms of speed, Garchomp is twice as fast as Gible in its prime!

Just two days ago, Lulusha and Xia Shen had a 100-meter race, and Lulusha was left behind by almost half a track.

And now... Xia Shen stared at the blue lightning in front of him, then glanced at the timer in his hand; it was almost ten seconds!

Sure enough, only after shedding its short legs does it start to resemble a "Sonic Pokémon".

Although the current speed is still more than thirty times slower than the speed of sound...

Overall, this ignores the progress made through level upgrades and daily training.

This evolutionary leap has increased Gible's overall strength by about 30% to 40%!

Roughly speaking, it seems to be similar to the changes in race stats in the game.

However, after evolving into Garchomp, there are fewer and fewer Garchomps that can fight against its peers.

Does this mean I can only fight Jiang Chuan and his Hakron?

Xia Shen didn't dislike that person, but it was just too boring to keep fighting the same opponent.

After spending a week together, he found that apart from being a bit arrogant, Jiang Chuan didn't have anything that made him dislike him.

As his defeated opponent, he couldn't be arrogant in front of him, so their relationship improved quite a bit this week.

He also faced off against Hakron several times, and unsurprisingly, he lost more often than he won.

After all, although Xia Shen won the final, he won by knocking Hakron down from the air and by launching a surprise attack on the ice, catching him off guard.

In terms of raw power, Hakkarosaurus is far superior to Gible.

Now, after evolving, Garchomp is almost strong enough to go toe-to-toe with Dragonair.

However, apart from Jiangchuan's Dragonair, it seems that none of the other students are really strong enough to defeat Garchomp.

Wait... classmates? Why is it necessary to restrict battles to classmates?

Xia Shen suddenly had a bold idea.

------

Monday noon, in the school office.

"You mean you think no one in the second year of high school can beat you?" Teacher Ye sat in the office, legs crossed, with a friendly smile. "You're quite arrogant, young man."

Xia Shen modestly replied, "No, no, what I mean is, no Pokémon of the same level can beat my Garchomp. As for Teddiursa, they still have a chance."

"You've got a bit of that arrogance that Yan Yu had back then," Teacher Ye said with a hint of amusement. "But you just won the Zhijiang Cup, which is a great honor for the school, so I can give you a chance."

Xia Shen had thought it would take a while longer, but he didn't expect the Zhijiang Cup champion to have such an advantage, and couldn't help but ask with delight, "What opportunity?"

"Come with me and you'll find out." After keeping everyone in suspense, Teacher Ye got up and left the office, and Xia Shen quickly followed.

The two walked one after the other on the campus path.

"You know about the National High School Pokémon Battle Tournament, right?" Teacher Ye, who was walking ahead, suddenly asked.

"Of course I know." As a high school student, how could Xia Shen not know about this national competition that represents the highest level of high school students?

If I had to make a comparison, this competition is like the Olympiad in high school in my previous life, but it receives much more attention from outside the circle.

How high is it?

The annual National Elite Battle Tournament finals generate almost as much buzz and discussion among viewers as the Elite Four tournament.

If a contestant achieves a good ranking or performs exceptionally well in a competition, they may be admitted to a prestigious university in advance.

Some prestigious universities even offer excellent Pokémon resources and generous scholarships to compete for players with MVP-level performances.

"Our school team is preparing for this competition." Teacher Ye's words brought Xia Shen back to his senses.

Upon hearing this, Xia Shen perked up, "So we're still missing a substitute? Is this my chance?"

"He's a substitute, but a substitute for the second team." Coach Ye ruthlessly interrupted his fantasy. "The second team are the first team's substitutes and sparring partners."

Xia Shen realized that she was just a backup option for a backup option, and she had to fight for it to get the chance.

However, he was not discouraged. He was only a junior in high school, but he already had opportunities that many senior students might not have.

The future is bright! Xia Shen cheered herself up in her heart.

……

"We've arrived." Teacher Ye stopped in front of the school's magnificent arena.

Speaking of which, Xia Shen has never been to the school's arena before. Due to limited space, the school naturally allocated this more professional venue to the senior high school students who are about to take the college entrance examination.

Rookies like Xia Shen and his friends, who aren't even amateur trainers, can only play field battles on the playground.

Following Teacher Ye through the outer battle arena, Xia Shen finally got a glimpse of the inner arena.

The four professional-grade arenas evenly divide the vast inner area, with one area specifically designed for water-type Pokémon.

Unlike the outdoor arena, the indoor arena has no ceiling. The open-air design gives Flying-type Pokémon ample room to perform.

The numerous powerful lights surrounding the battlefield ensured that Pokémon battles could continue even at night.

……

Teacher Ye led Xia Shen to a middle-aged man with a standard square face.

Teacher Ye smiled and said, "Coach Zhang, I've brought someone for you."

Coach Zhang, with his stubble-faced expression, watched the match intently and replied, "Let's finish watching this match first."

So Teacher Ye and Xia Shen had no choice but to watch along with them.

The two battling opponents are Heracross, known as the King of Insects, and Venusaur.

Venusaur is resistant to Fighting-type moves, while Heracross is resistant to Grass-type moves.

This is a battle where the two sides are evenly matched in terms of attributes.

Both elves had quite a few wounds on their bodies, indicating that they had been fighting for a while.

The battle remains fiercely contested, and the conflict has gradually intensified.

……

The tall, muscular boy with a buzz cut shouted, "Hercules, Sword Dance!"

Taking advantage of the moment when Venusaur was knocked over by Bug Horn, he greedily used Swords Dance.

The girl opposite looked serious. She knew she had to stop Heracross's power-up, otherwise Venusaur would definitely not be able to withstand the next Mega Horn Attack.

"Venusaur, quick, use Sleep Powder!"

The girl chose the riskiest but also the most rewarding move.

If successful, it can not only interrupt the opponent's sword dance, but also change the situation decisively!

The effects of the previous Sunny Day event are still present; this Venusaur with the Chlorophyll ability is casting Sleep Powder very quickly.

Fine pollen, shimmering with a special energy, drifted toward Heracross, who was performing a sword dance.

Amidst the girl's tense expression, Heracross, who had just finished his sword dance, fell asleep.

The girl was thrilled, "Venusaur, Destroy the Beam!"

The boy with the buzz cut exclaimed urgently, "Hercules, you're talking in your sleep!"

Heracross, still half-asleep, staggered toward Venusaur's location, seemingly unleashing a close-range attack.

Unfortunately, before the answer could be revealed, the destructive beam struck suddenly, causing the already weakened Heracross to collapse and be unable to fight any longer.

The battle ended with Venusaur emerging victorious.