Elf: I have a secret realm of emerald green.

If we don't get up and try to protect them again, we'll only fall back into this vicious cycle.

There's no other way but to take a gamble!

Xiao Jie gritted his teeth and shouted, "Duckbill Fire Beast, breathe fire!"

A blazing serpent of fire spewed from the mouth of the Duckbill Firebeast, heading straight for the face of the Garchomp.

Xiao Jie comforted himself, thinking that as long as he could get up while Garchomp was resisting its flamethrower, he would still have a chance to fight back.

"Bang—" The flames struck Garchomp, who showed no intention of dodging, and without even blinking, Garchomp delivered another Dragon Claw kick!

The duckbill fire beastman is numb, he's even addicted to kicking it!

Seeing the Dragon-type energy gradually gathering in Garchomp's mouth, Xiao Jie completely gave up that last shred of hope.

……

"I admit defeat!" His voice was low and deep, with a hint of a sob in it.

A senior in high school played against a junior in high school, and in the end, the senior conceded defeat...

I should be the number one student at Zhijiang Middle School, right?

Xiao Jie stood there, stunned, staring blankly at the duckbill fire beast on the field, which had the same expression as him.

My head was buzzing.

There seemed to be no sound around, yet it also seemed to be filled with the merciless laughter of the onlookers.

"Look, that's the guy. He lost to a junior who's a year younger than him. He's really something else!"

"It's all because of his own actions. He slacks off during training and takes it for granted that he can slack off during rest."

"What a disgrace to the school team! No, what a piece of trash the school team is!"

……

"Hey, classmate, hurry up and heal the elf so you can prepare for the next battle."

Xiao Jie suddenly came to his senses and realized that his opponent and most of the audience had already left.

Only a few people passed by or rested, waiting for the next round to begin; no one paid him any attention.

He remained silent for a while, then withdrew the duck-billed fire beast and turned to leave.

----------

Author's Remarks

Thank you so much to Huan-Yu Qianxun and Yizhi Qingxue Daodao Chi for their generous donations! It's too much trouble, thank you so much! I also recommend a friend's book, *Pokémon: A Global Journey Begins with the Discovery of Suicune*. It's a rare female-protagonist novel with a travel and adventure theme, and it also introduces Pokémon. Those interested should definitely check it out!

2022-05-23 08:00

## Chapter 80 Making it to the substitutes is considered a success

Garchomp's injuries were not serious.

To be precise, throughout the entire battle, he was only damaged by the final burst of flame.

However, Garchomp expended an enormous amount of energy in this battle.

To ensure stability, Xia Shen always imbued Garchomp with the [Swiftness] energy whenever he commanded it.

In game terms, the [Swift] move consumes twice the mana compared to a normal move.

As expected, Garchomp's [Swiftness] energy was running out near the end.

If that Magmar trainer had persisted a little longer, they would have found that Garchomp's subsequent move casting speed returned to normal.

This was the first time Xia Shen had gone all out after mastering the power and speed, and fortunately, he discovered this weakness in time.

In the next match, I need to control the pace well and absolutely avoid any mistakes...

Wang Yiyi reminded him before the competition that he must win as many matches as possible, and it would be even better if he could advance with a perfect record.

The higher your ranking in the selection tournament, the higher your chances of being a substitute after entering the main team, and the greater your chances of playing in the breakout tournament in the Jiangnan region.

……

"Garuda has fully recovered. Good luck in the next match, Xia Shen!"

Teacher Lu, who came to provide medical support for the selection competition, handed over the Poké Ball.

Xia Shen thanked him and got up to leave the infirmary.

------

During the break between the first and second rounds, the news of Xia Shen's victory over Xiao Jie spread to almost everyone who participated and watched the match.

Nobody believes it was just luck.

The remaining opponents were even more vigilant, even more so than when facing those who were clearly stronger.

Nobody wants to be the backdrop for "Yan Yu the Second".

Even so, the weaker ones were still no match for Xia Shen.

Hearing from others that Garchomp attacks incredibly fast is one thing, but seeing it with your own eyes is another.

Even if one can react in time, whether one can make the right choice in a very short period of time is still a question.

Amidst the incredulous gasps of the onlookers, Xia Shen swept through the crowd, defeating four opponents in succession, including Miss Skirt, whose theoretical strength ranked third in the second team.

After all the matches in the morning were completed, Xia Shen, a second-year high school student, achieved an impressive 5-0 record.

Along with that Empoleon and the two trainers of Ice Ninetales, they are tied for first place, and have basically secured one of the three spots for advancement.

But Xia Shen wanted more than just a spot on the regular team's substitute roster.

In the next match, Xia Shen's opponent will be Li Chen, who is second in the second team in points, and his Pokémon, Emerald Naboo.

…………

"I heard you and your Garchomp have become one with it?"

Before the match began, the opponent struck up a conversation with Xia Shen.

Li Chen is a rather delicate and slender-looking boy, whose physique contrasts sharply with his robust Emperor Naboo.

"What do you mean?" Xia Shen really didn't understand the deeper meaning behind those words.

Li Chen laughed and said, "So you mean you and your Garchomp are so in sync that you're practically telepathically linked? Let me see for myself."

Xia Shen looked at his opponent, who was so relaxed that he didn't seem like someone he was about to fight, and didn't know what to say, so he could only nod.

"Why are you so nervous? Anyway, the three of us are basically guaranteed to make the main team, so let's just treat it as a friendly match."

Xia Shen paused for a moment, then smiled and nodded, "Then, senior, please guide me."

Faced with an opponent with this kind of mentality, what else can Xia Shen do?

Of course, we should obey him.

He understands the mindset of someone in Li Chen's position.

He knew that his own strength was incomparable to that of the regular team members.

If nothing unexpected happens, I might not even have a chance to participate in the National Elf Tournament.

Having gone through the selection process to this point, I've basically secured a spot on the bench.

Anyway, I can make it onto the big roster for the National Elf Tournament, so my resume is already set.

For him, this was the end.

Five of his classmates had already lost to Xia Shen, so one more or one less wouldn't make a difference.

If that's the case, why take it so seriously?

……

Xia Shen gripped the Poké Ball tightly and took a deep breath.

If that's the case, then give me the first-place position!

The whistle blew, and the battle officially began.

"Gallopian, dig a hole!" Xia Shen immediately gave the order without hesitation.

It seems a bit too strange that he hasn't announced his moves.

So Xia Shen just shouted out moves like these, which didn't matter if the other side heard them.

The digging, without applying [Swiftness] energy, wasn't slow either, and it just barely dodged the freezing beam that Emperor Naboo shot straight at it.

This is a point that the principal specifically emphasized during the practical training two days ago: this Emperor Naboo has an Ice Beam.

Even without being explicitly stated, Xia Shen could guess it.

Water and ice have always been closely related. Although ice-type moves have poor resistance, they have a wide range of coverage. Water-type Pokémon usually learn a couple of ice-type moves to cover their weaknesses.

Moreover, Empoleon has very few weaknesses to Water and Steel types, with Ground being one of them. Ice Beam can also be used against Grass-type opponents. It would be abnormal for someone not to learn it.

……

The Garchomp, having burrowed underground, kept nudging towards the location of Emperor Naboo.

Emperor Naboo took this opportunity to cast a rainmaking spell.

Although Garchomp is 4x weak to Ice, constantly using Ice Beam makes it too easy for opponents to predict.

Water-type moves that have a double power boost from rain and their own type are also a good choice.

The best way to judge a Pokémon's mastery of water-type energy is to observe how quickly it summons rain.

From a novice's three or four seconds to a king's instant, it's all the same.

Less than two seconds after Garchomp moved forward on the ground, a light drizzle began to fall from the sky.

Two seconds later, when Garchomp emerged from the ground, it was pouring rain on the field.

It wasn't exactly fast, but it was decent enough.

Xia Shen could roughly judge the strength of this King Naboo; he was at most an amateur fifth dan.

……