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As it turned out, occasionally engaging in completely one-sided battles was actually quite beneficial for one's mental and physical health.
At least, that was the case for Li Xiang personally.
Especially when Corviknight transformed into an ultimate tank, enduring even a Thunderbolt before finishing off a Magnezone—which had evolved over winter break—with a single devastating Body Press after a Bulk Up.
Or when Greninja displayed a brand-new form and power in front of its old rivals, striking from blind spots like a true ninja, eliminating them without a sound.
And then there was the newly acquired Rotom that caught opponents off guard with its various forms and powerful moves.
Moments like these brought him immense satisfaction.
"Twenty-three to two. If I were on the receiving end of a beating like that, I'd be looking for a hole to crawl into," Yang Tianwang muttered, watching Qu Sheng, whose expression had frozen after being utterly crushed by Li Xiang all afternoon.
Though neither side had gone all out—both still holding back techniques they wouldn't use in practice matches—a score of twenty-three to two was downright absurd.
It was as if all their past efforts, the support and resources their families had poured into them, and their Pokémon's hard work meant nothing.
Was Qu Sheng not talented? Without any head start, he had managed to evolve his starter Pokémon to its final stage in just a year and a half. That kind of aptitude was rare, not just in their school but in all of Qingcheng.
Even in the broader scope of Yuzhou, he was undeniably among the top contenders.
And yet, when using his Pokémon against Li Xiang's in practice matches, this was the result.
"Just forty-seven days over winter break, and the gap is this huge?" Yang Tianwang eyed Li Xiang's team with slight disbelief.
The sudden surge in strength was unnatural.
Still, he found himself looking forward to his own match against Li Xiang that afternoon.
A good trainer didn't fear losing or shy away from battles.
Despite Qu Sheng's current "my world is crumbling" expression, he was probably already analyzing where he went wrong and how he could improve further.
They had been sparring with Li Xiang for a year and a half now, with weekly battles during the school term. Conservatively estimating, they had fought at least two thousand one-on-one matches, if not more.
After so many battles, they might not know every single detail about each other, but they were at least familiar with each other's habits and basic strategies.
Yet such a lopsided result was a first.
Both boys were left bewildered, briefly wondering if their Pokémon had somehow regressed.
Of course, that was impossible—their levels were rising, they were learning new moves, and they were in peak physical and mental condition. Regression wasn't an option.
In the afternoon round, Li Xiang once again mercilessly crushed Yang Tianwang with a twenty-four to one score, sending him off with a face full of question marks and a cheerful wave.
'Was that too harsh?'
Before leaving school, Li Xiang glanced at his two "candy-supplying" buddies, figuring they'd recover by tomorrow. Otherwise, he'd have to seek out Lin Feng from the next class over.
As for why his Pokémon's strength had skyrocketed to the point of turning previously close matches (usually 7-3, occasionally 6-4) into complete domination—
The answer was simple.
On one hand, it was the result of accumulated effort finally paying off.
On the other, it was about resolve.
Torracat and the others now poured every ounce of their focus into every battle, pushing themselves to their absolute limits until the very end.
No longer did they hold back strength or stamina just to last through all the matches. Now, they were desperate to grow stronger at every moment, to learn something from every battle, to gain more experience.
To them, every practice match was a battle worth fighting with everything they had—respecting both themselves and their opponents.
Every move, every strike, was delivered at full power, with no reservations.
While Li Xiang was proud, he also grew more aware that the urgency wasn't his alone. His Pokémon felt it too.
But the more intense things became, the more he had to carefully manage their time, ensuring a balance between work and rest.
No matter how urgent or stressful things were for him, his Pokémon's well-being was his responsibility as their trainer. He couldn't afford to neglect one for the other.
.....
At the Dojo.
It was only right to inform Duan Tianxing about the upcoming training camp.
After all, it was a semi-closed program—he wouldn't be able to come in the afternoons, meaning his martial arts training would have to be self-directed.
He had expected Duan Tianxing to be displeased.
Instead…
"Mm, I understand."
The old master sipped his tea and nodded. "Go ahead."
Surprisingly reasonable... or rather, he was probably used to it.
After all, everyone had their own paths. Martial arts wasn't the sole purpose or profession in life.
Li Xiang suddenly realized that none of their plans had truly escaped Duan Tianxing's notice.
From the eldest sister, who had become a lawyer, down to Wang Dong, who was studying finance—everyone had made their decisions seemingly in secret, yet in reality, right under his nose.
'Is master Duan Tianxing really not worried about having no successor for the school? Or does he already have a secret heir in mind?'
'Or maybe... he believes a person can have two main callings in life?'
Li Xiang wasn't sure. Even after a year and a half with Duan Tianxing, the old man was still shrouded in mysteries. He had considered asking about some things but never found the right way to bring them up.
The bigger reason was that Li Xiang knew Duan Tianxing wouldn't answer.
This was also why, despite knowing for a long time that Duan Yu was Duan Tianxing's grandson, he had never dared ask about the whereabouts of the generations in between.
He had never even seen them.
Eventually, unable to hold back any longer, he quietly asked Lu Chengfeng and learned that Duan Yu's parents—along with Duan Tianxing's wife—had died in a car accident. Duan Yu was the sole survivor.
Now, he lived with his aunt.
Only then did Li Xiang understand why Duan Yu wanted to become a doctor.
'To save lives.'
He didn't know what to say.
After bowing to Duan Tianxing, Li Xiang returned to the main hall to practice his blade work.
The wooden sword, weighted like a real one, cut through the air with force, every motion grand and deliberate—a hallmark of the Zhenxing Blade style.
Now that the lingering hostility in the blade had mostly dissipated, Li Xiang found his martial arts improving. What had once felt obscure and stagnant suddenly made sense.
When sparring with Lu Chengfeng and the others, he was no longer purely on the defensive. Occasionally, he could even land a hit or two.
"Junior, you didn't take some kind of drug, did you?" Lu Chengfeng grimaced, rubbing his hand where the wooden sword had struck. "Some kind of miracle herb? Opened up your meridians and entered the Body Strengthening realm?"
Li Xiang massaged his own bruised arm. Even with restraint during sparring, accidents happened.
"Stop reading so many novels, Senior. Even if I had miracle herbs, I'd feed them to my Pokémon. I can't brawl with Pokémon barehanded."
He glanced outside, where Torracat and the others were sparring with the martial arts school's Pokémon, using punching moves with controlled power to avoid serious injuries.
These guys really didn't waste any opportunity to recruit training partners, not even sparing the school's Pokémon.
'Talk about making every second count.'
Among them, Greninja had also revealed a new move—
Power-Up Punch.
No idea when or from whom it had learned it. It just suddenly knew it.
'You haven't even taken your Attack candies yet, buddy. This won't do.'
Li Xiang watched as Greninja exchanged Power-Up Punches with a Conkeldurr, silently critiquing.
Sure enough, even with the same move and STAB (Same-Type Attack Bonus), Conkeldurr's Power-Up Punch was far stronger. When their fists collided, Greninja was sent flying!
'The construction worker's Attack stat is no joke.'
Li Xiang looked away. Though Wang Dong wasn't a trainer, since Conkeldurr was his only Pokémon and it had also been learning Beng Quan, it was no pushover.
Greninja trying to match it in physical power was like lighting a candle in an outhouse—looking for trouble.
After flipping midair, Greninja landed gracefully, its fist slightly numb from the impact. It frowned, tempted to throw a shuriken, but remembering this was close-combat training, it reluctantly held back.
Getting carried away during friendly sparring was a quick way to test someone's character.
'Again.'
It needed to shore up its close-combat weaknesses.
Greninja knew exactly what it wanted and what it had to do.
Back inside the hall, just as Li Xiang was about to turn away, a blinding crimson light flashed in the distance, followed by a thunderous BOOM!
Like an explosion.
"Was that... Final Gambit?"
He blinked, then quickly hung the wooden sword on his back and ran toward the source.
Lu Chengfeng and the others followed.
As they approached, through the rising smoke, Li Xiang saw a dazed Riolu on the left and a soot-covered Infernape on the right, looking utterly confused, as if asking, "Who am I? Where am I? What just happened?"
The stone tiles between them were shattered into fragments.
"You learned Final Gambit?"
Li Xiang crouched, helping Riolu up. "I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself."
Nearby, Infernape, supported by Lu Chengfeng, shakily got to its feet.
Everything had been fine during their sparring, then suddenly, Riolu's eyes flashed red, its body glowing crimson before—
BOOM.
Infernape hadn't even had time to dodge, taking the full brunt of the move.
"Sorry, sorry," Li Xiang apologized on Riolu's behalf. "It just learned a new move and accidentally used it."
Pokémon sometimes instinctively used newly learned moves without meaning to.
Infernape waved it off, showing no hard feelings, though its gaze at Riolu was full of emotion.
That tiny pup that used to trail behind them, learning Beng Quan, had grown to this point. If they fought seriously now, who knew who would win?
The trainer profession truly was something else.
As they cleared the broken tiles, Li Xiang watched Riolu diligently helping, realizing he had unknowingly gained another ace up his sleeve.
The only downside was that Final Gambit was classified as a special move, not a status move, meaning it didn't benefit from Prankster.
Nearby, Torracat, witnessing this scene, felt its desire to evolve burn even stronger.
From Greninja's evolution, it had seen just how powerful a final-stage Pokémon could be.
And now, Riolu learning yet another new move only reinforced that its teammates were growing rapidly too. No one was standing still.
It wasn't the only one with the resolve to protect Li Xiang.
'Fine then—let's see who comes out on top!'
Torracat licked its fangs, a fierce grin spreading across its face.