Read advance chapters for both of my work, exclusively on Patreon at - www.patreon.com/Sniperwoof
-----------------
Song Jie's opponent was strong—there was no doubt about that. Both in awareness and decision-making.
The moment she realized that Aggron was a ranged special attacker, she immediately swapped out her physically-oriented Tsareena for something better suited.
In most cases, melee fighters were at a disadvantage against ranged attackers.
Given the choice, few would stubbornly stick to an unfavorable matchup.
The replacement?
A humanoid Pokémon holding two bouquets—one blue, one red—with a mask-like face, white rosebud-like hair, and a cape flowing behind it.
Roserade.
A classic Grass/Poison-type, specializing in long-range special attacks.
The moment it hit the field, Aggron greeted it with an Ice Beam. Fortunately, Roserade reacted quickly, barely dodging the attack.
What followed was a drawn-out battle of attrition—neither side willing to close the distance, exchanging blows from afar. After several clashes, it became clear that neither could gain the upper hand.
So, they changed tactics. They began using status moves to restrict each other's options.
Then—
Roserade seemed to find an opening.
As Aggron advanced, the two bouquets in its hands shot vines into the ground. The vines slithered beneath the silver-armored beast's feet before erupting, binding Aggron's legs in an instant.
Grass Knot—a sneaky move that tripped the massive Pokémon, sending it stumbling forward, nearly crashing to the ground.
Seizing the opportunity, Roserade fired several Leech Seeds at Aggron, clearly intending to drain its health for recovery.
But what it didn't expect was that Song Jie's Aggron had baited the trap.
The moment it was about to fall, Aggron's maw split open—and a pillar of crimson fire erupted from its throat!
The force of the flames stabilized its balance, and with a swift upward sweep, the fire incinerated the incoming Leech Seeds—and the Roserade behind them.
Then, like a heavy tank, Aggron began advancing slowly, spewing a continuous stream of fire that engulfed everything in its path.
The scene was almost reminiscent of Godzilla's atomic breath.
Ten seconds later, the flames finally dissipated.
In the distance, Roserade lay charred black, completely knocked out in a single strike.
The damage was absurd—even for a non-STAB special move. It made some dedicated special attackers look downright pathetic in comparison.
The high school girl across the field blinked in surprise, clearly not expecting Aggron's special offense to be so overwhelming.
Fortunately, her mentality was solid. She didn't let the loss discourage her, calmly sending out her second Pokémon.
Seeing this, Li Xiang turned and left.
This girl was undoubtedly a Qingcheng High student—but just an average one.
She wasn't a match for Song Jie.
Then again, higher education institutions were fiercely competitive. The strong made names for themselves; the weak faded into obscurity.
For now, Li Xiang decided to scout other battlefields, sizing up potential opponents to better prepare himself.
Inside the arena, Song Jie silently recalled Aggron and sent out his Alolan Golem instead.
His opponent?
A Jumpluff, its body sky-blue, three cotton puffs raised high.
8:30 PM
After wandering around the various battle arenas, Li Xiang finally pieced together the hidden rules of this "Point Bonus Storm" event.
As expected, the higher the arena class, the stronger the opponents.
C & D Zones: Single Battles (1v1)
A & B Zones: Full Battles (3v3)
And without exception, the opponents were all high school-aged—some looking older, but most radiating that unmistakable student vibe.
Qingcheng High students.
After questioning a girl who had just finished a match, Li Xiang's suspicions were confirmed.
Three grades had been assigned:
First-years handled C & D Zones.
Second-years took B Zone.
Third-years dominated A Zone.
Meaning, Song Jie had just defeated a second-year student. Meanwhile, Li Xiang's upcoming opponent would be a first-year—someone who had just entered university less than half a year ago.
But year level didn't always reflect strength.
Just look at Li Xiang and his peers—they were proof of that. Still, caution was necessary.
After thanking the girl and buying her a hot red bean drink from a vending machine, Li Xiang headed toward the C-Zone arenas.
Soon, both trainers took their positions.
The referee announced the rules, and the second match began without fanfare.
Li Xiang's opponent was a young boy, no older than fifteen or sixteen, with faint white fuzz on his upper lip. The moment the referee blew the whistle, the boy sent out his Pokémon.
A tall, humanoid owl, draped in what appeared to be a hooded cloak—though in reality, it was all green and brown feathers.
It stood nearly as tall as a person, exuding the aura of a fantasy ranger or Robin Hood-esque rogue.
Decidueye.
The Grass/Ghost Alolan starter.
Stat-wise, it was a balanced mixed attacker—nothing outstanding, just solid all-around. Nowhere near Incineroar's level, of course.
But its pre-evolution, Dartrix, had won many fans with its adorable appearance and charming demeanor.
Since Li Xiang had no intel on this opponent, he played it safe—sending out Incineroar.
As luck would have it, he had the type advantage.
Both sides issued commands immediately.
Incineroar charged forward, activating Intimidate mid-sprint—forcing Decidueye to stiffen as its Attack dropped.
But just as Incineroar entered effective range, Decidueye's beak glowed sky-blue, forming a sharp energy spike that it launched like a bullet!
WHOOSH!
The projectile sliced through the air with a high-pitched whistle—
But Incineroar had already sensed the danger, dodging at the last second.
The near-miss left a gunshot-like echo ringing in its ears.
"Long Reach!" Li Xiang called out. "All its moves are long-range! Be careful!"
Long Reach—Decidueye's Hidden Ability.
In the games, it turned all contact moves into non-contact moves, a mostly useless gimmick.
But in this world?
Surprisingly effective.
Decidueye was a flying unit, and ranged combat was inherently advantageous.
Even a minor edge was still an edge.
And that earlier Pluck had impressive range—flying over 50 meters before dissipating.
It wasn't bullet-speed, but most Flying-type moves lacked physical mass anyway. For a Decidueye at this level, 50 meters was already solid.
Plus, from what Li Xiang knew, Long Reach seemed to extend move range further.
If Pluck could fly that far, then Spirit Shackle and Leaf Storm would be even more ridiculous.
One day, this Pokémon could become a full-fledged sniper.
Meanwhile, Incineroar had already closed the distance, completely unfazed by the earlier attack. With a ferocious roar, it unleashed a tangible shockwave of dark-red energy!
"ROAR!"
The soundwave physically rippled outward, striking Decidueye mid-air.
The owl froze for a full second, only snapping out of it when its trainer shouted.
Parting Shot—a move that taunted the opponent, lowering both Attack and Special Attack!
Against mentally fragile Pokémon (or when there was a large power gap), it had an added intimidation effect—similar to Intimidate's secondary impact, though not as absolute as Fake Out's flinching.
;This bird's weak.'
Li Xiang's frown eased slightly.
These days, he gauged the power difference between Incineroar and its opponents based on how long they hesitated after intimidation moves.
The longer the freeze, the weaker the foe.
Someone like Song Jie's team rarely froze for more than two seconds—as if they'd built tenacity resistances.
"ROAR!"
Incineroar growled, muscles bulging as white steam rose from its body.
Bulk Up.
Above, Decidueye reacted swiftly—plucking a feather from its cloak, using its bowtie and wing as a bow, and firing a purple-black arrow in one fluid motion!
TWANG!
A crisp bowstring snap echoed as the arrow tore through the air, its whistling far more terrifying than before.
For Decidueye, archery was instinctual—its wind-up time was practically nonexistent.
Li Xiang had once seen a video where a high-level Decidueye drew and fired in 0.1 seconds, hitting a target a full kilometer away.
Absolutely terrifying.
But that was a much stronger Decidueye.
Right now, Incineroar had just finished Bulk Up and was about to strike, but Decidueye's arrow was too fast, and the distance too close.
No time to dodge.
Incineroar crossed its arms, bracing for impact. Yet when the ghostly arrow struck, it phased straight through its body—
And pinned itself to Incineroar's shadow instead!
Incineroar's body locked up, as if its feet had been glued to the ground.
Spirit Shackle—Decidueye's signature move, a Ghost-type physical attack.
In the games, it inflicted the No Escape status, preventing switching, but what Li Xiang saw now was literal "no escape."
Incineroar couldn't even lift its feet.
The move had physically anchored it in place—a more visual representation of the status effect, akin to the anime's interpretation, but this also meant the status was weaker.
Because there were far more ways to counter it.
At the very least, Incineroar could break the arrow to free itself.
Li Xiang snapped his fingers.
"Burning Jealousy."
Trapped in place, Incineroar's belt ignited, then exploded in a deafening blast, a flaming lotus erupting outward!
The heat incinerated the arrow on the ground, freeing Incineroar instantly.
"End this. Darkest Lariat."
Li Xiang wasn't giving Decidueye another chance.
Above, Decidueye fired a second arrow, but Incineroar was already spinning like a tornado, flames wreathing its claws!
A black-and-red vortex formed, making Incineroar nearly invisible as it shredded the incoming arrow mid-flight.
Then—
The whirlwind lifted off the ground, soaring toward Decidueye like a miniature hurricane!
Decidueye tried to gain altitude, but the vortex was too fast. It was sucked into the storm's edge, before Incineroar's flaming claws smashed into it, sending the owl flying like a cannonball!
BOOM!
The brown avian slammed into the chain-link fence, denting it before slumping to the ground, motionless.
The vortex of dark energy slowly dissipated, revealing Incineroar once more.
Super effective!
Match over.