"Pika! Pika!"
Pikachu's cries constantly echoed across the battlefield.
With the help of Agility, Pikachu's speed effortlessly surpassed Donphan's.
Under Hu Yan'er's command, Pikachu soon matched pace alongside Donphan.
...
"Interesting!"
"Is she trying to suppress Donphan with pure speed?"
"But their stamina drain isn't even on the same level. If this drags out, even if Pikachu is Ace-tier, she probably can't outlast Donphan."
On the platform, the Headmaster—who rarely spoke—commented thoughtfully.
After all, right now, all of Guo Yi's disciples were the school's most closely watched students!
Tang Ming, sitting nearby, picked up where the Headmaster left off, "Indeed. Now it depends entirely on how Hu Yan'er plans to disrupt Donphan's Rollout."
Tang Ming was similarly clear about the strengths and weaknesses of the Rollout-Defense Curl combo.
Clear though he might be...
For an Electric-type like Pikachu, interrupting Donphan's moves wouldn't be easy at all.
The other teachers around nodded silently in agreement.
She'd raised Pikachu's speed—now, the crucial moment hinged on Hu Yan'er's next commands.
"Pikachu, accelerate and rush ahead!"
"Then, use [Dig]!"
Just then, Hu Yan'er decisively issued another command.
"Pika!"
Pikachu surged forward, increasing her speed once more and positioning herself directly in front of Donphan's rolling trajectory, swiftly beginning to dig into the ground.
In a flash—
Pikachu had excavated a sizable pit.
"Not good!"
Seeing this, Ishimori's expression shifted immediately.
If Donphan fell into that pit, all their efforts so far would be completely wasted.
Ishimori hurriedly shouted out to Donphan:
"Donphan, dodge quickly!"
However—after the high-speed chase just now, Donphan's momentum had already built significantly.
A speeding "car" trying to suddenly make a sharp turn at high velocity—this wasn't something easily done.
Boom!
Ultimately, Donphan failed to avoid the pit and fell right into it.
Even worse—
Donphan's back lodged itself firmly at the entrance of the hole, leaving its vulnerable underside completely exposed.
"Pikachu, [Iron Tail], now's our chance!"
Hu Yan'er seized the opportunity instantly, commanding Pikachu to strike.
"Pika! Pika!"
Emerging from another spot on the battlefield, Pikachu sprinted rapidly toward Donphan.
As she ran, her small tail shimmered brightly with metallic luster.
Upon reaching Donphan's front, Pikachu leaped high into the air—executing a graceful 720-degree spin before bringing her Iron Tail crashing down fiercely onto Donphan's exposed belly.
"Kuwah!"
Although Donphan's defenses were astonishing, most of its armor was concentrated on its back. Its abdomen was undeniably its weakest point.
Thus, struck by Pikachu's Iron Tail, Donphan's face twisted sharply in pain.
"Pikachu, once more!"
Seeing the first hit land cleanly, Hu Yan'er immediately ordered a follow-up attack!
"Pika!"
Pikachu nodded firmly, leaping upward again, preparing to repeat the previous strike.
But at this moment—
Just as Iron Tail was about to land again, Ishimori finally came up with a plan to free Donphan:
"Donphan, [Gyro Ball]!"
"Kuba!"
Donphan quickly curled its limbs, compacting into a ball. Its body rapidly rotated as a metallic glow enveloped it.
Clang!
A sharp, metallic clash resounded.
Pikachu's Iron Tail collided heavily with Donphan's spinning Gyro Ball form.
Using Pikachu's own momentum, Donphan successfully escaped the pit.
Huff—huff—
Having escaped, Donphan breathed heavily.
Those two Iron Tail hits had inflicted considerable damage!
"No choice now!"
"Donphan, [Heavy Slam]!"
By now—Donphan's specialty, the Rollout-Defense Curl combo, had been thoroughly broken by Pikachu.
Ishimori had only one remaining option: a direct, head-on collision.
But—facing a head-on battle?
Hu Yan'er had never backed down from that before.
"Pikachu, let's charge right back!"
"[Return]!"
[Return]:A full-powered attack driven by affection for the trainer. Its power increases the stronger the bond with the trainer.
Given Pikachu and Hu Yan'er's bond, their affection had long since reached maximum levels.
Therefore, the power behind this Return would be undeniably terrifying!
"Kuba!"
"Pika!"
The two Pokémon screamed fiercely, charging head-on at each other.
BOOM!
Two immense forces collided, unleashing a terrifying wave of energy at their impact.
The unleashed shockwave even caused the entire stadium to tremble slightly.
Yet—
Just when everyone assumed this attack was evenly matched, Donphan began steadily retreating step by step.
Even though Donphan's physical attack stat reached a formidable 120—more than double Pikachu's base stat—
They didn't know one crucial fact:
Pikachu was holding a Light Ball, effectively doubling both its Attack and Special Attack stats.
Combined with Pikachu's significantly higher level—
Even in this head-on collision, Pikachu held the upper hand!
"Pika—CHUUU!!"
With Pikachu's explosive surge, Donphan was launched straight backward amidst everyone's disbelieving stares.
Boom!
Donphan crashed heavily onto the ground, its eyes spiraling into unconsciousness.
"Donphan has lost the ability to battle!"
"Both of Ishimori's Pokémon have been defeated. The winner is Hu Yan'er!"
The referee beside them waved his flag, officially announcing the outcome, before shouting out:
"Participants of the next match, please prepare yourselves."
Just as Hu Yan'er stepped off the battlefield, Su Qingxue immediately approached her with a bright smile, laughter clear as silver bells swaying gently in the wind.
"Yan'er, your Monferno's evolution just now was really cool!"
Earlier, Su Qingxue had indeed worried slightly when Monferno's Blaze went out of control.
She had thought that Hu Yan'er would forcibly suppress Monferno using a Poké Ball.
But unexpectedly—Hu Yan'er chose a completely different method.
Hearing Su Qingxue's praise, Hu Yan'er's cheeks flushed slightly, a bit embarrassed as she replied softly:
"It was all thanks to Teacher's reminder!"
"At first, I really intended to recall Monferno with his Poké Ball…"
"But Teacher used the power of Aura to stop me just in time."
Facing Su Qingxue, Hu Yan'er naturally wouldn't hide anything.
But Su Qingxue saw nothing unusual about Teacher Guo's intervention.
After all, the one who truly resolved the situation was still Hu Yan'er herself.
Teacher Guo's role was minimal at best.
"Su Qingxue and Lin Lin, please proceed immediately to Field No. 4. Your match is about to begin..."
Just as Su Qingxue wanted to hear more about Monferno's evolution, the announcement from the speakers interrupted them.
"Yan'er, we'll talk later."
"My match is starting—I need to hurry."
"Okay! Good luck, Qingxue!"
"I'll take my two Pokémon for treatment first, then come watch your match."
"Sure!"
With that, Su Qingxue hurriedly ran toward Field No. 4.
Meanwhile, Hu Yan'er headed straight for the medical room.
Monferno had just evolved, after all, and his condition needed careful examination.
As for Su Qingxue—even if she didn't watch the match, Hu Yan'er already knew what the outcome would be.
With Nidoqueen on her team, Su Qingxue practically had no obvious type weaknesses.
If an opponent wanted to defeat her, they'd have to rely purely on overwhelming strength.
Yet—among the freshmen, there truly weren't many Pokémon capable of pressuring an Ace-tier Nidoqueen.
And just as Hu Yan'er expected—she barely had left her Pokémon in the infirmary and headed back to watch the match...
When the gymnasium's announcement declared Su Qingxue's swift victory.
Hearing this, Hu Yan'er inwardly sighed:
No wonder Teacher specifically had Yongsen enter this competition… If not for him, Qingxue really would've had zero pressure.
Although Hu Yan'er's Pikachu could handle either Su Qingxue's Nidoqueen or Beedrill individually—
That was only one of them at most.
As for the other Pokémon—even the newly evolved Monferno wouldn't stand a chance.
With the same educational background, defeating stronger opponents was practically impossible!
If Teacher intervened, maybe there'd be a slim chance.
But if it was just herself...
The probability of victory would be less than one in ten thousand.
In fact—Su Qingxue's opponent in this match wasn't weak at all:
An Ace-tier Charizard and a Veteran-tier Venusaur.
If Lin Lin hadn't faced Su Qingxue, she would have been a strong contender for the semifinals.
Unfortunately—Lin Lin had terrible luck in meeting Su Qingxue this early.
Resulting in her elimination at just the Top 32.
Unlike Hu Yan'er and He Yongsen's opponents, Guo Yi hadn't arranged a special opponent for Su Qingxue.
He knew perfectly well:
With Beedrill and Nidoqueen on her team—other than He Yongsen, it made little difference who faced her.
So Lin Lin drawing Su Qingxue as an opponent was simply unfortunate luck.
Besides—once they reached the Top 16, Guo Yi wouldn't interfere anymore with the matchups.
His reasons remained the same as before:
At this stage, interference made no difference at all.
But—compared to the others, He Yongsen's battle was significantly harder.
Even though Guo Yi had lifted the restriction on using Arcanine once they reached the Top 32—to prove himself, He Yongsen stubbornly refused to use Arcanine, instead battling with his Squirtle and Abra.
The difficulty of those battles was extraordinary.
Luckily, Yongsen's fortune wasn't bad either.
His opponent was a trainer specialized in Fire-type Pokémon—and as a Pokémon firefighter, He Yongsen had extensive experience dealing with Fire-types.
Ultimately, after some close calls, he safely reached the Top 16 relying on those two Pokémon.
...
Soon—the entire round of Top 32 battles concluded in a single day.
Although the number of Pokémon allowed increased from one to two for each trainer—the number of competitors had drastically shrunk.
Thus, within just one day, the Top 16 competitors were determined.
Gradually, the crimson hue of the evening sky dimmed—dark red faded into scarlet, then scarlet into pale red.
At dusk—all Top 16 participants gathered inside the gymnasium, their gazes fixed anxiously upon the flickering big screen.
Everyone waited expectantly to see who they would face tomorrow.
When Su Qingxue's portrait appeared alongside He Yongsen's—every single gaze in the stadium immediately converged on them.
The long-awaited clash between disciples...
Had finally arrived.