-096- The Dust Settles (1/3)
“Pikachu, let’s continue the fight!” Tong Si called out to his Pokémon.
“Pika-pika!”
Pikachu remained brimming with fighting spirit. It would never yield until it had vanquished its foe!
“What a pest! Pipper Wheel, use Stealth Strike!”
“Pip...”
Pipper Wheel suddenly vanished. Thanks to its Ghost-type nature, it could conceal itself completely.
A cold, eerie chill swept across the battlefield.
“Charge!”
Tong Si was remarkably composed. His opponent was formidable and had prepared well, yet Pikachu was no pushover either!
Daily intensive training had raised its capabilities even without increasing its level. Apart from aptitude and rank, raw physical fitness mattered a great deal for Pokémon.
Unlike Eevee’s sudden level-up, one could say that Pikachu trained solidly and adapted smoothly with every rank increase.
At the same level, Tong Si believed no opponent could defeat Pikachu. Even a level challenge posed no real difficulty for it.
When a gust of wind passed by, Pikachu had finished charging.
“Use Thunderbolt on itself!”
Tong Si seized the perfect moment and ordered Pikachu to unleash the move.
“Pika-pika!”
Pikachu trusted Tong Si implicitly.
A golden-yellow Thunderbolt enveloped it.
Thunderbolt served as both attack and defense.
“Pip...”
Pipper Wheel emerged from the shadows. Its Stealth Strike was perfectly intercepted by the Thunderbolt.
Attack nullified!
Most Ghost-type moves are special attacks, but Stealth Strike is physical. Song Xuyang had deliberately taught Pipper Wheel the physical version because its attack power far exceeded its special attack.
Tong Si, who knew Pokémon inside out, had read Song Xuyang’s mind perfectly. Even for the rare Pokémon Pipper Wheel, he had studied it thoroughly.
“Cover this Thunderbolt on Pipper Wheel!”
At that instant, Tong Si continued issuing commands.
“Pika...”
Pikachu understood immediately.
The Thunderbolt that had shielded it flipped direction and settled over Pipper Wheel.
Powerful electric current surged forth, assaulting Pipper Wheel.
“One hundred thousand volts!”
Tong Si’s order had not yet finished.
Pikachu was a Pokémon that could multitask.
It had used only a single Thunderbolt so far.
“Pika-pika!”
As it stored energy, Pikachu’s one hundred thousand volts grew devastatingly strong.
The golden-yellow bolts pierced straight through Pipper Wheel.
Despite its partial immunity to electric moves, Pikachu’s assault was overwhelming, and Pipper Wheel still took heavy damage.
“What...”
Song Xuyang could not believe how fierce Tong Si’s attack had been.
“Pipper Wheel, use Super Absorb!”
After losing so much health, Song Xuyang still had a final card up his sleeve.
Until now, his Pipper Wheel had not used a single Grass-type move.
But Pipper Wheel possessed Grass attributes!
And the most shameless Grass move of all was Super Absorb.
It restored its own HP by absorbing the opponent’s.
It was truly shameless.
“Pip...”
Pipper Wheel rose to use Super Absorb, yet golden electric sparks flickered across its body.
“What’s happening?”
Song Xuyang widened his eyes in confusion.
“Paralysis! The one hundred thousand volts just paralyzed it!”
From the spectator stands, a knowledgeable fan shouted an explanation.
“So that’s it. What a golden chance! Teacher Tong, give the order quickly—strike Pipper Wheel while you can!”
“Rest assured, Teacher Tong, we’ll charge together forever.”
“...”
At that moment, Tong Si noticed the Fire Department students in the stands were holding up ten phones to display the fan slogan “Rest assured, Teacher Tong, we’ll charge together forever.”
A simple Pokémon battle and they had already recruited their own cheering squad?
Tong Si patted his hand and could not help admiring their idol-chasing prowess.
Although they were useless at everything else, they ranked first in star-chasing.
“Pikachu, this is your final attack. Show everyone your true power!”
Tong Si no longer intended to hold back.
“Full-powered Volt Tackle plus one hundred thousand volts!”
This was a double move and also Pikachu’s current maximum combat strength.
“Pika...”
Pikachu flashed with golden light as it extracted every last drop of stored electricity.
Combined with the one hundred thousand volts boost, Pikachu blazed across the field like a golden streak.
Boom—!
In full view of the audience, Pikachu unleashed Volt Tackle.
The entire stadium fell silent.
Even the dumbest students knew Volt Tackle belonged exclusively to the Pikachu family.
They had studied it in the textbook and even been tested on it in exams!
Several students had been punished by copying the answer, so the lesson remained vivid.
Yet right now they wished they could rush back to high school and curse the teacher who had made them copy it.
“Who said Volt Tackle could only be used by the Pikachu family?”
“Come on, tell me—what is this?”
At the same instant, a powerful collision echoed across the arena.
Thud—!
Under the combined assault of Volt Tackle and one hundred thousand volts, Pipper Wheel collapsed instantly.
Such a violent impact plus overwhelming electric energy.
Who could endure this?
Remember, this was only a baby Pipper Wheel!
It was not even an adult yet—why should it suffer damage it should not have to bear at this age?
Forget it. Better to lose combat ability.
“Pipper Wheel has fallen and lost combat capability. Pikachu wins. Since all ten Grass Department participants were defeated, the winner of this ten-versus-ten rotational battle is the Cultivation Department.”
Zhu Di took a deep breath and struggled to steady his emotions.
What had just happened?
What kind of monsters were these students?
For a moment, Zhu Di’s mind went blank to regain composure.
Then, after a brief stunned silence, the arena erupted in deafening cheers.
Who could have imagined the Cultivation Department would win this ten-versus-ten rotational battle?
They had been “pierced” earlier by Tong Si’s six-member team, yet the Grass Department students remained convinced they held the advantage.
Besides, Pikachu was poisoned; how could Pipper Wheel possibly lose?
“This Pikachu is truly terrifying!”
“It’s worthy of being the Pokémon cultivated by Teacher Tong. I’d give anything to become his disciple.”
“Yes! I originally thought Teacher Tong chose the Cultivation Department just to chase girls. But now I see I was wrong. His Pokémon cultivation talent is obvious. Have you ever seen a Pikachu this strong? Do you believe it can defeat Pipper Wheel? That’s the charm of Pokémon cultivation!”
“Wrong? Principal? I have a sister too. My sister told me to ask you—do I still need a secretary? As long as... I can transfer to the Cultivation Department.”
“...”
... (To be continued)