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"By the way, Qu Sheng's match has also started. If we go now, we should still make it in time."
Yang Tianwang led Li Xiang, walking quickly toward another area.
It was currently lunch break, and since Song Jie didn't have any matches, this young master naturally went home for extra tutoring.
His family had hired a high-ranking trainer for one-on-one lessons, scheduled every noon and afternoon.
High-ranking trainers' fees are usually quite expensive, especially those with teaching abilities.
Some trainers are indeed strong, but they can't teach others.
As a result, no one would hire them, making those with teaching skills even more valuable.
Even Song Jie wouldn't dare to skip these lessons casually.
A few minutes later, the group arrived outside a battlefield.
Inside the arena.
On the left was Qu Sheng's Araquanid, and on the right was a large, silver-and-black hyena-like Pokémon with incredibly thick fur extending from its back to its hips—a Mightyena.
Although its base stats aren't particularly high, it looks really cool.
Much cooler than some of the more awkwardly designed Pokémon.
However, most canine Pokémon share the same weakness.
—A strong head and bones, but a weak waist.
Their physiological structure dictates that even as Pokémon, their waists remain extremely fragile, with far less durability compared to other parts of their bodies.
Yet, a flexible waist also brings undeniable advantages, granting Mightyena exceptional agility and explosive power.
The scene before Li Xiang perfectly illustrated this point.
The Mightyena dodged the pale green silk shot by Araquanid with an almost zigzagging movement, its fangs crackling with electricity. With a loud crackle, it bit down hard on one of Araquanid's legs!
Boom!
Sizzle—!!
A teeth-gritting burst of electricity flashed, and the water-blue orb on Araquanid's leg joint shattered, causing its body to tilt uncontrollably in one direction.
Fortunately, Araquanid managed to support itself with its other legs and retaliated by shooting a water spike like a sharp sword, which exploded into a surging wave, sending Mightyena flying!
Liquidation!
Mightyena howled in pain. Even with its tough head, it couldn't help but suffer under this move from Araquanid.
The doubled power of Water-type moves due to Araquanid's Water Bubble ability was simply too overwhelming.
But it could still endure!
"Smart!"
Li Xiang couldn't help but snap his fingers.
Araquanid is a tricky Pokémon. If used well, its Water Bubble can expand and burst when an enemy attacks its head, effectively blocking the move.
Li Xiang had fallen for this trick multiple times in previous battles.
However, biting Araquanid's legs was a different story.
As everyone knows, Araquanid has a large body, and its ability to move on land relies heavily on its six legs.
So, what happens if one of its legs is bitten off?
Simple.
—It loses its ability to move flexibly, and even turning becomes a problem.
Araquanid's six green-and-black spear-like legs may look cool, but coolness comes at a cost.
Its physiology still follows basic biological principles!
If it could run as fast as flying with just five legs, it wouldn't need to grow an extra leg and waste energy.
Therefore, even though Mightyena took a hit from Araquanid, the latter was still at a disadvantage.
Qu Sheng, who understood this, had a face as dark as a pot that hadn't been washed for months. So, he decided to try something else.
"Sticky Web!"
Sticky threads continuously shot out from Araquanid's mouth and rear, forming a massive web on the ground!
The scale was enormous, covering an area of about five to six meters around Araquanid!
Mightyena tried to approach several times but was blocked by the sticky, milky-white threads, afraid of getting stuck, and thus didn't dare to move forward.
It could only watch as the web took shape.
Sticky Web, a Bug-type status move, reduces the speed of any Pokémon that steps on it.
For a close-combat Pokémon like Mightyena, this situation was a real headache, and it couldn't think of a useful countermeasure for the time being.
Of course, every move has its counter.
"Sand Attack!"
Mightyena's trainer shouted, and a cloud of sand rose, covering the sticky web!
While this move couldn't completely neutralize the sticky threads, it could weaken their effect!
Seeing this, Qu Sheng's face didn't show frustration at his move being countered. Instead, his eyes lit up!
Opportunity!
"Aqua Ring!"
The water bubble on Araquanid's head instantly expanded several times, covering its entire body and healing its leg joints while Mightyena was busy digging up sand.
By the time Mightyena finally cleared a path, Araquanid had already finished healing itself.
Outside the arena.
Yang Tianwang clicked his tongue. "It's a shame Qu Sheng hasn't managed to teach it Ice Beam yet. Otherwise, this match would've been even more interesting."
In Qu Sheng's plan, he wanted Araquanid to learn figure skating techniques and combine them with Surf and Ice Beam to create an ideal battlefield.
Many Pokémon that struggle to move on land do this. At higher levels, some even create ice surfaces without using Water-type moves, showcasing terrifying skill.
Li Xiang remained noncommittal, focusing intently on the battle.
Once Araquanid's joints were healed, it stopped giving Mightyena any chances to get close, continuously spraying water waves to attack and create a favorable environment for itself.
Time passed minute by minute.
Both sides grew increasingly anxious.
Mightyena, unwilling to be worn down from a distance, finally found a path to approach after some maneuvering. It quickly closed in on Araquanid, ready to deliver a second Thunder Fang—
Unbeknownst to it, it had already fallen into Araquanid's trap.
A sticky thread appeared right in its path, perfectly catching its front paw and then its hind leg.
As a result, the elastic thread pulled taut, causing Mightyena to lose its balance. Araquanid slightly shifted its body, and Mightyena slid right past it!
Like a crazily running Husky that had built up immense momentum but couldn't stop in time, it could only watch as it missed its target and even ended up face-planting.
However, while Mightyena missed Araquanid, Araquanid wasn't about to let it go.
Anticipating this, Araquanid pushed off the ground with all six legs, charging at Mightyena like a freight train!
At the same time, a water jet shot from Araquanid's mouth, exploding in front of it and scattering into a barrage of water bullets that rained down on Mightyena!
And the target of this attack? Mightyena's weak waist!
Boom!
A critical hit!
Water mist exploded, and white smoke quickly engulfed the surroundings!
But in the second second of the smoke spreading, a howling figure was sent flying, breaking through the mist and slamming into the wire fence with a smack, before bouncing off and collapsing to the ground, motionless.
The outcome was decided.
...
"Thankfully, that guy guessed I'd use Magnemite and didn't bring out Flaaffy. Otherwise, I'd have been done for."
After the match, Qu Sheng said with lingering fear.
His Araquanid lacked long-range attacks and didn't know many moves, making it truly helpless against long-range Electric-types.
If they were accurate enough to break Araquanid's leg joints...
Well, there'd be no point in continuing. He might as well surrender.
In short, Araquanid had too many weaknesses at this stage, making it a risky choice for one-on-one battles.
He almost lost.
Luckily, his opponent thought he was on the second level, but Qu Sheng was actually on the fifth.
Both had tried to predict each other's Pokémon choices. The opponent guessed Qu Sheng would use Magnemite and chose Mightyena with Fire Fang.
During the match, the opponent was less composed, rushing for victory and ultimately falling into Araquanid's trap, getting hit with a critical counterattack.
Yang Tianwang nodded solemnly. He was a victim of losing at rock-paper-scissors, thinking the opponent would use their ace Venomoth and happily sent out Scyther.
Unexpectedly, the opponent used a recently caught, clumsily controlled Coalossal, which even had disobedience issues...
Talk about being headstrong!
Didn't they know the meaning of caution?
Fortunately, Scyther used its incredible speed to slowly wear down the opponent.
At that time, Coalossal's Ancient Power was just one centimeter away from hitting Scyther.
Seriously, if that move had landed, even ten Scythers wouldn't have survived!
It was nerve-wracking.
Even now, Yang Tianwang still found it thrilling to recall.
Meanwhile, Li Xiang remained silent, holding a sticky thread in his hand, deep in thought.
In Pokémon battles, using moves flexibly is one thing, but setting up traps with moves is another.
Araquanid's sticky threads are somewhat similar to Froakie's bubbles. If you can set up such a trap for an impatient opponent during a battle, it's like creating an opportunity out of thin air.
Rather than obsessing over hitting the opponent with bubbles, luring them into a trap is also a great trick.
...Indeed, no matter what, I need to find a way to keep this bubble technique, even after evolving into Greninja.
Li Xiang resolved to turn his tongue into a bubble, preserving this unique skill.
Meanwhile, the conversation between the two beside him also caught his attention.
Clearly, everyone was trying to gather information on their opponents.
In the three-choice selection process, there was also a lot of psychological gameplay.
I think you think, You think I think... It's an endless loop of guessing, seeing who can think one step further or who can ignore this guessing game altogether.
Ultimately, this situation arises because every Pokémon has its weaknesses, types it can't handle, or specific matchups it struggles with.
Are there Pokémon that Torracat and the others can't handle?
Of course.
Ground-types are a hard counter for Torracat, and other tanky Pokémon like Rhyhorn and Onix are also not ideal matchups for Torracat at this stage.
If he encounters them, Li Xiang might as well prepare for the loser's bracket.
However, if Torracat went all out and managed to avoid a few hits, the outcome could be uncertain.
Stilll, there was no need to force a Pokémon to win against its unfavorable matchups.
That's what teammates were for—to avoid such situations.