Tang Hui's expression turned peculiar.
No badges at all... yet you're challenging me with such a powerful Haunter? How shameless can you be?!
He glanced at the three Poké Balls at his waist: Kadabra, Meowstic, and Swoobat.
Since this was a match against a high school preparation team, their strength wasn't quite on par with Haunter...
But a Trainer's skill wasn't something that could be dismissed by mere levels!
Patting the Poké Ball at his side, Tang Hui released it with a sharp motion, catching it smoothly in his hand. He commanded confidently: "Go, Meowstic!"
A beam of red light shot out, revealing a fluffy, indigo-furred cat Pokémon on the field.
This was a male Meowstic, its eyes narrow and emerald green, resembling those of a Siamese cat. Standing upright on its short legs, its tail ended with a puff of snowy white fur.
Though its appearance was soft and adorable, anyone who underestimated it because of its size would regret their folly.
"It is kind of cute…" Lu Ye stroked his chin thoughtfully, "But it's not as cute as Eevee."
The Poké Ball at his waist quivered slightly.
"Eevee?!"
Inside, the little Eevee blushed furiously, covering its face with its ears.
Thank goodness he didn't see me!
Lu Ye opened his system Pokédex and quickly scanned Meowstic's information.
[Meowstic, Psychic-type]
[Ability: Prankster]
[Held Item: Light Clay]
[Moves: Fake Out, Light Screen, Reflect, Psybeam, Yawn...]
Studying its ability and move set, Lu Ye nodded knowingly.
If you're trying to play dirty, then don't mind me stacking Toxic, Paralysis, and Burns all at once.
As dusk fell, the crowd's tension grew, and the referee's whistle signaled the start of the battle.
"Meowstic!" Tang Hui ordered, "Yawn!"
At the same moment, Lu Ye's command rang out: "Substitute!"
Before Yawn could take effect, Haunter split into two.
The original dodged the move, darting toward Meowstic in a blur.
From Modu University's bench, Captain Jiang Chen looked stunned.
"Coach Lu's reaction speed is insane!"
"If he'd been even half a second slower, even with Substitute, Haunter would have fallen asleep under Yawn's effect!"
"No..." Zhai Wenyue mused. "It's more likely he anticipated it. After observing so many matches, Lu Ye must've figured out Tang Hui's playstyle!"
Haunter's fingers glowed with a chilling ghostly flame.
Tang Hui made a quick decision. "Light Screen!"
A radiant Light Screen appeared, held up by Meowstic's paw, seemingly ready to deflect the ghostly flames.
"Stop, Haunter!" Lu Ye called. "Shadow Punch!"
"Haunter!"
Haunter grinned wickedly as the ghost flames vanished, replaced by a shadowy fist that shot forward, phasing through the Light Screen.
Thud!
Meowstic was struck squarely, its face visibly distorted by the impact as it was sent flying over two meters!
"What the hell?! You can do that?!"
"Haunter just punched it?!"
"No way, is this Haunter a physical attacker?!"
In the guest seats, Song Pengcheng was visibly surprised.
"Haunter's physical attack stat isn't even high."
Du Yuanshan burst out laughing. "True, but Lu Ye has completely disrupted Tang Hui's rhythm!"
Tang Hui froze briefly.
Shouldn't Haunter have used Shadow Ball? Why did it suddenly switch to Shadow Punch?
During his momentary hesitation, Lu Ye issued his next command sharply: "Shadow Ball!"
Tang Hui was caught off guard.
You didn't use it before, and now you do? Do you even pay attention in class? Why is your strategy so different from everyone else's?!
"Psybeam!" Tang Hui countered.
The Light Screen was still active, and Meowstic's ears twitched as it sent a wave of blue psychic energy at Haunter.
In an instant, the Substitute shielding Haunter was torn apart by Psybeam.
However, Haunter simply laughed, forming a Shadow Ball in its hands and hurling it toward Meowstic with a loud boom!
Crack!
The Light Screen in front of Meowstic splintered under the impact, sending visible cracks through it.
Lu Guanghai swallowed hard.
"Even with Light Clay, the Light Screen broke? Why didn't it crack when I challenged him?!"
Modu's elder headmaster, Du Yuanshan, stroked his white beard, his eyes full of admiration.
"Condensing Ghost-type energy, concentrating it to a single point on the Light Screen... This level of technique surpasses many Ghost-type Gym Leaders!"
"Is he from a Ghost-type family?" Du Yuanshan inquired.
Song Pengcheng's expression turned awkward.
"If even you don't know, Headmaster, how would I dare investigate his background?!"
Meowstic's strength was primarily in its support role.
Tang Hui reached for Meowstic's Poké Ball, but the red beam failed to recall it.
Tang Hui's eyes widened as Haunter's shadow stretched across the ground, firmly binding Meowstic in place.
"Mean Look?! When did he..."
Tang Hui's expression changed. "Damn it, I let my intentions show too clearly!"
"Gym Leaders are easier to read than I thought," Lu Ye muttered, his mood a mix of amusement and complexity.
Haunter's Shadow Ball was powerful—powerful enough to be called brutal.
After all, this technique came from training inspired by Cynthia herself.
Not to mention... it cost me a house to learn!
"Haunter, Shadow Ball!" Lu Ye commanded reluctantly.
The surging Shadow Ball exploded upon impact, sending Meowstic flying, its chest scorched black.
The audience was stunned.
"What the heck? Was that an instant KO?!"
"It broke through a Light Screen! Is this some kind of cheat?!"
"That wasn't luck; Teacher Lu seized the moment perfectly!"
Tang Hui adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, letting out a long sigh.
The consecutive matches had left even him mentally drained.
But being read like an open book was more exhausting than anything else!
It's as if he's predicting every move I make... Or maybe he's not even thinking—just relying on instinct?
As the match ended, Haunter was left virtually untouched, only losing its Substitute.
Tang Hui recomposed himself and sent out another Poké Ball.
"Go, Swoobat!"
Swoobat's attributes weren't remarkable, but its ability, Simple, was its ace.
With Simple, all stat changes, whether boosts or drops, were doubled in effect.
"Calm Mind!" Tang Hui ordered.
As Swoobat ascended into the air, it withstood Haunter's Will-O-Wisp while steadily increasing its power.
The crowd held their breath.
This was Modu Gym's signature strategy—Simple Swoobat combined with Stored Power.
With four Calm Mind stacks boosting its Special Attack, Stored Power's brilliance illuminated the entire arena.
The audience erupted in unison:
"How do you even tank that Stored Power?!"
"Teacher Lu's gonna blow it today!"
"Not even ten lives could survive that move!"
The dazzling glow of the battlefield showcased Modu Gym's perfected tactics.
Glancing at the move list, Lu Ye calmly said, "Haunter, Haze."
Tang Hui's eyes widened in disbelief.
Haunter chuckled ominously, releasing a thick black mist that spread across the field.
All stat changes—reset to zero!