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The gymnasium was completely silent.
A few seconds later, exclamations of astonishment and disbelief began to echo through the space. People looked at each other, their faces etched with incredulity.
Everyone had personally experienced how tough Song Jie's Aggron was. They had also witnessed the sparring matches between Song Jie and Li Xiang in the past.
Maybe in previous days, even with a disadvantage against Steel types, Incineroar could consistently hold the upper hand when facing Aggron. But what they just saw was simply absurd.
You could accept a oneshot with Aura Sphere, but Drain Punch? What was that about?
Aggron was supposed to be a physical tank capable of taking hits, not some paper tiger. Yet the reality was, Aggron truly collapsed like it was made of paper, taken down by a single punch.
The scene was so divorced from reality that the onlookers began to wonder if the two were putting on an act.
Or perhaps...
Was this the result of a single month of special training?
How was that possible! Could one month really have increased his power this much?
The team members started whispering among themselves. The quicker ones immediately called Miao Shuang on their phones.
For a moment, the spectator area was buzzing with noise, but in the arena itself, it remained completely silent.
Li Xiang and Incineroar looked at each other, both wearing somewhat odd expressions.
For the past six months, they had frequently been on the receiving end of brutal beatings from Mewtwo and Mo Ye, to the point where their perception of their own strength had become blurred.
Now, it seemed the benefits from the soft candies were greater than they had imagined.
To be honest, despite having taken advantage of Song Jie's training for so long, this was truly the first time Incineroar had ever oneshotted Aggron.
Its physical defense was no joke. A non-STAB, low-power Drain Punch would normally only be used to recover a bit of health.
Knock it out? Without even using Close Combat, and still expecting a knockout?
But at this moment, Incineroar had indeed knocked out the physically robust Aggron with just one Drain Punch.
That punch had left the massive Pokémon unconscious for at least half a minute. Half a minute later, Aggron finally pulled its head out of the ground, looking around in confusion.
It didn't seem to realize what had happened.
That was understandable. Everything had occurred too quickly.
Frowning, Song Jie saw Aggron swaying, unable to maintain a stable stance, and recalled it to its Poké Ball.
Sparring matches don't go for the kill like official competitions. The goal is generally to knock the opponent unconscious.
Given ten minutes of rest, Aggron could easily get back into the fight, but there was no need for that.
"You've gotten stronger again," Song Jie said clearly.
"That's right," Li Xiang replied with a grin. Based on Incineroar's performance just now, he could now determine its true level of strength.
Was Meteor Beam strong?
Yes, it was strong.
Despite only having a blackened mark on its chest, Incineroar had taken a considerable amount of damage.
Compared to before, this move would definitely not have been so easy to handle, just judging by its sheer force.
Trying to take it head-on back then would have certainly lowered Incineroar's condition and affected the match outcome.
But now, it was merely a solid blow for Incineroar. It had changed from a match-altering move to just an effective attack.
The magnitude of this gap was not something that could be crossed in just a month or two.
Did people think the opponents were just game NPCs who never improved?
This saved a lot of time again.
Li Xiang felt happy. He had initially thought he would reach his desired level only in his third year, but before the first semester was even over, he had already covered most of the ground.
Across from him, Song Jie's expression shifted.
He hadn't expected that despite his best efforts to catch up, he would still find himself further and further away from Li Xiang. To the point where he was beginning to lose sight of his back.
In that instant, Song Jie suddenly understood exactly what kind of feeling those upperclassmen, or students from other school teams, experienced when they faced Li Xiang.
When encountering a talented peer, one might feel jealousy and envy, thinking about eventually surpassing them because you still considered them human. But someone like Li Xiang, a monster, had long since left the realm of genius and was no longer at a level ordinary people could comprehend.
So everyone revered and feared him. They even felt satisfied just by gaining something from a battle against him.
Deep down, they believed they were no match for him. That was the most fatal flaw for a trainer.
"Continue," Song Jie said, steadying his breathing. His expression firm, he sent out his second Pokémon.
Maybe others thought that way, but he couldn't. They had agreed to improve together, so he had to keep up.
"Awooo—"
In the midst of a long, resonant howl, Lycanroc sensed Song Jie's determination, its fighting spirit surging.
"Good!" Li Xiang nodded, breaking into a smile. "Go!"
"Roar!"
Bang!
Incineroar stomped hard on the ground, laughing as it lunged at Lycanroc. Swirling currents of brown-red air twisted into a vortex!
Hahaha! Prepare to fall!
Lycanroc refused to back down, its body enveloped in a brown hue as it transformed into a brilliant, swift bolt of lightning!
Bang!
An explosion echoed!
Battling in succession had always been a style of fighting that Li Xiang particularly enjoyed.
Almost the entire school knew this because it was how he sparred with the reserve team members, ever since he had joined the school team.
Once upon a time, not long after Li Xiang had joined the school team, the reserve members had been shocked at first, curious about where this kid had gotten such immense strength.
Then they gradually adopted his training style. One by one, under Xu He's orders, they became his sparring partners.
They thought they had gotten used to it. No matter how much power Li Xiang displayed, they wouldn't be fazed anymore.
But then...
"Coach! Sister Shuang! Hurry up and get over here!" a student anxiously shouted from the main entrance, waving at the two coaches who were strolling slowly while chatting and laughing.
"What's got you so worked up?" Xu He was generally quite amiable with students, and asked curiously, "Has something happened to Li Xiang?"
They had been rushed over by phone calls but still didn't know the details. The student who called was a bit tongue-tied and wanted them to come see for themselves.
"Hurry, hurry! If we delay any longer, it'll be over!" The student grabbed the hands of both coaches and pulled them inside.
The two coaches were confused.
Upon entering, they were taken aback. Except for a few who had asked for leave, all the reserve members were there.
Normally, they should be spread out across various gymnasiums.
And that wasn't even the main point. The main point was that everyone was completely engrossed in watching a single match, focused so intently that there wasn't a single whisper.
"What kind of stunt has Li Xiang pulled off now?" Xu He stood behind the crowd, observing the ongoing battle.
Then, the more he watched, the more astonished he became. His hand began to shake as if he had Parkinson's, and it only stopped trembling when he forcibly held it steady.
Miao Shuang, standing beside him, widened her eyes and covered her mouth with her hand.
Instinctively, the two coaches looked at each other, confirming that neither was dreaming.
They wanted to talk but worried about disturbing the people nearby, so they decided to wait until after the sparring match ended.
Thus, the morning's sparring session lasted for over half an hour. It concluded with Li Xiang achieving a clean sweep and Song Jie suffering a complete defeat.
With a single Sacred Sword, Aegislash easily cut down the rooted Cradily.
Then, drained of both energy and stamina, Aegislash clattered to the ground itself.
The sparring was over.
"Phew..." Li Xiang exhaled, taking off his jacket and smiling. "That was a great match. Haven't had this much fun in a long time."
The taste of victory was always pleasing.
The appearance of candies in his palm made him beam even more.
"Mm," Song Jie simply replied, brushing his bangs aside and wiping away a small amount of sweat with a tissue.
His mood hadn't changed much despite the complete defeat. The gap between them had always existed; it had just become wider now.
They each recalled their exhausted Pokémon.
"Let's go get some water," Li Xiang called out to Song Jie, intending to grab a drink.
But the moment he turned around, he found a large crowd of people standing behind him. Xu He and Miao Shuang were among them, both staring at him with incredibly strange expressions.
"Ahem, what's up?" Li Xiang licked his dry lips. He was incredibly thirsty.
Unexpectedly, Xu He's voice sounded even drier.
"Are Incineroar and the others... still the same ones?" He swallowed, his voice cracking slightly.
"Of course they are," Li Xiang said, looking at him in surprise. "Could a newly caught Pokémon coordinate with me so well? Coach, do you have a cold?"
When a Pokémon and its trainer stand on the same stage, coordination is crucial.
How to position oneself without interfering with the other, how to attack without hitting the trainer, how to give commands that convey exactly what you mean.
All of this requires a long time to build that kind of synergy.
Xu He was speechless. He looked at Miao Shuang, noticing that the expression in her eyes had long since shifted from initial shock to numbness.
After watching dozens of matches, how could she not be numb?
"What exactly did you do during that period of special training?" Xu He asked the question everyone wanted answered.
"What did I do... what could I do? Train the Pokémon and battle, of course."
Li Xiang was too thirsty to continue. He excused himself and walked over to the vending machine at the entrance to grab a drink.
The school team's facilities were always free of charge. Drinks were no exception.
Then, he heard the sounds of an explosion of chatter behind him.
He was used to it already. Li Xiang didn't stop walking. In the past, scenes like this had been common. He was no longer at an age where being talked about would inflate his ego.
"Here," he said, handing a bottle to Song Jie, who had followed him.
In the bright sunshine, with the incessant buzzing of Ninjask around the gymnasium entrance, the two downed half a bottle each.
"Ah~ I'm alive again." Li Xiang picked up the towel from his shoulder and wiped his face.
Perhaps because of the presence of Mist Lake, Metropolis' summers weren't very hot, with a maximum temperature of only thirty degrees.
It was much better than some "furnaces" where temperatures reached thirty-seven or thirty-eight degrees, or even forty-plus.
Qingcheng's summers were particularly hot, which allowed Incineroar to strike hard and dominate the entire season.
"You've gotten so much stronger! Pupitar is close to evolving, right?" Li Xiang asked, looking at Song Jie.
"Three months," Song Jie said, feeling the gentle breeze against his face, his expression relaxed. "Another three months."
"Heeey... I've got some good stuff. Do you want to try it?" Li Xiang thought for a few moments before asking.
"Jam. Does your Pupitar like jam?"