With the Taunt user gone, Rotom was like a runaway horse, able to use any move it pleased.
"Thunder Punch!"
Under its trainer's loud command, Electivire slammed a heavy punch into Rotom's body! The electricity exploded with a bang, sending Rotom flying!
"Kekekeke—"
Rotom cackled gleefully, completely unfazed by the fact that it had just recovered its stamina only to lose more from that punch. It even used the force of Electivire's attack to propel itself toward Pelipper.
Taunt was launched.
"Seed Bomb!"
Pelipper opened its beak and spat out a green projectile toward Rotom! The projectile missed Rotom, exploding in midair instead. The Taunt was blocked and fizzled out.
Pelipper's trainer breathed a small sigh of relief. That was more like the real probability of Taunt succeeding. Corviknight's version was just too ridiculous.
Under his command, Pelipper dived back into the water and vanished.
To be honest, when it came to swimming skills, Pelipper was far superior to Wash Rotom. Although it couldn't stay underwater as long as Rotom without surfacing for air, it was much more agile. There was no way Wash Rotom could catch it underwater.
—Not that Li Xiang would have sent Rotom to chase it anyway, even with Discharge.
When he noticed Pelipper disappear, he decisively ordered Rotom to fall back and prevent Electivire from taking out his teammate.
At that very moment, Electivire caught up to Togekiss in the distance. Its body crackling with lightning, it viciously rammed into Togekiss!
Wild Charge!
The roaring electricity clashed against a tough green shield!
Bang!
The air trembled!
Togekiss's earlier decision to tank Hurricane without using Protect paid off. This would-be fatal Wild Charge was successfully blocked.
Rotom had also made it back in time to assist.
"Roost!"
Right in front of Electivire, Togekiss arrogantly crouched on a rock, its body glowing white.
Its cocky attitude infuriated Electivire.
Suddenly—
"Behind you!"
The trainer's shout snapped Electivire back to attention.
It spun around and threw up a green shield just in time to block a stream of water!
Pfft!
Wash Rotom had somehow appeared behind it, less than ten meters away!
"Focus fire on it!"
"Electivire!"
With a roar, Electivire's body became cloaked in lightning as it charged at Rotom!
Underwater, Pelipper had silently positioned itself beneath Rotom. Its massive beak opened, gathering a ball of green energy!
Then, with a forceful blast, it fired!
Bang!
Wild Charge plus Seed Bomb!
Rotom threw up Protect, trying to hold them off.
But the green shield was shattered by Wild Charge first, allowing a small amount of electricity to leak through.
Crackle!
Rotom's body stiffened slightly.
The moment the attack landed, Electivire immediately retreated!
At the same time, the green light of Seed Bomb burst through the water!
If that hit landed, with Rotom's remaining stamina, it would definitely go down!
But... was that Seed Bomb aimed in the wrong direction?
In the bewildered eyes of the onlookers, Pelipper, as if it were a traitor, spat the Seed Bomb right at Electivire!
Electivire had no idea it was the target and didn't bother to block. The Seed Bomb hit it square in the face!
Bang!
Smoke covered everything!
The sudden turn of events stunned the two students. They had no idea what had just happened; their minds went blank.
Many in the audience were also confused.
But the commentators provided the answer.
—Follow Me!
There, standing right behind Electivire, Togekiss—which had just been using Roost—was suddenly radiating an irresistible magnetism!
Its body was still wrapped in white light, its scorch marks nowhere near healed, with rain clearly visible as it fell on its body.
Landing on that rock didn't necessarily mean it was using Roost!
Togekiss and Rotom had pulled off another combination play, fooling the two Chongzhou students once again!
But this was also a bit of an open strategy.
Rotom, after its Nasty Plot, was a massive threat. It happened to be positioned between the two opposing Pokémon, and its stamina wasn't in great shape. Togekiss was barely holding on, needing to Roost to stay in the fight.
If not now, when would they take down Rotom?
If they didn't attack it, Electivire would probably be in trouble too. If it went after Togekiss instead, Rotom would definitely take the chance to attack it. Even if Pelipper could take out Rotom with Seed Bomb, Electivire would still end up fainting. Better to focus fire on Rotom and take out that annoying pest.
But they never expected Togekiss to pull off a fake-out. It looked like it was using Roost, but it was actually Follow Me—just a moment slower!
It timed it perfectly: after Electivire's attack had already been launched, and right before Pelipper's move was released.
And it actually worked!
That was a bitter pill to swallow. The faces of both students looked like they had eaten something awful.
But worse was yet to come.
The damage from Wild Charge after breaking Protect wasn't enough to take down Rotom, but it did send Rotom flying backward. And the direction it flew? Straight toward Pelipper's location!
Thunder roared!
Rotom, as if finally released after being pent up for so long, crackled with electricity that suddenly burst outward in all directions!
Discharge!
Electivire, hit by Seed Bomb, was already on its last legs even if it didn't go down. Its boosted speed didn't matter anymore. At this point, using an Electric-type move had no drawbacks!
Crackle!
The intense heat of the lightning instantly vaporized the water. Steam shot into the sky. Pelipper, underwater, had barely managed to bring up Protect before the lightning shattered it!
Not far away, Electivire, face full of Seed Bomb residue, actually still had a sliver of stamina left. But Togekiss wasn't about to let it go. Ignoring the risk of being caught in the nearby Discharge, it rushed in with Extreme Speed!
Bang!
That strike finished off Electivire for good!
Underwater, Pelipper had also been electrocuted into unconsciousness!
Two birds with one stone!
"BEEEEP—!"
The long, dull whistle sounded like a tolling bell. It was the final whistle, signaling the end of the match.
The two Chongzhou students looked at each other, speechless.
If one of them had made a mistake, that would be one thing. But both of them had made blunders, and neither had noticed. Who could they blame?
In the distance, Li Xiang and Su Qian breathed a sigh of relief, then exchanged a high-five with a smile.
Inside the commentary booth, the two commentators began analyzing the match.
One said, "The duo of Li Xiang and Su Qian has really impressed me."
The other agreed, "Indeed. While there weren't any particularly flashy moments, and the match wasn't exactly epic, there was a steady, composed, and calm rhythm to their performance."
The first continued enthusiastically, "Look at that Rotom. It clearly had the power to take out Pelipper, but it held back and endured until the very end just to bait Electivire into falling for the trap, making sure Electivire wouldn't get any benefit from Electric-type moves."
The other nodded, "Exactly. And that Corviknight from earlier—its Taunt was also a key factor in deciding the outcome. Honestly, I haven't seen such a fast Taunt in years."
The first commentator marveled, "Just those two Pokémon alone are already remarkable. Li Xiang, currently the only first-year player, is truly astonishing."
The second praised him, "Li Xiang certainly lives up to his reputation. 'Child of the Gods' might be a stretch, but calling him the nation's number one? I don't think that's an exaggeration."
The first: "Speaking of which, I heard this duo only trained together for a month."
The second was surprised: "Oh? Just a month, and they're already on the field?"
The first: "Yes, one month. And to have that level of synergy, with both their Pokémon trusting each other—that's impressive."
The second: "That's certainly commendable. I wonder what kind of performance they'll put on next."
The first: "For that, we'll have to keep watching. Let's all look forward to their upcoming matches."
The second added, "Indeed, let's look forward to the next one."
The screen switched away.
Inside various university team lounges, reactions varied. Some furrowed their brows, some watched with interest, some dismissed it, and some hadn't even watched at all.
Online, the topic of Li Xiang being the nation's number one was once again stirred up, along with the earlier promotional phrase: "Blessed by the gods."
So far in the doubles matches, Li Xiang's performance wasn't the flashiest, but his buzz factor was definitely the highest.
Because he was the only first-year among all the players.
Unprecedented.
Just that alone was enough to draw attention.
After all, his very existence was a sort of "insult" to many participants who had only taken the stage in their sixth year. It even trampled on those upperclassmen who still hadn't earned a spot on the field.
Look, a first-year can do it—what about you?
It had already been wild enough seeing third- and fourth-years on the stage putting up good results.
Now here comes a freshman.
In most schools, he wouldn't even qualify for the reserve team tryouts!
Yet Li Xiang not only qualified but also stepped onto the Summer Tournament stage, winning the second-round match alongside Su Qian.
Anyone who saw his Pokémon's performance couldn't honestly say his wins were all thanks to Su Qian carrying him.
The only people saying that were those who didn't understand battling, or those deliberately turning a blind eye.
Many young trainers were feeling quite uncomfortable.
But regardless of praise or criticism, the lid on Li Xiang's popularity and buzz, which Mist City University had been holding down, could no longer be contained.
Like a long-accumulating volcano, it erupted violently.
Within a single afternoon, Li Xiang's name had spread across the entire Zhuxia trainer community.
He was even making waves in breeder, coordinator, and many other Pokémon-related circles. There were even signs of him breaking into the mainstream.
After all, if you didn't consider professional certifications, the barrier to becoming a trainer was quite low. As long as you had a Pokémon and dared to battle, you could call yourself a trainer.
And in this world, even though the Association kept "suppressing" trainers, they remained the mainstream of society.
Countless producers supported these non-producers in principle.
In no time at all, even overseas, many trainers had learned about someone from Zhu Xia named Li Xiang.