"The next one," echoed through the vast venue, accompanied only by Luke's calm tone.
Inside the Goldhill Arena, a profound silence took hold.
Cui Yuanshan felt a strange sensation, his eye twitching slightly.
Could Magic University's Rookie Champion be this formidable?
Eevee hadn't even evolved... its breed was simply astonishing!
"Be cautious," Cui Yuanshan coughed, attempting to shake off the odd feeling.
"His Eevee's stamina must have reached its limits."
Qin Yu nodded in agreement but couldn't shake off his anxiety.
As he looked at the defiant Eevee, a wry smile tugged at his lips.
No matter how you look at it, that Eevee doesn't appear to be lacking in stamina.
Goldhill University's fourth player took the stage.
Qin Yu took a deep breath, released his Poké Ball, and said, "Go, Braixen!"
Braixen, resembling a girl with flowing red hair around her ears, brandished a twig that blazed with flames. The fiery embers rushed towards Eevee at the tip of the twig.
"Fire Spin!"
While Eevee dodged the attack, Qin Yu commanded, "Surround and ignite everything!"
Braixen used its twig to draw a circle in the air, creating flames that splashed around the field like a fiery ring.
Eevee's Quick Attack was forced to stop, and the flames continued to encroach upon its space, closing in on the center.
"Since hitting it is difficult, they'll go for a trade-off style of play," Zhai Wenyao frowned.
"This is the advantage of wheel warfare!"
"Quick Attack!" Luke ordered, "Use Substitute!"
Eevee quickly understood Luke's intentions and bared its teeth, hitting itself on the face.
"Aim at Eevee with Psybeam!" Qin Yu commanded.
In response to Qin Yu's order, Braixen's twig aimed at Eevee, releasing a bright blue beam. At such close range, Psybeam had little chance of missing!
But at the moment the beam was fired, Eevee split into two, dodging the Psybeam with incredible agility. The Fire Spin encircling the battlefield also surged toward the two Pokémon.
Although Substitute was engulfed by flames from all directions, Eevee, covered in soot, suddenly leaped out of the fire. It jumped onto Braixen's shoulder and delivered a painful Bite!
Qin Yu's face turned pale. This was a critical hit, and the damage was devastating!
Stepping on Braixen's head, Eevee sprang up and out of the ring of fire, not looking back.
"Huh!"
Braixen let out a painful Growl and, in the next moment, was consumed by its own flames. The fire was extinguished, and Braixen fell into a coma.
A stunned silence enveloped the arena.
At that moment, the referee's whistle blew: "Braixen is no longer able to battle."
"The winner is Luke!"
The auditorium erupted into chaos.
"Did he just defeat four opponents?"
"Is this some kind of joke? Does he have limitless stamina?"
"Fighting four consecutive battles and using Substitute twice... Is Eevee taking growth hormones or something?"
"Teacher, Coach," Sally Han said excitedly, "is Teacher Luke really going to join the team!"
Zhai Wenyao remained silent but looked at Luke on the field with satisfaction.
He remembered that Magic University had Move Tutoring suitable for Eevee. He would let Eevee choose freely as a reward for the little Pokémon.
Qin Yu walked away from the battlefield with a dejected expression, and Goldhill University's morale hit rock bottom.
On the other side, Luke looked at Eevee with concern. "You're okay, right?"
"Vui~! o(´^｀)o" Eevee licked its paw and lifted its head with a hint of disdain.
Seeing the energetic and confident little creature, Luke nodded thoughtfully.
At that moment, Luke suddenly raised his hand.
The crowd tensed up, expecting Luke to deliver a cliché line.
However, Luke smiled slightly and said, "I'm requesting a one-minute timeout to remove Eevee's held items."
A murmur rippled through the crowd.
"Eevee still has held items?"
"Is it a Berry? I've never seen Eevee use it!"
"Why would you remove held items? Isn't that foolish?"
The referee was momentarily taken aback and turned to look at Director Wang, who nodded with a complicated expression.
The final player from Goldhill University stepped up to the plate (crossed out) stage.
Willy Zhang, Luke's fan, was momentarily startled but then breathed a sigh of relief.
It seemed that Teacher Luke was planning to go easy on him!
However, the actions of Luke left everyone else in the stadium stunned.
Luke picked up Eevee and removed the pink ankle guards on its four short legs, one by one. He then put them on his own hands and checked them as if measuring something.
"This thing is really heavy," Luke said with an odd expression. "So the proper way to use it is not to let Eevee use it?"
Eevee's held item, known as 'Power Anklet,' was designed for protection but was quite heavy.
"Power Anklet: Although it reduces speed when worn, it allows the wearer's Pokémon to grow stronger than usual."
Luke deliberately tossed the ankle guards onto the battlefield, creating a loud clattering sound that reverberated throughout the entire arena.
Dong!!
Suddenly, the entire stadium fell into silence.
"His—" Luke's expression suddenly turned worried.
Did he just break a million-Poké currency item?!
Wide-eyed, the people from Goldhill University stared in disbelief.
This Eevee, who had worn such heavy protective gear, was going to face them?
After going through all that trouble, can it still wear four opponents?!
At that moment, Willy Zhang, resembling Rock Lee during the chunin exam, looked like a ghost among the surrounding people.
Could it be... Teacher Luke was really planning to take it easy on him?
Teacher Luke, are you being so ruthless to your fans?!
Luke cleared his throat and calmly smiled as he said, "The next one."
In Willy Zhang's view, this smile resembled that of a demon.
But... it was a worthwhile experience to seek advice from Teacher Luke!
Willy Zhang took a deep breath and shouted, "Come on, Electabuzz!"
Electabuzz, with its vibrant yellow and black warning colors, exposed its fangs and brandished its claws. It emitted a faint electric current over its body.
After quickly consulting the system's Pokédex to confirm that it was an Electabuzz with the Ability 'Static,' Luke issued his command:
"Eevee, use Yawn!"
Willy Zhang's expression changed.
Here it comes, Teacher Luke's signature tactic!
Cui Yuanshan from Goldhill University was taken aback.
Even without the power ankle support, Eevee's natural speed was sufficient to approach with Quick Attack. But with this substantial speed advantage, Luke chose to engage from a distance?
Although Electabuzz's Ability was indeed 'Static'...
But it was incredibly robust!
Electabuzz's Thunderbolt attack missed its mark, and its eyelids began to droop, but Eevee showed no intention of getting closer.
The Goldhill University spectators were getting anxious.
"Luke's strategy is... incredibly audacious!" Feng Zhe gritted his teeth.
Cui Yuanshan didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Teacher Luke had always been unpredictable.
Given that Electabuzz had the 'Static' Ability, long-range attacks were the most sensible choice.
"Eevee, use Swift!"
The sleeping Electabuzz was pelted by the star-shaped beams and fell to the ground before it even woke up.
Eevee continued to throw sand on Electabuzz's head, patiently waiting until Electabuzz was entirely covered. Then, it licked its paw with satisfaction.
"Victory for Luke!"
As the referee's whistle blew, Eevee raised its head, basking in the applause and admiration of the audience.
"Vui~ (〝▼ д▼)!"