Haunter's Genetic moves left Tang Hui slightly stunned. Not only did they disrupt his tactics, but they also revealed the presence of Haze.
"I've got my eye on you, trying to make things difficult for me, Tang Hui!"
"Swoobat!" Swoobat flapped its wings and inhaled the Haze. The blue light in its eyes dimmed. When Stored Power was unleashed, it dealt only a slight blow to Haunter, hardly fazing it.
The audience was left bewildered.
"???"
"Is this... a scrap?"
Sven, who had recently lost to Tang Hui, wore an expression of astonishment. Swoobat seemed far more powerful when it fought against him earlier.
The situation on the battlefield changed swiftly. Swoobat attempted to use Calm Mind again, but before it could finish, Haunter countered with a backhand Shadow Ball. The surging Ghost Type energy disturbed the air and produced a thunderous roar.
Bang!! Swoobat lost its bonuses and crashed awkwardly to the ground. The audience fell silent.
Although it was a reserve team, it was still a Gym Leader's Pokémon. Others had struggled to defeat Tang Hui's second Pokémon, and now this unusual challenger seemed to be on a winning streak.
Even more shocking was that during the mid-battle exchange, Teacher Luke didn't recall Haunter. What did this signify? Did he intend to rely on Haunter to defeat all three Gym Leaders?
"Is he insane? Taking on three Gym Leaders in a row..." Tommy Lu muttered in disbelief.
Chen Tingyu and Sally Han, on the other hand, both rose from their seats and shouted excitedly, "Go, Teacher Luke!"
In an instant, their eyes locked in mid-air, colliding like fierce embers. The crowd's cheers echoed at this moment.
"Teacher Luke is amazing!"
"Haunter, you can do it!"
Though it was an open challenge, it felt more like a celebrity exhibition match in the arena.
Tang Hui sighed. He had already acknowledged Luke's skill, so handing over the Badge wasn't an issue. However, this competition was about determining the best individual award. Even if he lost badly, he still had to play three games.
Tang Hui had mixed feelings. Had this kid traveled to other Alliances before returning to the Orient as a cute newcomer? Or was he simply a sophomore finance student with an extraordinary command level?
Tang Hui clenched his teeth and called out, "Come, Kadabra!"
Both Haunter and Kadabra were high-speed, low-durability special attackers, and each had double restraints on the other. The critical factor was who could strike first.
In the guest seat, Song Pengcheng pondered before saying, "It depends on whose speed is superior."
Du Yuanshan nodded in agreement.
"But... after two battles, Haunter's stamina might not hold up."
Kadabra's eyes burst with blue light, and a Psychic attack, like a giant hand, reached for Haunter.
"Protect," Luke calmly ordered. "Use Substitute!"
Another Substitute! Du Yuanshan, Tang Hui, and the others were all stunned simultaneously.
After battling for so long, Haunter's stamina hadn't even dropped to the red zone? What had Luke been feeding this Haunter?
What was originally a closely contested match had now tilted in Luke's favor. After alternating between Substitute and Protect twice, Haunter's Hypnosis finally landed on Kadabra.
The audience's reactions were complex.
"Couldn't he just have used Shadow Ball for a quick win against Kadabra?"
"You don't understand. Teacher Luke is reading Kadabra's Focus Sash first!"
"It makes sense... but I have a feeling Teacher Luke wants to play dirty with the opponent..."
Kadabra fell into a deep slumber.
"Jie jie~! (ﾉ≧∀≦)ﾉ" Haunter gleefully unleashed Will-O-Wisp and Toxic in rapid succession. Observing Kadabra, who had fallen into a deep slumber, his face turning a shade of purple with faint phosphorescent flames flickering on his body, Tang Hui curled his mouth slightly. He made Kadabra, still asleep, teleport out of the field, surrendering on the spot. The combination of Hypnosis, Substitute, Toxic, Protect, and Paralysis couldn't be seen as an honorable victory.
"This one's on the house!" Tang Hui sarcastically remarked.
The referee paused for a moment before blowing the whistle, declaring, "The winner is Magic City University, Luke!"
The entire stadium fell silent. Although they were mentally prepared, everyone still found it hard to believe.
"Did he actually put Tang Hui in his place?"
"Even the Gym Leader got defeated?!"
Tommy Lu wiped the sweat from his forehead, his complexion turning pale.
Though it was indeed 3:0...
But was there something amiss?
"Damn it!" Tommy Lu slapped his thigh, trembling. "Teacher Luke defeated the Gym Leader 3:0!"
In a challenge, there are instances where the challenger wins, but having the Gym Leader hand over a perfect score of zero is unprecedented in the history of Magic City Gym.
After the "Finance Department Rookie King" and the "coach personally played the game," Teacher Luke had added some peculiar new records to his name.
The audience remained in stunned silence for a while before erupting into cheers.
"Teacher Luke is amazing!"
"Wow, where can we reward him? I'm his fan!"
"Haunter is incredible!!!"
In the guest seat, Song Pengcheng smiled and said, "The younger generation will surpass us in due time!"
Du Yuanshan stroked his white beard, smiling and nodding. "Indeed... Zhai Wenyao must nurture him well, Move Secret Records, or his Pokémon... We can't afford to lose either!"
...
With Luke's impressive performance, there was no doubt about who the champion of this individual competition would be. All the contestants present looked at Luke with admiration. Even the Gym Leader had been bested by Teacher Luke with a flawless score of zero.
This level of command and Pokémon breeding was beyond reach!
Sally Han suddenly remarked with emotion, "Rise high, work hard... This must be Teacher Luke's way."
The members of the school team nodded in agreement.
"Why do I have a feeling..."
Zhai Wenyao crossed his arms, lost in thought. "My position as coach may not be secure?"
On the battlefield, Tang Hui, in a suit and leather shoes, pushed up his wire-rimmed glasses and let out a long sigh.
This was supposed to be an open challenge, but it felt more like a public execution.
No wonder he had been feeling uneasy since the day before yesterday.
Although the defeat had been quite brutal, Tang Hui was not a small-minded person. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to secure the position of Magic City Gym Leader.
Shaking hands with Luke, Tang Hui congratulated him, saying, "Congratulations."
"Wow." Luke's eyes gleamed, as if he had just seen a windfall of 1 million when he shook Tang Hui's hand.
Tang Hui appeared puzzled for a moment. Was this why Luke had challenged him?
"Oh, by the way," Tang Hui kindly reminded him, "These two sets of Move Secrets will greatly enhance your Pokémon's Mental Force. Calm Mind can eliminate their fatigue, which will also benefit Eevee's future evolution."
Luke was slightly taken aback. Tang Hui's words truly touched Teacher Luke.
Assessing the intimacy... Eevee's evolution should be right around the corner. His daughter always wanted to grow up, and although the old man was reluctant to let her go, he couldn't hold her back forever. This was probably the gift he owed Eevee.
Teacher Luke was enthusiastic. "Tell me the training costs, and I'll take care of it!"
Tang Hui replied, "It's not expensive, but because these are two moves..."
"Bright Powder, Dawn Stone, and so on... when it's all said and done, it's less than 2 million."
Luke gasped in disbelief. So, even if I don't make a penny, I still have to spend another 1 million?
Meanwhile, Coach Zhai waved at Luke and said loudly with a smile, "Luke, the Principal has agreed to let you choose another set of Move Secrets!"
Luke: ???
Teacher Luke looked up at the sky, tears welling up in his eyes. No matter how poor you are, you can't skimp on education, and no matter how tough you are, you can't let your child suffer...
"Deal!" Luke trembled.