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Aqua Jet.
A Water-type physical attack with priority, meaning it grants a temporary speed boost.
This move is quite tricky, as it allows non-flying Water-type Pokémon to stay airborne briefly. When used at critical moments, it can often turn the tide of a battle.
The only downside is its low base power.
Litten was wary of this move, so Li Xiang decided to counter its high mobility with Heat Wave.
That's right.
It was just like how Heat Wave had earlier blown Wartortle away.
Suddenly leaping into the air, Litten unleashed a gust of wind at the Wartortle hurtling toward it like a water bullet!
The strong recoil sent Litten flying backward, increasing the distance between it and Wartortle while also halting its attack momentum!
Ranged attacks against melee combatants always had an advantage.
"What!?"
Qu Sheng looked utterly stunned as he watched Litten twist its body mid-air, adjust its balance, and land lightly next to Li Xiang.
It blocked Aqua Jet!
Impossible!
"His composure is a problem… ."
Li Xiang quickly put some distance between himself and Litten, keeping his expression calm.
In real battles, who is the trainer's greatest and most difficult enemy?
—Themselves.
Unlike turn-based games where you have 60 seconds to carefully strategize, real battles often leave you with only a second—or even less—to make decisions and predict your opponent's actions.
Thus, the most critical skill in real-time combat is on-the-spot judgment.
But such judgment is prone to errors, and humans, fragile creatures as they are, can falter physically or mentally.
When mistakes happen, self-doubt often follows, and this hesitation can cause you to miss further opportunities. Such a cycle can lead to complete mental collapse.
Thoughts like, "I've lost my rhythm," "I'm giving up," or "This isn't winnable" flood a trainer's mind, bombarding them with mental stress.
Eventually, they crumble entirely.
Trainers at lower ranks or with limited experience are especially known for having unstable mentalities. Many veterans enjoy exploiting this by using mind-game strategies during battles.
Qu Sheng, being an eleven-year-old boy, couldn't compare to the mental fortitude of Li Xiang, who was previously 27 years old.
In the arena.
Without timely instructions from Qu Sheng, Wartortle couldn't help but glance back at its trainer.
Taking advantage of this lapse, Litten further powered itself up.
"Heat Wave!"
Li Xiang made a sweeping gesture, issuing another command without giving Qu Sheng any room to recover.
Qu Sheng belatedly realized his lapse in focus, his expression changing.
"Use Dragon Pulse!"
Saving that move until now? What's the point?
Li Xiang internally mocked.
He had already figured it out—this Wartortle didn't even know Water Pulse and only had Water Gun. Its level clearly wasn't high.
Even though the ability to learn moves in reality wasn't as rigidly level-locked as in games.
It doesn't matter!
Li Xiang coldly watched as Litten's Heat Wave sent Wartortle staggering once again. The swirling blue and crimson energy of the Dragon-type move in its mouth never even had the chance to be released before being interrupted.
'Not bad,' he thought silently.
Across from him, Qu Sheng's face turned pale as he looked at his Wartortle, now visibly in pain, unable to utter a word.
The high temperatures from Heat Wave had left numerous blackened scorch marks on Wartortle's body. Its remaining stamina was minimal, and its labored breathing betrayed its exhaustion.
Its interrupted attack, combined with Litten's earlier power boosts, left it entirely outmatched. With Litten still looking energetic and fresh, Wartortle stood no chance of a comeback.
"Rapid Spin!"
Qu Sheng gritted his teeth.
Using the spin's torque to reduce contact with the flames?
Too late, my friend.
The double-boosted Heat Wave had already reached a fearsome power level, one that a weakened Wartortle couldn't possibly withstand.
What's more, when a Pokémon's stamina is depleted, its movements slow, and its willpower dulls—things absent from games but all too real in actual battles.
As expected.
This final Heat Wave ended the match decisively, finishing off the exhausted Wartortle.
The damage mitigated by Rapid Spin was negligible.
Litten emerged victorious.
....
Outside the Snack Shop.
The group sat under the shade of trees, slurping on ice pops courtesy of Qu Sheng.
Meanwhile, Li Xiang held an extravagant triple-scoop ice cream cup, squinting contentedly as he enjoyed the gentle summer breeze.
As soothing as water.
Although gambling was prohibited in battles, Qu Sheng had still insisted on offering compensation for his loss.
—It was his idea, not Li Xiang's coercion!
It had nothing to do with bullying kids!
Still, the ice cream cup was something Li Xiang shamelessly negotiated for himself.
His excuse? Reliving the taste of childhood!
Naturally, Yang Tianwang and the others collectively rolled their eyes at him.
"You're only eleven! What kind of 'childhood' are you reminiscing about!?"
Qu Sheng, the generous benefactor, merely shrugged it off. With his wealth, spending a little extra didn't bother him at all, handing over PokeDollars without hesitation.
Li Xiang dared to ask, and Qu Sheng dared to give.
However, halfway through licking his ice pop, Qu Sheng finally couldn't hold back.
"Where exactly did I fall short?"
He must've been mulling over this since they dropped off their Pokémon at the school infirmary.
"Where, huh…"
Li Xiang scooped up some chocolate ice cream, thought for a moment, and said, "Luck? Maybe a little, but it's mostly skill."
If Wartortle had known Water Pulse, Surf, or Scald, the first clash wouldn't have gone downhill so fast.
When the first clash went poorly, it wasn't surprising that everything afterward unraveled too.
Or, what if Litten had mistimed its moves? If it had been a second slower, the explosion's impact might not have affected Wartortle much—or worse, might've backfired on itself.
And later on, what if Heat Wave had failed to maintain distance, allowing Wartortle's Aqua Jet to hit? Or if Dragon Pulse hadn't been interrupted and landed a critical hit?
In short— Litten performed exceptionally well throughout the match, understanding Li Xiang's intentions with minimal instructions.
Of course, this was a direct result of Li Xiang's consistent communication and dedication to training with Litten.
A trainer who doesn't communicate with their Pokémon? That won't work.
Even the candies played a role—without them, Litten wouldn't have had the energy for many of its actions.
Li Xiang explained everything except the candies in broad strokes to the group.
When Qu Sheng heard this, he fell silent.
The other kids nearby stared blankly at Li Xiang, not even noticing the melted ice pops dripping onto their hands.
It wasn't that what he said was particularly impressive or awe-inspiring.
It was just that, at their age, where battles were mostly a matter of brute force, Li Xiang's level of thought felt… "intimidating"?
Yeah, that might be the word.
"After school, let's have a match?"
Yang Tianwang leaned forward excitedly to ask Li Xiang, ignoring the ice pop melting onto the ground.
He'd clearly forgotten how sarcastic he'd been earlier.
Boys their age rarely held grudges, and Li Xiang wasn't petty enough to take it to heart.
"Sure."
Li Xiang nodded. A free offer of candy? No reason to refuse.
A Grovyle and a Scyther—two melee Pokémon against a Fire-type with ranged attacks? They'd clearly never been properly schooled before.
Still, that meant no challenging Lin Feng today.
Litten's stamina just wouldn't hold up.
Four consecutive matches, and they weren't all easy wins either—not the kind where a single move ends the battle.
The others couldn't hold back anymore and also asked for matches.
Young trainers didn't back down easily. Even though Li Xiang had just beaten Qu Sheng, they still fearlessly issued challenges. Compared to the trainers at the park, these kids were far better.
Now this is what true trainers should be like!
Look at all this "candy," lining up on its own!
Nearby, Qu Sheng, feeling sidelined, found an opening to join the conversation and asked for a rematch with Li Xiang.
See? A returning customer!
Once there's a second match, there'll be a third.
It's only a matter of time before you become my secondary daily training point.
Li Xiang happily agreed, already thinking about how to make Qu Sheng, like Lin Feng, agree to regular battles.
Pressure? Incentives?
Whatever the method, farming more candies was justice!