“Marshtomp, hold back on that Water Pulse! Don't blast a hole in the training ground wall!”
In the early morning courtyard, Jiang Mo looked at his new partner practicing moves, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
The evolved Marshtomp was covered in dark blue scales, and when its tail fin slapped the ground, the training stakes vibrated with a hum.
Pikachu covered its ears and scurried onto Haunter’s back, the two little ones hanging in mid-air to watch the commotion.
Eevee, Pupitar, and Sliggoo, meanwhile, were leisurely sunbathing nearby.
Lin Zhiqiu walked over with energy cubes and said, “Remember to video call every day when you get to Kyoto. Dr. Ouyang said the research department dorms are very good, all single rooms.”
She suddenly lowered her voice, “That… Mom heard you talking about something called ‘Water Storage Lao Pen’ and ‘Grass Eating Salty Fish’ last night. What are those? If you want them, Mom can try to find out about them for you.”
“Mom!”
Jiang Mo almost choked on his orange juice, responding awkwardly, “Those were just me talking in my sleep!”
…
As the plane soared through the clouds, Marshtomp was pressing against the window, gazing at the rolling sea of clouds outside.
Jiang Mo caressed the recommendation letter given by Dr. Ouyang, the Kyoto University Research Institute emblem on the hot-stamped envelope glimmering faintly.
As he stood with his suitcase before the bronze school gate, inscribed with “Investigate things to extend knowledge,” his backpack suddenly shook violently.
“Pika!”
Pikachu instantly darted onto Jiang Mo’s shoulder, its electric sacs crackling, its small hand frantically pointing at something in the distance.
Jiang Mo looked in the direction Pikachu was pointing, seeing a dense crowd gathered at the end of the treelined path, their cheers making the Pidgey in the treetops flutter and fly away.
“Are you a new student?”
A senior student wearing a Arcanine badge saw Jiang Mo, her eyes lighting up, and she said to him, “Want to watch the Fighting Club’s true man duel? Their President just last month used a cross armbar to knock out a Machoke!”
“What true man duel?”
Jiang Mo was very confused, it sounded quite impressive, so he followed the senior student and squeezed towards the crowd.
The moment he squeezed into the crowd, Jiang Mo felt the ground shaking.
In the center of the arena, a muscular man with a red headband, sweat dripping down his bronzed back, was indeed engaging in close combat with a Machoke.
The impact of human palms colliding with Pokémon fists made dull thuds, and the referee Rotom’s screen glowed red with excitement: “It’s here! Player Li Xiang’s rear-naked choke!”
“This Li Xiang truly lives up to his name as the Vice President of the Fighting Club; his strength is simply terrifying!”
“The President is even more exaggerated.”
The bespectacled boy next to him adjusted his glasses, “In the last High School League, someone spoke disrespectfully, and President Wu Teng directly used a slide tackle to flip over that person’s Elite Level Tauros. Now that Tauros avoids him.”
“What kind of slide tackle is so amazing that it can take down an Elite Level Tauros!”
Jiang Mo was very shocked to hear this, and he expressed doubt about the matter, unless that President Wu Teng was the reincarnation of a Super True Human.
His gaze returned to the battle arena, where the dull thuds of muscle-on-muscle collision echoed through the training ground, and Li Xiang’s bronzed back was covered in a spiderweb-like pattern of sweat.
He actually used his human elbow to block Machoke’s Cross Chop, and the veins on his calves bulged, creating spiderweb-like cracks in the wooden platform.
Jiang Mo’s pupils trembled slightly. Could a human really do this?
Watching this pure test of strength between Trainer and Pokémon, with Machoke also not using any moves, it was entirely a fist-to-fist battle, which was incredibly exciting to watch.
At this moment, faint purple bruises had seeped from Machoke’s three-fingered fist, while large purple marks also appeared on Li Xiang’s arm — these were traces of naturally dissipated Fighting-type energy.
“Senior Li Xiang stopped using protective gear last month.”
The bespectacled man pushed his reflective glasses, “He said he wanted his skin to remember the wavelength of pain.”
At this moment, the muscular man in the arena suddenly let out a beast-like roar.
The blood vessels in Li Xiang’s neck pulsed, and he actually grabbed Machoke’s wrist armor, flipping in mid-air, his legs wrapping around the Pokémon’s thick neck.
Amidst the audience’s gasps, the nearly two-hundred-pound Machoke was swung by him into a gray-blue arc, and the ground tiles burst and scattered with the centrifugal force.
“Oh oh oh!”
“Cool!”
Machoke was flung away by Li Xiang, and the onlookers immediately parted to create a path, which Jiang Mo happened to be standing on.
Haunter, who was hiding in Jiang Mo’s shadow, gnawing on a Tree Fruit, saw this and thought Jiang Mo was in danger. Its tongue instantly elongated and wrapped around Jiang Mo’s waist, lifting him three meters into the air.
Bang!
“Cool…”
Machoke landed precisely where Jiang Mo had just been standing, letting out a painful Growl.
“Holy cow, that was so cool, like something out of a movie!”
“Yeah, who is that guy? He’s so handsome, I feel like I’m falling in love again.”
At this moment, praises came from outside the arena, and several girls immediately became infatuated with Jiang Mo’s handsome face.
“Hey! You floating over there!”
A thunderous roar suddenly erupted from the arena, and the sweat-drenched Li Xiang pointed at Haunter, “Do you dare to have a true man duel?”
Li Xiang looked at Jiang Mo suspended in the air, feeling like his thunder had been stolen.
Jiang Mo didn't speak, but instead let Haunter slowly lower him.
After Haunter lowered Jiang Mo, it even made a few funny faces at Li Xiang.
At the same time, the Poké Ball on Li Xiang’s waist automatically popped open, and a Hawlucha spread its cape-like wings, its sharp gaze instantly Locking-On to Haunter, who was still licking Tree Fruit residue.
Haunter’s long tongue was still flailing about, its comical appearance making people laugh. Pikachu, seizing the opportunity, leaped onto its head, its tail faintly emitting golden electric sparks.
“A Fighting-type against a Ghost-type, I’m afraid you might be a bit too bold…”
Jiang Mo stroked Haunter’s misty body with one hand, while his other hand had already reached for the other Poké Balls on his waist.
“Is Senior Li Xiang being a bit overconfident? That guy’s Pokémon is a Haunter, which completely counters Hawlucha in terms of type.”
“Are you stupid? Ghost-types are only immune to Fighting-type moves, and Hawlucha also has a Flying-type, so it can totally use Flying-type moves.”
“Brother, you’re the one who’s stupid, didn’t you see that yellow-skinned rodent on top of that Haunter’s head?”
“I…”
“So what if there’s a type disadvantage? Senior Li Xiang’s strength means he doesn’t need to worry about those things. I refuse to believe this guy is stronger than Senior Li Xiang!”
Li Xiang ignored the discussions of the surrounding students, his gaze fixed intently on Jiang Mo.
“A two-on-two mixed battle, dare to accept?”
“Oh? Why not?”
Jiang Mo also got a temper. It was their battle’s aftershock that almost hit him, and Li Xiang not only didn't apologize but also provoked him like this.
Li Xiang grinned widely and continued, “Kid, think carefully, the two-on-two mixed battle I’m talking about isn’t just commanding two Pokémon to battle, but a battle involving one Pokémon plus the Trainer themselves…”