The tall and handsome young man walked out of the contestant's tunnel at a steady pace.

Cheers erupted like a tidal wave, and the audience roared with excitement.

“Go, Teacher Lu!”

“Let’s go, Modu University!”

“Lu Bao, Mommy’s here to cheer for you!”

The deafening cheers made the commentator exclaim:

“Lu Ye from Modu University has an impressive fanbase!”

The referee waved his flag. “Both contestants, release your Pokémon!”

At the same time, Lu Ye tossed out a Poké Ball. The ball rebounded off the ground and landed back in Lu Ye’s palm with a practiced elegance.

“Squirtle!”

Out popped Squirtle, donning a pair of sunglasses. It adjusted them coolly, exuding an air of calm confidence.

Duan Cheng spoke in a deep voice, “Go, Onix!”

A flash of red light heralded the appearance of a massive Onix, its sheer size shaking the battlefield with a thunderous rumble.

From the audience came startled cries:

“What the heck? How is this Onix so gigantic?!”

“This is insane! Teacher Lu’s in for it today!”

“Squirtle’s not getting out of this without getting smashed by Iron Tail!”

Towering at ten meters tall, the colossal Onix gazed down at Squirtle, its rocky face twisting into a mockingly smug expression.

The commentator added solemnly, “The standard size of an Onix is 8.8 meters. It’s clear that Duan Cheng has put a lot of effort into training this one!”

Onix shifted its upper body, the grinding of its rocky segments echoing menacingly. Its overwhelming presence sent chills down the spine.

Lu Ye glanced up at Onix.

**[Onix, Rock + Ground Type]

**[Ability: Sturdy]

[Moves: Dig, Iron Tail, Rock Slide, Rock Polish, Bind...]

After a moment’s thought, Lu Ye mused: Yeah, this one’s definitely stronger than the Onix at Modu’s Breeding House... but its Special Defense and Attack are still pretty mediocre. Not every Onix has a base attack of 13,000, after all.

The referee’s whistle blew. “Begin the match!”

“Onix, Dig!”

The circular arena quaked as rocks shattered and scattered, Onix burrowing underground and leaving behind a jagged tunnel.

Lu Ye blinked, slightly surprised. Oh, nice. So the maintenance fees for the arena aren’t my problem? Well, that’s a relief.

The commentator shouted, “In underground tunnels, Onix’s movement speed is nothing short of incredible!”

The rumbling grew louder. Within moments, the tunnel was dangerously close to Squirtle. It seemed like a hopeless situation—Squirtle’s Water Gun couldn’t possibly hit its target!

“Now, Onix!” Duan Cheng commanded, “Dig!”

With a deafening roar, Onix erupted from beneath Squirtle’s feet.

Lu Ye narrowed his eyes. This was the moment he had been waiting for.

“Withdraw!”

The force of the impact sent Squirtle flying, but as it soared through the air, Lu Ye issued another command:

“Squirtle, Water Gun!”

Squirtle’s head shot out from its shell mid-air, and it coolly adjusted its sunglasses again.

“Squirtle!” A powerful jet of water surged forth from its mouth!

The commentator gasped, “Using Water Gun as propulsion, Squirtle has perfectly cushioned its landing!”

Even Duan Cheng was stunned by how quickly Lu Ye transitioned between offense and defense. Onix, however, with its massive size, had no way to dodge the oncoming torrent!

“Roooaaarrrr!”

Onix writhed in pain as the powerful water stream pummeled its rocky body, nearly breaking it in half.

The audience burst into an uproar:

“Are you kidding me?! That’s supposed to be Water Gun?!”

“I get it now! Calling a Hydro Pump a Water Gun—this is Teacher Lu’s mind game strategy!”

“Damn, Teacher Lu, you play dirty!”

“And that accuracy?! No way this is Teacher Lu!”

Amidst the flying water droplets, Squirtle landed gracefully. Onix, meanwhile, struggled on the ground, its colossal frame shedding fragments of rock as its strength neared depletion.

Duan Cheng was at a loss.

My Onix... even when challenging the Qilu Gym, it didn’t perform this poorly... A single Water Gun knocked its Sturdy ability out?

Swallowing hard, Duan Cheng ordered, “Onix, Dig and use Rock Slide!”

Though the tunnels reduced visibility, making Rock Slide’s accuracy unreliable, it was still a better option than letting Onix take another direct hit.

Painfully, Onix burrowed underground again, leaving the battlefield riddled with holes.

Lu Ye pondered for a moment. “Water Pulse!”

Squirtle, guided by Aura, pinpointed Onix’s location. Closing its eyes briefly, it reopened them with a sharp gleam of determination.

Taking a deep breath, Squirtle puffed up its cheeks and unleashed a torrent of water at the ground.

A devastating wave spread across the battlefield, crashing into the tunnels and forcing Onix out with a roar of pain.

The commentator was dumbfounded:

“A full-field Water Pulse! But... the power is simply unbelievable!”

Even Lu Ye was momentarily speechless.

You sure this is Water Pulse? Turning Water Gun into Hydro Pump was one thing, but this... Are you secretly some kind of superpowered Squirtle?!

With a resounding crash, Onix was overwhelmed by the tide and collapsed into unconsciousness.

The stadium fell into stunned silence.

This unevolved Squirtle had displayed a level of strength that left everyone in awe.

“Teacher Lu... really knows how to train, huh?”

“Didn’t it have an Everstone before? Teacher Lu’s got it all figured out!”

“Holy crap, I almost forgot—it hasn’t even evolved yet!”

The referee finally regained composure and blew his whistle:

“The winner is Lu Ye!!”

Duan Cheng recalled his Onix and let out a long sigh. He could feel the stark gap in skill between himself and his opponent. It was a gap that couldn’t be bridged by the number of badges alone.

Shaking Lu Ye’s hand, Duan Cheng sincerely said, “Congratulations.”

Lu Ye nodded. “You did well.”

Duan Cheng froze for a moment.

What kind of compliment is that?! Your Squirtle doesn’t even have a scratch on it. You call this “well”? This is outright brutal!

“Squirtle...”

Squirtle dusted itself off, its expression surprisingly serious.

That was close... I almost lost!

Noticing Squirtle’s grave demeanor, Lu Ye’s face turned slightly amused. He could already guess what it was thinking.

“Let’s go get you healed up.”

Inside, he muttered, Not that Onix could even scratch you, let alone injure you...

“Squirtle!”

Squirtle nodded solemnly. Hurt or not, I’m downing ten Hyper Potions first thing.

...

On the first day of the public tournament, every branch arena was buzzing with excitement.

But what shocked most people was that a seeded player, Qilu’s rookie champion, had been eliminated in the very first round!

“You’ve got to be kidding me! I came here just to watch Duan Cheng!”

“Who beat him? Some gaming streamer?”

“Come on, with Teacher Lu competing, what else would it be but a stomp?”

Modu Gym Leader Tang Hui, upon hearing of Duan Cheng’s defeat, was also taken aback.

After all, Duan Cheng had already earned the Qilu Badge. Losing in the first round was a major upset!

However, upon learning the identity of his opponent, Tang Hui’s expression turned complicated.

Lu Ye, who had shocked everyone at the Piplup Cup... and in less than a month, had raised a Squirtle this strong?

Adjusting his gold-rimmed glasses, Tang Hui muttered with a wry smile:

“Maybe it’s time for me to start preparing for my own Gym challenge.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read