The Dumb Turtle Wasn't Dumb!

Without any surprises, Tropius got hit again.

Under the effects of Flinch, and with Squirtle's moves being quite proficient, Tropius did not even have time to dodge before a cloud of white mist plastered itself across its face.

Its eyelids grew heavier and heavier. Tropius slowly descended from the air, then lay comfortably on the ground and began snoring.

Seeing this, Lu Li could only shout, "Tropius, wake up!"

Yu Lili said smugly, "You can't wake it up by shouting. Let me handle it!"

"Squirtle, use Aqua Jet to wake Tropius up!"

A vertically blasting column of water closed in on Tropius with terrifying force.

Boom!

Tropius was sent flying by the water column, then crashed heavily onto the arena.

The sleeping Tropius was jolted awake, but by the time it woke up, its stamina and Life Force had already dropped by one-third.

That was only because Tropius possessed far more Life Force than others of its kind. If it had been an ordinary Tropius, it would have lost at least half its life by now.

Fake Out, Yawn, Aqua Jet... Lu Li did not know what else to say. He realized that this Squirtle's talent was absurdly good.

Seeing that Tropius had yet to recover after waking up, Yu Lili pressed her advantage. "Since you're awake, use Tail Whip!"

Still dazed, Tropius vaguely saw an adorable little turtle wagging its tail. Perhaps because it had not fully woken up yet, Tropius found the little turtle rather cute and good-looking.

Sure enough, Tropius got hit again, again, and again.

At this point, Lu Li was completely numb.

A Squirtle that had inherited three moves with negative effects—was that really okay?

Lu Li admitted that his preconceived notions about Squirtle ran too deep. People differed from one another, and Squirtle differed from Squirtle as well.

Tropius, whose Defense had fallen, was still immersed in Squirtle's adorable tail, but Yu Lili was not about to watch the opportunity slip away.

"Squirtle! Water Gun!"

Upon receiving the command, Squirtle immediately fired a Water Gun from its mouth. Tropius was blasted backward again and slammed heavily into the edge of the arena.

After that combo, Squirtle, somewhat exhausted, stood there panting.

Yu Lili looked gloomily at Tropius, which shook its head and stood back up.

"It can take that much?" Yu Lili had not expected Tropius to remain unscathed after taking two full-powered moves. Sure, there was a type advantage, but this was not type immunity.

Yu Lili continued giving orders. "Squirtle, keep using Tackle."

Already somewhat exhausted, Squirtle charged heavily at Tropius.

Knowing it was time to counterattack, Lu Li continued, "Tropius, let's use Headbutt too."

Boom!

The two Pokémon collided, but Squirtle was the one sent flying.

With the type advantage, plus Tropius's greater size, Squirtle losing was within everyone's expectations.

Seeing this, Jin Huang sighed. "There's no chance."

Squirtle was very strong. If it had not faced a Tropius with such abundant Life Force today, it could definitely have made its opponent leave the field regretfully without even getting to use a move.

Unfortunately, Squirtle's opponent was Tropius, a Pokémon carefully raised by an Intermediate Breeder and possessing Life Force far beyond others of its kind.

"Tropius, it's time to strike back!"

"Leech Seed."

The moment the Squirtle that had been knocked flying landed, it saw Leech Seed coming straight at it.

Still suffering from the aftermath of the earlier Tackle, Squirtle had no time to dodge and could only watch helplessly as the Leech Seed landed on its body.

The victor had been decided.

Seeing this, Yu Lili gloomily raised her small hand. "I surrender!"

Lu Li recalled Tropius with a smile. "Thank you for letting me win."

"Your Tropius makes no sense at all," Yu Lili complained with a pout.

After complaining, Yu Lili said to a maid some distance away, "Take my little turtle down for treatment."

After handing Squirtle's Poké Ball to the maid, Yu Lili still looked unwilling to accept the result.

Throughout this battle, Lu Li had displayed almost zero battling talent. Tropius had won entirely by relying on its abnormal Life Force to endure.

"Your Squirtle is pretty strange too. Why are all the moves it inherited so... bizarre?" Lu Li had originally wanted to call them underhanded.

Yu Lili explained, "You mean its talent? The reason I chose my little turtle in the first place was entirely because we clicked at first sight."

Lu Li said, "A Squirtle that inherited Aqua Jet—that's a very powerful Water-type move."

At the mention of her Pokémon, Yu Lili said proudly, "Of course. My little turtle is invincible."

"But don't celebrate too early. I'll definitely win next time." Yu Lili waved her fist.

"Then I'll look forward to it."

Lu Li merely smiled and did not take Yu Lili's bold declaration to heart.

Honestly, in this kind of arena battle, he could only display around thirty percent of his strength at most. After all, many of his methods could not be used openly.

It would be far harder for Yu Lili to beat him next time than it had been this time.

Yu Lili then said somewhat regretfully, "It's a shame I won't be taking the College Entrance Exam in two months. Otherwise, I'd really look forward to meeting you in the competition."

Hearing this, Lu Li looked at Yu Lili in surprise.

"You're not planning to take the College Entrance Exam?" Lu Li asked.

Yu Lili gave a soft hum before explaining, "I have to go to Shui Bo City next month to become an Intern Apprentice."

"Shui Bo Gym? If you're taking the Gym route, shouldn't your first choice be a Water-type Gym? With your family's influence, that should be possible, right?" Lu Li asked.

Although Shui Bo Gym was no ordinary Gym, it was still a little inferior to a Water-type Gym. Even so, Shui Bo Gym was the strongest Water-type Gym in the entire Kyushu Region aside from the Water-type Gym.

"To get into Shui Bo Gym, my dad paid a huge price. Shui Bo Gym was also very sincere about it. As for the Water-type Gym, my dad does have the ability to send me there, but..."

A trace of bitterness flashed across Yu Lili's face, and she did not continue.

Lu Li understood instantly.

Put simply, it was a matter of treatment. Yu Lili would receive special care at Shui Bo Gym, but it would be different at the Water-type Gym. There, she would only be an ordinary Intern Apprentice.

Yu Lili, who had not explained everything, added, "The main thing is that if I go to Shui Bo Gym, the Ma Family will provide me with an outstanding Piplup."

Lu Li nodded in realization.

That explained everything. Piplup's final evolution was Empoleon, almost the only known Pokémon in the world with the Steel and Water Dual-type.

For Yu Lili, whose father was a Steel-type Gym Leader and who was herself a Water-type Trainer, Empoleon was far too important—more important than even a Pseudo-Legendary.

If the Piplup provided by the Ma Family was outstanding enough, Yu Lili would at least become an Elite Four Trainer in the future.

Yu Lili, even with a Pseudo-Legendary, might not necessarily become an Elite Four Trainer. But with Piplup, she would have at least a fifty percent chance of becoming one.

Yu Zhonggang's arrangements for Yu Lili showed just how high his hopes were for her future.