Cyclizar vs. Rowlet, the Jerk Xingye Who Bullied Others

"..."

Xingye lay sprawled across his desk, already feeling everyone's speechless stares. But he was not really sleeping—he was genuinely in pain!

After being attacked by those Meowth and Rattata, he had nearly ended up back in the hospital the day after being discharged. The fact that he could still come to school meant his health bar was seriously thick.

"Those bastards... they'll definitely ambush me again on my way home. I only messed with them a few times. Was that really necessary?"

He really could not take it anymore. It was not even safe to leave home or return home, but he would not fall for the same trick twice.

Just as he was thinking about this, Lillie, who sat in front of him, suddenly turned sideways and quietly asked, "Are you okay? The injuries on your body look like they were scratched by those Stray Meowths. I suggest you go to the hospital and get checked out, in case the wounds become infected."

"I'm fine. I'm used to it."

After replying, Xingye raised his head and looked at the adorable girl in front of him. Curious, he asked, "How did you know Meowth did this to me?"

"There are gray Alolan Meowth hairs stuck to your school uniform. And judging by the condition of the fur, they had to be wild Meowth wandering around the city. Pet Meowth are very clean and take great care of themselves!"

"You know a lot. You must really like Pokémon too, then?"

"Uh, actually, I don't know that much..."

As she spoke, Lillie's smile gradually faded. She did not continue the conversation and simply turned back around, as though Xingye's casual remark had touched something deep inside her...

"Hm?"

Xingye raised an eyebrow. He felt that the girl before him seemed troubled. Though she tried her best to hide it behind a smile, she was still too young. That would not fool an old hand like him.

"Troubles of puberty? Kids at that age really do have those... Luckily, I don't. My youth burned out long ago."

He muttered to himself inwardly, then suddenly thought of Gladion. He still remembered how that guy had attacked him without hesitation that night. Too bad he had gotten away, or Xingye would definitely have extorted some money from him!

"That concludes the move analysis for Snarl and Darkest Lariat. The Masked Royal's battle last night was extremely intense. I wonder if you watched it. I was there in person, and I got completely fired up. Incineroar was, uh..."

Only then did Professor Kukui realize that, aside from Lillie, apparently not a single student was listening to his lesson. He could not help feeling a little awkward.

"Ahem. Then we'll stop here for now. Class dismissed. Anyone who wants to battle, hurry to the field. Break is only ten minutes!"

The lifeless atmosphere in the classroom immediately came alive at those words. Xingye also shot to his feet, startling everyone.

"Then let's go!"

He was the first to leave the classroom. None of the others dared walk with him, and so the class of just over ten people all reached the field within half a minute.

During that time, Xingye looked around and realized that this school really had very few students.

As the only Pokémon School in the region, that really should not have been the case. No wonder Hala had rushed to process his enrollment—he was afraid Xingye would slip away.

A moment later, Xingye and Selene stood on opposite sides of the field. Professor Kukui served as referee, while all the other students stood behind Selene and cheered her on.

"Am I being bullied?"

Xingye had that strange impression, but it was understandable. These people had spent three years together in the same class, so naturally they were close.

Meanwhile, he had suddenly inserted himself among them and had even been treated as a dangerous individual. It really was difficult to fit in.

"But whatever. I'm only here to coast through and get a diploma. If I can't graduate, I won't be able to go anywhere later. That would be a real headache!"

At that moment, Professor Kukui looked at the two of them and called out, "Since we don't have much time, one-on-one will do. Are you ready?"

"Mm!"

"Then begin!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Selene's gaze turned serious. She reached into the shoulder bag she carried, took out a Poké Ball, and forcefully threw it forward. A flash of red light passed, and a chubby little bird suddenly flapped its wings and swooped onto the field!

Its face was shaped somewhat like an infinity symbol. Brown feathers covered its body, two green leaves formed a bow tie on its chest, and it had a pair of short orange talons.

"Coo!"

"Rowlet?"

Xingye was somewhat surprised. Logically speaking, these students had already been Trainers for three years. Their starter Pokémon should have evolved long ago, right? Could this have been something she had caught recently? But that did not seem right either.

He did not think she was looking down on him. That look in her eyes clearly said she wanted to win, so this Rowlet definitely was not ordinary!

"Go, class rep!"

Hearing her classmates cheering behind her, Selene smiled toward the front and asked, "Where's your Pokémon?"

"Right here..."

Xingye whistled, and Cyclizar suddenly came racing happily over from the distance. It flashed past in an instant, then directly tackled him to the ground.

Since Cyclizar did not like staying inside a Poké Ball, Xingye had let it play around the school. He had informed the administration, and they said it was not a problem.

"I can tell you've been having fun..."

Xingye gave a wry smile as he struggled to climb up from the ground, then sent it out to face Rowlet.

When Cyclizar appeared, many of the students on the other side looked shocked. "What kind of Pokémon is that?"

After observing it for a moment, Lillie, standing among them, immediately gave a serious explanation. "That's Cyclizar, a very common household Dragon-type Pokémon from the Paldea Region!"

"Household? And it's a Dragon-type?!"

"Mm. It serves a similar role to Pokémon Ride here in Alola, but its living environment requirements are very high. Other than Paldea, it's difficult to see wild ones in other regions."

"I see. Paldea is so far from Alola. No wonder we've never seen one..."

After hearing Lillie's explanation, they finally understood and began praising her one after another. It was clear that Lillie seemed very well cared for by her classmates. She was practically the group favorite and extremely popular.

Selene also heard their conversation. The corners of her lips rose slightly, and she waved as she called out, "The battle has started! Rowlet, use Double Team to get close!"

"Coo!"

Rowlet spread its wings and charged over at high speed, splitting into several figures in the air. Cyclizar curiously tilted its head, seeming to distinguish the real one from the fakes.

Xingye glanced over and shouted, "The one on the far left... You hit the wrong one? Then hit them all!"

Cyclizar jumped up and swung its tail, scattering every Rowlet at once. But they instantly turned into a mass of falling feathers, greatly reducing its attack.

At that exact moment, Selene suddenly waved her hand and shouted, "Now, use Dual Wingbeat!"

As soon as she spoke, Rowlet unexpectedly flew out from Cyclizar's shadow. It spun rapidly through the air, striking repeatedly with both wings. The damage seemed fairly decent, and Cyclizar fell straight down onto its belly.

"Way to go, class rep! Rowlet is so cool!"

Listening to her classmates' cheers, Selene smiled and called out, "See? Small Pokémon have the advantages of being small too. Your Cyclizar is too clumsy!"

Then her expression became serious as she continued, "And as a Trainer, you don't even know how to command your Pokémon to use moves in battle. That makes it hard for me to..."

Before she could finish, Xingye rubbed his chin with his fingers and said with a smile, "When Double Team got close to Cyclizar and was counterattacked, that was also the moment their shadows connected. Rowlet used Feather Dance as a substitute to provide cover, then used Shadow Sneak to avoid the attack and circle behind it, before following with Dual Wingbeat. A very nice combo, but..."

"!!!"

Selene was instantly shocked. It had only been a few seconds. He had already seen through her entire strategy?

Then she saw Xingye raise a finger, his expression friendly as he continued, "During a battle, a Trainer must pay attention to the situation on the field. You can't get distracted just because I suddenly start talking!"

"What..."

Selene instantly came to her senses, but it was already too late. Cyclizar, which had just been lying flat on the ground, suddenly used its tail to spring upward, stretched out its arms, and grabbed Rowlet in one move.

"Cyclizar~"

"Coo!"

Facing the equally friendly-looking Cyclizar, Rowlet panicked. It could not break free, and with one hard squeeze, its eyes immediately went blank as it lost the ability to battle.

The battle ended just like that, leaving every student stunned. Selene found it even harder to accept. She subconsciously clenched her fists, but she had nothing to say.

As a Trainer, she had allowed herself to be distracted by her opponent's words during a battle. That was her own failing. She had lost her first battle, but she had also learned something.

Seeing Selene's expression, Xingye did not think much of it. Was he bullying her? He definitely was. Was he a jerk? He definitely was pretty jerky. That was why humans generally could not get along with him...

"Ahem. Then this battle ends here. Student Xingye is the winner."

After Professor Kukui announced the result, the students behind Selene immediately got angry. A Trainer had used words to distract his opponent during battle—what kind of move was that?

But Selene raised a hand to signal for them not to get angry. Then she sighed softly and said helplessly, "A loss is a loss. There's nothing to be angry about."

"But..."

"Enough! That's it!"

"..."

At this point, nearly every student, including Lillie, had formed an extremely poor impression of Xingye. They practically hated him already.

"What a headache..."

Professor Kukui no longer knew what to do. This was also the first time he had encountered a student like this. The problem was so big that even he did not know how to handle it.

But Xingye never cared what other people thought of him. He did not need humans as friends, either.

Ignoring the angry looks from Lillie and the others, Xingye called Cyclizar back, patted its head, and asked with a smile, "What's wrong?"

"Cyclizar~"

"Was squeezing Rowlet fun?"

"Cyclizar~"

"Then once I earn some money, I'll find somewhere that sells Rowlet plushies for you."

Xingye had already decided to find somewhere to work after school. If he did not get some money coming in soon, forget opening Odd Jobs—even his kidneys would be taken.

"Alright, go play for now. Don't bully the school's other Pokémon, okay? I'll come take you to lunch after class at noon."

"Cyclizar~"

"Hm?"

Professor Kukui, who was worrying over a certain someone, suddenly noticed what was happening over here and was immediately somewhat surprised.

"This kid... Why does he seem like a completely different person when he's dealing with Pokémon?"