Advancing to the finals

The best way to heal mental trauma was naturally to restore the Pokémon's mental energy. Fortunately, neither Pokémon was particularly strong yet, and neither Disarming Voice nor Confusion was all that powerful. Otherwise, that single backlash might have left Butterfree permanently mindless. Psychic backlash was nowhere near as easy to heal as a physical injury.

"Thank you!" Han Liangping froze briefly, but he did not stand on ceremony. After thanking Xiao Ran, he quickly took the Pokéblock and held it to Butterfree's mouth. Whatever else happened, saving Butterfree came first.

Sure enough, Butterfree improved considerably after eating the Pokéblock. Although still half-conscious, Butterfree had calmed down. Han Liangping then followed the Medical Team to the infirmary. He had only just escorted Lan Yanxi there, and now it was his own turn.

With everything settled, Xiao Ran did not linger. He left the Training Ground with his two Pokémon. He had fought two matches that morning, and all his remaining matches were in the afternoon, so there was no reason to stay.

"You did well today. You're getting an extra dried fish at lunch!" Xiao Ran said with a smile, feeling Popplio sprawled on his head.

"Arrooo!" At the promise of fish, Popplio cried out excitedly. As a sea lion, Popplio naturally loved eating fish.

Xiao Ran smiled and headed toward the Training Ground's exit. That last exchange had actually been quite dangerous. Butterfree's Stun Spore had already scattered over Popplio, and the subsequent Confusion would not have targeted Popplio directly. Instead, it would have made the spores cling more firmly, intensifying their effect.

He had to admit that, despite not having awakened, Han Liangping had remarkable talent as a Pokémon Trainer. An ordinary newcomer could never have devised a tactic like that: Tackle, followed by Stun Spore, then Confusion to reinforce it... With each step setting up the next, even a Junior Pokémon Trainer would have fallen for it. Unfortunately, his opponent had been Xiao Ran.

In fact, Popplio had not dodged Stun Spore. All the powder had successfully landed over Popplio's body. There was only one reason it had failed to take effect: an incomplete Aqua Ring.

Mastering Aqua Ring in a single night of practice was clearly unrealistic. Still, with Qiu Yuxuan's Dewgong patiently teaching, Popplio had picked up some of its underlying principles. Popplio's current control over the Elements simply was not enough to use the move properly yet.

Fortunately, even without mastering Aqua Ring, Popplio could still summon a thin mist around the body thanks to the inherited move Life Dew. With that layer of mist in place, no matter how much scale powder Butterfree scattered, it could not truly reach Popplio's body, and naturally could not produce its intended effect.

He'll probably never figure that one out. Heh, let him keep puzzling over it! Xiao Ran thought.

"Lingling! You're finished? How did it go?" When he stepped outside the Training Ground, a pretty figure holding a gray Eevee was already waiting there. Battles like these posed no difficulty for Ye Ling, so she had naturally finished much earlier than Xiao Ran.

"I won!" Ye Ling said, then looked at Xiao Ran. "Should we wait for them?"

Xiao Ran knew she was asking whether they should wait for Jiang Cheng and the others before going to eat. It was already eleven, after all. Although the other two had yet to emerge, they were probably nearly done. But with this rare chance to spend some time alone with her, Xiao Ran suddenly did not feel like waiting.

"No need. They'll find something to eat when they come out. Let's go ahead!" Xiao Ran said with a sheepish smile.

"Okay!" Ye Ling nodded without saying anything else, then turned and headed toward the cafeteria with him.

Along the way, Xiao Ran kept recounting his morning matches, occasionally praising the Popplio on his head. Ye Ling listened quietly, only interjecting now and then. Beneath the campus's leafy shade, the pair made a lovely picture of youthful beauty. Many passing teachers and students kept turning to look, reluctant to tear their eyes away.

The afternoon matches held no suspense for Xiao Ran. Although his battle against Lan Yanxi took some back-and-forth, a fellow Water-type Pokémon was still easier to handle than a Flying-type. Besides, Staryu's fairly serious injuries from that morning could not possibly have healed completely over a single lunch break. That was another reason Xiao Ran felt little pressure.

Soon, the day's group-stage matches were over. Xiao Ran and Han Liangping claimed the two qualifying spots in Group Thirteen, one undefeated and the other with only a single loss. In the other groups, Ye Ling naturally advanced without losing a match, while Shen Yue secured a spot through Charmander's overwhelming strength. Jiang Cheng, however, failed to reach the finals.

There was no helping it. Magnemite's stamina was simply too low, leaving little capacity for sustained combat. In such an intense tournament, lasting to the end was difficult. Magnemite's main value lay in serving as a trump card, yet the potential for growth was poor. Those low Base Stats made becoming a true ace impossible, which was why Pokémon Trainers were not particularly fond of Magnemite. In Xiao Ran's eyes, however, Magnemite was not truly without a future.

Although he had yet to see one in this world, Xiao Ran knew from his previous life that Magnemite had a third evolutionary stage. After reaching that stage, its defenses improved somewhat, while its Special Attack rivaled that of top-tier offensive Pokémon. It was a complete turnaround. However, evolving into the final form, Magnezone, was no easy task. Even Xiao Ran currently knew only that the evolution existed; he had no idea how to trigger it.

The others gave the burly young man plenty of comfort, naturally mixed with a little teasing. Jiang Cheng was not particularly dejected. After all, his strength was what it was. He did not come from a Pokémon-training family, had not awakened, and did not have a beginner-friendly Starter Pokémon. Reaching the second round was already an excellent achievement.

That evening, Xiao Ran did not return to the Training Ground. The final stage would begin tomorrow, and Popplio needed a good rest to prepare. The round of thirty-two would be nothing like the earlier matches. Every bout would be a genuine clash between strong opponents, and winning all the way through would mean fighting four full matches. That was no small challenge.

Still, after two days of battles, Popplio's growth was plainly visible. Popplio's Energy Level alone had risen to level 16, which would have been enough to evolve in the games from Xiao Ran's previous life. Of course, the consumption of Pokéblocks had also been enormous. The daily amount had climbed from two or three to five, nearly doubling. With a miserable expression, Xiao Ran had no choice but to go make another batch. At this rate, his existing supply would not be enough to feed the little ones.

The final day of competition was undoubtedly a grand occasion. Almost all the school's teachers and students gathered at the Training Ground to take part in one of the school's biggest celebrations. For the upperclassmen, the finals finally offered something worth watching. Otherwise, even those who enjoyed a lively crowd had no interest in watching weaklings flail at each other.

"Charmander, we're in the finals! We can definitely win!"

"Charrr!"

The thirty-two qualifying freshmen made their way toward the Training Ground. Taking in the grand scene, Shen Yue spoke excitedly to the Charmander beside her. A Pokémon's personality depended heavily on its Pokémon Trainer, so Charmander was just as fiery and impulsive, even sharing some of Shen Yue's melodramatic streak. At the sound of its Trainer's call, Charmander let out a low roar and spat a small flame, startling the girl walking ahead.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed? Can you keep that thing under control? You think you can win acting like that? Just forfeit already!" The girl who had nearly been burned shouted angrily, drawing sidelong glances from the surrounding freshmen.

The girl had her hair permed into large waves. Even her school uniform could not conceal her curvaceous figure, but although her slender, fair-skinned face was delicate, it now carried a hint of spite.

Xiao Ran and Ye Ling frowned slightly at the scene. They were walking behind Shen Yue, and the commotion brought everyone to a halt. Fortunately, they were still in the entrance passage, where the teachers and students in the stands outside could not see what was happening.

"Why can't I win? Ha, one tiny flame scared you that badly, and you still managed to qualify? Had a good time the last two nights, did you?" Shen Yue, who had originally been ready to apologize, instantly became a lit powder keg and shouted back at the girl.

Xiao Ran, who had been about to step in, shuddered at Shen Yue's words. Shen Yue really is still Shen Yue. Nobody can top you!

"What are you talking about? You think you're in the right now?" the girl shouted, her face flushed with fury.

"What's going on? What's going on?" Shen Yue was about to fire back again when an upperclassman maintaining order farther ahead hurried over, staring in bewilderment at the two girls on the verge of a fight.

"Nothing, nothing. They're just having a pre-match discussion!" Not daring to let either girl speak first, Xiao Ran caught the upperclassman's arm as he spoke, then glanced at Ye Ling beside him.

"I—!" Ye Ling understood immediately and grabbed Shen Yue, who was about to argue her case.

"Charmander caused the trouble first. Making a scene won't help you. If you're still angry, just beat her properly in the tournament!" Ye Ling said.

"Huff... huff... huff..." Hearing her words, Shen Yue took several deep breaths, glared fiercely at the other girl, and gave a loud snort. The girl had also been held back by her classmates and was glaring just as fiercely at Shen Yue.

"All right, then. Hurry inside. You've held things up long enough; the draw's about to start!" Seeing that both sides had stopped, the upperclassman said nothing more about it and urged everyone onward with a frown.

"Of course. We're heading in now!" Xiao Ran said politely. Then he and Ye Ling each took one of Shen Yue's arms and escorted her toward the Training Ground.