Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon

"Heh, no nerves here. I've still got another round to play, after all!" Xiao Ran refused to back down, smiling broadly as he proclaimed his coming victory.

"Whoa! Pretty confident, aren't you? That Eevee of yours hasn't grown up yet, has it? Aren't you worried about hurting it?" Ning Xiao asked. Most people only had one Pokémon at this point, so he naturally assumed Xiao Ran would use the Eevee in his arms.

"Yiyi is still little, so it won't be battling!" Xiao Ran stroked the Eevee in his arms, drawing a soft cry from it. Ning Xiao looked utterly confused. Not Eevee? Then what Pokémon would he use? But they had already reached the battlefield, and Xiao Ran headed toward his side first.

"Go, Elekid!" Once he took his position, Ning Xiao confidently threw his Poké Ball. A yellow figure with two long, plug-shaped horns on its head appeared on the field. It was the Electric-type Pokémon Elekid.

This Pokémon had horns resembling an electrical plug and was also known as Electabuzz Kid. Its body was oval, with two arms almost as large as its body, each bearing two black stripes. Electric-type Pokémon often had unusual forms. Elekid could reportedly plug its horns straight into an electrical socket.

Xiao Ran was nowhere near as showy. He calmly summoned Popplio, leaving Ning Xiao momentarily stunned. Although Ning Xiao had never seen a Pokémon like this before, its appearance made it fairly obvious that it was a Water-type. In his opinion, Xiao Ran would have been better off using his immature Eevee than a Water-type Pokémon. The type disadvantage was simply too severe.

"Seriously? Our school beauty, your starter Pokémon is a Water-type? Why not just surrender? Getting shocked really hurts Water-type Pokémon!" Ning Xiao said with a frown. An electric shock was unpleasant for anyone, let alone a Water-type Pokémon weak to it. He didn't want to humiliate his classmate, either.

"Heh, type isn't everything!" Xiao Ran smiled faintly. Without wasting another word, he immediately ordered Popplio to attack.

"Elekid, dodge it! Quick Attack!" Ning Xiao shouted, frowning at the incoming Water Gun.

Since Popplio had launched its attack from a considerable distance, Elekid easily dodged the probing Water Gun. Its body blurred as it rushed toward Popplio.

"Aqua Jet! Get out of the way, then use Disarming Voice!" The Electric-type Elekid was extremely fast when using Quick Attack. Water Balloon alone wouldn't let Popplio truly escape; it would only get caught in an endless struggle. Xiao Ran had learned that while sparring with Ye Ling. Only by opening up some distance would Popplio have a chance to strike back.

"You actually went airborne? Aren't you just asking for it? Elekid, use Thunder Shock! Go a little easy!" Ning Xiao shouted in frustration. Lightning was incredibly fast. A Pokémon that wasn't a Flying-type couldn't easily evade it just by leaping into the sky.

"Waterfall!"

Popplio immediately stopped the Disarming Voice it had been preparing in midair and charged toward Elekid with astonishing force. Not only did it narrowly evade the lightning-fast Thunder Shock, but it also startled Elekid in the middle of its attack, slowing its attempt to dodge.

Bam!

Waterfall dealt heavy damage. Even though Popplio's base physical Attack wasn't high, the blow still inflicted unbearable pain on Elekid. It was sent flying backward, large patches of red swelling appearing across its body.

After two months of training in the Secret Realm, Popplio had firmly mastered Whirlpool and Waterfall. Although its base stats limited the damage it could deal, those moves were already enough to dominate other beginners.

After all, Waterfall had been a powerful move with 80 base power in Xiao Ran's previous life. Under equivalent conditions, it dealt twice the damage of Disarming Voice. Of course, damage in reality couldn't be calculated that way. It also depended on a Pokémon's mastery of its element and moves.

"Elekid!" Ning Xiao frowned slightly. He had originally intended to have Elekid hold back, but now it seemed that even going all out might not be enough.

Having landed its hit, Popplio didn't pause. It used Disarming Voice again. This was a move that never missed. As long as it could draw its opponent into the sound, it would inflict considerable damage. Although it couldn't seize the initiative like Water Gun, there was no need to worry about a fast opponent dodging it.

"Elekid, use Shock Wave!" Ning Xiao shouted gravely as he watched Elekid struggle to its feet. His expression grew serious. He suddenly felt that this opponent was different from the ones before.

Unlike Thunder Shock, Shock Wave was incredibly fast, nearly reaching the actual speed of light. That made it almost impossible to dodge. Its damage was also extremely high, surpassing even Disarming Voice. If Popplio took this hit, it would be seriously injured at the very least, and continuing the battle would be all but impossible.

Fortunately, like Disarming Voice, Shock Wave required a brief preparation period. It couldn't be fired off at will like Thunder Shock. After taking heavy damage from Waterfall, Elekid was still dazed and reacted a beat too slowly. By the time it prepared to use Shock Wave, Disarming Voice had already begun to take effect.

A lilting song slowly filled Elekid's ears. Without realizing it, Elekid became immersed in the siren-like melody. The Shock Wave it had been preparing stopped, and its mind suffered a tremendous assault. Before it knew what was happening, it collapsed in front of Popplio.

Normal Class Pokémon didn't have much stamina, yet they kept intensifying their training in attack moves. As a result, taking two high-damage moves in succession was often enough to render them unable to battle. Those with less stamina could fall after just one attack, like Jiang Cheng's Magnemite.

"How is that possible?" Ning Xiao cried out. Even after Elekid fell, he remained stunned. He couldn't understand how he had lost just like that, without landing a single effective attack. The swift battle rivaled the earlier one-sided matches.

"Hurry and take it for treatment!" Xiao Ran reminded him, inwardly letting out a small sigh of relief. The battle might have looked quick, but it hadn't been easy for him at all. Elekid was simply too fast, and every move dealt frightening damage. Combined with the type disadvantage, a single hit could have been enough to take Popplio out. Still, he had managed to win.

"I lost!" Ning Xiao said reluctantly, then hurried toward Elekid. Losing certainly stung, but one day, he would win it back.

As Xiao Ran stepped off the field, the spectators erupted in enthusiastic applause. Even setting aside how the battle had played out, defeating an Electric-type Pokémon with a Water-type was enough to cause a sensation among the freshmen. And the battle itself had been every bit as exciting as those of their upperclassmen. Several instructors' eyes lit up. Clearly, Xiao Ran's performance had caught their attention, which would undoubtedly benefit his future immensely.

"Oh my god! No wonder he's one of Class One's big shots. Our battling skills don't even compare!"

"A Water-type turning the tables on an Electric-type. An absolute classic."

"Speaking of which, that boy is so pretty! I thought he was a girl until I looked closely!"

"Could he be a girl dressed as a boy?"

"Get lost, you clueless idiots! That's Second High School's school beauty, a dreamboat who blows every other school beauty out of the water."

"Damn, what a freak. A sissy."

"Who are you calling a sissy? Could you beat him? How dare you insult our school beauty! No wonder you're single!"

"Xiao Ran! I love you! You're the most beautiful!"

As the cheers grew increasingly off-topic, Xiao Ran's expression darkened. What school beauty? I'm so handsome... well, so beautiful. Can't I just be the school heartthrob? Who said a school heartthrob had to be handsome?

"All right, all right. It looks like our school beauty is very popular! Our lovely upperclasswomen might find their positions under threat." With the match over, the two hosts delivered their customary recap and kept the crowd engaged.

"Heh, I wonder whether Goddess Zhao feels any pressure?" Qin Ming teased with a smile.

"Heehee, I'm no goddess. But with a boy this beautiful, I think any girl would feel plenty of pressure!" Zhao Yue Ling said with affected modesty, though she made no effort to hide her smile.

"Haha! Still, I think this freshman's skill in raising Pokémon and his understanding of battle are every bit as impressive as his looks. This was arguably the most exciting match of this year's freshman challenge so far," Qin Ming said with heartfelt admiration.

"Indeed, this match—"

"Finally, something sensible." Xiao Ran didn't keep listening. It was rare for someone to praise his ability over his beauty, and his opinion of this upperclassman immediately improved considerably. He settled into the rest area to relax.

With Xiao Ran's match over, the first round was drawing to a close. Although the remaining matches had their merits, none shone as brightly as his battle against Ning Xiao.

Once the first round ended, the top sixteen were decided. Class One remained firmly in the lead with ten qualifiers, followed by Class Two with three. All the other classes combined had secured only three spots. The trainers' starting advantages were plain to see. Of course, this was only the beginner stage. There had been cases of Class One students falling from their pedestal later on. After all, they merely started a little ahead of everyone else.

"Who would've thought Shen Teng from our class was this strong? He's really something, huh?" Jiang Cheng asked, his face full of envy and surprise as he watched the matches and helped the others assess their opponents.

"Yes, he really is. And his starter Pokémon is very strong too. That Dragon-type Gible has the makings of a Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon," Xiao Ran said solemnly, watching the round, blue-gray Pokémon.

According to the games from Xiao Ran's previous life, Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon were non-Legendary Pokémon with a base stat total of 600: Tyranitar, Dragonite, Garchomp, and Salamence. These Pokémon were strong enough to contend with weaker Legendary Pokémon. In theory, Gible's appearance should have been every bit as shocking as Dragonair's appearance at the opening ceremony. However, few people currently recognized Gible, so it hadn't caused such a widespread sensation.

"A Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon? Whoa, doesn't that put it on the same level as Dragonair? It's that strong?" Jiang Cheng exclaimed. He had never imagined that the plump-headed, unremarkable-looking little shark had such an impressive background.

"No Pokémon with a connection to dragons is ordinary," Shen Yue said tartly. Dragons had always been synonymous with power. Of course, this was her first time seeing a Gible too. The Alliance's Pokédex hadn't yet made information about it widely available.

"I just think that guy is seriously lucky, getting his hands on such a powerful starter Pokémon," Jiang Cheng said enviously. His Magnemite didn't have much potential and couldn't compare with a powerful Pokémon like that. All he could do was pin his hopes on Xiao Ran.

"What are you talking about? I think I heard something about Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon. Tell me!" Ning Xiao, who was nearby, and Lan Yanxi, on the other side, seemed to have heard Jiang Cheng. They approached with curious expressions, leaving Xiao Ran no choice but to explain his concept of Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon all over again—using terms from this world, of course.