Xiao Wu's Battle

"Whose match is next?"

Lei Xiao sat in the judges' seats, while Zhuo Yuan looked at her helplessly from beside her. He was already an old man, so why did she still have to pick on him?

The judges had already been chosen, but Lei Xiao had insisted on pestering Zhuo Yuan for a seat so she could watch the matches. In the end, he had no choice but to make her a judge too.

"The next match? Let me check. Hmm, it's that young fellow Chu Xin."

"Chu Xin, huh? I'm certainly looking forward to his match."

Zhuo Yuan gave Lei Xiao a puzzled look.

"Chu Xin is indeed quite strong, and that Dratini of his is very well trained. But if that's all he has, even his Top 16 match is far from a sure thing."

"Don't let that boy's easygoing manner fool you. He's fiercely competitive. Do you know why he entered this tournament? A few months ago, I beat him using my nephew's Growlithe. He couldn't accept that loss, so he signed up."

Lei Xiao watched Chu Xin out on the battlefield with an amused expression.

"He thinks he's hiding it well, but his eyes gave him away long ago."

"Having ambition is all well and good, but a match is a match. What matters is actual strength. At his level, beating Lei Jing's Growlithe is still pretty unlikely."

Zhuo Yuan carefully weighed it up, but no matter how he looked at it, he couldn't see Chu Xin defeating Growlithe. He had seen that Growlithe's strength himself. Aside from Bai Le's Scyther, it was practically unmatched.

"Not necessarily. Do you know where I saw him a few days ago? Take a guess."

"If you have something to say, just say it. Stop speaking in riddles."

Zhuo Yuan frowned at Lei Xiao. This little lass took even longer to get to the point than an old man like him.

"Hehe, I saw him outside Chen Huan's Gym."

"Chen Huan? Really?"

"Why would I make that up?"

Lei Xiao smiled at Zhuo Yuan, enjoying the surprise on his face.

"With Chen Huan helping him, I really have no idea what that boy has up his sleeve. There's no telling who'll be the champion of this tournament."

Meanwhile, Chu Xin stepped onto the battlefield. Feeling the spectators' eager gazes on him was a rather strange experience.

So this is what a Top 16 match feels like?

The spectators' attention also had quite an effect on his opponent. After entering the field, he seemed even more nervous than Chu Xin, hesitant and afraid to make a move.

"H-hello."

"Hello. My name's Chu Xin."

"I-I'm Wang Xing."

His opponent stammered out his greeting, making Chu Xin seriously doubt whether he could bring out his full strength in the match.

"Nervous? Still, this match is very important to me. I won't hold back!"

Chu Xin then took out a Poké Ball and summoned Xiao Wu, who also looked at their opponent with fighting spirit blazing.

"Wu~"

Anyone who had made it this far clearly had something going for them, and Wang Xing soon calmed down.

"I won't go easy on you either. Come out, Ekans!"

So it's an Ekans. These fierce Pokémon are certainly strong, but it's still no match for Xiao Wu.

Just as Chu Xin was brimming with confidence, he noticed Xiao Wu trembling, while the vicious Arbok opposite them glared fiercely at Xiao Wu.

Oh no, his Arbok has Intimidate. Not only can it unsettle an opponent, it can also lower their attack power.

This was clearly Xiao Wu's first encounter with a Pokémon that had Intimidate. That trembling went far beyond the effect of lowered attack power.

"Good, Arbok! Use Leer and unsettle your opponent!"

His opponent had clearly noticed Xiao Wu's unusual state too and pressed the advantage while Xiao Wu was struggling.

"Oh no! Xiao Wu, don't look into its eyes!"

Fortunately, Xiao Wu closed those eyes in time to avoid the move, but that also left Xiao Wu on the defensive.

"Here's our chance, Arbok! Use Bite!"

"Xiao Wu, dodge, quick!"

Fortunately, Xiao Wu was nimble enough to dodge the attack in time. But Xiao Wu had to pull together. If this timid hesitation continued, losing the match was only a matter of time!

"Xiao Wu, trust me! Don't be afraid. We can beat our opponent!"

After hearing Chu Xin's reassurance, Xiao Wu finally forced those eyes open. There was still some fear, but Xiao Wu was no longer as hesitant as before.

"Your monster doesn't have much battle experience, huh? Looks like this match is mine!"

Although Xiao Wu had now managed to shake off Arbok's intimidation, it still had a major impact on the battle. Wang Xing confidently believed he already had the match won. How could that timid Dratini possibly beat his Arbok?

"Arbok, attack! Don't give your opponent a chance to catch a breath!"

Arbok opened its huge mouth and lunged at Xiao Wu. Though Xiao Wu had just overcome that fear, the sight of Arbok brought some of it back.

"Don't be afraid! Use Extreme Speed to get some distance!"

Hearing Chu Xin's command, Xiao Wu calmed down and used Extreme Speed to pull away from Arbok. With that boost in speed, Arbok had no way to land an attack.

"Arbok, use Screech to disrupt your opponent."

But Wang Xing was clearly experienced and quickly began using sound waves to disrupt Xiao Wu. The piercing screech filled the entire field, leaving Xiao Wu nowhere to avoid it.

"Hang in there, Xiao Wu! Interrupt its move!"

Still moving with Extreme Speed, Xiao Wu endured the disruptive screech and rammed into Arbok on the field, sending it flying.

Arbok reacted quickly too, rolling across the ground before swiftly getting back into position. Still, Xiao Wu had successfully interrupted Screech.

"Good, Xiao Wu! See? We can beat that Arbok! Use Twister to block its vision!"

With renewed spirit, Xiao Wu's energy surged, and a powerful twister formed around Arbok. Arbok could only endure the damage, unable to keep track of Xiao Wu.

"Arbok, use Dig to escape!"

"Xiao Wu, use Agility to stop it! Don't let it get away!"

Just as Arbok was about to burrow underground to escape Xiao Wu's attack, Xiao Wu struck first with Agility, knocking it aside and onto the ground.

"That's it! Keep up the pressure! Use Dragon Tail to send it flying!"

"Arbok, pull yourself together! Hurry and dodge!"

Though Wang Xing's command came in time, Xiao Wu was faster, reaching Arbok first and launching it into the air with a heavy Dragon Tail strike.

"Now, Xiao Wu! Finish the battle with Dragon Rage!"

On the ground, Xiao Wu opened a mouth blazing with blue flames and unleashed a fierce blast at Arbok in the air. Arbok fell back down completely unconscious, unable to battle.