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The next day.
Community matches continued.
Still three one-on-one single battles, which by the rules should have been given to Frogadier.
But somehow, that guy had already discussed it with Riolu and Torracat behind Li Xiang's back, agreeing to let Corvisquire take all the matches for the first three days.
If Corvisquire lost, then there'd be nothing left to say.
In exchange, the three matches on the final day would be split among them—meaning Corvisquire would battle nine times, while the others would each take one.
So generous?
Li Xiang suddenly felt a little uneasy. Normally, these guys would be fighting tooth and nail for a chance to battle.
Yet now they were voluntarily giving all the early matches to the newcomer, Corvisquire…
Had they started prioritizing quality over quantity?
Li Xiang couldn't wrap his head around Frogadier's logic. Young Pokémon were temperamental, changing their minds day by day.
A prime example—Torracat.
This little feline had grown increasingly bold with him, even going as far as slapping him outright like a certain Purugly, often leaving him grimacing in pain.
Gone was the clingy, affectionate kitten who used to roll over and show its belly for scratches.
—And that was normal.
It'd be more concerning if it didn't change.
Pokémon, as highly intelligent creatures, could learn morality, ethics, thoughts, and emotions over time. Once they developed these, they were no longer simple, unchanging beings.
Back to the matches.
First Round.
Opponent: A starter Pokémon—the Grass-type Snivy.
Appearance-wise, it resembled a snake covered in leaves, with a V-shaped leaf pattern on its chest. It also had arms and legs, though they looked… half-hearted?
Yes, half-hearted. Its limbs were completely disproportionate to its body, like fingers haphazardly stuck onto its shoulders, making it look rather odd.
But if Li Xiang remembered correctly, Snivy excelled at running and Quick Attack.
Its movement speed was even described as "gliding along the ground."
"But it's at a type disadvantage…"
Li Xiang glanced at his opponent, whose face had already turned green, and knew Snivy had no moves to deal with airborne foes.
This situation was actually quite common. At lower levels, trainers' Pokémon had clearly defined roles—who would handle aerial opponents, who would tank hits, and so on.
Just because Snivy didn't have an answer didn't mean the opponent's other Pokémon didn't.
This guy was just unlucky with his selection.
Too bad.
His misfortune was Li Xiang's good luck.
On the battlefield.
Corvisquire, true to its nature, immediately went full "Taunt-mode," hurling insults at Snivy—asking if it had facial nerve paralysis, if its cerebellum was underdeveloped, if it couldn't even control its own expression, and so on.
Snivy's face turned red with rage, its body trembling violently, its leaf-like claws curling tightly—clearly pushed to the brink of fury!
Taunt—successful!
Pokémon like these were naturally prideful, often looking down on others with disdain or exaggerated expressions.
Hence the saying: "A smirk invites a fist."
"Calm down! Use Vine Whip!"
Two slender vines shot toward the sky like serpents!
Under its trainer's command, the enraged Snivy swore to yank Corvisquire down and teach it a lesson in consequences!
However, Corvisquire, with its air superiority, wasn't so easy to catch.
Dodging the two green ropes with ease, it flapped its wings, summoning a refreshing breeze to swirl around itself, boosting its agility.
The next second, it dove from above, then spun 360 degrees mid-air, effortlessly evading Snivy's Magical Leaf!
Thud thud thud thud!
Four soft impacts in succession.
The tracking leaves, seemingly drawn to something on its body, embedded themselves into the ground before shattering into dust.
"Vine Whip failed, Magical Leaf failed too…"
The opponent's face darkened. Corvisquire was clearly far stronger than Snivy—otherwise, it wouldn't have dodged both moves so effortlessly.
In the sky.
After one Hone Claws, Corvisquire decided its attack was high enough. Following Li Xiang's command, it launched a seemingly suicidal dive straight at Snivy!
Opportunity!
The opponent's eyes lit up!
Corvisquire didn't have any long-range moves either!
Otherwise, why would Li Xiang be dumb enough to send it in close?
Sensing a chance, the opponent held Snivy back, waiting until Corvisquire was close enough before shouting:
"Leaf Blade!"
Snivy kicked off the ground, its small body flipping mid-air as the leaf on its tail glowed emerald green, expanding over ten times in size!
Like a banana fan, the glowing leaf came crashing down toward Corvisquire!
But just as Corvisquire seemed about to fly straight into Snivy's attack range— Suddenly, it sharply adjusted its flight angle, twisting its body upward in a 90-degree turn, soaring back into the sky!
A gust of wind whipped past!
Corvisquire had narrowly dodged Snivy's Leaf Blade and was now high above again!
Boom!
Snivy's Leaf Blade struck empty air, kicking up a cloud of dust!
It looked up in disbelief, only to see Corvisquire already repositioning itself, diving from behind with wings spread—then slamming them together like a clap!
Smack!
A crisp sound!
Sky-blue Flying-type energy exploded!
Snivy was sent flying, tumbling twice before collapsing, eyes rolled back.
The referee blew the whistle.
"Beeeeep—"
In the sky.
Corvisquire crowed in victory once more. Though few in the audience understood, that didn't stop it from basking in its triumph.
Especially after outmaneuvering Snivy with its aerial prowess—it felt amazing.
Though its mouth might earn it a group beating sooner or later.
Remembering the "unfair treatment" it endured during last night's training session with Torracat and the others, Corvisquire glanced down at Snivy and decided it should probably tone it down.
…
The community matches were even more of a joke than Li Xiang had expected.
He'd thought the opponents would gradually get stronger, but Snivy turned out to be the peak of today's competition.
The rest of the opponents were back to Wooloo-level.
First up was a Pokémon resembling a Kamen Rider and a motorcyclist, with four fist-like limbs—the Bug/Flying-type Ledian.
And another, a plump, light-green Pokémon with large, flat ears that looked like a chubby gourd, sporting a big yellow flower on its head that spun like helicopter blades—the Grass/Flying-type Jumpluff.
Both of these Pokémon were, without a doubt, comedic in nature.
The former, Ledian, was at least fast enough to chase Corvisquire, pelting it with a barrage of "Ora ora ora!" punches via Comet Punch.
But its attack power was pathetically low—clearly not the Iron Fist ability, and despite its four fists, it didn't have the Skill Link ability either.
Corvisquire tanked the punches, then smacked it down with a single Wing Attack!
Just one hit.
Pathetically weak.
But this wasn't Ledian's fault—its trainer simply hadn't unlocked its full potential.
To maximize Ledian's strength, it should have been prepped under a starry night sky.
This Pokémon had a unique ability—it could absorb starlight, converting it into energy stored in its body. The more stars, the stronger it became.
If Li Xiang were training Ledian, he'd have it gather energy the night before, then unleash it all in battle the next day. It'd probably be unstoppable then.
But this trainer clearly didn't know how to use Ledian properly.
A shame.
Next was Jumpluff.
Slightly more troublesome than Ledian, but only slightly.
This one likely had Chlorophyll, giving it a speed boost in sunlight. Its flying style was downright like an Apache helicopter—fast as hell.
But there was one problem.
It didn't know its own limits. After a single Taunt from Corvisquire, it completely ignored its trainer's commands, charging straight at Corvisquire with Fairy Wind, its flower spinning wildly.
No hesitation whatsoever.
And then— It got one-shot by Corvisquire's wings. The Fairy Wind hit nothing but air.
Truly a pity.
With its speed, it could've easily dragged out the battle long enough for Taunt to wear off—maybe even turned the tables.
But once it got reckless… well, nothing more to say.
Staying calm was crucial in battles, just like keeping a cool head in boxing. Mindset was a required course for both Pokémon and trainers…
Li Xiang sighed inwardly, feeling a renewed gratitude toward Jiang Shangrong and Duan Tianxing.
Beng Quan and the Three-Blind Perception Method had given him so much.
Without them, he probably wouldn't be much stronger than these guys.
How else could he suppress the restless emotions of adolescence without sheer willpower?
…
That night.
Li Xiang was pleasantly surprised to find that Corvisquire had leveled up—now only four levels away from the minimum requirement of 35.
Fly is within reach!
Overjoyed, he ruffled Corvisquire's head.
Currently, in his team:
- Corvisquire was the highest at Lv. 31.
- Riolu followed at Lv. 26.
- Torracat was next at Lv. 25.
- Frogadier brought up the rear at Lv. 20.
In just one year, they'd grown this much…
Li Xiang felt that if he pushed hard enough, he could get Torracat and Frogadier to fully evolve by next summer.
The only wild card was Riolu.
Like in the anime, there was no clear "friendship value" here—evolution was entirely random.
Li Xiang couldn't predict when Riolu would evolve.
It might happen tomorrow, or it might stay a Riolu even after he entered advanced academy.
For example: In Unova, Trip's Riolu didn't evolve until after his Zweilous had become a Hydreigon.
It only evolved into Lucario during the tournament, where it then swept three of Ash's Pokémon in a row, securing the win.
Li Xiang was a little worried it might evolve mid-battle…
Which was entirely possible.
Countless cases like that existed online—after all, real battles didn't have "in-combat" or "out-of-combat" states.