Chapter 146: The Key to Victory

Ye Yu could no longer hold back. He didn’t want to drag out the match and gradually wear down the stamina of both Pokémon, especially since using Protect consumed a lot of energy. Even Waterjump Fish couldn’t use it too many times.

He had to change tactics and end the match decisively and quickly.

Lalula was already showing signs of fatigue. She could no longer guarantee dodging every falling rock combined with the Water Gun attack. So, all Ye Yu needed to do was further enhance his attack power—enough so that a single strike would completely incapacitate Lalula.

As for Lalula’s attacks, as long as she didn’t use Hypnosis, Waterjump Fish could simply ignore them. His stamina was naturally superior, and with the energy defense boost from instant amnesia, moves like Drain Kiss, Psychic, or Captivate were mere scratches. If Lalula wanted to attack, she might as well try harder—because once he finished strengthening, he would take her down in one blow.

This was Ye Yu’s current mindset, practically written across his face.

When Tang Yi saw Waterjump Fish blatantly ignore Lalula and directly cast Curse, he immediately understood Ye Yu’s intention.

Hypnosis? No, as long as Waterjump Fish still had energy to use Protect, that move was useless.

Ye Yu was a cautious trainer. During the gap when Waterjump Fish’s Protect was on cooldown, he would definitely choose to go all-out and suppress Lalula’s movements.

If the battle dragged on like this, Lalula’s disadvantage would only grow until she was completely overwhelmed.

“Lalula, take a proper rest,” Tang Yi suddenly said softly.

“Huh?” Lalula blinked in disbelief. Turning around, she met Tang Yi’s gentle gaze and felt the thoughts he was conveying. Suddenly, she calmed down and nodded lightly.

“Alright then, let’s rest for a bit,” Lalula exhaled deeply and sat down on the battlefield, her tense nerves easing slightly, though her eyes never left Waterjump Fish.

Ye Yu was stunned. He had expected Lalula to seize the opportunity when Waterjump Fish was casting Curse to strengthen his attack and chip away at his stamina.

But what was this?

Sitting still and resting?

Watching Waterjump Fish complete his Curse buff unimpeded—was this passive surrender or disdain for him?

Ye Yu’s confusion flickered briefly. Regardless of the opponent’s thoughts, he would never miss such a golden opportunity.

“Waterjump Fish! Ignore her, keep using Curse!”

“Use Curse!”

“Use Curse again!”

...

The viewers watching the live stream were in an uproar.

This was the round of thirty-two, a battle that affected entrance exam futures. Though everyone could see Lalula’s disadvantage, just giving up like this seemed... well, questionable.

So many had fought tooth and nail just to stand on this battlefield!

“See? I told you, this guy’s a total slacker! He can’t even hold out through the first round. Looks like he’s giving up!” Eevee shouted.

Smack!

Ouch!

Ninetales’ tail never missed a beat.

Fang Tianze, quietly sitting on the sofa watching the live stream on his phone, suddenly stood up and stretched lazily. Meeting the puzzled glances of the other girls, he yawned, “I’m done watching. The outcome’s clear. We got here early by bus, I’m beat. I’m going to rest.”

Ignoring their confusion, Fang Tianze muttered, “This guy’s really lucky, huh? Not bad.” And other such remarks.

...

Minutes later.

On the battlefield, after repeatedly using Curse, Waterjump Fish’s power finally reached its enhancement limit. Even Ye Yu couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement.

Opportunities like this—where the power boost is maxed out—were rare in evenly matched battles. To have one today was truly exceptional.

Ye Yu eagerly anticipated the devastating force the falling rocks would unleash next.

“The outcome is decided!” Ye Yu declared loudly.

“Yes, the outcome is decided,” Tang Yi nodded.

Lalula stood up at last, and thanks to the brief rest, her drained spirit had somewhat recovered, and her tense nerves relaxed.

The final showdown was about to begin.

“Falling rocks!”

“Grass Knot!”

They gave their commands almost simultaneously. In truth, neither trainer needed to issue orders now. In this crucial moment, Waterjump Fish and Lalula both knew exactly what to do.

Before the voices could ring out, both Pokémon had already begun gathering their Rock- and Grass-type energies.

Upon hearing Tang Yi’s voice, Ye Yu’s expression shifted, but it was already too late.

Waterjump Fish was not a Rock-type, nor was Lalula a Grass-type. Using moves outside their specialties consumed more time and energy to gather the requisite power.

Yet Lalula’s speed in launching her move was still superior.

Though Grass was not her type, she felt an unexpected familiarity during energy gathering, as if she had long mastered Grass energy.

Blades of grass intertwined and sprouted beneath Waterjump Fish’s feet, rapidly climbing up her ankles. In the blink of an eye, her feet were completely ensnared.

Bang!

Waterjump Fish’s slower reaction meant she failed to throw the falling rock in time, and she was heavily tripped by the binding grass knot, collapsing to the ground.

Grass Knot itself had no fixed power; the heavier the opponent, the stronger its effect.

Meanwhile, Curse boosted Waterjump Fish’s attack and physical defense but lowered her speed.

Tang Yi had noticed that after casting Curse, Waterjump Fish’s muscles swelled and hardened, making her appear bulky.

This confirmed a fact: in this world, Curse enhanced offense and defense through the simple method of increasing body weight and muscle mass.

The trade-off was naturally a decline in speed.

This inadvertently increased the power of Grass Knot.

Before this, Tang Yi hadn’t used Grass Knot—not to conceal a move, but because Waterjump Fish’s pre-enhancement weight was too light for it to be effective. Even with type advantage, it wouldn’t be stronger than Psychic.

But now...

Waterjump Fish lay heavily sprawled on the ground in pain from the fall.

Most importantly, as she struggled to get up, Lalula had already cast Grass Knot a second time.

Thud!

Waterjump Fish collapsed again.

Though just one falling rock attack was enough to end the match, Waterjump Fish’s sluggish movements meant she couldn’t keep pace with Lalula’s actions.

Repeatedly tripped up, she no longer had the chance to throw any rocks.

Crunch.