On the field, as the first match of the day, the commentators had no choice but to bring up the rumors circulating online to build hype and engage the live audience, as well as those watching on TV and streaming platforms.
Of course, they didn't talk about "junior beating senior." Instead, they mentioned that the Yuzhou team Li Xiang was about to face came from his hometown, and that his senior sister had even served as Yuzhou's captain.
They deliberately avoided mentioning that particular person directly, using concise language to briefly touch on Jiang Shangrong.
Yuzhou, which placed eighth overall last year—only behind Sakura Island—had achieved its best result in recent years.
While there was an element of luck involved, with their ten singles matches coincidentally featuring two Big Six schools and their doubles scoring points wherever possible, Jiang Shangrong, as the biggest contributor who had repeatedly turned the tide, still left a lasting impression on many.
She was beautiful and highly skilled. Given her outstanding performance, some had even lamented that if Jiang Shangrong had been at a Big Six school, she would have been even stronger.
The resources available at a Big Six institution were simply different from those at a regional university.
Thus, under the commentators' vivid narration, the atmosphere gradually heated up.
In the lounges of the other universities, some also turned their attention to this match because of Jiang Shangrong.
In last year's Summer Tournament, Jiang Shangrou had been an undeniable dark horse, excelling in both singles and doubles. Whether Li Xiang could become the second such dark horse was what they wanted to find out.
On the field, luck was on their side.
Today's battlefield was a forest terrain. There were no obstructions to block vision—just ordinary grass and low shrubs. The soil wasn't as compacted as a standard field, being slightly softer.
Still, it was better than a sand field. At least they wouldn't have to hop between giant boulders.
Li Xiang quietly let out a breath of relief and turned his gaze to his opponents.
Yuzhou's second group consisted of two male students. One was tall and lanky, with neatly styled hair. The other was slightly shorter, with bleached blond hair that faded from the top.
The talkative one was the taller guy. Last year, he had played a supporting role and was the dominant one of the pair. His performance in the Spring Tournament was similar to last year's, with only a slight increase in strength.
Levels, training, and moves could all improve over time, after all. But it was also possible the two were holding back—maybe they had acquired some particularly powerful Pokémon over the past year.
"Original plan?"
"Original plan."
Li Xiang and Su Qian exchanged a glance and decided on their strategy.
As always, regardless of the opponent's strength, playing it safe was the way to go. Now wasn't the time for anyone's hidden power to explode.
"BEEP—!"
With the long, dull whistle, the match began.
Both sides sent out their Pokémon.
Taking the lead once again was Corviknight. Its massive body hovered above the field, wings flapping like a dark cloud.
"Caw-haw—"
Its piercing cry sounded like a victory fanfare.
Corviknight had never forgotten its original goal, and it knew that the very ground it stood on was the path to victory! Its blood was already boiling!
Beside it, Sylveon, with its Pixilate ability, landed gracefully. Its small, pink-and-white body adorned with ribbons and sapphire-blue eyes looked incredibly adorable.
On the opposing side, the tall student sent out a round-headed, cat-brained Alolan Persian with the Fur Coat ability, which reduced physical damage—essentially a premium version of Fluffy.
The blond student's Pokémon was Magnezone, with the Magnet Pull ability, which prevented Steel-type Pokémon from switching out via normal means.
That meant Corviknight couldn't switch out normally anymore—it would have to use a move.
Grabbing a Steel-type right off the bat?
Li Xiang raised an eyebrow, then noted that the Magnezone line really was everywhere. He glanced at the Magnemite and Magneton nearby, as well as another Magnezone under the referee's feet.
But that was normal. There were only so many good Pokémon to go around, and since not everyone could only raise one, duplicates were common.
"Tailwind."
"Calm Mind."
Corviknight beat its wings, and Sylveon closed its eyes to meditate.
The opponents were clearly wary of Corviknight's aggressive Taunt, positioning Magnezone in front and Alolan Persian behind.
If Corviknight tried to Taunt, Magnezone would counter with Magic Coat. They'd see who was faster—Corviknight's mouth or Magnezone's screen!
But Li Xiang had changed tactics.
Fortunately, they hadn't planned just one strategy; they'd accounted for adaptations.
"Magnet Rise."
"Nasty Plot!"
Bright electric light spun around Magnezone, while a question mark appeared above Alolan Persian's head.
Boosting first was a common opening move.
After Tailwind gave them speed, Corviknight took the lead. With a sharp cry, it abandoned flight, landed in front of Sylveon, and charged straight at Magnezone!
Riding the wind, it moved like lightning!
The sudden move drew gasps of surprise from the audience.
"What's going on with this Corviknight!? It's not flying—it's running! And it's so fast!"
The commentator's voice was filled with shock.
The other commentator was equally stunned. "In the Spring Tournament, Li Xiang's Corviknight did run on the ground before, but that was only when its wings were injured. And it wasn't this fast. With no injuries at all, why—"
There was no time to think.
The opponents were nearly scared witless when they saw Corviknight running as fast as a Dodrio.
"Magic Coat!"
A brownish glass-like barrier materialized in front of Magnezone. Alolan Persian lurked behind it, ready to use Taunt the moment Corviknight opened its mouth.
But Corviknight didn't open its beak. Like a bullheaded fool, it charged straight in, completely ignoring that it was weak to Electric-type moves. It spread its broad wings and gave a sudden shake!
SKREEEEE—!!
A sound like countless cat claws scraping against glass filled the air!
Dark silver sound waves shot toward the nearest Magnezone at high speed!
Metal Sound!
The sound waves struck the brownish glass barrier. It shimmered brightly, reflecting the waves back. Then, the reflected waves hit Corviknight—only to be bounced back again by the faint shimmer on its body!
Mirror Armor triggered!
It reflected the stat-lowering effect right back at the opponent!
After bouncing back and forth, the final Special Defense drop ended up on Magnezone!
"Meow!"
Alolan Persian couldn't hold back any longer. It popped its head out and used Taunt on Corviknight.
The opponents were so afraid of this bird that they didn't dare to attack normally without first shutting down its status moves or forcing it to switch. They were terrified of failing to take it down, getting Taunted in return, and then watching it hide and Roost to recover.
Even though Magnezone's Special Defense had been lowered, this was still an opportunity!
"Thunderbolt!"
The other player immediately followed up, trying to take out Corviknight as quickly as possible.
But the next second, he changed his command!
"Protect!"
He shouted urgently.
Because when Corviknight was less than ten meters from Magnezone, it suddenly veered left!
Behind it, a pink figure untied a ribbon from Corviknight's tail feathers and flew forward with a mouthful of flames!
It was Sylveon!
"Sylveon~"
It chirped happily, its voice slightly muffled. The Mystical Fire it had been holding onto for so long finally erupted!
BOOM—!
Flames blasted Magnezone square in the face! The explosion also sent Alolan Persian flying!
Black smoke billowed!
On the other side, the recoil from the explosion sent Sylveon flying backward—right into Corviknight's path.
Corviknight caught it in its beak, tossed it onto its back, and took flight!
Flawless coordination!
The entire sequence was executed with fluid precision, matching Lü Shu's round in terms of prediction.
Li Xiang had exploited the opponents' fear of Corviknight's Taunt, as well as the bird's unexpected ground charge, to draw their full attention. That was how they'd pulled off this combo.
Corviknight was so dazzling that it served as the perfect decoy. The two opponents had made the most basic mistake: focusing on only one opponent.
If doubles were about one-on-one, why even have two players? It was supposed to showcase teamwork. Staring at just one opponent—what were their four eyes even for?
It wasn't even a positioning issue. Their relative formations were angled diagonally.
Unfortunately, this trick would only work once. It wouldn't be as effective next time.
The black smoke cleared.
The unconscious Magnezone lay on the ground.
"BEEP—"
The referee blew the whistle loudly.
But the match wasn't over yet. Corviknight and Sylveon pressed their attack.
Corviknight's body was wrapped in a reddish-brown glow as it dove toward Alolan Persian's position. On its back, Sylveon opened its tiny mouth, and the sound waves transformed into visible pink currents!
Alolan Persian, still disoriented from the explosion, barely managed to put up a shield.
But its shield could handle one Pokémon's attack at best—two was far too much, especially from opponents this strong.
Hyper Voice shattered the shield first, then Body Press slammed into Alolan Persian. Fur Coat was a decent ability, but Corviknight's physical defense was no joke either.
BAM!
In an instant, it was like a mine detonating!
The soft, even soil burst open, caving inward sharply! Clouds of dust and grass shards were blasted into the air!
Corviknight hit and retreated, flapping its wings to pull away from the impact point without a hint of greed.
Whether it turned back or not, the Alolan Persian with spiraling eyes was unmistakable in the white smoke.
Meanwhile, the second Pokémon from Magnezone's side had just emerged from its Poké Ball.
—A silvery, toilet-shaped Duraludon with somewhat oddly proportioned arms.
"Devastating! This can only be described as devastating!"
"The brilliant coordination between Corviknight and Sylveon has given Mist City University the first advantage! The scales are tipping!"
Both commentators shouted excitedly, one after the other.
What constituted a standout performance?
It wasn't a back-and-forth slugfest where you only win after taking out each Pokémon one by one.
It was teamwork!
In their previous match, the teamwork between Li Xiang and Su Qian wasn't particularly prominent—aside from the Follow Me play at the end, the rest were mostly basic interactions.
But this time, everything was shining: the Metal Sound that set up damage for a teammate, the ribbon used to conceal positioning, the decisive Mystical Fire, the recoil, the relay, and the follow-up display.
Absolutely brilliant!