Chapter 144
Just as the quiet girl was about to report the challenge, a violent thud echoed through the arena as the doors were kicked open.
Following the sound was a voice so arrogant it bordered on suicidal: "ANYONE HOME? WE'RE HERE TO KICK THE DOOR!"
Lorze had produced a megaphone from God-knows-where and was shouting into the cavernous stadium.
In an instant, every eye in the building was fixed on him.
SMU High's matches were always open to the public, so the stands were already filling up with daily spectators.
For an audience, there was nothing more exciting than a sudden, unscripted challenge.
Lorze's shout sent a wave of electricity through the crowd.
"What's going on? Someone is actually challenging SMU High?"
"This just got interesting! Text the dorms, tell everyone to get down here now!"
Mutterings and excitement rippled through the stands, causing the female coach in charge of Team 2's final drills to frown.
She noticed the intruders and was forced to halt the training session.
"Students, if you want a scrimmage, you need to book an appointment in advance."
The female teacher walked over, looking at the group with deep dissatisfaction.
"Don't interrupt our preparation for the next match. Barging into a private training session is incredibly rude."
She was annoyed that her rhythm was broken, but as her eyes met Lorze's, her irritation mysteriously softened.
She found herself unable to maintain eye contact with the boy.
"So sorry, Teacher. We're here to tear the place down, not to be polite."
Lorze smiled, meeting her gaze directly.
"Besides, the match doesn't start for an hour. Making the audience wait is bad business. Why not give them a pre-game warm-up?"
"If it were just a warm-up, that would be fine. But anyone brave enough to kick our door must have some skill."
The teacher shook her head, avoiding his eyes as she rejected his plan.
"We aren't going to waste our stamina before we face the Beijing team."
"That's fine. We're flexible. If Team 2 is too busy, just bring out Team 1."
Lorze challenged her. "Surely the Great SMU High doesn't have a single person available to answer a challenge?"
The teacher was left speechless for a moment.
Of course we have people. But do you really think you're worthy of calling out Team 1?
The monsters on Team 1 could solo our entire Team 2 in a gauntlet. You think you can touch them?
Aside from the Beijing elite, no one in this country is our Team 1's equal.
If she weren't a professional educator, she would have started cursing at this arrogant brat. Where does a high schooler get this much ego?
"Teacher, let us handle them. We're just the substitutes anyway."
One of the Team 2 subs spoke up from the sideline.
"They've come to our home and insulted us; we have to give them a lesson. Otherwise, the Beijing guys will be laughing at us for the rest of the year."
"Fine. Go pick a squad." The teacher sighed.
With so many people watching, they couldn't afford to look like cowards.
The main roster for the BU High match was already set, so letting the benched players vent their frustrations on these intruders wasn't a bad idea.
The announcement caused a stir among the subs. Everyone wanted a piece of the arrogant brat to show him the gap between a "normal" school and SMU.
SMU was truly an elite academy; their bench alone had more players than Lorze's entire school team. There were at least 20 people warming up.
From such a deep pool, it was easy to assemble a high-tier strategy.
They quickly formed a squad known as a "Rookie Nightmare"—a Sandstorm Team!
Sandstorm was arguably the most annoying weather condition to fight.
The lashing grit was frustrating to look at, but more importantly, it got into the eyes of both Trainer and Pokémon.
With visibility obscured, it was nearly impossible to issue effective commands.
SMU was clearly intending to brutalize them for the insult.
Good. If you weren't serious, this would be boring.
"Finished yet? I'm about to fall asleep."
Lorze let out a massive, exaggerated yawn, acting as if the Sandstorm Team was a complete joke.
"Don't worry. You won't have time to sleep in a minute."
Four boys and one girl from the bench stepped onto the field.
Under the gaze of the growing crowd, they summoned their partners.
The lineup: Gligar, Vibrava, Gastrodon, Gabite, and a Hippopotas as the weather-setter.
Well... if these were all fully evolved, they'd be a threat.
But in their current forms, they looked like a "Toddler's First Sandstorm."
Without a Tyranitar or an Excadrill, the team lacked real bite.
Lorze lost interest instantly. He shot a look at Xue Yi, who nodded and walked onto the field alone.
Yes—alone. Lorze and the boys stayed on the bench, looking like bored spectators.
"A 1v1?" the lead sub asked, frowning.
"If you wanted a 1v1, you should have said so. You're wasting our time with team building."
"Or did you lose your balls after seeing the Sandstorm core?"
"No. It's not a 1v1. And it's not a 5v5 either."
Xue Yi reached for a Poké Ball and summoned a small, snowy-white creature.
She looked at the five opponents with a face of pure, icy indifference.
"It's a 1v5."
1v5?
The words hit the arena like a bomb. The opponents, the coaches, and the crowd were all dumbfounded.
Did we hear that right?
It's bad enough to kick SMU's door, but you want to 1v5 our bench?
Even our own Team 1 wouldn't try to face five partners simultaneously. At most, they'd do a gauntlet.
Being focused down by five Pokémon at once was a death sentence.
Do you seriously think you're stronger than our Team 1?
"Listen, sweetheart, I don't like being mean to girls, but if you want a fight, be serious. This level of arrogance is just embarrassing," the lead sub said darkly.
He suspected they were just putting on a show because they knew they couldn't win. A bluff to save face?
"And even if you're serious... at least pick a partner that doesn't suck."
"That Shiny Vulpix is pretty, I'll give you that. But no matter how pretty it is, it's a Fire-type. Ground and Rock-types will crush it."
"Do you have a secret Ice-move to one-shot us? Because our team is effectively 4x weak to Ice..."
"But why would a Fire-Vulpix worry us?"
"Stop talking. Start the match. If I lose, we leave."
Xue Yi's voice was as cold as a glacier.
Her icy demeanor wasn't a choice; it was the result of her internal Ice-type affinity. This was her natural state.
The only reason Lorze got to see her "erotic" and "submissive" faces in bed was because he had used Cute Charm to break her before she fully matured.
If she had reached her peak—like Goddess Xue Tong—even Cute Charm would have struggled to melt her.
But more importantly, Xue Yi carried the unique talent of the Xue bloodline.
Her mother and sister could both massively amplify a Pokémon's power. Logically, Xue Yi could too.
It was just that her partners were always "too cute" to radiate the same lethal pressure as Xue Tong's team.
Lorze was genuinely curious: Now that she has an Ice-type she actually resonates with, how much power can she draw out?
It was the perfect time to find out.