Chapter 145
The Team 2 substitutes looked at each other in bewilderment.
As students on the SMU High school team, even as substitutes, they were among the elite of their generation.
Their hearts were filled with a natural, burning pride.
Yet here they were, being treated with total contempt by a woman who had appeared out of nowhere.
Even if she was a beauty, they were furious at the disrespect.
As members of SMU, if five of them ganged up on one girl and won, it would be a shameful story to tell.
But if they somehow lost? Their reputations would be dragged through the mud; they'd never be able to show their faces again.
Normally, they would never agree to something with zero upside unless they were brain-dead.
However, the Coach insisted on a swift resolution to end this farce as quickly as possible.
So, despite their reluctance, they were forced to answer the challenge five-on-one.
Fine. Since she dares to provoke us, we'll go all out and show her the gap.
We'll make her realize just how deep her ignorance actually goes!
"Sandstorm!"
At the leader's low shout, the weather-setting Hippopotas let out a deep roar.
A massive volume of fine sand erupted from its nostrils and mouth, swirling without the need for wind.
It quickly transformed the arena into a localized, churning sea of grit.
Within the sand, the physical attackers with the Sand Veil Ability vanished from sight.
They were now ghosts in the storm, ready to strike from any angle at any second.
Fortunately, at that moment, transparent energy barriers flared to life around the stands and the player benches.
The lashing sand was contained within the battlefield, preventing any "accidental" injuries to the crowd.
SMU really is filthy rich.
Maintaining these high-energy barriers was incredibly expensive; it was effectively burning money for a show.
For a match between non-professionals, other schools would just have a teacher's Pokémon stand guard.
SMU, however, deployed automated barriers for even their lowest-tier scrimmages.
Xue Yi's eyes narrowed as she watched the barrier stabilize.
Good. Now I can cut loose without worrying about collateral damage.
"Sweetheart, it's not too late to surrender. A lone Trainer can't break a Sandstorm core," the sub-leader sneered.
"If you truly believe that, then your understanding of the meta is outdated. Little Ice, make them chill."
Xue Yi glanced at the Pokémon vanishing into the sand.
Taking on five opponents while blinded by a sandstorm was indeed a nuisance.
But Weather Teams, despite their synergy, possess two fatal weaknesses.
First, their strategy is often linear and predictable. Second, they are vulnerable to weather-wars.
The first weakness can be overcome with skill and coordination.
The second is a matter of raw individual power—it depends entirely on the proficiency of the weather-setter.
If a setter is weak, the team usually brings two.
But the SMU subs had only brought one Hippopotas, likely assuming no one could contest their weather.
While Xue Yi didn't fear a dual-setter setup, having only one made her job much easier.
"Little Ice" was the nickname Xue Yi gave her Alolan Vulpix, who possessed the Snow Warning Ability.
Following Xue Yi's command, the Alolan Vulpix let out a cute "Wuuuu-yuuu!"
Immediately, its body began to radiate an intense, crystalline chill.
The cold spread like a white mist, condensing the moisture in the air until snowflakes began to fall.
As the snow entered the fray, the weather particles in the arena became chaotic.
Weather-warring is essentially a tug-of-war over these particles.
Whoever can convert more particles to their alignment controls the environment.
In this regard, Little Ice was a literal prodigy; her snowy aura carried the legacy of her S-Rank mother.
The mother Ninetales could bury a mountain range in a blizzard vortex.
Little Ice had inherited that potential. Her chill instantly corroded the opponent's weather particles.
Everywhere the snow touched, the sandstorm was forced into a frantic retreat.
The snowflakes were caught up by a sudden, rising gale generated by the Pokémon's intent.
The quiet snowfall twisted into a bone-chilling, razor-sharp blizzard.
A massive polar vortex began to visibly take shape in the center of the stadium.
Anyone who has ever studied weather-setting knows that forming a "Vortex" requires absolute mastery over the elements.
Otherwise, you're just making a standard weather effect, like Hippopotas's generic sandstorm.
"This... it's an Ice-type?" The sub-leader's pupils contracted violently.
Why is a Vulpix using an Ice-type Snow Warning?
Is this not a Shiny Fire-Vulpix? Is it... an Alolan Vulpix?
"No way! An Ice-type Vulpix???"
The crowd stared with bulging eyes. How could a Vulpix be an Ice-type?
Wait... people started remembering a viral photo from a research team months ago.
The photo showed a Ninetales hidden in a blizzard. Was that real?
If it was real, we should have hunted for one ourselves!
An Alolan Vulpix was not just beautiful; it was powerful, mysterious, and rare—the ultimate status symbol.
"SHIT! Interrupt her! Break the cast!" The leader realized the danger too late.
Half his team was 4x weak to Ice. If the blizzard stabilized, they were going to get wiped.
If the SMU High school team was soloed by a random girl, the internet would roast them alive.
We cannot lose!
If we can't win the weather war, we'll just beat her into the ground physically!
She's alone—focus fire!
"Futile struggle."
Xue Yi's eyes turned cold, flickering with a faint blue light—a sign of her Ice-type talent activating.
Under her augmentation, Little Ice's pressure spiked. Her control over the snow hit a new peak.
The Blizzard Vortex fully manifested, swallowing the remaining sandstorm in a single gulp.
Next, Little Ice used the Lorze-hack to "Dual-Wield" the Snow Cloak Ability.
Her small silhouette vanished into the whiteout, becoming impossible to track.
The arena was now a screaming wasteland of wind and hail.
The sand-team Pokémon, most of whom were deathly allergic to ice, couldn't even keep their eyes open.
Their prepared moves were forcefully interrupted as they were whipped by the freezing gale.
Weather Teams are the height of toxicity; once the environment is set, the advantage is insurmountable.
From within the storm, Little Ice let out another cry.
She wasn't setting weather anymore. She was casting the ultimate Ice-type nuke: Blizzard.
Under the "Vortex" effect of her Ability, the accuracy was 100%.
The move combined with the existing storm to harvest the temperature and stamina of the five targets.
After thirty seconds of the storm's fury, Little Ice ceased the spell.
The vortex dissipated. The dark, frozen sky cleared, returning the arena to its natural lighting.
But on the field, five Pokémon remained—frozen solid into beautiful, jagged ice sculptures.
And standing before them was Little Ice, looking as innocent and cute as ever.
Innocent, my ass!
The substitutes were catatonic. Had they really just been 1v5 wiped?
And it looked like she didn't even break a sweat?!
Then again, a Snow Team facing targets with a 4x Ice weakness didn't really need effort.
The SMU Coach's brow furrowed deep.
To be honest, when she saw a girl step out alone, she felt a flicker of unease.
Unless they were insane, who would 1v5 SMU if they weren't powerful?
But she hadn't expected a girl she'd never heard of to be this broken.
With that level of weather control, SMU would have built their entire Team 1 around her as a core.
That's just how dominant high-tier weather-setters are. They are the rarest assets in the country.
The Coach looked at the challengers again. If the others are even half as strong as her...
...then even our Team 1 might struggle to win.
And most importantly: this girl was clearly the "Vanguard," not the leader.
The "Main Event" was that lazy-looking boy sitting on the bench.
How strong is he?
What school are they from?
A team this strong should have a legendary reputation... but I've never seen them.
Who did I miss?
I think we just ran into a wall of hard steel.