Chapter 146
No one expected the "Rookie Nightmare" Sandstorm strategy to result in a total team wipe.
The strategy had been dismantled by a single girl, and she had done it with insulting ease.
After the match, the mysterious girl made no move to leave the field.
She stayed there, waiting for the next round of victims. It looked like she intended to solo the entire SMU academy.
But after witnessing that blizzard vortex, no one in the SMU Team 2 dared to step up.
They realized this was beyond the capabilities of the second-string team.
The players looked at their Coach. Should we call Team 1 back?
The Coach shook her head helplessly. It wasn't that she didn't want to; she had given Team 1 a vacation days ago.
They were scattered across the city. Only one member was currently nearby.
How was I supposed to know a monster was coming to kick our door today?
Left with no choice but to defend their honor, the Coach decided to rely on raw numbers.
Since this was a "door-kicking" challenge and not a sanctioned tournament, they didn't have to play fair.
The Coach activated their "Dirty Tactics" protocol.
She signaled her players and sent a message to the team group chat:
"Do not fight them head-on. Cycle through type-disadvantages. Stall. Use Protect. Use Substitute. Focus entirely on draining their stamina!"
Simultaneously, she contacted the Team 1 substitutes, ordering everyone in the vicinity to rush to the stadium.
She intended to use a "Gauntlet of Attrition" to kill the intruders with fatigue. They couldn't let this distraction ruin the afternoon scrimmage!
Under this toxic strategy, even the dominant Xue Yi began to struggle.
Facing a endless wave of Fire, Flying, and Rock-types who focused entirely on hiding behind Protect shields was exhausting.
Once Little Ice's stamina reached its limit, Xue Yi voluntarily withdrew.
Hu Wenjun's Ariados took the field next.
Aside from her first fair match, she faced nothing but Fire, Flying, and Rock-types. The SMU team was being shamelessly "meta."
Yet, even with the disadvantage, Hu Wenjun used Lorze's "Toxic Pin Missile" combo.
Coupled with Psychic and her high-speed Focus Energy, she traded her life for seven SMU players.
A massive improvement from her previous level—in the past, she would have struggled to beat one.
Thanks to Lorze's infinite Pokéblocks, her growth had caught up with the geniuses of Shanghai.
And with her "Dual Ability" hack, she was now punching way above her weight class.
The third to enter was Tang Ming.
Knowing he lacked the Dual Ability hack, he went full "Berserker" immediately.
Quilava entered Inferno Mode, its pillars of fire shocking the audience with their raw heat.
His record was roughly the same as Hu Wenjun's, taking out several specialists.
Shi Fan followed, performing the best of the group.
With Protean, his Frogadier ignored type-disadvantages entirely.
The Coach's "dirty tactics" failed against him. He entered a Torrent state and went on a killing spree, soloing ten SMU substitutes.
If the bench hadn't run out of warm bodies, Shi Fan probably could have kept going.
By the end of the gauntlet, Lorze's team had used four people to empty SMU High's entire "Inventory."
The only people left were the Starters from Teams 1 and 2.
SMU's foundation is deep, I'll give them that. They used a human-wave strategy to stall us.
Shi Fan and Tang Ming were annoyed; they had wanted to test their mettle against the real Starters.
But the most frustrated person in the room was the Female Coach.
She had been preparing for a prestige match against Beijing.
Instead, her "Home" had been robbed while she was looking the other way.
Where the fuck did these kids come from? What school in China produces people like this?
High levels are one thing, but how are they all triggering Blaze and Torrent at full health?
And why is that Frogadier switching types while its Torrent is active?
THEY ARE LITERALLY HACKING!
The Coach had used every dirty trick in the book, and she still hadn't won.
She was about to lose her official Starters next, and the intruders still had their "Final Boss" waiting on the bench.
What do I do?
Do I send Team 2's Starters out to get slaughtered?
They'll be too tired or injured for the scrimmage. It's a lose-lose situation.
Left with no other options, the Coach decided to sue for peace.
She assumed the challengers just wanted fame by stepping on SMU's reputation.
You've cornered us. You've had your fun. Be satisfied.
"Excuse me, student. I haven't caught your name yet."
The Coach walked up to Lorze as he prepared to take the field.
"Hello, Teacher. I'm Lorze, from Gui City No. 1 High. I assume you recognize the name?"
Lorze smiled, looking directly into her eyes.
"Gui City No. 1? Wait... the ones from yesterday?"
The Coach froze. She remembered the scrimmage request she had dismissed with a "meaningless" tag.
Gui City... the weak province?
Aside from Goddess Xue Tong, they never produced anything worthwhile.
I thought fighting them would be like a Ninetales fighting a Magikarp. I thought it was a waste of time.
She had rejected them for the sake of "Efficiency." Now, she was staring at the consequences.
"Yes. You were too busy to acknowledge us, so we decided to drop by and say hello in person~."
Lorze shrugged.
"I see..." The Coach felt a wave of cold sweat.
So they aren't here for fame. They're here for REVENGE.
Can I even negotiate with this?
"That's the long and short of it. Now, if you'll excuse me, it's my turn to play~."
Lorze tried to walk past her.
"Wait! We accept the scrimmage request! I'll arrange a match with Team 1 for you another day!"
"Just please... let us finish the match with the Beijing team today!"
The Coach pleaded. Only Team 1 had a ghost of a chance against these freaks.
"No can do. My teammates have a fire in their bellies now. We can't just stop."
Lorze held up three fingers. "There are only three ways I stop."
"Which are?" The Coach frowned.
"One: I sweep your entire roster. Two: You sweep me."
"And the third?"
"The third... well, if a beautiful Teacher like yourself were willing to go on a date with me, I'd probably lose all interest in 'door-kicking'~."
Lorze's tone shifted into a seductive purr as he looked over the Coach's mature, athletic figure.
A body like that... it would be a waste not to claim it~.
Coach: "???"
Xue Yi: "???"
The Crowd: "???"
The Quiet Girl: "???"
Did he really just hit on a Teacher in front of a thousand people?
Are you seriously trying to 'date' her right now?!
The Coach was catatonic. She never imagined being sexually harassed by a student in broad daylight.
Do you have a death wish?!
But then she thought about it. If a single date could end this disaster and potentially let her recruit these geniuses to SMU...
...it might be worth it. SMU would love to have this kind of talent transferred over.
But before she could weigh the "shame vs. profit," the Team 2 Starters erupted.
They were even more desperate to stop it than the Coach was.
Do you know how many boys joined the team just to be near their "Goddess Coach"?
ALMOST ALL OF THEM!
And now some blonde-haired brat from the sticks shows up and demands a date?
THAT'S A LITERAL NTR!
WE WILL NOT BE CUCKOLDED TODAY!
"Uncle can endure it, but Auntie cannot! NOBODY TOUCHES OUR TEACHER! BROTHERS, CHARGE!"
Team 2 went into a state of total, incandescent rage.
They looked ready to scream "REJECT NTR" as they stormed the field!
Coach: "..."
Wait... my students have been lusting after me this whole time?
Fine... if it helps recruit Lorze, I suppose I should let them show off their 'strength'.
The Coach stayed silent. She couldn't publicly agree to a date, so she tacitly allowed her students to vent their protective rage on the intruder.