Read advance chapters for both of my work, exclusively on Patreon at - www.patreon.com/Sniperwoof
-----------------
The concept of psychic immobilization is relative.
When five Medichams used Psychic to lock down Corviknight's body, they too were rooted in place. The moment they moved—the moment their focus wavered—Corviknight would break free.
Psychic suppression may look impressive, but when combatants are close in strength, it usually only lasts for a brief moment.
If the gap is too wide, immobilization might not even work at all. Only against vastly weaker opponents can it sustain long-term control.
Thus, the five Medichams could hold Corviknight for at most thirty seconds—maybe even less. Twenty seconds, perhaps. Maybe not even that.
The Medicham wasn't confident, but if its teammates could regroup and reform their formation in time, as long as it gritted its teeth and endured, that damn Slowbro's psychic interference wouldn't break them again!
Remembering how their carefully practiced formation had been torn apart by that overwhelming psychic force at the start of the battle, Medicham gritted its teeth in frustration.
Truthfully, they had underestimated their opponents. If they had properly shielded their minds, their formation wouldn't have been so easily shattered!
Anxious, it turned its head to check on its teammates—
And its psychic hold shattered.
Corviknight, wreathed in blue flames, roared as it broke free and slammed into Medicham like a missile with its fuse lit!
BOOM!
The thick tree trunk groaned under the impact, its bark splintering into a spiderweb of cracks.
Blue fire licked at the wood, filling the air with the stench of burning—yet, strangely, the tree didn't catch fire. Only scorch marks remained.
Medicham let out a pained groan, but its eyes remained fixed on the other three battlefields.
Over there, the three teammates it had placed its hopes in were being utterly crushed, with no chance to fight back.
One was having its head smashed against rocks like an empty bottle. Another was being tossed around by torrents of water. The last was spinning helplessly inside a whirlwind of leaves.
In short, none of them could live up to its expectations.
They were getting wrecked even faster than it was!
Damn it! It had held back the strongest one, and these idiots still couldn't pull through!
With that bitter thought, Medicham was swallowed by the blue flames, consciousness fading.
Seeing their leader fall, the other three quickly succumbed as well. The one-sided boss battle ended with Slowbro's psychic disruption as the undisputed MVP.
...
Mainly, it was time for the Pokémon to recover.
The four of them found an open grassy area in the forest to rest.
"Your Slowbro is insane. It actually broke their formation."
Li Xiang scratched under Corviknight's chin, ignoring the big bird's pleading eyes, and stared in awe at the Pokémon in front of him. That dopey-looking, upright-standing pink hippo with a giant spiraling shell biting its tail—
Slowbro. Water/Psychic type.
The undeniable MVP of that boss fight. Without it, the battle's difficulty would've skyrocketed.
Qu Sheng's Slowpoke had only evolved recently. Before that, it hadn't shown much potential, losing almost every training match against Li Xiang's team.
Who knew it would be this strong?
It had shattered a psychic barrier formed by four Medichams.
That barrier—created through their yoga poses—enhanced defense, expanded psychic detection range, and accelerated mind-lock speed.
And that was exactly why Li Xiang had needed to break their formation.
"Eh, it's alright. Slowbro's just got a unique way of using Psyshock."
Qu Sheng waved a hand, trying (and failing) to hide his pride.
[Psyshock], a Psychic-type special move. In the games, it dealt damage based on the target's Defense instead of Special Defense.
And Slowbro's Psyshock was… special.
Li Xiang recalled the battle—that pink-purple shockwave had looked different from a normal Psyshock.
'Whatever. I'll figure it out when we spar.'
They'd clash eventually. No need to overthink it now.
After resting, the group confirmed their next exploration route and set off again.
Honestly?
A four-man team was ridiculously efficient—as long as you ignored the issue of point distribution.
Not just in terms of Pokémon detection range, but sheer combat power. Almost nothing could stand against them.
Even if someone tried to ambush them, they could split up to guard against stolen Poké Balls and prevent escapes.
Li Xiang's points kept climbing.
By 11 AM, he had over 150 points. His waist bag was overflowing, forcing him to stash some PokéBalls in his backpack.
Glancing at his three exhausted but silent companions, Li Xiang hesitated before speaking.
"Let's head back for lunch. We can come back in the afternoon."
What he really wanted to say was, Maybe we should split the points after all.
But that felt… insulting. Like he was dismissing their efforts.
They'd already made their choice. Undermining their resolve now would just be rude. So, he swallowed the words and added, "At this point, Pokémon are getting harder to find. The afternoon will probably be a long search. A proper break will help more than starving ourselves."
The other three nodded in agreement.
The Battle Royale ran from 7:30 AM to 6:30 PM—twelve hours total.
During that time, participants could leave the arena, turn in all their PokéBalls (including their own Pokémon), and return to their dorms to rest or eat.
They had full freedom.
When Li Xiang's group teleported out with their Abra, they learned that over half of the 115 participants had already been eliminated.
Only 43 remained—either still in the arena or resting outside with Pokémon that still had stamina.
"Seriously? It's only been a morning!"
Yang Tianwang gaped. "They couldn't even last that long?"
Li Xiang's eye twitched. He grabbed Yang's shoulder. "Stop talking like a spoiled rich kid. You'll get punched one day."
"A lot of these guys don't even have Trainer licenses. Remember that," Qu Sheng added, patting his other shoulder.
Song Jie said nothing, just stared at Yang with the look of an elder judging a naive child.
Yang pouted. "I'm just stating facts. If they're weak, they're weak."
After handing in their PokéBalls and retrieving their original team, the four went to eat.
As for Corviknight and the others? Li Xiang would bring their lunch back—since competing Pokémon weren't allowed to leave the arena.
....
Lunch
Naturally, Li Xiang treated them.
With no pre-meal battles today, the custom Pokémon meals were gone, but Li Xiang had stockpiled some non-perishable rations, so Incineroar and the others wouldn't go hungry.
He tried calling Lin Feng twice, but both times got a "The number you have dialed is currently switched off."
Either Lin Feng had already left, or he was still fighting inside.
The latter was more likely—it was only 11 AM.
'Is he pushing himself because of that girl?'
Shaking off the thought, the group ate quickly, returned to feed their Pokémon, and headed back to the dorms to rest.
After a morning of running up and down hills, scrambling through forests, they needed a shower and a nap. Otherwise, the afternoon would be brutal.
Plus, Corviknight and the others could rest inside their PokéBalls.
Lying in bed, Li Xiang stared at the ceiling before finally speaking.
"Song Jie. I need to say something. Don't get mad."
"Go ahead."
The white-haired boy's voice came from the other bed.
"Next time… let's split the points. Even if I take a bit more."
He spoke slowly, carefully. This was something he'd only say to Song Jie.
With Qu Sheng and Yang Tianwang, he was afraid of damaging their friendship.
Because friendships are fragile.
Sometimes, one sentence is all it takes to break them.
"...Why do you think I'm helping you?"
Song Jie sat up slightly, his gaze calm. Li Xiang turned his head. "You don't need the points?"
"Then why do you think Qu Sheng and the others are helping you?" Song Jie pressed.
Li Xiang lowered his voice. "...Because I helped them before?"
Song Jie shot up, his piercing stare making Li Xiang instinctively sit up too.
"You think this is some kind of transaction?"
The words were quiet but sharp.
Li Xiang couldn't meet his eyes. "Maybe 'mutual support' sounds better..."
He was admitting it.
Because in Li Xiang's mind, mutual benefit was the foundation of strong friendships. Give and take made relationships last. One-sided generosity would eventually collapse—and that wasn't friendship.
That was charity.
The room fell silent.
Then—
"Do you know what word I hate the most?" Song Jie suddenly changed the subject.
Li Xiang shook his head.
"'Profit.' The thing that reduces everything to a value." The white-haired boy leaned against the wall, head bowed.
"But the irony is, I benefit from it every second of my life. Everything about me is stamped with that word. It makes me feel like a hypocrite."
In the dim, curtained room, Song Jie's face was shadowed, almost blurred. Like he was remembering something painful.
Li Xiang's stomach twisted.
'I've messed up. I shouldn't have brought this up.'
He sighed inwardly. 'I overcomplicated things.'
Even in his past life, he'd hated owing people. Any kindness shown to him, he'd repay without fail, or his conscience wouldn't let him rest.
The dorm was suffocatingly quiet. Even the Rotom in his phone stayed silent. The Pokémon eavesdropping next door held their breaths.
Finally—
After two minutes of silence, Song Jie lay back down, voice muffled by his blanket.
"Friends. That's my answer. Points, rare items—I share them with you for that reason alone."
"That's the only reason I need."
With that, he pulled the covers over his head.
No further discussion.
Li Xiang, still silent, slowly looked up.
Friends.
The word undeniably symbolized camaraderie, but unlike the transactional friendship Li Xiang believed in—
Song Jie's version was pure, untainted by "profit," carrying his own personal hopes.
Why help Li Xiang?
Not for future returns. Not for favors. Just because they were friends.
Not the kind of "friends" who were really business partners—ready to cut ties the moment interests clashed.
Even if they stood on opposite sides one day, they'd still find a way to understand each other. To stay friends. Through thick and thin.
That was the friendship Song Jie wanted. And likely, Qu Sheng and Yang Tianwang felt the same.
Only Li Xiang was stuck viewing their bond through the lens of an "adult's" give-and-take.
'So… the problem was me all along.'
Li Xiang slowly curled up under his blanket, realizing something profound. Not everyone played by the rules of mutual benefit—no matter how prevalent they were in society.
When someone gives you their heart, and you treat it like a transaction…
Sigh.
'Making friends is hard.'
With that thought, Li Xiang sighed and drifted into an uneasy sleep.