Read advance chapters for both of my work, exclusively on Patreon at - www.patreon.com/Sniperwoof
-----------------
The flow of battle changes in an instant.
Fang Xin had no time to think, so he chose—to play it safe.
"Protect!"
A green shield of light enveloped Blaziken, blocking the barrage of Water Shuriken flying toward it.
Or rather, appearing to block them.
In reality, the moment the shuriken touched the shield, they dissipated into nothing.
Every single one.
"All fakes?!"
Fang Xin was stunned. He hadn't expected every shuriken to be an illusion.
'Why? To bait out Blaziken's Protect? Then where's the real one?!'
His eyes darted around the battlefield—until he spotted Greninja, standing in a corner, still holding two Water Shuriken in its hands. And just as Fang Xin saw it, the ninja Pokémon hurled them straight at Blaziken!
Delayed.
Like lag in an online game.
'That's the real one!'
"Behind you! Double Kick!" Fang Xin shouted.
Blaziken's long, powerful legs ignited with a crimson glow as it spun and lashed out—
Boom! Boom!
The Water Shuriken exploded on impact, releasing a burst of steam that filled the air.
"Got you!"
Fang Xin grinned. "Flame Charge!"
Blaziken's body erupted in flames as it charged straight at Greninja!
With Agility boosting its speed, Speed Boost passively raising it further, and now Flame Charge stacking on top, Blaziken's velocity had reached terrifying levels.
In the blink of an eye, the fiery fighter crossed the distance—
CRASH!
It slammed into Greninja, sparks flying!
And without needing another command, Blaziken's fist blazed forward, flames stretching from its wrist like a comet's tail as it uppercut Greninja straight into the air!
CRACK!
A sharp sound echoed as Greninja's body rocketed skyward, the force of the punch seemingly shattering its jaw.
"Hit!"
Fang Xin couldn't help but cheer. "Finish it! High Jump Kick!"
Flame Charge → Sky Uppercut → High Jump Kick.
Even with Protean turning it Water-type after the shuriken, Greninja's durability was paper-thin. This should be game over!
"Blaz—!"
Blaziken crouched, its left knee glowing crimson as it prepared to leap....
But before it could—
THUD!
An invisible force crashed onto its back like a falling boulder, slamming Blaziken face-first into the ground!
"GYAAAA—!"
The High Jump Kick was interrupted mid-motion, leaving Blaziken writhing in pain.
"What the—?! Where did that attack come from?!"
Fang Xin frantically scanned the battlefield but saw nothing.
Then he looked up—
The Greninja that had been sent flying by the Sky Uppercut was now dissipating like mist.
A Substitute.
'That wasn't the real Greninja either! Is it… on Blaziken's back right now?!'
Panic set in.
"Blaze Kick the ground!"
Pinned by the unseen force, Blaziken stomped down with all its might.
BOOOOM—!!!
A seismic explosion of fire erupted beneath it, the shockwave blasting Blaziken forward and breaking the hold!
Freedom!
Twisting midair, Blaziken landed in a defensive stance—exhausted but alert. That single attack had decimated its stamina.
"How did it—? Extrasensory!"
Fang Xin muttered before realizing—
Extrasensory, a Psychic-type move. Invisible to the naked eye.
Unlike moves like Psychic or Psybeam, it had no visual trail. Only special methods could detect it.
But before he could warn Blaziken, a torrent of water materialized in midair, crashing down like a dragon's roar!
SLAM!
Blaziken had no time to dodge. The crushing wave hammered it into the ground, washing away the last of its strength.
No scream. No struggle.
Just silent defeat.
"PEEEEP—!!"
The referee's whistle blew.
Match over.
....
Fang Xin silently recalled Blaziken, deep in thought.
'Camouflage + Extrasensory combo. Water Pledge for the finisher. The Substitute earlier must've been to lure Blaziken into position…'
He took a deep breath, replaying the battle in his mind.
Smokescreen to obscure vision.
Double Team to create illusions.
Substitute as a second layer of deception.
The real Greninja, hidden elsewhere, striking with invisible Extrasensory—forcing Blaziken to burn its escape move.
Water Pledge to finish it off when weakened.
From start to finish, Fang Xin never even saw Greninja's real body. He'd been played like a fiddle, every "counter" just another step into Greninja's trap.
'This guy… how is his mind this sharp?'
Fang Xin had the post-battle clarity to piece most of it together, but two things still baffled him:
'How were the Double Team clones invisible? How did the Substitute use moves?'
He glanced at Li Xiang—standing calmly across the field—and couldn't help but click his tongue.
'No wonder Luo Dayou avoids him after losing. Is this guy… really our age?'
For a second, Fang Xin wondered if Li Xiang had lied about his age.
'Maybe he's actually fifteen? A repeater?'
…Nah.
That was just copium.
.....
Li Xiang's Side.
Li Xiang retrieved his ID card from the referee, then looked around before spotting Greninja—already beside him, as if it had teleported.
"Good work."
He patted Greninja's shoulder and popped an energy cube into its mouth.
Greninja had a sweet tooth, but not the cloying kind—more like the delicate sweetness of flower nectar.
Annoyingly picky.
When Li Xiang had tried making Pokémon food, Greninja was the only one who refused to give a passing grade.
'Even Incineroar gave me a 60! "Edible, but barely." This guy? Not even close.'
Thinking about it, Li Xiang gave Greninja a light shove. Greninja tilted its head, blinking.
'…You good, bro?'
"Ahem. Nothing." Li Xiang coughed. "So, Blaziken's kicking power—got a read on it?"
Greninja nodded.
Blaziken's kicks were no joke, and Fang Xin hadn't even shown all his cards. The scariest part was how its kicks grew exponentially stronger as its speed increased.
Even without Swords Dance, the sheer force was terrifying.
Earlier, despite being pinned by a STAB, super-effective Extrasensory, Blaziken had still broken free with a single Blaze Kick.
That alone spoke volumes.
Li Xiang wasn't about to underestimate it. Greninja had only won because Blaziken couldn't find the real target.
No matter how strong your kicks are, they're useless if you can't hit anything.
And misleading the opponent was Greninja's specialty—using Camouflage, Double Team, and Substitute to create a labyrinth of fakes.
A straight-up brawler like Blaziken stood no chance.
But that didn't mean Fang Xin was weak.
Far from it.
In terms of ace Pokémon, Fang Xin was below Song Jie but above Qu Sheng. Way stronger than Luo Dayou.
As for his other Pokémon…
Li Xiang's personal rating: Yikes.
Most teen trainers focused all their effort on their first three Pokémon, neglecting the rest.
It made sense—time and energy were limited.
To stand out and secure better training environments, they had to prioritize. Unless, like Li Xiang, you had rare candies to cheat progress…
Or, like Song Jie, you were born into unlimited resources.
Or you were just built different.
Fang Xin, as the grandson of Green City's vice president, actually had decent backups. Good enough for C-rank battles, at least.
Li Xiang was just too harsh a critic.
....
Back in the Dorm
Li Xiang sat at his desk, typing up battle notes and tracking Greninja's progress.
Lately, he'd been experimenting with making Greninja's Substitute use moves independently—like a true clone.
In the battle, the Substitute had "used" Water Shuriken only because the real Greninja had handed it the pre-formed shuriken.
Not because it generated them itself.
Same with the invisible Double Team clones—those were just Greninja using Camouflage-linked foam strings to manipulate them from afar.
Not what Li Xiang wanted.
Could a Substitute truly use moves?
In his memories, yes.
His reference? Red's Pikachu from Pokémon Adventures.
That electric rodent had once sent its Substitute through a barrier to Thunderbolt a Mr. Mime.
It had even turned its Substitute into a surfboard to learn Surf.
If Pikachu could do it, why not Greninja?
Mechanically, Substitute worked by splitting off HP and shaping it into a decoy.
So…
'What if it split off energy too? Could the decoy then use moves?'
Li Xiang was determined to find out.