Chapter 141: Passed

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As it turned out, Li Xiang's guess was correct. 

Oricorio didn't know Hurricane, the highest-power Flying-type special move. 

What it excelled at was a move called Revelation Dance, which changed type along with its own form. 

In short, if Oricorio was currently Fire/Flying-type, then Revelation Dance would be Fire-type, and Fire-type moves in the rain would have their power drastically reduced. 

"Don't let it escape the range!" 

Li Xiang shouted over the howling wind and the pouring rain, making sure Riolu in the sky could hear him. 

The rain cloud's coverage was tiny—only about two hundred square meters—utterly insignificant compared to the battlefield, but there was no helping it. 

The candies didn't increase Riolu's total energy reserves, so Li Xiang couldn't recklessly spam weather moves without restraint. 

The pain of having to conserve everything… was truly unbearable. 

Fortunately, weather moves were centered around the user, meaning the rain cloud could follow Riolu. As long as Riolu stuck close, Oricorio wouldn't be able to escape. 

Li Xiang could feel his freshly changed clothes slowly soaking through, clinging uncomfortably to his skin, yet he pressed his lips together, refusing to step back, his gaze fixed on Riolu and the Oricorio opposite it. 

One chased, the other fled, both moving rapidly across the battlefield. 

As Oricorio flew forward, its wings continuously shot out fiery black feathers that burned fiercely even in the rain, twisting and turning like homing missiles as they streaked toward Riolu. 

"It can't outrun you! Use Thunder Punch to close in! Don't be afraid of the fire feathers!" 

Li Xiang kept shouting—he had to. The rain and wind would drown out any softer commands, and if Riolu didn't hear him, it might act on its own. 

No response. 

Or perhaps the response was drowned out. 

Above, lightning flickered in the sky, bolts crisscrossing through the dark clouds—an effect of Riolu's Thunder Punch—which only made the ambient noise even louder. 

Amid the blinding flashes, clusters of flame arrows, no thicker than twigs, burst apart one after another. Clearly, Riolu had listened to Li Xiang's orders, no longer dodging blindly but charging forward bravely. 

Explosions, thunder, rain, wind— 

All of it filled the ears of every living thing on the battlefield. 

On the other side, 

The examiner was also shouting, clutching a small bottle in his hand, directing Oricorio to escape the rain cloud's range. 

Originally, he could've used one of the four nectars provided by the association to change Oricorio's form—this was allowed, as a Pokémon's innate abilities weren't restricted by the rules. 

But with the rain and wind this heavy, throwing the bottle might not even reach Oricorio. 

Was it really stuck in its disadvantageous Fire form now!? 

When it could've been Ghost, Electric, or Psychic instead… 

This kid was really… 

The examiner glanced at Li Xiang, who was drenched but still keeping up relentlessly. This world wasn't lacking in geniuses, but he hadn't expected to run into one during a routine exam. 

In the end, Oricorio still failed to evade Riolu's pursuit. A Thunder Punch slammed down from above, sending it crashing to the ground. 

Electricity crackled, Oricorio's cries lost in the rain, its fiery feathers now splattered with mud. Coincidentally, where it landed was near the edge of the large battlefield. 

"Now's my chance!" 

The examiner's eyes lit up as he uncapped the indigo bottle in his hand and flung the nectar inside toward Oricorio! 

If Oricorio could ingest even a little, it could transform! 

But unfortunately, Li Xiang had been watching him for a while. 

"Quick Attack!" 

Li Xiang yelled at the top of his lungs, and Riolu in the sky streaked down like a silver bolt of lightning, slamming into Oricorio below! 

Boom! 

Mud and water splashed everywhere— 

Blocking the flung nectar completely! 

"Riolu!" 

Having successfully landed on Oricorio and using it as a cushion, Riolu raised its paw, gathering crackling electricity. Ignoring Oricorio's frantic struggles and panicked thrashing, it drove the Thunder Punch straight into its head! 

Zap—BOOM! 

Yellow light flared and exploded, white smoke rising as irregular currents of electricity danced through the air. 

Thanks to the rain, the smoke cleared quickly, and the examiner saw his Oricorio, "effortlessly" defeated. 

"I…" 

He opened his mouth, glanced at the bottle in his hand, and sighed before recalling Oricorio. 

A freshly assigned Pokémon facing off against one meticulously raised by a trainer—this was the result. 

These exam rules were practically… handing out free passes. 

Silently, the examiner unclipped the third Poké Ball from his belt and released it. A small, chocolate-bar-like Pokémon with stubby limbs and antennae landed on the ground. 

It swayed its branch-like arms, the three green orbs at the tips (fingers? something else?) rattling like maracas. 

—The Rock-type Sudowoodo, also known as the "Fake Tree," with an extreme aversion to water. 

"Woo-shoo!" 

Sudowoodo let out a pitiful wail—even though Riolu hadn't touched it yet. Just stepping in a puddle and getting rained on was enough. 

Riolu was so startled it froze, staring blankly at this… comedy act of a Pokémon, its earlier momentum completely halted. 

"...Comedian?" 

Li Xiang's lips twitched as he glanced at the examiner, who was now facepalming, looking utterly exasperated. 

What were the higher-ups thinking… 

Giving me this thing… Well, they probably hadn't expected this Riolu to set up rain, let alone rain this persistent. 

"Alright, switch out. This guy's gonna be busy suffering for a while." 

Li Xiang recalled Riolu. It had taken down two opponents already—time to give someone else a turn. 

Riolu hesitated, wanting to say it could easily finish off the joke of a Pokémon with one Force Palm, but in the end, it stayed silent. 

Frogadier volunteered eagerly—normally, Torracat would've been the loudest, but ever since being wrapped up by that Muk, it had developed a temporary phobia of mud and water. 

Damn that Riolu and its rain! 

Torracat grumpily licked its fur inside its PokéBall, sulking over its lost chance to battle. 

On the field… 

Frogadier landed. 

Rain was a Water-type's domain—but a nightmare for its weaknesses. 

Sudowoodo flailed around for a while, realizing it couldn't escape the rain no matter what, before angrily charging at Frogadier, its maraca-like arms glowing green. 

—Wood Hammer. 

If Li Xiang wasn't mistaken, that was the move. 

But there was no way Sudowoodo was catching Frogadier. The moment it landed, Frogadier vanished, blending seamlessly into the rain-soaked battlefield. 

Textbooks often said rain made invisible Pokémon more visible, and that was true, but first, you needed the eyesight to see it. 

With insufficient lighting, who could really tell whether the rippling raindrops were hitting the ground… or Frogadier? 

Besides…..

Pshhh— 

Dark smoke billowed up from somewhere, quickly covering a small section of the field. 

Visibility dropped even further, and any chance of Sudowoodo belatedly using Mimic was gone. 

Li Xiang knew his job here was done and quietly retreated from the danger zone to avoid getting caught in Sudowoodo's blind flailing. 

If Frogadier could lose to this joke of a Pokémon, it might as well retire early and become a mascot. Any dreams of being an assassin or killer would be over. 

Sure enough, less than two minutes later, Frogadier taught Sudowoodo a lesson with the glowing blue sphere it had formed. 

—Pathetic. 

Frogadier shot Sudowoodo a disdainful look. 

The examiner, doubling as referee, blew his whistle, declaring the exam officially over—and Li Xiang's effortless victory. 

"Congratulations." 

He stamped Li Xiang's exam slip with a gilded seal. 

"Take this to the front hall. They'll issue your Trainer Card there." 

"Thanks." 

Li Xiang took it, examined it briefly, then recalled Frogadier. 

He turned toward the waiting room to grab his things, then left without another word, powering his phone back on. 

This match had never been in doubt—the examiner was at too much of a disadvantage. As long as the examinee's Pokémon weren't all on their last legs, passing wasn't hard. 

The real challenge was mentality. 

Arriving at the hall the examiner mentioned, Li Xiang handed over his exam slip at a counter but found his mind wandering. 

This was his first time battling in a large-scale arena, and he'd noticed many of his own shortcomings. 

For example—commanding. 

When Riolu set up the rain, he'd been shouting nonstop below, nearly losing his voice, but when Frogadier took the field, he had nothing to do, just spectating from the sidelines. 

In lower-tier battles, Pokémon matches were usually trainer-led. From commands to movement, every choice was dictated by the trainer. 

But in higher-tier battles, the trainer's direct orders decreased drastically. 

Of course, that didn't mean trainers became useless in high-level matches, relegated to backstage roles. 

Never underestimate the species that dominated a world full of miraculous creatures. 

While humans couldn't match Pokémon in raw power once fully grown, in many other aspects, they were no less capable. 

The bigger reason was that as the bond between Pokémon and trainer deepened, they often didn't even need words. 

A glance, a gesture, a whistle— 

Or even, telepathic communication. 

Basically, those who know, know. Those who don't, wouldn't understand even if told. 

In many cases, language was inadequate. Things that happened in split seconds couldn't be conveyed in time with words. 

That was why the tacit understanding between Pokémon and trainer was so crucial. 

It was built over years of trust, meaning the two were an inseparable whole. Without being the most sincere of partners, this kind of synergy was impossible. 

To fix the "shouting commands or having nothing to do" issue, only time and more bonding could help. 

Unless, of course, you had some special ability to mentally link with your Pokémon. 

Then there was the stamina problem. 

Large arenas required trainers to move constantly, especially in high-speed battles, making physical endurance vital. 

If you didn't keep up, how could you even tell what was happening? 

And if you were nearsighted? Even funnier. Can't tell genders past five meters, can't distinguish humans from animals past fifty. You might even mistake a fierce clash for a makeout session. 

In short, if you wanted to be a trainer, you had to be able to run. 

And you had to last.