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The "masked" strategy was still working like a charm.
After changing clothes, identifying someone based solely on height was nearly impossible. Few could recognize him before the battle even started. And since he deliberately picked remote spots to fight, his appearance never spread.
Most students had the mentality of dragging others down with them—secretly hoping Li Xiang would wreak havoc on more people.
Of course, there were clever spies too.
But most of them weren't interested in sharing intel. Once they figured out where Li Xiang was, they quietly slipped away.
Mainly because they feared that if they told others, Li Xiang might find out and target them in retaliation.
'Better you than me. The best strategy is to run.'
Common sense, really.
Thanks to these people, Li Xiang was able to collect wooden tokens at a speed no slower than yesterday. Midway through, he ran into Bai Zhou again—the guy who was afraid of the dark.
The boy rushed over excitedly, complaining about how he'd been fooled into thinking Li Xiang's name was "Hong Lingjin," only to be mocked by two older girls who knew the truth.
Li Xiang apologized and promptly challenged him, successfully claiming another token while Bai Zhou wore a pitiful expression.
"Thanks."
Fifty points in the bag. Li Xiang was in an excellent mood. "By the way, do you know where Lü Yi is? Or Lü Ling?"
Even though he'd battled them yesterday, every day was a fresh start. Why not farm them for tokens daily?
Bai Zhou shook his head. He'd just recovered from his claustrophobia episode and hadn't found anyone yet.
Then he added, "You could wait a bit. My Starmie can fly up and draw a signal in the sky. They'll come if they see it."
Starmie—once believed to be a Pokémon from outer space—could project messages like neon lights into the air. Its radio waves were said to reach the depths of the universe.
Not a bad idea. But Li Xiang wasn't about to waste time on a single token.
He pointed south. "How about this? Tell them to meet me at the southern rest station. I'll wait for them there."
If he was going to wait anyway, he might as well do it at the rest stop.
Bai Zhou glanced in the direction and nodded. "Got it."
With that agreement, Li Xiang set off, stepping on crispy dead leaves as he vanished into the shadowy thicket.
Bai Zhou watched his retreating figure with admiration and envy.
"If only I could be that strong one day," the boy muttered under his breath.
Southern Rest Station
Li Xiang was, once again, the first to arrive.
Since his Pokémon still had plenty of stamina and he wasn't tired, he didn't go inside. Instead, he lurked near the station, ambushing any students who approached.
It was basically like a bandit collecting tolls.
Many students were furious but powerless—after all, they couldn't beat Li Xiang.
In the training camp, weakness was the original sin. As long as no rules were broken, any method of earning points was fair game.
Their only options were to sneak in while Li Xiang was busy battling someone else or take a detour.
Thanks to the enthusiastic "participation" of his fellow students, Li Xiang's pockets steadily grew heavier.
Until Qu Sheng showed up.
"So… 'This mountain is mine, these trees are mine'?"
Qu Sheng stared at the masked figure who'd suddenly jumped out and raised an eyebrow.
"Pretty much. Everyone passing through has to pay the toll," Li Xiang replied with a grin. "Honestly, I think this is way more efficient than running around aimlessly."
In the wild, people would just run from him. Chasing them was a hassle.
But at the rest station entrance? All he had to do was wait.
"You're the only person shameless enough to pull this off," Qu Sheng said, twitching his lips.
Without overwhelming strength, who would dare do something like this? Blocking the path as if everyone else's Pokémon were just weeds waiting to be scythed down?
Li Xiang waved it off. "So, waiting inside or outside? They'll probably take a while to get here."
Just as he finished speaking, three figures appeared around the distant corner—Lin Feng, Xu Wan, and Yang Tianwang, chatting and laughing like they were having the time of their lives.
'No sign of Song Jie yet?'
Li Xiang raised an eyebrow, wondering if the guy had run into Gong Xu again and gotten challenged. Or maybe he'd spawned at the northernmost rest station?
Otherwise, how could he be this late?
Either way, Song Jie was officially "late."
The five of them waited outside the station. Li Xiang suggested the others go in first, but they refused, insisting on entering together.
Left with nothing better to do, they formed a bandit squad and started shaking down approaching students.
Then.... instead of Song Jie, the people Li Xiang had been waiting for showed up.
The Lü sisters from Yongcheng's training camp, with Bai Zhou trailing behind them.
The moment Yang Tianwang spotted the girl with the high ponytail, he flinched like he'd been conditioned—jumping out before they even got close.
'Oof. He must've lost badly to have PTSD like that.'
Li Xiang and the others followed.
The two groups faced off.
After some pointless introductions, they picked their opponents.
When trainers' eyes meet, a battle must follow. An old saying from the golden age of trainers.
Li Xiang's goal, naturally, was to take both sisters down. Bai Zhou? Nah, already harvested him once. Tomorrow was another day.
As it turned out, Lü Ling's younger sister, Lü Yi, was also interested in Li Xiang—eager to see if the guy who'd beaten her sister was really as strong as people claimed.
They found a suitably large clearing. No referee needed.
After showing each other their chosen PokéBalls, the battle began!
Bang! Bang!
Two soft pops, followed by heavy thuds.
"Squeee—!!"
"Roarr!!"
A massive, pitch-black plush bear with a pink head, wing-like white ears, and watery eyes landed on the field.
Opposite it, a crimson-and-black tiger-man roared back, shaking the air—one cry sharp, the other deep and thunderous.
—A Normal/Fighting-type Bewear.
In the anime, fans called this thing the "Bear God"—a terrifying Pokémon capable of crushing helicopter blades with one hand and running across oceans.
This one probably wasn't that ridiculous. But based on Yang Tianwang's intel, it was still a minor cheat.
Unfortunately for it, its Ability was Fluffy.
When Incineroar landed, its Intimidate triggered—but all it did was lower Bewear's Attack, failing to freeze it in place.
'Definitely got something up its sleeve.'
Li Xiang's expression didn't change, but he didn't order an immediate attack. Instead, he paused briefly before murmuring, "Nasty Plot."
Across the field, Lü Yi had Bewear use Protect. She'd studied Li Xiang and knew that when he led with Incineroar, he loved opening with Fake Out.
But to her surprise, instead of charging in, Incineroar just stood there, striking a weird pose as three question marks floated above its head.
She'd been read like a book!
Lü Yi's heart skipped a beat. Realizing Li Xiang had predicted her, she quickly shouted, "Taunt!"
But—
Li Xiang had predicted that too.
"Protect."
A green shield flared up just in time to block Bewear's mocking expression and the invisible energy that followed.
Outplayed completely!
Lü Yi's face stiffened. She hadn't expected every move to be anticipated.
But she knew this was just a temporary setback.
"Bulk Up!"
Bewear's cute paws tensed, its body creaking as a red glow enveloped it—like a berserker entering a frenzy.
'Weird animation.'
Li Xiang smirked internally but kept his voice calm. "Taunt."
He'd guessed that after failing with Taunt once, Lü Yi wouldn't try again—opting to buff instead.
The girl probably thought: If Incineroar already got a boost, missing Taunt once doesn't matter. Trying again would just waste a turn—and Incineroar might get a second boost in the meantime.
'Oh, sweet summer child.'
Li Xiang's gaze was almost pitying. She likely assumed Incineroar was a full-on attacker, given how it always one-shot opponents.
Too bad.
'My Incineroar is a bulky semi-support.'
"Roarr..."
The tiger-cat scoffed at the red-glowing Bewear, exhaling through its teeth.
It didn't even need to beckon—that look alone was enough to ignite Bewear's rage.
"SQUEE—!!"
The giant plush bear shrieked in fury.
Taunt had landed!
Lü Yi's heart clenched, then relaxed. Her Bewear didn't rely much on status moves anyway. One Bulk Up was enough.
At close range, even if Protect was fast, it wouldn't be fast enough.
"Force Palm!"
She yelled, and Bewear lunged at Incineroar.
But—
Incineroar didn't move.
It just stood there, waiting, looking utterly unbothered.
Lü Yi was confused, but she trusted Bewear's damage output—especially after Bulk Up.
'Go ahead, tank it if you dare!'
A brownish-red glow lit up Bewear's right fist, dazzlingly bright.
Unlike Riolu's ranged version, this Force Palm was purely melee—designed to deliver devastating impact and send foes flying.
Li Xiang didn't need that effect much, preferring the ranged variant, so he rarely had Riolu use it this way.
On the field—
Bewear was now right in Incineroar's face.
Yet the tiger-cat still didn't react, just staring down at its opponent with that infuriating smirk.
This only made Bewear angrier, its fist glowing even brighter. But even in its rage, the plush bear stayed wary—wondering if Incineroar was setting up a Counter.
'—Like hell you are! If you're not doing anything, stop acting so smug!'
Bewear's fist slammed forward!
BOOM!
A direct hit to Incineroar's stomach!
Then—CRACK!
Secondary damage erupted!
Invisible force pierced through Incineroar's body, exploding outward from its back!
The impact lifted it slightly off the ground. Its eyes widened, a pained expression twisting its face.
Behind it, a breeze brushed past Li Xiang's calm features. As the attack ended, Bewear slowly retracted its fist.
Incineroar began to kneel....
'Wait... No...'
Despite taking a full-power Force Palm to the gut, Incineroar remained standing.
Then, it let out a small burp.
"Roarrr… urp!"
The tiger-man rubbed its belly, grinned at the stunned Bewear, and cracked its knuckles.
'Sorry, ate a bit too much for breakfast. My turn now?'
Incineroar's eyes sharpened like blades!