Using Flying Water Shuriken to hit the ground was obviously meaningless, and it looked rather foolish, but Xia Hunaol wanted to. He hadn't honed this skill yet, and he absolutely wouldn't make a fool of himself.
As for why Aegislash didn't counterattack, it was mainly because it was intimidated by Froakie's wild momentum. Fortunately, Froakie's assault didn't last long, as doing so was too tiring.
Taking advantage of Xia Hunaol having Froakie retreat to rest, Gongsun Yu's Aegislash actively attacked with swordsmanship. However, rather than calling it swordsmanship, it was more like saber techniques. Aegislash's movements were all broad, sweeping slashes, with no light, intricate thrusts or jabs.
For moves like these, Froakie had no great pressure in dodging. As long as it was careful not to get hit by skills, the battle felt like a game for now.
But Xia Hunaol and Froakie didn't let their guard down. Xia Hunaol was that kind of person. On the surface, he might engage in open, grand exchanges, but in his heart, he might be plotting how to trick you.
As it turned out, Gongsun Yu and Xia Hunaol were birds of a feather. Just as Froakie dodged a slash from Aegislash, Aegislash directly slammed its shield forward, hitting Froakie squarely on the back. Fortunately, it wasn't particularly painful, and Froakie reacted quickly, not falling victim to the subsequent skills.
Xia Hunaol looked at Aegislash in the field and decided to use tactics to gain an advantage: "Froakie, let's try that one."
Everyone was puzzled. That one? What other moves did he have? It couldn't be another shuriken-on-the-floor trick, could it?
Xia Hunaol pointed at the ground: "Froakie, target Aegislash's feet, unleash a skill!"
Froakie didn't care about any specific skill and unleashed a barrage of attacks towards Aegislash, but the target was clearly not Aegislash. Gongsun Yu couldn't figure out Xia Hunaol's intentions, so he had Aegislash observe and wait.
Froakie's skills kicked up a large amount of dust, obscuring everyone's vision. Xia Hunaol smiled: "Now!"
Although they didn't know what Xia Hunaol was up to, taking a defensive stance couldn't be wrong. Aegislash directly placed its shield in front of itself, cautiously guarding its surroundings. The dust quickly dissipated, and when everyone looked at the two Pokémon, they found that nothing had happened.
Xia Hunaol burst out laughing: "You take everything I say seriously, don't you? Is it okay for you to be so tense? When a string is pulled too tight, it's bound to break. Froakie, another smoke screen."
Froakie unleashed another Dark Pulse at the ground, once again creating a large cloud of dust. However, perhaps because there were fewer skills, the dust cloud this time wasn't as extensive as before.
"Let's do it again, now, Ice Beam."
This time, Xia Hunaol called out the name. Gongsun Yu quickly had Aegislash assume a defensive posture. However, after the dust dissipated, just as everyone had guessed, nothing happened.
Even though nothing happened, who knew when something might. So Gongsun Yu's nerves became increasingly taut. Xia Hunaol looked at Gongsun Yu, whose eyes were fixed on Froakie: "You're different from how you were in previous matches. You weren't this nervous before, what's changed? Xue-jie, you try and talk some sense into him. If he keeps this up, he'll break down first."
Gongsun Xue nodded: "That's right, Xiao Yu. He's trying to break you down mentally. You mustn't fall for it."
With Gongsun Xue's persuasion, Gongsun Yu seemed to relax a little. Xia Hunaol nodded with satisfaction: "That's more like it. How can you enjoy a battle if you're so tense? But can you handle another psychological attack from me?"
Before Gongsun Yu could speak, the students nearby had already formed their answer: he couldn't. This wasn't because Xia Hunaol's psychological attacks were that strong, but mainly because Xia Hunaol was just so infuriatingly cunning!
As the saying goes, a mountain doesn't need to be high to have trees, and water doesn't need to be deep to have fish. A move doesn't need to be powerful, as long as it's cunning enough. Xia Hunaol's style of fighting, when there wasn't a significant skill gap, was quite invincible.
Take the current situation, for example. Xia Hunaol, while observing Gongsun Yu's reaction, asked Gongsun Xue with a smile: "Xue-jie, do you remember a move I used before?"
Gongsun Xue was taken aback. She didn't pay much attention to Xia Hunaol, so she didn't have a clear memory of the move he was referring to. Seeing Gongsun Xue's hesitation, Xia Hunaol naturally explained: "It was a move I used before, a palm strike that came from the sky. That move has evolved."
With Xia Hunaol's reminder, Gongsun Xue finally remembered that there had indeed been such a move after the New Year. But what had it evolved into?
Xia Hunaol waved his right hand: "Froakie, show him!"
Froakie started with a Shadow Clone. Two clones overlapped their hands and launched Froakie into the sky. In the air, Froakie did a somersault, bypassing the steel beam above the training ground, and condensed Dark Pulse in its hands, launching a downward assault.
"Take this. This is the victory of gravity and acceleration!"
Froakie propelled its Dark Pulse downwards with great speed. However, Aegislash simply sidestepped and dodged Froakie's attack. Huang Tianxiao glanced at Xia Hunaol. Given Xia Hunaol's abilities, he wouldn't come up with such a move.
Xia Hunaol nodded: "You dodged that quickly. Then try this. Froakie, Shadow Clone!"
Froakie, which initially had only a few clones, instantly became dozens of figures. Groups of three jumped up rapidly, coordinating seamlessly, forming dozens of shadows that descended from the sky simultaneously.
"Let's see how you dodge this!"
Xia Hunaol's attack rained down. Aegislash, however, decided to overpower it. It launched Sacred Sword at the Froakie above it. The two clashed fiercely. In the end, Aegislash proved superior, guessing Froakie's fake and destroying it. The other clones of Froakie dispersed, leaving Froakie to watch Aegislash from a distance.
Xia Hunaol panted: "As expected, it's not ordinary. Very difficult to deal with."
Froakie's condition was similar to Xia Hunaol's; they both appeared to be at their limit. Gongsun Yu seized the opportunity and had Aegislash launch a fierce offensive. However, Froakie, being a ninja Pokémon, was agile and managed to narrowly dodge Aegislash's attacks. Froakie slowly retreated towards Xia Hunaol, and Aegislash's attacks gradually pressed closer to Xia Hunaol.
Seeing Froakie retreating towards him, Xia Hunaol also backed away step by step. The surrounding students watched this scene with excitement. It was indeed the coach's cousin, who could even gain the upper hand. However, Gongsun Xue didn't think so. In her opinion, although Gongsun Yu's attack suppressed Xia Hunaol, such aggressive offense was prone to creating openings. There were many times when Froakie could have counterattacked with Flying Water Shuriken, but it only dodged. This struck Gongsun Xue as strange.
Just as Aegislash took a few more steps forward, Xia Hunaol's expression finally lightened: "I said earlier, this is an evolved palm strike from the sky!"
Following Xia Hunaol's words, a Froakie suddenly appeared in the sky, dragging a rapidly spinning Dark Pulse, and descended precisely onto Aegislash's back.
Aegislash, caught off guard from behind, lost its balance. Froakie then seized the opportunity, grabbed Aegislash, and used Tai Chi to throw it away. While flying through the air, Aegislash hadn't managed to regain its composure before Froakie flashed past and hit the ground with a Water Shuriken.
This sequence of movements was truly fluid. Aegislash was battered and confused. Aegislash, in a non-defensive state, wasn't particularly resilient. After taking such a combo from Froakie, it was already done for. Although it struggled to stand, Froakie easily exploited its opening and secured victory with Dark Pulse.
Xia Hunaol nodded with satisfaction: "I told you, I have a very powerful palm strike from the sky."
Gongsun Yu couldn't understand why Froakie would suddenly appear from the sky to attack. Huang Tianxiao, after a moment's thought, understood: "I get it. During the second surprise attack from above, the real Froakie was hidden on the beam. But because there were too many clones, and we were focused on the battle on the ground, we overlooked the possibility that Froakie might be hiding up there."
Upon hearing Huang Tianxiao's analysis, Xia Hunaol smiled: "As expected of the old captain from Lingling University, your analytical skills are excellent. I said before, to occupy heaven, earth, and humanity. If I can't occupy heaven and humanity here, can't I at least occupy the earth?"
After a few brief words, the students from Lingling University continued their practice. Xia Hunaol, meanwhile, accompanied Froakie to a corner to continue studying their martial arts manuals.
As he was looking, Xia Hunaol felt someone standing in front of him. He looked up: "Shuang-jie, what is it?"
Gongsun Shuang pointed to Gongsun Xue beside her: "Two things. First, Xue-jie wants to ask if you were holding back. Second, do you have a Pokémon that will learn to dance with me?"
Xia Hunaol was taken aback: "Holding back, well, I intended to, but I didn't get the chance to be 'held back.' As for the second question, Shuang-jie, don't you already have that unworthy disciple, Zhang Hong?"
Gongsun Shuang, who had been in a good mood, instantly became angry upon hearing Xia Hunaol mention Zhang Hong: "You dare mention him to me? Are you rebelling, you brat! Come on, come with me to practice."
Xia Hunaol quickly waved his hands: "My mistake, my mistake. Senior sister, you just want to teach our little princess to dance, right? I agree, isn't that enough?"
Saying that, Xia Hunaol released Princess from her Poké Ball: "Princess, listen to me, will you go and learn to dance with this beautiful sister?"
Diancie glanced at Gongsun Shuang, then nodded happily.