Chapter Sixty-Two: Altering the Frequency of Mental Power

Ralts snatched the bottle of mineral water from Tang Yi’s hand, took a couple of gulps, and despite her shy gaze, a hint of delight shone through. During the morning classes, she had to stay inside her Poké Ball. Since she was almost always allowed to roam freely, Ralts had little experience with life inside the ball and hadn’t prepared any water in advance; truthfully, she had felt a bit thirsty earlier.

Zhang Chen and the others didn’t think much of it. However, Pikachu, Tranquill, and the Cottonball girl glanced over several times, each surprised by how indulgent Tang Yi was toward Ralts.

Practice resumed.

Cottonball took the initiative to attack again, now attempting to control Razor Leaf for a flanking assault. From the curled leaves at the girl’s sides, she launched Razor Leaf once more.

Tang Yi watched carefully, knowing the opposing team had definitely discussed flanking while resting, especially since the coach had hinted at it so much.

Which direction would it come from?

Right side?

No, both sides!

“Be careful! It’s coming from both sides!” Tang Yi responded decisively.

Almost in sync with his warning, blade-like green leaves split into two streams in midair, shooting from both sides at once.

Yang Fu felt a touch of pride. Even if Tang Yi could guess his intent, could Ralts defend against it?

Ralts stretched out her hands, psychic power extending once again. Both streams of green leaves halted in midair, just meters away, then dropped harmlessly to the ground.

Everyone was a bit astonished. Even for those not specializing in psychic types, it was clear that mastering dual-line psychic control took skill.

Coach Li Yaowen didn’t call for a stop this time, so practice continued.

“Cottonball, use Paralysis Powder!” Yang Fu wasn’t giving up; his desire to attack was strong.

Cottonball quickly released a cloud of Paralysis Powder from her palms, the pale dust drifting slowly toward Ralts.

“Quick, get out of the way!”

Ralts dashed to the other side of the field. Though her speed wasn’t great, the hit rate of Paralysis Powder was low to begin with, and she soon escaped its drifting range entirely.

Yang Fu couldn’t help but laugh, “Sorry, you fell for it! Cottonball, use Fairy Wind!”

The Cottonball girl lifted her curled shoulder leaves again, this time gathering pink energy, symbolic of the fairy type. The energy transformed into an invisible wind, blowing outward.

Both Ralts and Cottonball were fairy types, so Fairy Wind did little damage to Ralts. Yet, Cottonball and her trainer clearly had good synergy.

Fairy Wind wasn’t aimed directly at Ralts; instead, it lifted the Paralysis Powder that had floated in midair, sending it toward Ralts.

Yang Fu was pleased with his tactics. “Let’s see how you escape this time!”

Tang Yi wanted to tell Ralts to dodge, but he noticed she was slightly out of breath. The short sprint had clearly taxed her stamina, which was never her strong suit.

With Ralts’ untrained, short legs, if she got hit by Paralysis Powder, the match would essentially be over.

“Use Psychic!” Tang Yi called out again.

Ralts paused for an instant, but after just half a second, she chose to trust her trainer. Blue psychic energy extended from her hands.

Li Yaowen, who had been silently observing, shook his head.

There was little doubt about the outcome.

Psychic could stop Razor Leaf—even control two lines at once to thwart a sneak attack—but against Paralysis Powder, it was impossible to halt every grain drifting in all directions.

Ralts was already far more capable than Li Yaowen had expected, and Tang Yi didn’t seem to rely on luck as rumors claimed. Still, their overall strength was just a bit behind the other three.

Psychic energy was quickly swallowed up by the drifting powder, just as Li Yaowen had anticipated. Psychic couldn’t stop the powder lifted by Fairy Wind.

But Ralts didn’t give up. The blue waves growing between her hands became stronger and stronger, more concentrated. Though reserved, she was incredibly tenacious at times.

Yang Fu found it odd. This was just practice, and he wouldn’t allow Cottonball to actually harm Ralts. Normally, the coach would end the match at this point, when the outcome was clear, and begin analyzing and summarizing for both sides.

Just as Li Yaowen was about to speak, he suddenly widened his eyes in surprise and swallowed his words.

The blue psychic waves began to change, growing stronger and more intricate, like ripples spreading rapidly across a calm lake after a stone was thrown.

The drifting Paralysis Powder seemed to halt, unmoving. But a closer look revealed it wasn’t suspended—it was actually drifting in the opposite direction, back toward Cottonball.

Ralts was not controlling the powder with Psychic, but the direction of the Fairy Wind!

“So that’s it,” Li Yaowen nodded in approval and called out, “Alright, that’s enough. Everyone, stop!”

The purpose of practice wasn’t to win or lose, but to master skills and techniques.

“Well done, all of you,” Li Yaowen looked at Tang Yi. “No wonder you’ve been asking me about ways to improve psychic proficiency lately. This was your plan, wasn’t it?”

“Coach, how did he do that?” Yang Fu was still a bit confused.

The practice wasn’t about winning, but anyone could see that if the match continued, Cottonball would be at a huge disadvantage, suffering from her own Paralysis Powder.

“Normally, Psychic can only control solids, but by increasing its frequency, it’s possible to manipulate gases. Psychic trainers often practice this, but it’s rare for high school students to succeed.”

Li Yaowen didn’t hide his praise for Ralts and Tang Yi.

Tang Yi patted Ralts’s small head. “You really understood what I meant back then.”

Ralts shot him a look. “You’ve been making me practice this for weeks. I’m not stupid—I knew what you were aiming for.”

Repeated psychic practice was meant to gradually master changing the frequency of mental energy, laying the foundation for learning hypnosis. After two weeks of intensive training, it seemed there were finally results.

Li Yaowen called the other two over as well, using the opportunity to instruct: “You all saw the practice just now. Don’t dismiss basic skills just because they seem weak; even fundamental techniques, when repeatedly honed, can yield unexpected effects.”