Pokémon Home's backyard.
“I'm so glad I carefully chose this property back then,” Gu Xin said with a satisfied smile, surveying the spacious area.
The backyard had plenty of room for activities like Pokémon battles—just as he'd envisioned when purchasing the store.
“So, are you two ready?”
Gu Xin positioned Chu Kelian and Lin Sheng on opposite sides and asked with a grin.
Beside him, Bai Qianqian watched with curiosity, while Diancie stood further back, holding a camera.
Gu Xin had tasked Diancie with recording the event.
“Totally ready!”
“I'm good to go.”
Chu Kelian was full of energy, her extroverted personality shining through.
Lin Sheng, on the other hand, was visibly nervous. As an introverted gamer, his heart raced with excitement at this entirely new activity.
“Alright then, this is the battle between Chu Kelian and Lin Sheng,” Gu Xin announced with a smile.
“Rules: 1v1. Each side uses one Pokémon. The battle ends when one Pokémon is incapacitated or loses the will to fight. Let the match begin!”
After explaining the rules, Gu Xin stepped back, leaving the field to the two Trainers.
“This feels so formal and professional,” Bai Qianqian remarked, blinking as she glanced at Gu Xin.
This mysterious shop owner seemed to know so much about these Pokémon.
“Kelian, you've got this!” Bai Qianqian cheered for her best friend.
“Squirtle! Squirtle! (Fight! Fight!)”
Squirtle waved its tiny arms enthusiastically, egging the combatants on.
“Haha! Of course! Charmander, take down that fox!”
“Char!”
Chu Kelian's confidence radiated as she called out to her Charmander.
However, her shy little lizard looked less than confident, letting out a timid chirp.
“My Vulpix won't lose to some lizard!”
Spurred by his opponent's boldness, Lin Sheng retorted, his competitive side showing.
“You—!” Chu Kelian was fuming. “Who are you calling a lizard?!”
“Ahem. Sorry to interrupt, but this is a Pokémon battle, not a shouting match. You need to give your Pokémon commands, not argue,” Gu Xin said, pinching the bridge of his nose.
Was I expecting too much from them?
“Let me think for a second,” Chu Kelian muttered, suddenly flustered as she pulled out her Pokédex to review Charmander's moves.
She had completely forgotten what moves her Pokémon could use.
“Ember, Growl, Scratch…”
Watching Chu Kelian flip through her Pokédex in the middle of a battle, Gu Xin felt his head throb.
Good grief…
“Vulpix, use Ember!”
Compared to Chu Kelian, Lin Sheng was far more prepared, having already practiced using Vulpix's moves.
“Vul~”
Vulpix opened its mouth, releasing a flurry of tiny embers that shot toward Charmander.
Unprepared and without orders from its Trainer, Charmander was struck and knocked to the ground.
“Charmander, are you okay?”
Chu Kelian gasped, rushing to her Pokémon's side.
“Char…”
Charmander stood up and let out a soft cry, signaling it was fine. Though it bore some minor burns, the damage was light—fire moves were not very effective against a fellow fire-type.
Relieved, Chu Kelian glared at Lin Sheng.
“You're so sneaky! How could you ambush my Charmander?!”
“Miss, be reasonable! You didn't give any orders! This is a legitimate battle, not an ambush,” Lin Sheng shot back, indignant.
“The boss clearly said the battle had started.”
“Ugh! Charmander, use Ember too!”
Frustrated, Chu Kelian barked her command.
Lin Sheng froze for a moment, while Bai Qianqian looked on, puzzled.
Charmander puffed up its belly and fired a series of small fireballs toward Vulpix.
To Chu Kelian's surprise, Lin Sheng didn't order Vulpix to dodge. But what happened next shocked her.
The embers hit Vulpix, but instead of causing damage, they were absorbed, surrounding Vulpix in a faint red glow that made it look even more radiant.
“What just happened?” Chu Kelian was dumbfounded.
“It's Flash Fire, you idiot! We looked at Vulpix's abilities earlier, remember?”
Unable to hold back, Bai Qianqian scolded her friend.
Lin Sheng's smug expression practically screamed, Is this person even serious?
“Ah, I forgot…” Chu Kelian's face turned bright red.
Right, Vulpix's Flash Fire ability made it immune to fire moves and even boosted its own fire attacks when hit by them.
“Vulpix, use Ember again!”
Lin Sheng grinned from ear to ear. Battling an inexperienced opponent was too much fun.
This time, Vulpix's embers were stronger, the flames brighter and more concentrated thanks to its powered-up ability.
“Charmander, dodge!” Bai Qianqian shouted anxiously, stepping in to give proper advice.
But while Charmander tried to escape with its short legs, a couple of embers still managed to hit it, though the damage remained minimal.
“This is what they call a battle of rookies,” Gu Xin muttered, unable to watch any longer.
One Pokémon kept spamming Ember in place, while the other scrambled clumsily to dodge.
So much for this being the first-ever Pokémon battle in the world…
Meanwhile, Diancie, camera in hand, stifled a yawn with its free hand.
This is less exciting than watching Tom and Jerry.
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]