Chapter 17: The Rival
Chapter 17: Rival
“Beep!”
“Defeated Pokémon: Floatzel”
“Experience +53”
A new notification popped up in the system’s message bar.
With a sense of accomplishment, Lu Yun opened the attribute panel once again.
Species: Mareep
Level: 14 (73/100)
Skills: Tackle, Growl, Thunder Wave, Hidden Power (Dragon), Shock, Cotton Spore
Evaluation: A Mareep on the verge of evolution
Over these ten days, Lu Yun had fought one or two deadly battles every day.
He encountered opponents of varying strength. Against weaker foes, he didn’t even need to use Hidden Power, easily dispatching them with Shock and other moves, though the experience gained was minimal.
But against strong adversaries, like today’s Floatzel, even with an advantageous type matchup, Lu Yun had to use every trick he knew and remain exceedingly cautious just to barely win.
Of course, the experience was bountiful—almost fifty points in a single battle.
Through this effort, Lu Yun had finally raised his level to fourteen and mastered a new skill: Cotton Spore.
This move released a flurry of fluff across the battlefield, reducing the opponent’s speed.
Lu Yun innovated, merging Mareep’s innate ability, Static, with Cotton Spore, infusing the spores with a trace of electricity.
If an enemy was careless and touched enough wool, the currents could accumulate and paralyze their body.
As a Mareep with merely six skills, Lu Yun felt quite proud of devising such a clever combination.
He glanced at his attributes and noticed the evaluation had changed from “high-level Mareep” to “Mareep about to evolve.”
He pondered silently.
“In my previous life, Mareep evolved at level fifteen in the Pokémon games.”
“So, if I fight just one more battle, I’ll evolve?”
His heart surged with excitement.
After all, in the world of Pokémon, evolution was the fastest way to become stronger.
If he could evolve, he believed his points at the end of this cycle would increase significantly.
Suppressing his excitement, Lu Yun resolved to prepare thoroughly for his next battle—to meet his evolution head-on.
Little did he know, he was about to face the most arduous battle since his birth.
………………………………………………
Inside an office cluttered with fitness equipment.
A burly figure swung his fists powerfully at a punching bag.
Sharp, almond-shaped eyes gleamed with intensity. His angular face was drenched in sweat, bronze skin radiating vitality, and strong muscles hinted at immense strength.
Case was originally the owner of a fighting dojo affiliated with the League.
Later, due to certain events, he encountered the “Dark Star” organization and was recruited.
Thanks to his formidable prowess, Case climbed steadily within Dark Star, rising to a mid-high position and becoming the manager of the Shadow Deathmatch Arena.
He was quite satisfied with the job. Though the profits couldn’t compare to logistics or combat divisions, he could still earn by selling off Pokémon discarded by the organization.
By gifting outstanding performers from the deathmatch arena, he’d forged many beneficial connections within Dark Star, paving the way for his future advancement.
Most importantly, being the Shadow Deathmatch Arena manager was extremely leisurely.
He only had to handle major incidents; his subordinates took care of the daily tasks.
This left him ample time for training, since, in the Pokémon world, strength was paramount.
Power was the foundation of everything.
After finishing his workout, Case showered in the office’s private bathroom.
With a towel around his neck and his torso bare, he lounged comfortably in the reclining chair by his desk, picking up the files on top.
The documents listed Pokémon who had recently excelled in the deathmatch arena.
He flipped through them idly.
“Hmm… a Bulbasaur with exceptional Poison-type talent.”
“A Tangela capable of Psychic…”
“Hm?”
Case’s eyes lit up as he spotted something intriguing.
“A… Mareep?”
He pulled out Mareep’s file and read it carefully.
“Hidden Power: Dragon…”
“Exceptional combat intuition…”
“Sixteen consecutive victories.”
“‘Static’ and ‘Cotton Spore’ combo move.”
“…”
“Interesting, very interesting.”
Case was surprised that a Mareep could perform so remarkably.
Though there had been other outstanding Pokémon in past years, he’d never seen such results from Mareep’s species.
He began to wonder if he should return it to the organization’s storage.
After all, every Pokémon reclaimed from the deathmatch arena had gone on to make a name for themselves in Dark Star.
They were either captured by elite trainers in the combat division or became popular rental Pokémon within the organization.
But with Mareep, Case harbored prejudices against such domesticated species.
He pondered.
In the end, he decided to assign a powerful opponent for Mareep’s next battle and observe personally. If Mareep performed well, he would make it the first Pokémon this month to rejoin the organization from the Shadow Deathmatch Arena.
………………………………………………
“Click!”
Red light burst forth from the spinning Poké Ball in midair.
Lu Yun landed steadily, long accustomed to this process.
Brimming with anticipation for evolution, he turned his gaze to his newly arrived opponent.
The creature stood on two legs like a human, its bulky body covered in orange and brown fur that radiated vitality; a red nose emitted tiny sparks, as if the fire-type energy inside was ready to burst forth; two sharp tusks protruded upward from the sides of its large mouth, and its eyes blazed with red light, filled with fury; muscular arms bent at its sides, their strength evident.
“Pignite?”
Lu Yun’s eyes widened in surprise.
In his previous life’s Pokémon games, Pignite was one of the starters from the Unova region, beloved by many players for its Fire and Fighting dual typing.
He remembered clearly: Pignite evolved from Tepig at level sixteen.
This meant that the opposing Pignite was at least two levels higher than himself, and boasted the enhanced stats of its evolved form.
A bead of cold sweat trickled down his brow as he wondered,
“What is such a Pokémon doing here?”
………………………………………………
Case watched the screen displaying Pignite and felt a pang of regret.
This Pignite had recently been seized from a breeding house by the organization.
As an Unova Pokémon primarily controlled by the League, it was highly sought after within Dark Star.
Unfortunately, Pignite’s temperament was too vicious. If it merely disobeyed trainers, there were ways to discipline it, but it was also reckless and mindless in battle, charging in with brute force.
To the organization’s trainers, this was fatal.
On the battlefield, a Pokémon with such a personality was dangerously unpredictable.
And so, Pignite ended up in the deathmatch arena.
Still, Case believed it would easily defeat Lu Yun.
In terms of training and age, Pignite had the upper hand.
Case didn’t intend to let Mareep die at Pignite’s hands—he had contingency measures.
If Mareep displayed qualities he admired during the battle, he would intervene to save it.