Why is my Pokémon girl a bit strange?

She actually sent out a Pokémon of this caliber for the very first one.

If he were truly just a trainer who had just obtained one badge, how could he possibly defeat a Level 32 Aggron!

This woman...

"What's wrong? This is just the beginning. Show me your response, let me see what you've got!"

Iron Maiden swung the shovel in her hand in a circle, her expression gradually becoming excited.

Qiao Ran increasingly felt that this guy absolutely wielded a shovel because of weapon control laws; otherwise, a greatsword or a heavy sword would have been a perfect match for her.

"What Pokémon will you send out? Ground-type? Or Fighting-type? Are you thinking of a counter-strategy right now? Or perhaps you've already decided to run away?"

"..."

Qiao Ran didn't answer her. Instead, he stroked his chin, deep in thought.

Seeing Qiao Ran's increasingly serious expression, Iron Maiden's smile grew even wider.

"Good... good, that's right. Only trainers like that are worth my crushing!"

"Hurry up and start! Little brother!"

Iron Maiden's iron shovel was deeply inserted into the arena.

"The first Pokémon I'm sending out is..."

After much thought, Qiao Ran finally took out that water-blue Poké Ball.

"Come out! Suicune!"

As the main force for their side this time, Suicune undoubtedly bore the greatest pressure. With both Vulpix and Dianxi being at a disadvantage against the opponent, Qiao Ran felt the best scenario would be for Vulpix and Dianxi to achieve an exchange of one for one, and then have Suicune finish the job. Or, more boldly, perhaps Dianxi could withstand the pressure and take down two Pokémon consecutively.

Suicune's current level had also reached Level 25. Completing this task wasn't a dream—as long as the opponent didn't ridiculously send out Pokémon in their forties or fifties.

If possible, Qiao Ran would have definitely let Suicune be the final participant. However, facing an Aggron with the dual typing of Steel and Rock, Suicune had a double type advantage.

Qiao Ran had to seize this advantage, otherwise, the subsequent battles would truly be troublesome.

"I'm counting on you, Suicune!"

"Roar—"

At Qiao Ran's call, the embodiment of the north wind appeared on the battlefield. Even indoors, her purple mane seemed to sway with a gentle breeze.

"Oh? It's an unfamiliar Pokémon."

Iron Maiden looked at Suicune, who had appeared before her, a flicker of curiosity and surprise in her eyes. Not only was this Pokémon's appearance very unique, but it also gave her a sense of inexplicable "sacredness."

"Strange..."

Just by looking at its majestic posture, she felt a special pressure.

"...So strange... This is the first time I've felt this way... Is this Pokémon a bit special? Judging by its color, it looks like a Water-type..."

Iron Maiden narrowed her eyes in confusion, covering her head with one hand. Hearing her words, Qiao Ran's heart trembled slightly, but he resolutely scratched his head and pretended to be oblivious.

In this world, Iron Maiden was the first person to immediately recognize Suicune as "special." As for others, they would merely consider it a relatively rare, undiscovered Pokémon.

Could it be... related to her lineage?

Qiao Ran scratched his head.

"What's special? I don't understand. I caught this Pokémon in the grass by the small river near Zhenhui Town. Is it very special?"

"Grass by the small river near Zhenhui Town... There's something like that?"

Iron Maiden's eyes widened, slightly surprised. Such an unknown little place actually hid such a Pokémon? Could it be that my backyard also hides something?

However, she still nodded.

"Alright, let's not discuss this for now. Let's continue our battle! Bring it on!"

For Iron Maiden, battle was what truly piqued her interest—especially when she could decisively defeat her opponent and make them lose all desire to confront her.

"First round, begin!"

Eve stood in the center as the referee, announcing the start of the match.

As her words fell, Qiao Ran began to give commands. Suicune was his trump card, and he had to end this battle quickly to conserve more of Suicune's energy.

"Suicune, act!"

"Roar—"

With almost no wasted words, Suicune seemed to instantly understand Qiao Ran's intentions and began to charge towards Aggron.

Their communication didn't require many words. As time went by, Qiao Ran became increasingly accustomed to this way of battling.

He was Suicune's second pair of eyes and a participant in the battle. Only by entering this state could his thoughts be transmitted to Suicune's mind without any time lag.

"Aggron, use Heavy Slam!!"

Since the opponent was actively approaching, Iron Maiden naturally had no reason not to accept the challenge. Moreover, Heavy Slam was a Steel-type move that "dealt greater damage the heavier the user is compared to the opponent," perfectly fitting Aggron's astonishing weight.

However, the only drawback of this move was its slow startup speed. The farther the distance, the easier it was for the opponent to dodge it. But if the opponent was actively closing in, the situation would be completely different.

"ROAR ROAR ROAR ROAR ROAR ROAR!!!"

Aggron, enveloped in a metallic sheen, charged towards Suicune's position, the ground trembling with its every step.

Heavy Slam!

—This was completely a Pokémon-shaped metal war chariot!!!

Under that immense power, any obstructing object would be crushed into pulp.

However, witnessing the scene before them, Qiao Ran and Suicune's lips simultaneously curved into mysterious smiles.

"Suicune, we've already won!"

"This is our path to victory!"

"Roar!"

"What?"

Iron Maiden didn't understand the sudden statement. However, what happened next shattered her imagination.

—A fierce north wind began to blow from Suicune's location.

The blue Pokémon leaped high into the air from the ground without any warning—with the sudden gust of wind and astonishing jumping power, she actually soared directly over Aggron's body and landed behind it.

"Now! Give it the finishing blow! It absolutely can't dodge at this distance!"

"Hydro Pump!"

"ROAR—!"

While still in mid-air, Suicune opened her mouth, and a powerful stream of water erupted from it, hitting the charging Aggron directly.

"ROAR ROAR ROAR ROAR ROAR ROAR!!!"

Like a slug doused in salt, Aggron instantly let out a pained cry. It had no way to dodge such an attack; its speed was inherently slow, and it was impossible to change direction while charging.

It had clearly become a giant, immobile target!

With Suicune's accuracy, she would never miss!

"Again!"

Another Hydro Pump was unleashed. Under the double-effective Water-type attack, Aggron collapsed before its charge was even over.

"Roar..."

Its heavy body crashed onto the arena floor, covered in various damp fluids, its eyes spinning like whirlpools.

"Aggron is unable to battle! The winner of this match is—Suicune!!"

Eve announced the result immediately. Unlike some professional referees, she didn't step forward to check if Aggron was asleep. After announcing the winner, she subtly winked at Qiao Ran.

"This..."

The battle... was already over??

Staring at the sudden turn of events, Iron Maiden took a deep breath. To be honest, she still didn't quite understand.

What did that boy do?? How did he command that Pokémon???

Also, was that wind and that move "Tailwind," which doubles speed? When was it used? And how did that Pokémon know when to jump?

She hadn't heard any commands. Was he commanding it through some special method???

If Iron Maiden could have predicted the boy's intentions by observing his commanding movements, she might have been able to anticipate some of his thoughts. But... in this battle, she was completely drawn into his rhythm.

When he approached her, Iron Maiden thought he had made a wrong judgment, but this was actually the moment he had been waiting for.

—The gap in information led to a passive outcome.

Iron Maiden was once again surprised by the boy before her.

"This guy..."

Iron Maiden silently recalled the fallen Aggron. If her initial thoughts towards the boy were only contempt and dismissal, she now found herself developing a bit of interest.

"Eve really found an interesting fellow... Is he already using special commanding methods for just one badge?"

"Well done, but this won't happen a second time!"

Iron Maiden took out her second Poké Ball. This time, she would definitely treat her opponent more carefully and cautiously—even if her opponent was just a boy.

"Come out! My second Pokémon—Mawile!"

Chapter 54 053 [Lifelong Rival]

"Good job, Suicune."

Qiao Ran skillfully patted her head and returned her to her Poké Ball amidst her contented purrs.

The first battle was over, and Qiao Ran was preparing to switch to another Pokémon.

Actually, even he hadn't expected the battle to go so smoothly. His coordination with Suicune was incredibly perfect; they hadn't taken any damage from skills and had achieved victory.

Especially that brilliant Tailwind, which allowed Suicune to completely outclass her opponent in agility. Even if those Hydro Pumps hadn't defeated Aggron, Qiao Ran was confident he could have finished it off with other moves.

Qiao Ran even wondered if he might have underestimated the abilities of these Legendary Pokémon.

"Even with the difference in levels, where would their limits be?"

However, Qiao Ran didn't think there was anything wrong with being cautious. Only by constantly respecting his opponents could he avoid making mistakes at crucial moments.

He was the most cautious Adventurer.

"The second opponent is Mawile?"

Looking at the petite, humanoid Pokémon that appeared on the opposite side of the battle arena, Qiao Ran stroked his chin and quietly took out his tool, the Rotom phone.

Mawile, a cute Pokémon with a yellow body resembling a young girl, but with a large mouth on the "ponytail" behind her head. They use their cute appearance to lull their prey into a false sense of security, then suddenly attack with the large mouth behind them. In the wild, this hunting method is incredibly effective.

"Mawile, the Deception Pokémon, Level... 35."

"A Level 35 Mawile, a few levels higher than that Aggron just now."

Under normal circumstances, Mawile would definitely not be as strong as Aggron. Although its attributes are decent, its base stats of 380 limit its strength. However, if it could Mega Evolve, Mawile could exhibit far greater power than Aggron, even serving as a high-resistance physical attacker in a Trick Room team.

However... in this world, it seemed the concept of Mega Evolution didn't exist yet, so Qiao Ran didn't have to worry about Mawile suddenly changing from a single ponytail to a double ponytail and using various strange skills on him.

"If that's the opponent... I choose you! Vulpix!"

Qiao Ran threw the Poké Ball in his hand, and amidst the light, a small white beast with six little tails behind it appeared on the field.

To preserve Suicune's stamina, Qiao Ran's remaining usable Pokémon were only Vulpix and Dianxi. Altaria, with its still too low level, could only be benched in this situation. As Dianxi was one of his trump cards, Qiao Ran didn't want her to appear too early. Considering everything, Vulpix was the only Pokémon Qiao Ran could send out first.

"Oh? You've sent out an Ice-type Pokémon?"

Looking at the Vulpix Qiao Ran released, Iron Maiden found herself unable to understand this boy again.

Ice-type... it's super-effective against Steel-types, isn't it???

Why send out an Ice-type???

As a Gym Leader, Iron Maiden's challengers almost always chose Pokémon that were super-effective against Steel-types, or at the very least, types that neither resisted nor were resisted by Steel. She had truly never encountered anyone who would actively choose a Pokémon that was at a disadvantage against the Gym Leader.