—Did this guy take too many cephalosporins last night???
"I can give you one chance. If you think you picked the wrong Poké Ball, you can switch to another Pokémon."
Iron Maiden frowned. It was not because she felt mercy or sympathy for her opponent; she simply did not want the battle to become a one-sided, boring affair.
Ice types not only resisted Steel types, but were also weak to Steel attacks. Rationally speaking, this battle had been over from the very beginning!
"No, she's the one I'm sending out."
Qiao Ran answered without hesitation. Still, he could not help but smile bitterly inside. If he had any other usable Pokémon, why would he have sent Vulpix out?
"Wuwuwuow."
Vulpix looked at the Mawile across from her, equally troubled. She was only level thirty, and she did not have any legendary Pokémon buffs yet. Trying to deal with a level thirty-five Mawile was practically an impossible problem.
More importantly, her attacks could only deal half damage to her opponent, while her opponent could deal double damage to her. With one side rising while the other fell, even hell difficulty was nothing compared to this.
"Do your best. Just show me what you can do. Even if you lose, I won't blame you."
Qiao Ran crouched and rubbed her head, personally giving her a little courage. He would not force Vulpix to accomplish anything in this battle. Compared to all those legendary Pokémon companions, she was actually the one whose progress he could feel most clearly.
"Awuwuwu."
However, Vulpix looked at Qiao Ran and made another sound.
"You want to use that stone?" Qiao Ran blinked in surprise, but immediately refused her. "No. It's not time yet."
What Vulpix meant was the Mysterious Evolution Stone they had received for taking first place in the competition aboard the ship. Qiao Ran had not opened it during the award ceremony. Only after everything was over did he and Vulpix discover, to their surprise, that the mysterious box contained an Ice Stone.
An Ice Stone—a translucent bluish stone capable of evolving certain Pokémon. Vulpix was among those Pokémon. That was right: as long as Vulpix used this stone, she could transform into a brand-new form and gain brand-new power!
Yet Vulpix had refused to evolve back then, saying that she might not adapt to her changed body and would no longer be able to lie in Qiao Ran's arms. Qiao Ran had not forced her, but he had never expected her to request evolution now.
She... probably doesn't want to face defeat...
"I'm sorry, but I really can't agree to it this time."
Qiao Ran shrugged helplessly, indicating that there was nothing he could do about it.
"You may not know this, but your current typing is pure Ice, which is doubly weak to Steel. If you evolve, you'll become Ice and Fairy... which means you'll be four times weak to Steel."
"...!"
Vulpix's eyes widened, and her entire body seemed to have been struck by lightning.
She truly had not expected Steel types to counter her this badly.
Why would evolving make her even more vulnerable?!
Sometimes, you could only gain something by giving something up. Yet at other times, what you gave up was far more important than what you gained.
In the end, Vulpix still chose not to evolve. If possible, she would rather stay in her current form. Deep down, she understood that if she evolved, Qiao Ran would no longer be able to hold her in his arms like before.
—It was something none of Qiao Ran's other Pokémon could do. Suicune could not, Dianxi could not, and Altaria definitely could not.
That was why Vulpix was unwilling to give up this one thing. Compared to those rare Pokémon who were either legendary or Shiny, she was simply too ordinary.
Though she had never said it aloud, being around those companions had gradually made her feel inferior.
Still, for Qiao Ran's victory, she had been willing to give those things up and evolve. But then... she encountered the enemy of her lifetime—a Steel-type Pokémon.
Whether she evolved or not, her opponent would counter her completely. After evolving, she would even suffer an absurd fourfold weakness. It was as though this type existed solely to counter her.
With no other options, Vulpix finally stepped onto the battlefield in her tiny body and stood opposite Mawile.
"Guri."
Seeing Vulpix enter the battlefield, Mawile revealed a mocking sneer. That arrogant, disdainful expression was exactly the same as Iron Maiden's earlier look.
Sure enough, Pokémon took after their trainers.
In her eyes, this Vulpix was completely overestimating herself. Trying to battle her as an Ice-type Pokémon was simply impossible.
"Don't let your guard down, Mawile. This opponent isn't simple."
Unlike the confident Mawile, Iron Maiden took Qiao Ran very seriously. This boy had already surprised her several times in the previous battle. She had every reason to believe that if the fight continued, those surprises would keep coming.
"Guguri."
At Iron Maiden's warning, Mawile's gaze turned serious. The huge mouth on the back of her head opened and closed slightly, ready to fight at any moment.
"Both sides are ready. The second battle—begins now!!"
Eve raised the flag in her hand and announced the start of the battle. Still, she was also worried about Vulpix. As someone who had fought Vulpix before, she knew how strong Vulpix was.
—Vulpix was strong, yes, but... could she really fight a Steel-type Pokémon?
"Vulpix, use Snowscape!!"
The moment the battle began, Qiao Ran used a weather move. He knew they could not win by trading blows head-on. If they wanted victory, they could only outthink their opponent.
Vulpix gave a soft cry toward the sky, and hail and Powder Snow began falling across the arena. This move could create favorable conditions while also triggering Vulpix's Snow Cloak Ability. It was indeed a good choice.
"Oh? So you're not planning to confront me head-on this time?"
Iron Maiden narrowed her eyes slightly as she watched Qiao Ran's actions. She had already seen through his intentions. Unlike the previous battle, he had clearly chosen a strategy of maneuvering and attrition this time.
"If you don't plan to confront me head-on, then I'll make the first move!"
"Mawile! Use Iron Head!!"
"Guriri!"
At Iron Maiden's command, Mawile's head began to shine with a metallic gleam. Not only that, but her speed increased as she charged toward Vulpix.
"Vulpix! Watch out!"
Qiao Ran knew Vulpix could not take this move, but he could not help complaining inwardly. This Steel-type Gym Leader really loved all kinds of straightforward charges. She was like a wild boar charging at full speed, the kind no one could stop.
"Awuwu!"
Vulpix's body leaped lightly through the snow, narrowly dodging Mawile's charge. Unlike the massive Aggron, Mawile did not have such a huge frame or oppressive presence. Avoiding her attacks was still possible.
"Vulpix, use Powder Snow on her feet!"
"Awoo!"
Taking advantage of the opening after dodging, Vulpix launched an attack. A freezing wind mixed with snow and ice rushed toward Mawile's feet. However—it did not seem to have much effect.
"Useless, useless, useless!!"
Iron Maiden shook her head, and Mawile in the arena shook hers as well. With the damage already halved, this attack was like a tickle. Even if it dealt some damage, it was nowhere near enough.
"Tch..." Qiao Ran frowned. This battle was truly difficult. At the moment, all he could think of was a strategy of stalling while slowly wearing the opponent down. As long as he dragged the battle out, he had a chance of winning!
"You're definitely thinking of dragging this battle out, aren't you!"
Iron Maiden's narrow eyes narrowed slightly, and clarity flashed through them.
"..."
Qiao Ran froze for a moment and gave no response.
"But this time, I won't give you that chance!"
Iron Maiden gripped her shovel tightly, scraping it against the ground with a harsh clacking sound.
"My Mawile's Ability is Sheer Force. It directly increases the power of moves by one-third! But in exchange, the additional effects of all our moves will no longer activate!"
Iron Maiden drove the shovel deep into the stone floor of the arena. She stared intently at Qiao Ran, observing every movement he made.
She wanted to see exactly how this guy commanded his Pokémon.
"Can you take a move like this?! Mawile, use—Iron Head Barrage!!!"
Iron Head... Barrage?
A look of astonishment appeared on Qiao Ran's face. He had no idea what kind of maneuver this was, but he soon found out.
"Guriguri guriguri guri!!!"
Mawile in the arena began shaking her head. The metallic gleam covered not only her head, but also the massive mouth behind her. Then—she actually swung that rear mouth around, sending it into a wild, rampaging dance across the field!
"This..."
Qiao Ran's heart tightened, and he hurriedly tried to tell Vulpix to dodge. However—the area covered by that frenzied barrage was astonishingly large. Worse still, Mawile was moving while shaking her head... What kind of devilish training had this girl undergone?
"Awuwuwu!"
Vulpix did everything she could to evade, firing several bursts of Powder Snow in succession. Yet none of it produced any obvious effect.
In the end, Mawile drove her to the edge of the arena—then struck her twice with Iron Head.
Her small body was hit by that overwhelming force and sent flying out of the arena without suspense. She fell to the ground and completely lost consciousness.
"Aw... oo..."
"Vulpix... has been knocked out of bounds... and has lost the ability to battle. The winner of this round is... Mawile!"
Eve had been watching the flying Vulpix with worried eyes, but she still announced the result fairly.
"Vul... pix!"
Qiao Ran's vision also went black, and he dropped to one knee. He panted harshly, his breathing ragged. Linked to Vulpix in battle, he had also felt her despair and pain. Yet she had fought until the very last moment, desperately holding on.
"...You did well... Go get some rest first... I'll come see you after the match is over. You did well... You really did very well..."
Supporting his exhausted body, Qiao Ran walked to Vulpix's side and gently picked her up, rubbing his cheek against hers. Then he recalled her into her Poké Ball and sent her to Pokémon Pioneer Land.
Over at Pokémon Pioneer Land, Pokémon could recover more quickly. It was not as effective as a professional Pokémon Center, but it was better than nothing.
"Little Vulpix..." Eve really wanted to check on Vulpix, but as the referee, she could not do that right now.
That was why she really did not like Pokémon battles. She preferred things like performance contests instead.
Meanwhile, Iron Maiden looked at the heavily sweating, panting Qiao Ran and revealed a thoughtful expression.
She felt as though she had discovered something extremely important...
This guy... couldn't possibly be a psychic, could he?
Psychics—just like Psychic-type Pokémon, certain special humans also possessed the ability to use psychic powers. Those powers could accomplish many things, and speaking with Pokémon was one of them.
However, focusing on battle while using psychic powers to communicate with Pokémon was actually very difficult. Using psychic powers required concentrating a great deal of mental energy, and whatever remained was not enough to support battle command.
But there were always exceptions. Some sufficiently powerful and gifted individuals could use their talent to break through that invisible "barrier," reaching a realm others could not even imagine.
"This man... must have exceptionally strong mental power, which is why he lasted this long... But after two battles, he's tired, so he's panting like this..."
Iron Maiden came to what she believed was a perfectly accurate conclusion. As for why she knew these things, it was related to her own background.
Because her physique had been different from ordinary people's since childhood, Iron Maiden had encountered some equally unusual people. For example, Eve's older sister was someone capable of using psychic powers.
However, Eve's sister's psychic powers were not nearly this strong. At most, she could brush her teeth or comb her hair without using her hands in the morning. Communicating with Pokémon while commanding them in battle required a truly powerful psychic.
"Little Eve has quite the eye... And this boy is so young..."
Iron Maiden looked at Qiao Ran with growing interest. She had already regarded him as one of her own "kind," someone among humanity who possessed special powers.
There were very few people who could spark her interest, let alone men. Those men did not even have the courage to arm-wrestle her. And though she had never told anyone, she actually preferred younger men.
"Let me see just how far you can go..."
Iron Maiden's gaze grew heated. She did not know how long it had been since she last felt this way—she was actually looking forward to the next battle.
"The third match is about to begin. Please send out your Pokémon!"
"I won't switch."
Iron Maiden looked at the high-spirited Mawile on the field and did not switch her out. Though Mawile had been hit by Vulpix several times, her stamina was still in relatively good condition. Moreover, the joy of her recent victory had filled her with even greater fighting spirit, allowing her to perform better in battle.
Iron Maiden gave her answer, and both she and Eve turned their eyes toward Qiao Ran.
"I... will send out—"
Qiao Ran reached toward his waist and pulled out that pink Poké Ball.
"Is she coming? Is she coming?" Watching Qiao Ran's movements, Eve excitedly held her cheeks, looking like a little fan about to see her idol.
Before you continue