Pidgey Evolves

Water Gun, Bubble, Vine Whip, Tackle... They flew and intertwined in a dazzling blur.

As both sides repeatedly unleashed skill after skill, the battle finally drew to a close.

After exchanging damage with another Tackle, Wartortle and Bulbasaur's stamina simultaneously reached the brink of collapse.

Qian Bing's expression darkened. He had not expected Bulbasaur, which held an absolute type advantage, to be pushed this far by Wartortle.

He silently reflected on himself. During this time, he had indeed been focused solely on completing Adventure Missions, earning commissions to repay the Newbie Love Loan, while neglecting the training and cultivation of his Pokemon.

It was not entirely fair to say Qian Bing had neglected them. At the end of the day, he had only regarded the Pokémon World as a dream created by his cheat. He had neither put his heart into it nor cared enough, which was why this battle had become so embarrassing.

"Let's end this quickly. If this drags on, Bulbasaur will run out of stamina before Wartortle and lose."

Having made his judgment, Qian Bing decisively issued an order.

"Bulbasaur, use Vine Whip!"

Vine Whip shot out from Bulbasaur once more. Perhaps because it had already expended too much energy, the vines were a little paler this time, seemingly less resilient than before.

Fortunately, the panting Wartortle's reactions had slowed considerably as well. Under Gary's command, it barely managed to evade the first vine, but failed to avoid the second.

Smack!

The Vine Whip quickly lashed heavily across Wartortle's right leg, leaving behind a faint red mark. Its swaying body could no longer maintain its balance.

Joy flashed across Qian Bing's face. The chance for a finishing blow had finally arrived!

"Bulbasaur, use Vine Whip to bind Wartortle's feet and hang it upside down, then slam it hard into the ground and knock it out!"

"Bulba!"

Bulbasaur cried out spiritedly, as if responding to Qian Bing.

The vines in the air immediately shifted their paths like nimble little snakes. Two vines, one from each side, directly wrapped around Wartortle's ankles.

At that moment, a strained look flashed across Bulbasaur's face. It was clearly exerting all its strength.

Wartortle felt the vines around its legs tighten like giant pythons. Then a tremendous force lifted it upside down in one swift motion.

"Wartortle, give it one final Water Gun with everything you've got!"

Gary was extremely decisive. It was not as though he had not heard Qian Bing's command, and he had already known what kind of attack Bulbasaur would use.

But Wartortle had already lost its balance, and its stamina was running low. Even if it tried to dodge, there was a high chance it would be futile.

So, rather than let Wartortle waste its strength evading, he had it put all its remaining power into one final strike.

Boom!

At the same time Wartortle was slammed heavily into the ground, the Water Gun it fired struck Bulbasaur.

"Warto..."

Wartortle murmured as it hit the ground, then fainted. The Water Gun struck Bulbasaur squarely in the side of the face, knocking it onto its side. Its body trembled as it landed, and its eyes were already filled with spirals.

The two Pokemon lost their ability to battle almost simultaneously, one after the other.

Gary recalled Wartortle, the fighting spirit on his face undiminished as he looked at Qian Bing with even greater intensity.

"The battle isn't over yet. Go, Growlithe!"

Qian Bing's fighting spirit had also been stirred, and he no longer avoided battle. Raising the Spirit Ball Spirit in his right hand, he released Pidgey, while information about Growlithe surfaced in his mind.

Growlithe:

It was friendly toward people and honest, baring its teeth and barking wildly to drive enemies away.

Quality: Quasi-King Grade

Type: Fire

Level: 20

Gender: Male

Skills: Bite, Roar, Ember

Nature: Brave

Ability: Flash Fire (When hit by a Fire-type move, it absorbs the flames, strengthening the Fire-type moves it uses), Justified (Hidden Ability. When hit by a Dark-type move, its Attack rises due to its sense of justice.)

Seeing Growlithe's information, Qian Bing felt an even deeper sense of crisis.

Gary truly was no ordinary person. Not only had he successfully evolved his starter partner Squirtle into Wartortle, but he also possessed another Quasi-King Grade Growlithe.

Moreover, it seemed to have been well trained in every respect. As long as he obtained a Fire Stone, he could evolve Growlithe into the handsome and powerful Arcanine.

In the Pokémon World of Qian Bing's dream, Pokemon evolution was not like in a game, where they evolved automatically upon reaching a certain level. Instead, it was extremely close to reality and required the right opportunity.

A Pokemon might suddenly evolve after unlocking its potential in an intense battle, or begin evolving after enjoying a delicious meal and becoming happy. It might also evolve after being rejected by a Pokemon it liked, becoming depressed and yearning to grow stronger and gain attention...

In any case, evolution usually required an opportunity or a particular experience. Of course, it was also not uncommon for a Pokemon to suddenly evolve after waking from a nap. It could not be forced; they could only complete it naturally on their own.

Of Qian Bing's two Pokemon, Bulbasaur had already reached Level 19, while Pidgey was Level 18. Both met the requirements for a stage of evolution.

Seeing that neither of his Pokemon had evolved, he had not been too anxious at first. But now that he had witnessed Gary's strength, a trace of worry finally rose within him.

There was competition and comparison in everything... only then would there be motivation.

"Although I have no intention of competing with him for superiority, I can't stop him from picking a fight with me. So, I really should find a way to make my two Pokemon evolve. Besides, the spirit rings..."

Qian Bing was slightly distracted, but Gary seized the opportunity to issue an order to Growlithe, gaining the initiative in their battle for the first time.

"Growlithe, use Ember."

Qian Bing immediately came to his senses, casting aside his stray thoughts. He directed Pidgey to use Quick Attack as an evasive move, successfully dodging Ember's first wave of attack.

Ember could be considered a weakened version of Flamethrower. Pidgey dodging the first wave did not mean it had completely escaped the skill.

Growlithe continued breathing fire, and the embers in the air poured forth without end, shifting their positions along with Pidgey's movements.

"Pidgey, get close and use Gust."

Blindly running away was not a solution. Without attacking, defeat was inevitable. Seeing that Pidgey's Quick Attack was about to end, Qian Bing decisively ordered it to counterattack Growlithe.

Pidgey's body paused, and with a powerful beat of its wings, two wind blades instantly took shape and slashed down at Growlithe.

Although Pokemon could still move while using sustained skills, their movements were greatly restricted. Maintaining an attack while evading another skill was more than ten times harder than usual.

So Gary had three choices before him:

Use Ember to directly clash with Gust, allowing the two skills to cancel out most of each other's power before the side with the advantage dealt the other minor damage.

Have Growlithe take a hit from Gust and use Ember to strike Pidgey's body directly.

Or interrupt Ember, dodge first, then continue the counterattack.

Gary was straightforward and decisive by nature. Seeing that his Growlithe clearly had the advantage over Pidgey in terms of attributes, he chose to confront it head-on without the slightest hesitation.

"Growlithe, don't interrupt Ember. Attack Pidgey's body directly, and watch your evasion—stay out of the very center of Violent Gale."

Qian Bing had thought Gary would maneuver with him as before, but he had not expected the battle to become so intense from the very beginning. It was already too late to have Pidgey change moves, so he could only silently cheer it on.

"Growlithe, Growlithe~"

Growlithe was an extremely agile Pokemon. While maintaining Ember to pursue Pidgey, it leaped from the ground and ultimately avoided nearly half of Gust.

Thanks to the special rules of the Pokémon World and Pokemon's natural resistance to Pokemon skills, the Growlithe that had taken half a wind blade did not end up torn open and bloody.

It merely staggered a few steps before quickly recovering.

But Pidgey was not nearly so composed. Ember struck it solidly in the end. Bird feathers were excellent kindling, and even with Pokemon's special resistance, they could not completely stop the flames from eating away at it.

"Pidgey, hurry and use Quick Attack to break out!"

Under Qian Bing's command, Pidgey immediately charged out of Ember's range. However, its body was already charred black, and a few tiny flames still clung to the feathers on its back, refusing to go out.

Qian Bing's brow tightened at the sight, and he inwardly cursed.

It was Ember's special effect—the burn status had taken effect!

Pidgey continuously circled and darted through the air at high speed, clearly suffering under the torment of its burn.

Seeing this, Qian Bing felt a dull ache in his heart. In the end, he was not as hard-hearted as Gary.

So he gritted his teeth and raised the Spirit Ball Spirit in his hand, preparing to admit defeat to Gary.

"Pidgey, Pidgey, Pidgey!"

Perhaps Pidgey had sensed Qian Bing's unwillingness to give up. At that moment, it let out a ringing cry, and its gliding body suddenly transformed into a streak of white light.

Qian Bing's eyes abruptly lit up at the sight. The arm he had been about to raise slowly lowered again.

After fighting Gary for so long, a smile finally blossomed across his face.

Pidgey had begun to evolve!

This battle had been worth it!