Ye Lan had originally been drawn to the "Injury Recovery" function. It could control how a Pokémon's injuries healed after it returned to its Poké Ball.
Once he started traveling in the wild, the function could go a long way toward keeping his Pokémon safe, buying him enough time to reach a Pokémon Center.
After thinking it over, Ye Lan gave up on the idea.
His first trip into the wild was still some time away. Unlocking the function now would do him no good. It would be a waste.
In the end, Ye Lan chose Grass-type Pokémon Affinity.
[Ding! The system has unlocked a new function. Host, please check the corresponding menu.]
As Ye Lan expected, after that system message appeared, the prices of all the other functions changed to 100 Sunshine Points.
Seeing the newly added "Grass-type Pokémon Affinity Lv. 1" on the system panel, Ye Lan smiled and decided to forget about the price hike for now.
"Snivy, don't you think I've gotten even more handsome?"
"Sni. (As if.)"
Snivy glanced at Ye Lan's shining eyes, gave a cold snort, and ignored him.
Snivy had felt the sudden pull Ye Lan now gave off, but with its personality, it would never show it.
Once the top ten had all been decided, everyone left turned their attention to the ranking matches.
After all, reaching the top ten meant they were still undefeated. Each of them had something going for them in battle.
The top-ten ranking matches went even faster than Ye Lan had imagined, though an unexpected twist left him torn between laughing and crying.
When the field narrowed from five to three, one person had to receive a bye. The other four unanimously chose to give it to Ye Lan instead of drawing lots.
To the students watching, that seemed only natural.
In everyone's eyes, Ye Lan posed an even greater threat than Lin Yan or his Wartortle, despite Wartortle having evolved twice.
Anyone who drew Ye Lan could kiss the top-three rewards goodbye.
Just as everyone expected, those three were the ones who made it to the final round.
"Whether you get premium Berries and quality Moomoo Milk next month, or rotten Berries and tap water, depends on how you do in these next two matches!"
"Sni?!"
Snivy stared at Ye Lan in shock. Had things at home gotten that bad without it realizing?
The thought of losing that blissful sip of Moomoo Milk after every training session forced even a proud Snivy like this one to face reality.
Watching Snivy's fighting spirit rise, Ye Lan grinned smugly.
Ha! I know just how to handle a proud little thing like you!
"Ye Lan from Class Two and Wang Siqi from Class Three, please report to the battlefield."
With the referee's call and the sound of the whistle, the first match to determine the top three began.
Under the rules, anyone who wanted first place had to defeat both of the other contestants in succession.
Ye Lan had battled Lin Yan often and knew his strength well. That requirement made things tricky.
Wang Siqi's Wartortle might have been rushed through its evolution, but its strength was nothing to scoff at.
How to beat Wartortle while saving enough strength to defeat Lin Yan's Charmander afterward became Ye Lan's biggest problem.
Using the inspection function for the first time in a while, Ye Lan looked over at Wang Siqi's Wartortle, and its information appeared before his eyes.
Name: Wartortle Sex: Male Ability: Torrent. Effect: When HP falls below one-third, the power of Water-type moves increases by 1.5 times. Known moves: Tackle, Bubble, Tail Whip, Water Gun, Withdraw, Hydro Pump, Skull Bash, Protect Egg Move: Yawn
Ye Lan's face darkened at the sight of that lavish move list. Was this the power of throwing money around?
This is just cruel! Eight moves against my Snivy...
"Uh..."
Then Ye Lan remembered that, counting the two Egg Moves Snivy had yet to use, it also knew exactly eight moves. He felt better.
Of course. Money can't beat cheating!
Sensing Ye Lan's presence sharpen once more, Wang Siqi gave the battle her full attention.
"Wartortle, Water Gun!"
"Wartor!"
Water gathered in Wartortle's mouth as it drew in the surrounding Water-type energy, giving off an imposing aura.
But Wartortle clearly lacked practice with the move. It took too long to release, and Snivy dodged it with ease.
"Snivy, keep moving. Harass it with repeated Vine Whips."
"Wartortle, ignore it. Stay where you are and use Tail Whip!"
Ye Lan paused at the sight. Did she not know what Contrary did?
The relentless Vine Whips began leaving marks across Wartortle's body.
Wartortle tried its best to dodge, but it could not match the agility of the vines.
"Close in and use Iron Tail!"
There it is! Wang Siqi's eyes lit up. It was Snivy's favorite offensive move.
"Wartortle, Withdraw!"
The fierce Iron Tail came crashing down. Boom! Wartortle shot away like a cannonball inside its shell, a conspicuous crack appearing on it.
"So strong!"
Cold sweat ran down Wang Siqi's cheek. She could not imagine how badly Wartortle would have been hurt if it had taken that attack head-on.
Fortunately, Ye Lan's every move had gone according to her calculations.
"Snivy, Protect!"
"Hang in there, Wartortle! Now, Skull Bash!"
Wartortle used its falling momentum to drive headfirst toward Snivy.
A transparent barrier flashed into place and stopped the charging Wartortle cold. The move did nothing.
"How?!"
Wang Siqi's eyes widened. She had not expected Ye Lan to predict her move in advance.
Still, forcing Snivy to use Protect was not a bad result.
"Wartortle, Hydro Pump!"
"Snivy, split it with Iron Tail!"
Ye Lan's command startled everyone present.
Split it? With what? Hydro Pump was far more powerful than Water Gun.
Everyone thought Ye Lan had misjudged the situation, but Snivy did not hesitate. The instant the Protect barrier vanished, its Iron Tail was ready.
A white streak flashed through the air, splitting the surging Hydro Pump in two. Snivy's Iron Tail continued toward Wartortle without losing momentum.
The sight drew cries from the surrounding students and nearly left Wang Siqi frozen in place.
Both Pokémon were Starter Pokémon. She could not understand why her Wartortle, which she had spent so many resources evolving, fell so far short of a Snivy still in its first stage.
To Ye Lan, though, Wang Siqi's Wartortle looked like a child firing a gun wildly, wielding great power without knowing how to control it.
That Hydro Pump had looked fierce, but its power was scattered. Wang Siqi's earlier command had also strengthened Snivy's defense. Together, those factors had produced this result.
As Wartortle was sent flying by Iron Tail again, Wang Siqi called out another command: "Wartortle, Protect!"
"Wartor!"
"Snivy, Glare."
At Ye Lan's calm command, the attack Wang Siqi expected never came. The mysterious patterns on Snivy's body glimmered, and Glare's paralyzing effect left Wartortle rigid in place.
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