A Brat's Taunt

Rows of green trees blanketed the surrounding area, and the air here was fresher than elsewhere. As they drew closer, music carried over from far away.

In the distance, a group of aunties in matching outfits danced in an open space. A few Pokémon were mixed in among them, dancing along with remarkably practiced movements. It was obvious they often came here to dance.

Battle Park had no gates, only a plaza. Entering the plaza meant entering the park.

The road ahead split into two paths. Following the left path led into a garden covered in all kinds of trees, flowers, grass, and plants.

Lush vegetation flourished there, accompanied by some ancient buildings, with wild Pokémon living among them.

Taking a stroll, breathing fresh air, admiring the scenery, and feeding wild Pokémon while soaking in a different atmosphere could lift one's spirits.

Heading forward along the right side, one would see over twenty square areas enclosed by iron railings, laid out like basketball courts. This was the real Battle Park.

Every day, large numbers of Amateur Trainers and enthusiasts came here for Pokémon battles. Occasionally, Professional Trainers also came by to challenge others.

However, whether one entered to battle or merely watch, there was a fee. Five dollars granted access for an entire day.

Throughout the battle area, each field had four white mechanical pillars erected at its corners, resembling utility poles. At the top of every pillar hung an electronic screen the size of a door.

Every screen displayed advertisements, such as ads for battle energy drinks, wristbands, electronic watches, and similar products.

After seeing them, Jiang Jing felt that whoever had come up with this idea was a real genius. They really knew how to run ads.

The ground in every field felt completely different from ordinary ground when stepped on. It was not regular cement and asphalt, but a special material.

Pokémon battles often damaged the ground, yet repairing it took an exceptional amount of time, which was extremely troublesome. That was why this self-restoring material had been developed.

First of all, it was incredibly tough and difficult to break. On top of that, it could restore itself. It was truly some absurdly advanced technology.

None of this had existed before. Two years ago, this area had been ordinary concrete ground, and Trainers had to battle carefully, not daring to use overly destructive moves.

Back then, damaging the ground resulted in fines, leaving many Amateur Trainers miserable. They could not go all out, but if they did, they had to pay a fine.

This situation only changed later. Jiang Jing had heard that a company had paid to renovate the entire area, laying down the special material and installing billboards to start running advertisements.

Because of the special ground, more and more Trainers came here to battle, and Battle Park gradually became more famous.

Liu Bin had told him all this. He especially loved coming here to hang out and knew a little about everything.

After paying the manager five dollars at the entrance, Jiang Jing entered with Aron.

Battle Park was already bustling at this hour. Whenever no one was battling, some people trained their Pokémon inside.

Some Trainers had already begun battling, with a crowd surrounding one of the fields.

Jiang Jing quickly squeezed over as well. The two battling were a fat guy and a bespectacled man, both quite young, around eighteen or nineteen.

A person standing in the middle as the Referee shouted, "This will be a 1v1 battle. It will continue until one side loses the ability to battle or concedes."

"Therefore, I declare the battle begun."

"Go, Sandslash."

"Go, Bibarel."

As soon as they spoke, two Pokémon dashed out. One was brown, like a cross between a hedgehog and an armadillo, waving its sharp claws in intimidation. The other was brown as well, like an otter with one or two huge front teeth.

Jiang Jing, watching from the side, quickly activated Data Eye.

Pokémon: Sandslash

Type: Ground

Talent: ★

Level: LV24

Ability: Sand Veil

...

Pokémon: Bibarel

Type: Normal, Water type

Talent: ★

Level: LV22

Ability: Simple

...

The two Pokémon had similar talents and levels. Whoever won would depend on the Trainers' training and command abilities.

"Sandslash, use Scratch."

"Bibarel, use Tackle."

At the Trainers' command, both Pokémon moved at once.

Before everyone's eyes, the two Pokémon lunged at each other at high speed.

Sandslash swung its claws, which gleamed with a sharp luster, through the air. Once the distance closed, it suddenly exploded forward and slashed out.

The attack struck Bibarel, but it had accelerated from the start, using its own weight to slam viciously into Sandslash without a care for anything else.

Both attacks landed simultaneously. The collision between their bodies sent the two Pokémon flying away from each other.

Cries of pain rang out, but were quickly suppressed.

Seeing this, their Trainers shouted again, ordering them to launch a second round of attacks.

Jiang Jing watched from the side. After watching the National Championship all day, this kind of battle really felt like watching rookies peck at each other.

Still, even if their level was lacking, he wanted to know how this battle would end.

Sandslash and Bibarel were roughly equal in level, but there was a gap in their Trainers' command abilities. Bibarel's Trainer only knew how to make it charge in and clash head-on, never liking to dodge or use other moves.

Sandslash then slyly toyed with it for a while before wearing it down and finishing it with a single KO. Bibarel was blasted away, collapsing onto the ground and losing its ability to battle.

The entire crowd immediately erupted in cheers. The bespectacled man hurried forward, sprayed his Pokémon with a Potion, then recalled it into its Poké Ball. He said helplessly to Sandslash's Trainer, "Sigh, I lost."

Sandslash's Trainer glanced arrogantly around at the spectators and asked loudly, "Who else wants to challenge me?"

"I do!" The moment his words fell, someone raised a hand in the crowd and stepped out. He was an athletic young man around twenty years old.

He stepped forward with an eager expression, and the surrounding crowd instantly began applauding and cheering. Some people shouted, "Evil Rat! Evil Rat!"

It seemed this guy had some reputation in Battle Park. He even had a nickname.

Someone beside Jiang Jing quietly said, "Evil Rat is here to bully people again."

The battle began once more. Evil Rat released his Pokémon, a Raticate. It was yellowish-brown all over, resembling a giant rat with a huge white front tooth.

Pokémon: Raticate

Type: Normal

Talent: ★

Level: LV30

Ability: Guts

...

Ah, this... A level 30 Raticate really was bullying them a little. Its level was more than just a bit higher than theirs.

Sure enough, the moment the battle began, Raticate demonstrated the difference between them with its incredible speed. Before its opponent could react, it slammed into them viciously.

If the opponent had not lost the ability to battle, it would simply rush forward and deal more damage.

The gap between them was too great. Sandslash was no match at all. After being hit twice by Raticate, it could no longer hold on.

At that moment, a sturdy-looking boy of seven or eight who had been watching nearby was fired up after seeing the battle. He clapped so hard his palms smacked loudly, wishing he could go up and battle himself.

He looked at his purple mouse, Rattata, then swept his gaze around the area, searching for someone to challenge. Just then, he spotted Jiang Jing and Aron watching from not far away.

He nodded slightly, rolled his eyes around once, and immediately came up with an idea.

Although he did not know what this Pokémon was called, that did not stop him from pointing at Aron and ordering Rattata, "Rattata, use Tackle on it."

Thanks to reader Universe's Number One Incineroar for the 1,500 Qidian Coins reward. Getting such a large reward at once from you, big bro, really left me pleasantly overwhelmed.