Let's Have a Battle

Hearing Tang Yunqin's anxious shout, Su Tingxi did not rush to pay. Holding the Pokémon Egg, he and Lu Ze headed over to Tang Yunqin.

"What is this? It's so pretty!"

Tang Yunqin pointed at the five stones in the display case with sparkling eyes as she spoke to Lu Ze.

Mega Stones!!!?!

Lu Ze turned to look, utterly shocked. He had just been thinking about Mega Evolution, and now Mega Stones had appeared right in front of him.

Lu Ze leaned closer for a look and discovered that Tang Yunqin was pointing at a pink and pale yellow Mega Stone. It was Diancie's Mega Stone. The pink crystal glittered brilliantly; no wonder it had caught Tang Yunqin's eye.

"These are part of the owner's collection. According to the Dragon Kingdom Research Institute's research, they seem to be Pokémon-held items. Unfortunately, their exact use in battle is still unknown. Perhaps they simply haven't been around long enough."

An energetic old man walked over and stopped beside Lu Ze, explaining things to the group.

Lu Ze looked at the old man before him and asked curiously.

"They haven't been around for many years?"

"That's right. These things were first discovered in a newly emerged Pokémon Secret Realm in France. At first, a female Elite Four member could not resist these sparkling stones and brought them out as jewelry. Later, it was discovered that the energy within some of the stones was similar to Pokémon energy, so people believed they might be Pokémon-held items. But after three years of research, no country has figured out their exact purpose."

As though recalling the past, the old man stroked his beard and told them the story of these stones.

Lu Ze nodded and looked at the other Mega Stones in the display case.

"Are there many of these stones?"

The old man gave Lu Ze a puzzled look. He clearly had not expected the boy's train of thought to be so unusual, suddenly shifting his attention to their quantity.

"Quantity? There aren't many. You could even say they're extremely rare. These things can only be found in Pokémon Secret Realms, and only in Secret Realms that have appeared in recent years. Most are kept in research institutes across various countries, while only a small portion are privately collected and displayed like this."

"And most of the collectors are women, people with absolutely no resistance to sparkling things, just like this classmate of yours."

The old man looked at Lu Ze, then at Tang Yunqin. He then noticed the other two people behind them and became a little confused about what sort of group this was.

"That's true. The patterns inside these stones really are beautiful."

Lu Ze nodded. He had already identified which Pokémon each of the five Mega Stones belonged to.

The white stone with pink and pale yellow patterns was Diancie's Mega Stone.

The pink stone with light red and pale yellow patterns was Audino's Mega Stone.

The pink stone with blue and white patterns was Altaria's Mega Stone.

The flesh-colored stone with red and white patterns was Gallade's Mega Stone.

The pale pink stone with pink and creamy white patterns was Slowbro's Mega Stone.

Without exception, they were all brilliantly colored. No wonder they had been collected and put on display here. They really were beautiful.

"It's a shame that no one has figured out what these stones are for yet."

The old man spoke regretfully.

"One day, they'll figure it out."

"Yes, one day they'll figure it out."

The old man and the young man smiled at each other.

"Grandpa, do you know the owner who collected these? I'd like to see if I can buy one."

Lu Ze looked at Altaria's Mega Stone. Su Tingxi had just obtained a Swablu Pokémon Egg, and if he wanted to Mega Evolve it later, he would definitely need this Mega Stone.

"Are you buying it as a gift for me?"

Tang Yunqin immediately leaned in with shining eyes. She had never expected Lu Ze to finally get a clue and voluntarily give her a Present.

Lu Ze looked at Tang Yunqin and asked in confusion.

"Why would I give it to you?"

Tang Yunqin asked irritably.

"Then who are you planning to give it to?"

Lu Ze froze for a moment and thought, Wouldn't it be a little strange if I said I was giving it to Su Tingxi?

"I'm not giving it to anyone. I'm collecting it myself."

Tang Yunqin screamed internally, Aaaaaah!!!

On the surface, she smiled and said, "Okay."

Lu Ze turned around with a smug smile. I'm so clever.

The old man found the scene rather strange, but he still answered seriously.

"These are generally privately collected and rarely sold. But if you're willing to pay a high enough price, it might be possible."

"Alright, then."

Lu Ze was a little disappointed, but he failed to notice Tang Yunqin's gritted-teeth expression as she looked like she wanted to swallow him whole.

The old man looked at the group before him. The boy asking questions wore a disappointed expression. The girl beside him was glaring at the boy through gritted teeth. The one holding the Pokémon Egg looked utterly confused, while the other was holding back laughter so hard that the old man feared he might pass out.

The old man smiled and shook his head, turning to leave behind only one sentence.

"It's good to be young."

The next day, at the Pokémon Battle Center.

Sui Yan declared energetically.

"It's been so long. Let's have a battle and see how much we've improved during this time."

As he spoke, he secretly glanced at Lu Ze. Torkoal had already learned a Rock type move that countered Zubat, and he wanted a battle to show Lu Ze what he could do.

Lu Ze said, "Sure, I have no problem with that."

Tang Yunqin said, "Me neither."

Su Tingxi said, "Same here."

Sui Yan asked, "Then shall we begin? Knockout format or Relay format?"

The Relay format allowed trainers to choose between switching Pokémon and issuing a move each turn. This format was commonly used in all kinds of competitions and tested both team composition and trainer skill.

The Knockout format meant that neither side could switch Pokémon until one Pokémon had lost its ability to battle. If a Pokémon had not lost its ability to battle, it could not be replaced. This tested the individual strength of Pokémon more.

Lu Ze said, "Knockout format. Su Tingxi only has one Pokémon right now, so Relay format would be unfair to him."

Although Su Tingxi had obtained a Swablu Pokémon Egg at the Pokémon Main Store, it had not hatched yet, so he still only had Dratini.

Sui Yan said, "Alright. Then should the two of us go first?"

"Okay, let's do it."

The four of them entered the battle arena together and also called over a referee.

"Please send out your Pokémon."

"Whoosh."

The two released their Pokémon at the same time. Lu Ze sent out Zubat, while Sui Yan sent out Growlithe.

When he saw the two Pokémon, Sui Yan asked in surprise.

"Aren't you using Munchlax first?"

Lu Ze chuckled. "I knew you were going to target my Zubat. I gave you the chance, but I didn't expect you to send out Growlithe first."

Sui Yan was helpless. He had originally thought Lu Ze would send Munchlax out first, allowing him to use Growlithe's Attack stat against Munchlax's weaker Defense stat. Even if he could not win, Torkoal could still finish things up and counter Zubat afterward. Yet Lu Ze had unexpectedly sent out Zubat first.

"The flag falls. The battle begins."

The two returned to their positions, and the referee raised his flag. The match was about to begin.

"Whoosh."

"Growlithe—Flamethrower!"

"Zubat, dodge!"

Both sides gave their commands at the same time. Lu Ze knew Growlithe had newly learned Flamethrower, so he knew Sui Yan would definitely use that sole ranged attack at the start to force Zubat's position. Therefore, he directly ordered Zubat to dodge.

Growlithe's Flamethrower chased Zubat through the air in a Z-shaped trail. Unfortunately, it still failed to hit, though it had forced Zubat closer to Growlithe's attack range.

"Nice, Growlithe—use Agility and rush in with Bite!"

"Zubat—Supersonic!"

Lu Ze smiled confidently. Zubat's Supersonic struck the charging Growlithe head-on, triggering Confusion. Growlithe leaped up and bit nothing but air.

"Tch, Growlithe—Howl!"

"Zubat—Swift!"

Growlithe shook its head and let out a wolfish howl at the sky, but halfway through, it was struck by Zubat's Swift. Its imposing howl turned into a pained cry, but a flash of white light still passed over its body, successfully raising its Attack stat.

"Growlithe—Flamethrower!"

Sui Yan used the same tactic again. Growlithe unleashed a thick stream of Flame at Zubat, but Zubat's swift evasive movements made Growlithe miss once more. However, Zubat failed to notice that it was getting closer and closer to Growlithe.

"Good chance, Growlithe, Flame Charge!"

"Zubat—Poison Fang!"

Seeing that Zubat could not evade, Lu Ze could only trade injury for injury. With Agility's boost, Growlithe's speed had become incredibly fast. Within Growlithe's attack range, Zubat could no longer dodge.

Growlithe, wreathed in flames, rammed into Zubat. Zubat opened its mouth wide, its teeth glowing purple as it bit down at Growlithe.

Zubat was sent flying by Growlithe's charge, but purple light also appeared on Growlithe's body. The fifty percent chance had succeeded, putting Growlithe into Poisoning.

"Growlithe—Facade!"

"Zubat, use this chance to pull away!"

Growlithe dashed forward, leaped up, and slapped at empty air. The Zubat that had been knocked away had already left Growlithe's attack range. Even though Growlithe was extremely fast under Agility's boost, the distance allowed Zubat to fly upward the instant Growlithe rushed over, barely avoiding the attack.

"The outcome is decided. Zubat—Cross Poison!"

"Damn it, Growlithe, keep using Flamethrower!"

This time, Zubat had learned its lesson. It flew higher while dodging, giving Growlithe no chance at all.

Then, two Cross Poison attacks from the air, combined with Growlithe's Poisoning, soon left Growlithe unable to battle.

"Growlithe is unable to battle. Zubat wins. The defeated side must switch to its next Pokémon. Exceeding the time limit results in defeat."

The referee raised his flag and declared Zubat the winner.

"Go, Torkoal!"

"Torkoal—Clear Smog!"

"Zubat—Shadow Ball!"

The moment Torkoal entered the field, it spat out a lump of mud that struck Zubat. Zubat's Shadow Ball also struck Torkoal. Though Clear Smog did not deal much damage, its advantage was that it never missed, making it extremely effective against Pokémon like Zubat with high evasion. Torkoal's speed, meanwhile, meant it was destined to take hits, so Shadow Ball landing was no surprise.

Sui Yan was delighted as he watched Zubat, now slightly panting in the air. After taking a Flame Charge boosted by increased Attack stat and then a Clear Smog, Zubat truly was running low on stamina.

"Torkoal, keep going—Clear Smog!"

"Zubat—Air Slash!"

Lu Ze could also see that Zubat did not have much stamina left, but there was little he could do against a move like Clear Smog that never missed. He could only choose to trade injury for injury.

The two sides injured each other once again. Zubat was now swaying unsteadily in the air, and Lu Ze called out to it reluctantly.

"Zubat, you don't have to hold on like this."

"No!"

That mysterious voice rang out in Lu Ze's mind again.

At that moment, the Zubat on the field was also covered in white light.