I Defeated Lance's Uncle?

"Eevee, now—Swift!"

Xia Chen, fully focused on the battle, was the first person on the field to react.

Although he could not figure out how the offense and defense had suddenly reversed in that lightning-fast instant, it did not stop him from faithfully fulfilling his duty as a Trainer.

"Vee!"

Only then did Eevee seem to snap out of a dream, gathering energy for Swift once more.

"Axew, get up!"

Yulong Tao reacted only afterward, but Axew had been tripped solidly while moving at high speed. At this point, aside from Rejuvenating Roar, there was nothing else he could do.

"Ax..."

Axew, still conscious, heard his Trainer's command. He struggled to get up and fight back, but his body refused to cooperate.

Staggering unsteadily, he still failed to respond to his Trainer's bond-filled Rejuvenating Roar.

On the other side, although Eevee's legs were inconveniently injured, a long-range guaranteed-hit Pokémon move like Swift did not require much aiming. Lying on her side on the ground, she completed the attack.

A not particularly loud explosion rang out again, but this time, Axew could no longer get back up. He had completely lost the ability to battle.

"Vee, vee? (I... I won?)"

Eevee stared blankly at the unconscious Axew, her face full of disbelief that she had actually defeated her opponent.

The field and the spectators alike fell silent. No one had yet processed that Eevee had won the battle in such an absurd fashion.

"Is... is that even reasonable?"

"What's unreasonable about it? I've seen far more ridiculous battle results. All it means is that things can change in an instant during a battle. Anything can happen."

"Was Axew's luck just that bad, or was Eevee's luck really that good?"

"Some Pokémon battle with strength, while others battle with their lifespan..."

"Let's go, let's go. It's over. Let's check out that side."

The one thing the city park never lacked was Pokémon Battles. This one had been quite exciting and dramatic, but after chatting about it for a few moments, the crowd gradually dispersed.

Seeing that the battle was over, Xia Chen hurried onto the field and anxiously picked up Eevee, who was limping as she struggled to stand.

"Eevee, are your legs okay?"

"Vee."

Eevee shook her head, then raised the two legs that could still move and pointed at Axew lying on the ground, unable to hide her delight.

"Alright, I know you won." Xia Chen praised Eevee, torn between laughter and tears.

The victory had been a little bizarre, but so what?

The only question was, had she won or not?

Xia Chen did not say things like, "Don't get cocky," or, "You were just lucky this time." His philosophy toward Pokémon was not so utilitarian.

After all, his goal was only to coast his way into becoming a laid-back Gym Leader.

Meanwhile, Yulong Tao recalled Axew with a Poké Ball. Watching Xia Chen and Eevee celebrate their first battle victory, he thought for two seconds before walking over.

"Congratulations to you and Eevee. Want to go get our Pokémon treated together?"

"Sure, but I need to find a friend first." Xia Chen had a good impression of Yulong Tao, so he readily agreed.

Carrying Eevee back, Xia Chen spotted Marnie and Snivy. It seemed Snivy had yet to lose, and the two were about to begin their next battle.

After seeing that Xia Chen's newly acquainted friend was a boy, Marnie waved him off and turned back to the battle.

Inside this park, which the locals regarded as a holy ground for battles, there was a Pokémon Center.

After Xia Chen and Yulong Tao handed their Pokémon over to Nurse Joy, they sat in the lounge area of the lobby and chatted.

Naturally, they talked about the Pokémon Battle from earlier.

"Your commands just now, and Eevee's performance, were truly impressive. I learned a lot." Yulong Tao spoke with sincere admiration.

"To be honest, there was still a bit of luck involved..." Xia Chen replied modestly.

Xia Chen knew exactly what he and Eevee were capable of. He was not going to get carried away just because his opponent praised him a couple of times.

The red-haired youth smiled and shook his head slightly. "A loss is a loss. There's no such thing as luck or no luck."

Xia Chen shrugged and did not argue. The other party wanted to use the defeat to spur himself onward, while Xia Chen genuinely felt luck had played a major role in their victory. There was nothing to argue about.

"Oh, right. This is what I lost to you in the battle just now." Yulong Tao took a small bead from his pocket and handed it to Xia Chen.

In wild battles, it was a universally accepted rule that the loser gave the winner money or an item.

As for how many coins were dropped, that was either negotiated beforehand or decided by the loser.

The two had not agreed on anything before their battle, so Yulong Tao simply took out this bead, whatever it was.

Xia Chen did not refuse. He accepted it naturally and asked, "What is this thing?"

Yulong Tao answered casually, "I didn't bring anything else with me. It's a Dragon Gem used to raise Axew. Most of its energy has already been absorbed, so it isn't worth much."

Xia Chen fell silent.

An item worth at least tens of thousands, and he said it was not worth much?

One of the two of them had to have a problem, right?

Was this the legendary Dragon Tamer Clan?

Some people really were born in Rome.

Xia Chen marveled at the other boy's wealth, but he did not return it. After all, he had won it fair and square. Returning it might make the other boy think Xia Chen looked down on him.

After putting away the Dragon Gem, the two continued chatting while waiting for their Pokémon to be treated.

Xia Chen asked curiously, "Isn't your Dragon Tamer Clan active in the Kanto and Johto Regions? Why did you come here?"

Yulong Tao shrugged. "The main branch is indeed in Blackthorn City in the Johto Region, but the Dragon Tamer Clan has spread out over the years. My mother married here, and I grew up in Donghuang."

"Hey, then do you know Lance?" Xia Chen's gossiping heart stirred, and he naturally brought up Dodo.

"I do. In terms of family relations, he's probably my nephew?" Yulong Tao recalled the complicated web of relatives and answered uncertainly.

"But how do you know him? He's an investigator in the Kanto Region."

Xia Chen paused. Only then did he remember that Dodo had not yet ascended to the Champion's throne and was nowhere near as famous as he had been in the games of Xia Chen's previous life.

"Haha, I heard before that he especially likes Flying-type Pokémon, so I remembered him."

Yulong Tao laughed at that. "He really is something of an oddity in our family, but don't underestimate him. He's one of the outstanding figures of this generation. If nothing unexpected happens, he has a great chance of winning the next Elite Four tournament."

Xia Chen had only been making a joke. As a newbie who had not even left the starting village, how could he possibly look down on someone destined to stand at the crest of the era? After a few jokes, they moved on.

"Numbers 133 and 134, your Pokémon have finished treatment~"

Nurse Joy's pleasant voice rang out. The two stopped chatting and went to collect their Pokémon.

"Let's exchange contact information. If we get the chance later, we can have another match?"

Before they parted, Yulong Tao took the initiative to ask. They had gotten along quite well just now, and Xia Chen naturally would not refuse a young man with such a strong background and great potential.

After exchanging contact information, the two parted ways at the entrance of the Pokémon Center.