Charmander and Pikachu: Electric Type Isn't Lightning Soul Power

Charmander and Pikachu: Electric Type Isn't Lightning Soul Power

After Zhou Ping got off the machine, no one in the shop urged him to move aside.

Everyone's attention was on Pidgey.

The little bird Pokémon stood on his shoulder, occasionally tilting its head to look around. Unlike a Soul Beast, it did not become irritable because of the many Soul Masters nearby, nor did it simply want to flee like an ordinary bird. It was merely curious, occasionally fluttering its wings softly as though adapting to this unfamiliar world.

Zhou Ping held the Poké Ball, still feeling a little dazed.

Lin Chuan reminded him, "Once a Pokémon is brought out, the Trainer is responsible for caring for it. Food, condition, battles, rest—none of it can be handled carelessly. Just because you know how to catch one doesn't mean you know how to train one."

Zhou Ping immediately straightened up.

"I'll learn."

He did not say it loudly, but it sounded steadier than anything he had said before.

Ma Hongjun could no longer hold himself back.

"Who's next?"

Lin Chuan glanced at the reservation list.

"In order, it's you."

Ma Hongjun's eyes lit up.

"Finally, it's my turn!"

Yan sneered.

"Don't embarrass yourself the moment you go in."

Ma Hongjun turned around.

"Just wait and see. I'll bring out a Fire-type."

Ning Rongrong reminded him, "During the trial period, you can only bring one Pokémon into reality. Don't try to Scratch everything you see."

Ma Hongjun waved a hand.

"Don't worry. I know exactly what I want."

He spoke with conviction, yet when he sat down at the machine, he nervously rubbed his hands together. The screen lit up again, revealing a sunny grassland. The new Trainer registration interface appeared, and the three starter partners emerged once more.

Bulbasaur.

Charmander.

Squirtle.

Ma Hongjun barely hesitated.

"Charmander!"

The little lizard with a flame burning on its tail opened its eyes and looked up at Ma Hongjun. It was not as fierce as Ma Hongjun had imagined. If anything, it seemed overly energetic, its tail flame swaying as though urging him to get moving.

The Pokédex prompt appeared.

[Charmander.]

[Type: Fire.]

[Category: Lizard Pokémon.]

Ma Hongjun's eyes shone.

"See that? Fire type!"

Yan stared at the screen. Though he said nothing, his gaze had clearly turned serious.

He wanted to see it too.

What exactly was the difference between a Pokémon's fire and a Soul Master's fire?

Ma Hongjun led Charmander into the grassland. Unlike Zhou Ping's cautious approach, he was excited from the start, practically itching to find a Fire-type Pokémon and battle it for three hundred rounds. Yet when the grass rustled, the first thing to leap out was not a Fire type, but a Pidgey.

Ma Hongjun was just about to send Charmander charging in when Ning Rongrong coolly said from the side, "Don't be like Zhou Ping and only know how to use Tackle. Check the moves first."

Zhou Ping hugged Pidgey, looking a little wronged.

"That was the beginner tutorial."

Ma Hongjun checked the move list and coughed.

"Charmander, try Growl first."

Charmander opened its mouth and cried out. The Pidgey opposite it visibly faltered. Ma Hongjun's eyes lit up, and he immediately followed with Tackle. Charmander charged forward and knocked Pidgey back. Several people in the shop nodded repeatedly as they watched.

Grandmaster said quietly, "They aren't soul skills, yet they have fixed effects."

Hu Liena said, "And they can be commanded continuously."

After Pidgey's strength dropped, Ma Hongjun took out a Poké Ball. He wanted to catch it, but the Poké Ball shook twice before popping open. Pidgey flapped its wings and fled back into the grass.

[Capture failed.]

Ma Hongjun was dumbfounded.

"It can fail?"

Lin Chuan said, "Of course."

Laughter immediately broke out throughout the shop.

Ma Hongjun's face reddened.

"Again!"

He continued onward. Charmander followed beside him, the flame on its tail burning steadily. At first, Ma Hongjun only focused on finding Fire types, but as he walked, he noticed that Charmander would avoid damp mud on its own, would become alert before anything moved in the grass, and would look back at him whenever he stopped.

That was not a Martial Soul.

Nor was it a soul skill.

It was a living, breathing partner.

Ma Hongjun did not say anything, but his heart gradually calmed.

Just then, a flash of yellow suddenly flickered deep in the grass.

Charmander stopped first.

The flame on its tail swayed gently.

Yan frowned at the screen.

"There's something there."

The next moment, a small yellow figure emerged from the grass. Its ears were pointed, its tail resembled a folded bolt of lightning, and red circles marked both its cheeks. Unlike Pidgey, it did not immediately fly away. Instead, it stood on the grass, warily watching Charmander.

The Pokédex prompt appeared.

[Pikachu.]

[Type: Electric.]

[Category: Mouse Pokémon.]

[Rare wild Pokémon appeared.]

The shop instantly fell silent.

"Electric?"

"It's not lightning-attribute Soul Power?"

"A Mouse Pokémon?"

Ma Hongjun's eyes gleamed.

"Can I Scratch this too?"

Lin Chuan said, "If you can encounter it, you can capture it according to the rules."

Ma Hongjun's spirits immediately soared.

"Charmander, go!"

Ning Rongrong immediately said, "Don't rush!"

But Ma Hongjun had already given the command.

Charmander rushed at Pikachu. Just as its claws were about to touch its opponent, electricity suddenly flashed from Pikachu's cheeks. Charmander's body stiffened violently, and its movements slowed by half a beat.

[Charmander has fallen into Paralysis.]

Ma Hongjun froze.

"Paralysis?"

Pikachu took the chance to leap up. Electricity burst from its body and struck the grass in front of Charmander. Charmander jumped back in fright, the flame on its tail flickering.

Almost everyone in the shop stood up.

This electricity was not Soul Power.

Nor was it a lightning-attribute soul skill.

It flowed naturally from that small yellow Pokémon, as smoothly as breathing, yet it completely followed the rules described by the Pokédex.

Yan's expression turned grave.

"Paralysis triggers upon contact?"

Grandmaster was already writing furiously.

"A status condition. A status condition within the Pokémon system."

Ma Hongjun panicked.

"Then what do I do? Potion?"

Lin Chuan pointed at the Small Counter.

"You need the appropriate item for Paralysis. There are trial packs of Paralyze Heal at the counter today, but you didn't buy any."

Ma Hongjun opened his mouth.

Ning Rongrong pressed a hand to her forehead.

"Before going in, you only had eyes for Charmander. You didn't listen to the explanation about items at all."

Ma Hongjun looked like he was about to cry.

"Can I still buy one now?"

Lin Chuan said, "You can't buy supplies from reality midway through this round."

Laughter rose through the shop again.

But laughter aside, no one thought Ma Hongjun had embarrassed himself. Pikachu's attack had revealed another side of the Pokémon system. They were not merely partners that could be captured. They had types, conditions, abilities, items—an entire battle logic completely different from that of Douluo Continent.

Ma Hongjun gritted his teeth and began directing Charmander more carefully.

After becoming paralyzed, Charmander was much slower. Pikachu was also extremely agile, repeatedly hopping away just past the edge of its attacks. The more Ma Hongjun fought, the more anxious he became, and the more mistakes he made. In the end, Pikachu forced Charmander back with a burst of electricity, then turned and darted into the grass, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

[The wild Pikachu fled.]

Ma Hongjun sat frozen in his chair.

Yan finally found his chance.

"Your goal was clear?"

Ma Hongjun turned around, his face dark.

"Shut up."

Ning Rongrong did not mock him for long. Instead, she looked at Charmander's condition on the screen.

"Take it back to recover first."

Ma Hongjun had originally wanted to give chase, but upon hearing that, he finally stopped. He looked at Charmander, whose movements had become sluggish due to Paralysis, and the heated impulse in his heart gradually faded.

He suddenly understood that Pokémon were not tools.

Charmander was not his flame, nor was it his soul skill. It could be injured, it could become paralyzed, and it could suffer because of his recklessness. If he only wanted to Scratch rarer Pokémon while failing to care for the one beside him, then he was not worthy of being a Trainer.

Ma Hongjun said softly, "Charmander, come back first."

Charmander looked back at him, then slowly walked back to his side.

That look made Ma Hongjun's chest tighten.

He had always thought that the bigger the fire, the more exhilarating it was, and that the fiercer he fought, the more impressive he looked. But Charmander being paralyzed had made him realize for the first time that his commands were not over just because he shouted them. If he gave the wrong command, Charmander was the one who suffered when it charged in. If he got carried away, Charmander was the one who paid the price.

This was completely different from releasing his own soul skills.

Soul skills were his own power. If they went out of control, at worst, he was the one who got hurt. A Pokémon was not part of his strength. It was a partner that responded to him.

Watching this, Lin Chuan added another line beneath the new wooden sign.

[Trainer Rule One: Take care of your own Pokémon first.]

Grandmaster looked up at those words.

Ning Fengzhi also looked at those words.

Yue Guan, meanwhile, stared into the depths of the grass, Pikachu's electricity still lingering in his eyes.

Ma Hongjun had failed to capture Pikachu in this round.

But everyone at Avenue Internet Café knew that the truly terrifying side of the Pokémon World had only just revealed a corner of itself.

Because before that little yellow creature escaped, the system had already recorded a new Pokédex entry.

[Pikachu, discovered.]

[Electric type Pokémon, capturable.]