Intentions

Night.

The park beside the Pokémon Center.

A bright crescent moon hung in the sky, its light draping the area in a silvery veil. A gentle breeze rustled the treetops with soft whispers, peaceful and serene.

Ledyba and Ledian flitted through the woods, their bright yellow lights flashing. Oddish and Gloom moved through the shrubs with faint rustling sounds. Hoothoot called softly from the tall trees, while Sentret curled up asleep in the tree hollows below.

In the distant pond, Poliwag and Wooper either floated on the water or stood atop lotus leaves, admiring the moon together.

The entire park seemed to be steeped in slumber.

Heiduo sat on a bench by the path, watching Elekid and Gible trade blows in the sandy clearing nearby.

Those two had nothing better to do after eating their fill and were burning off energy. Heiduo had clearly said they could rest today, yet they insisted on coming out for a fight.

Fine, let them fight. Heiduo supported this sort of thing. The reason their levels rose so quickly was inseparable from their frequent sparring matches. They accumulated experience quickly.

As long as no serious conflicts arose, Heiduo had no issue with peaceful competition, mutual progress, and friendly sparring.

Bang!

An explosive sound erupted beside Heiduo's ear.

A shattered chunk of ice had come from Elekid's Ice Punch. By luck, it had frozen Gible's dorsal fin, but Gible had smashed the ice apart with too much force, sending fragments flying into the tree beside Heiduo.

"Hey! Be more careful!" Heiduo told the two troublemakers not to go so all out. It would be a problem if flying ice hit someone else or another Pokémon.

Elekid and Gible exchanged a glance, both looking a little embarrassed as their movements unconsciously slowed down.

Just then, a girl's voice suddenly came from nearby.

"Ehehe! There are Pokémon here I've never seen before! Are they wild?"

A boy and a girl emerged from the park's woods, pushing aside low bushes as they approached Elekid and Gible.

Heiduo raised an eyebrow and got to his feet, walking over. He couldn't let them mistake the two little ones for wild Pokémon and attack them.

"Wow! This little guy looks so fierce!"

The girl wore a white knit cap and looked about the same age as Heiduo, youthful and energetic.

Looking at Gible's huge mouth and sharp teeth, she made a couple of cute "rawr, rawr" noises at it.

Gible rolled its eyes at the girl, then turned around and pointed its butt at her.

Where did this idiot come from?

"Haha, it doesn't like you! That gesture was so human-like. It definitely belongs to a Trainer." The boy beside her laughed at Gible, then looked around.

He happened to spot Heiduo strolling over.

"Hello! Are these your Pokémon? I'm Kenzaki, a Pokémon Trainer." The boy named Kenzaki held out his hand to Heiduo.

He wore a jacket and jeans, with handsome features and a build slightly taller than Heiduo's.

Heiduo lightly touched Kenzaki's hand before immediately pulling away.

The girl noticed Heiduo as well and hurriedly extended her hand. "Ah, sorry. I thought they were wild Pokémon. Hello, I'm Mina, a Breeder."

A Breeder? Did she have a license?

Judging from their accents, these two did not sound like they were from Johto.

Heiduo gave her hand the same brief touch without taking advantage of the girl. "Hello. I'm Heiduo, a Pokémon Trainer. They are indeed my Pokémon."

Having received an answer, Mina eagerly asked, "What Pokémon is it? Can you tell me?"

This girl was as overly familiar as Shuangye had once been. After being burned once, Heiduo had become wary of girls like this.

One should not intend to harm others, but one must guard against being harmed.

"It's called Gible. It comes from the desert regions of Sinnoh," Heiduo explained.

Upon hearing that Gible came from Sinnoh, Mina seemed to grow even more excited.

"What type of Pokémon is it? Can I touch it?"

"Mina!" Kenzaki nudged Mina's waist, signaling for her to be more mindful. Not everyone could accept her enthusiasm.

But in the dim light, Mina could hardly see Kenzaki's expression. Her large, watery eyes stared expectantly at Heiduo.

Heiduo took in the scene and smiled faintly. "Of course, but please be gentle. Otherwise, its Ability may hurt you."

"Ability? What Ability?" Mina's eyes lit up. Like a child endlessly asking why, questions poured out of her one after another.

"Rough Skin. If an opposing Pokémon touches Gible, it will be hurt by that Ability." Heiduo did not keep it secret. He wanted more people to see how powerful Pokémon like Gible were, instead of hiding it away like some treasure. Knowledge was meant to be learned. Locked in a safe, it had no value at all.

Upon hearing about the Ability, Mina seemed to remember something. "Right! Carvanha's Ability!"

Carvanha?

Heiduo remembered that this Pokémon was a Water type and Dark type from Hoenn.

Were they from Hoenn?

Heiduo looked down at his watch. It was eight in the evening, getting late.

"Sorry, I have something to do. I'll be going now." Heiduo bade the two farewell. Early tomorrow morning, he planned to visit Violet Gym to look around and see whether anyone was challenging the Gym.

It would be best if he could watch and learn from them.

He recalled Gible and the others into their Poké Balls, then headed straight back to the Pokémon Center.

Though this place looked like an empty wilderness with no one around, invisible cameras were actually everywhere.

After all, it was near a Pokémon Center.

Mina and Kenzaki did not stop him. They remained where they were, silently watching Heiduo leave.

Like two wooden dolls.

After a while.

"Was that him?" Mina suddenly asked in a low voice.

Kenzaki nodded solemnly. "That's right. He looks exactly like them!"

A nostalgic expression appeared on their faces, as though they had recalled some precious memory.

"So what are you going to do?" Mina turned her head and stared intently at Kenzaki, seemingly waiting for an answer.

Kenzaki turned and left without looking back. "What am I going to do? The same as before. Nothing changes!"

He walked into the pitch-black thicket, his body gradually swallowed by dense branches and darkness.

Mina closed her mouth, gave the Pokémon Center one deep look, and silently followed him.

The two disappeared into the park's sea of trees.

The park fell into dead silence, leaving only Hoothoot's unbroken calls marking the time.

So, learning from experience was absolutely correct.

"Ledian! Use Mach Punch!"

The young boy's voice echoed through the crude battlefield.

A Pokémon with four fists, resembling a fusion of a masked hero and a ladybug, swung its fists and viciously smashed one into Elekid's forehead!

Thud!

A pale cyan spherical barrier appeared above Elekid's head. Mach Punch struck the shield, and faint ripples visibly spread across its surface!

The boy's expression changed. He had not expected Mach Punch, whose speed had always been unstoppable, to be blocked!

Protect truly deserved its +4 priority. Its activation speed ranked among the best of all moves.

"Fire Punch!"

Heiduo stood on the ground two meters away from Elekid and quietly issued the command, completely unmoved by the sand that had splashed onto his face.

The barrier shattered. Elekid swung its fist, flames flaring up around it with a whoosh before it slammed fiercely into Ledian's chest!

Sparks scattered as Ledian was immediately sent flying, several tiny cracks appearing in the shell on its chest.

Ledian's Trainer cried out, "Ledian!"

With that shout, Ledian hit the ground and rolled twice, covering its entire body in dust.

Flames suddenly rose out of nowhere over Ledian's body, engulfing it!

"Ledi!!"

Ledian screamed in agony as it burned, then collapsed unconscious.

"It's burned!" The boy rushed after it in panic. Holding Ledian, he did not even have time to say goodbye to Heiduo before running straight toward the Pokémon Center.

Unlike in games, where a Pokémon could no longer be harmed after fainting, failing to treat a Pokémon's negative condition in time could very well endanger its life.

Heiduo rubbed the plug atop Elekid's head and praised it. "Well done!"

[ Ding! Elekid leveled up! Current level: 14! ]

The familiar level-up sound rang beside Heiduo's ear. Since the opposing Ledian had been level twenty, it granted Elekid enough experience to level up on the spot.

Compared to Elekid from nearly a week ago, it was visibly taller now, with a fuller and sturdier build.

In reality, a Pokémon's six stats were no longer mere numbers. They were truly reflected in their bodies.

"Bibi!" Elekid proudly rotated its arms, bright yellow electricity racing around its plug.

It nearly shocked Heiduo's hand.

"Hey! Pay attention!" Heiduo could not help shoving Elekid. How could it always be so careless?

If it wanted to become strong, it could not overlook even the smallest detail.

Elekid immediately felt embarrassed and scratched its head with an awkward grin.

It was now seven in the morning.

Unlike the teenagers from Heiduo's previous life who slept until noon, most young Trainers in the Pokémon world got up at first light. They trained with their Pokémon beneath the rising sun, breathing in the freshest air of the morning.

Those Trainers who could not get out of bed had already forfeited their right to become stronger.

A year's plan begins in spring; a day's plan begins in the morning.

Every small matter, every seemingly insignificant bit of progress, formed another step in the staircase leading to the top of the pyramid.

The strong remained strong!

But Shuangye rose even earlier than Heiduo.

When he went to sleep, Shuangye had not gotten into bed. When he woke up, Shuangye had long since left it.

If Heiduo had not seen Shuangye lying in bed when he got up to use the bathroom at night, he would have thought she lived somewhere else.

Don't misunderstand. Heiduo was not a pervert and would never sneak attack Shuangye at night. He was a law-abiding good person and would never do something so utterly depraved.

The reason he had gotten up in the night was the warm glass of milk he drank before bed.

Ledian's Trainer was someone he had met during morning training. The two got along immediately, found an open space, and had a Pokémon battle.

Ekans had been scheduled for duty today, but it had not gotten up, so Heiduo gave the opportunity to Elekid instead.

It would be one of his main forces in the Gym battles over the next few days.