Shinx

The three of them hurried toward the third arena, hearing waves of cheers from afar.

At the center of the arena, a Shinx wreathed in golden arcs of electricity charged fiercely at a Ralts.

Dazzling arcs crackled continuously around its body. Every step it took left a charred mark on the ground, and the air carried a faint burnt smell.

"To think we'd happen to catch a battle between a Shinx and a Ralts. We're pretty lucky!" Yingnan said with excitement gleaming in his eyes, pointing at the two Pokémon on the field.

Xinhai looked at the two Pokémon in the arena, then at their Trainers. Both Trainers were girls, and both were striking beauties.

(Come to think of it, people in the Pokémon world seem generally better-looking than those on Blue Star. I wonder if it has something to do with the various Types of energy.)

"It is quite rare."

Xinhai softly agreed. At the same time, he released his Ralts, gently setting her on his shoulder as they watched the exciting battle together.

After Shali's Ralts greeted Xinhai's, she turned her attention to the adorable feline Pokémon in the arena and exclaimed, "Shinx are Pokémon from the Sinnoh region. They're still quite rare around here! Come to think of it, this is my first time seeing one in person!"

Completely covered in electricity, the Shinx shot forward like a bolt of lightning and instantly arrived before Ralts. Yet just as it was about to touch its opponent, the horn atop Ralts's head glimmered faintly, and her figure vanished into thin air.

Ralts had disappeared again, but Shinx did not panic. He had already laid down an Electroweb within a three-meter radius around himself. As long as his opponent appeared within its range, he would immediately sense her.

The spectators all stared intently around Shinx. Everyone thought Ralts would reappear nearby, only to see her materialize in front of Shinx's Trainer.

Separated from Shinx's Trainer by only a layer of energy barrier, Ralts crossed her hands before her chest and gathered a fantastical ray of light, firing it at Shinx—it was the Psychic-type move Psybeam, which fired mysterious rays to attack the opponent and could sometimes leave them confused.

"Jump to the front right, now!" Shinx's Trainer reacted swiftly and shouted her command.

Shinx sprang toward the front right like an arrow loosed from a bow. Psybeam grazed his fluffy tail and scorched a smoking black mark into the ground.

Ralts did not continue her pursuit. Instead, she calmly closed her eyes where she stood. A gentle blue glow leaked from the corners of her eyes, and the Psychic-type fluctuations around her gradually became more active. She was clearly using Calm Mind to enhance her own abilities.

"Use Thunder Shock to interrupt her!" Shinx's Trainer sharply sensed her opponent's intentions and hurriedly shouted.

Shinx arched his back, every strand of fur standing on end. Blinding electric arcs gathered at the tip of his tail before he suddenly fired them out. A thick Thunder Shock shot toward Ralts like a golden serpent.

Yet Ralts seemed to have sensed it long ago. A pale blue Confusion barrier spread around her in her Calm Mind state. The Thunder Shock exploded against it in a burst of dazzling light. Although the Confusion barrier dimmed, it still stubbornly withstood the attack.

Knowing it was already too late to stop her opponent's enhancement, Shinx's Trainer gritted her teeth and shouted, "Use Thunderbolt!"

Shinx slammed all four paws into the ground, drawing on every bit of Electric-type energy in his body. Electricity surged wildly over him, converging into a lightning pillar as thick as a bowl that crashed toward Ralts with overwhelming force.

Watching Shinx gather Thunderbolt, Ralts's Trainer fixed her gaze on Ralts and said, "Use Psychic!"

Ralts's eyes snapped open, blue light blazing within them. She raised both hands, and a massive force of Confusion came crashing down upon Shinx like a mountain pressing overhead.

Psychic and Thunderbolt collided with a tremendous boom, and an energy storm swept across the entire arena. Purple Confusion and golden lightning intertwined and tore at one another, erupting with blinding light.

At the same moment as the explosion, Ralts vanished from where she stood. Sensing fluctuations in the magnetic field behind him, Shinx quickly turned to counterattack.

Brown Dark-type energy gathered around his teeth as he accurately bit toward Ralts behind him. Yet just as he was about to succeed, an invisible force imprisoned him in midair, leaving him unable to move.

"Not good! Use Spark to break free!" Shinx's Trainer cried anxiously.

Shinx's fur bristled all over as he tried to use a powerful current to break through the Psychic-type energy acting on him.

But Ralts moved even faster, controlling Shinx and smashing him heavily into the arena floor. Shinx let out a pained cry, and the electricity around his body dispersed.

"Meow!!!" Shinx struggled to rise, only to find his limbs still firmly bound by invisible Confusion. He was slammed viciously into the ground once again.

"Shinx, use... use Thunder Shock!"

Shinx's Trainer's face turned pale as she weakly gave the command, only to see Shinx smashed into the ground again.

This time, Shinx had far less strength left to struggle. Seeing that his opponent was about to attack again, Shinx's Trainer anxiously shouted, "We surrender! We surrender! Please stop attacking!"

A piercing whistle sounded. Ralts slowly withdrew her blue-glowing Confusion and gently lowered Shinx to the ground.

The referee lowered a red flag, his booming voice echoing around the arena. "Shinx has lost the ability to battle. Ralts wins!"

Shinx's Trainer quickly stepped onto the arena and carefully picked up the still-trembling Shinx. As she walked down, she gently brushed the dust from his body, her eyes reddening. "Shinx, I'm sorry. I was too impatient..."

Shinx rubbed his head against her fair cheek, his tail weakly curling around her wrist as he silently comforted his Trainer.

Ralts's Trainer was named Suzuki Ai, an energetic girl with a high ponytail. Smiling brightly, she stroked Ralts's little head and gently praised her, "Ralts, you did wonderfully!"

Yet Ralts did not respond to her right away. Instead, she looked toward a spot beneath the arena. Suzuki Ai was somewhat puzzled, as Ralts would normally respond immediately whenever she spoke.

Following Ralts's gaze toward Xinhai, Suzuki Ai discovered that he also had a Ralts on his shoulder.

Xinhai's Ralts tilted her head as she looked at them, her red eyes gleaming with curiosity and goodwill.

The two Ralts looked at each other from afar, the horns atop their heads glowing faintly as though they were communicating through Psychic-type power. This was a unique means of communication between Psychic-type Pokémon.

While speaking with Yingnan and the others, Xinhai suddenly frowned, sensing something. He looked at Ralts, then followed her gaze to the Trainer and Pokémon atop the arena.

"So that's it!" Suzuki Ai suddenly understood, her eyes curving into crescents. "Is that a new friend?" She picked up her own Ralts, her high ponytail swaying lightly with her steps as she jogged toward them.

Seeing Xinhai frown toward the arena, Shali curiously asked, "Xinhai, what's wrong?"

Listening to the thoughts Ralts conveyed to him, Xinhai shook his head. "Nothing much. It seems the winner of the last battle is coming over."

Yingnan paused in surprise. "The Trainer of the Ralts that was onstage just now?"

Xinhai nodded, gently stroking Ralts's hair. "That Ralts noticed mine. Ralts just told me they're heading this way. They're not far away."

Just as Yingnan was about to say something else, a clear voice came from nearby. "Hello, sorry for the trouble, please make way! Thank you!"

The three turned their heads and saw that Suzuki Ai had already arrived before them with Ralts in her arms. The girl's face still carried a flush from her victory, and her sparkling eyes were fixed on the Ralts on Xinhai's shoulder. "She's so pretty!"

The Ralts in her arms impatiently broke free and floated toward Xinhai's Ralts, only for Xinhai to stop him with an outstretched hand.

Xinhai frowned at the Ralts and thought, Where did this little brat come from? He's trying to make a move on my Ralts!

That was right—Suzuki Ai's Ralts was male. After all, although Gardevoir was known as a waifu Pokémon, Ralts had an even one-to-one gender ratio.

The stopped Ralts clearly sensed Xinhai's feelings. His head drooped, and he gave a wronged little "Ralts," while the glow of the horn atop his head dimmed somewhat.

Suzuki Ai could not help laughing. She reached out and rubbed her Pokémon's head, apologizing, "Sorry, he always gets like this whenever he sees a pretty companion. My name is Suzuki Ai, and I'm a Novice at Trainer School!" As she spoke, she proactively extended her hand toward Xinhai and the other two.

Xinhai calmly shook her hand. "Xinhai Bai Mu. I'm traveling around."

Suzuki Ai gave a light laugh without getting angry. After all, her own Pokémon had set his sights on the other Ralts. This was already a pretty good response.

Afterward, she shook hands with Yingnan and Shali as well. Once the two had introduced themselves, Suzuki Ai did not disturb them further and left with her Ralts, who looked back every two steps.