Rewards Doubled! An Invitation to Battle! (Here Are Today's Two Noon Updates!)

In the rest area of Battle Field No. 7.

"Pidgey? Brother Yun really went with the standard Caterpie-and-Pidgey combo."

Upon seeing Pidgey, Liu Jianhao sighed inwardly.

He just wondered whether Brother Yun's Pidgey could possess even half the presence of that Beedrill.

"Pidgey? Wasn't Xiao Yun's Starter Pokémon a Weedle?"

After Song Xiaomeng returned home, Song Fu had told her about Mu Yun's Starter Pokémon.

Logically speaking, the one Mu Yun sent out right now should have been a Beedrill. Where had this Pidgey come from?

Did he buy a Pokémon Egg?

No, Xiao Yun's family did not have that much money, did they?

Could he have just picked it up somewhere in the neighborhood?

That was probably impossible. The wild Pidgey in the neighborhood were nearly the same as the Caterpie in the forest—not only were their aptitudes poor, but they also lacked any fighting spirit. They were fine as pets, though.

Maybe she should tell her dad to advance Xiao Yun part of her dowry. He would have to give it to him sooner or later anyway~~

Song Fu: ???

Inside the battle arena.

Unaware of Liu Jianhao and Song Xiaomeng's thoughts, Mu Yun looked at his opponent with a serious expression.

Although he was certain of victory, even a lion had to give its all when hunting a rabbit. Carelessness could cost him everything—there were plenty of lessons from the past.

"Both Pokémon are in position. Beep beep—battle start!!"

"Namkaze, use Gust!"

The instant the referee's voice fell, Mu Yun immediately gave his command.

At the same time, the young man opposite him also spoke. "Use Growth first, then look for an opportunity to use Acid!"

[Growth: A Normal Type move that raises the user's Special Attack and Attack. Its effect is doubled under Sunny Day.]

[Acid: A Poison Type move that sprays strong acid at the opponent, with a 10% chance of lowering the opponent's Special Defense.]

"Oddish!!"

Oddish shut her tiny bean-like eyes, and streams of Normal Type energy flowed through the green leaves atop her head before gradually spreading throughout her body.

However, before the process was even one-third complete, a powerful gale came rushing at her.

The wind covered an enormous area, whipping up fierce gusts across nearly half the battlefield. Despite such a wide range, it was incredibly forceful.

The wind blew the leaves on Oddish's head straight up, while her little face was scrunched up by the gusts. She had to lean forward with all her strength just to barely keep herself steady.

But because she had to focus entirely on resisting the gale, the Growth she had just used failed outright.

"Namkaze, keep using Gust! Don't give the opponent any chance to catch their breath!"

Seeing Oddish struggle against the fierce wind, Mu Yun decisively abandoned his original mobile strategy of taking the chance to launch Tackle.

His original plan had been to use Gust for harassment first, then use the acceleration from Tackle to fight while moving around.

If the opponent used PoisonPowder, he would blow it away with Gust.

But now, that was completely unnecessary.

The 150% boost to move activation speed allowed Namikaze to strike faster and seize the upper hand immediately.

At low levels, especially in battles between Normal Level Pokémon, once one side took the lead, the outcome was basically already decided.

After all, Pokémon at this level only knew a few moves. Their tactics were incomplete and their experience lacking. Things were manageable with the wind at their backs, but fighting against it was practically a slow death.

Sure enough, as Namikaze continued attacking with Gust, Oddish quickly ran out of Stamina. No matter how her Trainer shouted, there was no turning things around.

"Beep—Oddish has lost the ability to battle. The winner is the red side, Mr. Mu Yun!"

[Ding! Pidgey (9) defeated Oddish (14). Permanent Quest 1 completed. The opponent's level has been detected as higher than yours. Congratulations, host—rewards doubled. Obtained Points ×20!]

As the electronic referee's announcement and the system prompt sounded, a one-sided battle came to an end.

Back in the rest area, Mu Yun returned to his seat under Liu Jianhao's expression of, "There's something unscientific about your Pidgey too."

"Brother Yun, I think there's something off about your Pidgey!" Liu Jianhao said.

"What's off about him?"

"It just felt like Gust activated a little too quickly, and its range seemed pretty big too." Liu Jianhao recalled the large clouds of dust that had been swept up across the field.

"That's what happens when proficiency gets high. You've never raised a Pidgey, so you don't know. This is actually perfectly normal." Mu Yun spouted nonsense with a straight face.

"Really?"

Liu Jianhao felt there had to be more to it, but after thinking it over, other than Gust being somewhat faster to activate and having a somewhat larger range, there really did not seem to be anything special about it.

At the very least, it was much more normal than Beedrill.

"Xiao Yun, your Pidgey is quite talented. His Gust proficiency is very high. He's probably gifted with Flying Type moves. If his aptitude isn't low either, you need to train him properly. Don't let his talent go to waste," Song Xiaomeng praised from the side.

"Don't worry. I'll definitely raise these little guys well." Mu Yun smiled as he touched the two Poké Balls at his waist.

"Then, Brother Yun, are you going to keep battling, or are you heading straight to the gym?" Liu Jianhao asked.

After two matches, both of his Pokémon needed to rest for a while. He could use the time to lift some weights and work on getting some muscles.

"The gym?"

Hearing those words, Song Xiaomeng seemed to think of something and secretly glanced at Mu Yun's arm.

No wonder his figure had gotten so much better. So he had been secretly working out!

That was good too. Boys needed to be stronger for their knowledge to be put to good use, hehe~~

"Wait a moment. Sister Xiaomeng and I will have a battle first. It'll be a good chance to personally experience the battle style of Psychic Type Pokémon," Mu Yun said. "If you're in a hurry, you can go ahead. I'll be there soon."

"What am I in a hurry for? You two battle. Psychic Type Pokémon aren't common, so I can take this chance to see what the Psychic Type Pokémon everyone raves about are like." Liu Jianhao waved his hand.

Psychic Type Pokémon were deeply loved by Trainers because of their extraordinary intelligence—at least for some Pokémon—their invisible yet powerful moves, and their incredible looks—again, for some Pokémon.

Gardevoir, Gallade, Alakazam, and Hatterene in particular had long dominated the top twenty rankings for both beauty and strength.

It was not that other Pokémon lacked looks or strength. There were simply too few Psychic Type Pokémon.

After all, people always tended to romanticize what they did not have.

"Sure. Come on, Sister Xiaomeng. Let's go make a booking at the machines," Mu Yun said.

"What do you mean, 'make a booking'? That sounds terrible. It's an arranged battle, an invitation to battle!" Song Xiaomeng corrected him in a strangely emphatic tone.

Wasn't that still just making a booking?

Mu Yun was speechless, though he did not say it out loud.

With someone else around, he should still leave Sister Xiaomeng some dignity, lest she suddenly turn dark.

Come to think of it, did Psychic Type Trainers all have some kind of mental issue? Weird things like yandere types, who could only be admired from afar, were supposed to exist only in anime, weren't they?

"Let's go!"

Song Xiaomeng naturally looped her arm through Mu Yun's, then suddenly turned back and raised her chin under Liu Jianhao's puzzled gaze.

Liu Jianhao: Showing off affection?

How infuriating. Why were there always women around Brother Yun, while I was surrounded by men? Heavens, could you please open your eyes and look at me...

With looks as good as mine, could you really bear to watch me stay single forever!!

Meanwhile, unaware of Liu Jianhao's inner grief and indignation, Mu Yun and Song Xiaomeng successfully made a reservation at a nearby machine.

By coincidence, they were still assigned to Field No. 7. Their match was the seventeenth, so it would be their turn in about three matches.

"Xiao Yun."

On the way back to Field No. 7, Song Xiaomeng pressed closer, squeezing Mu Yun's entire arm against her chest.

The soft sensation was clear and warm through the thin summer clothing.

Mu Yun tried to pull away, but when he found that she only held tighter, he stopped struggling. Looking at Song Xiaomeng's slightly glistening, flushed ears, he asked,

"What is it?"

"Nothing. It just feels like it's been so long since we met. I wanted to call your name a few more times."

"Why does that sound like you're teasing a dog?"

"Hey! What dog? I won't let you talk about yourself like that!"

"Here, boy, here, boy~~"

Smack!!

Song Xiaomeng released his arm and smacked Mu Yun on the back irritably. The blush on her face vanished completely, leaving only a standard smile devoid of emotion. "Xiao Yun, after not seeing each other for a few months, you've gotten much bolder~~ Want your big sister to lie on the ground and wag her tail at you~~"

"Really?"

Mu Yun stretched his arm and feigned pleasant surprise.

Awesome!

What answered him was the sound of a Poké Ball opening.

"Little Sun, let's fly a kite~~"