First Battle

"Clown!"

"Show-off!"

"Does he really think he's somebody?"

"He definitely wouldn't dare. How could he have that kind of nerve?"

A murmur of discussion arose.

Making bold threats was very common in the Quicksand Team.

After all, it was just running their mouths. Who couldn't do that? Was it difficult to spew insults the moment you opened your mouth?

But faced with Baimu, who remained calm and composed as if he had never said anything, they couldn't help growing uneasy. No matter how many times they convinced themselves that he wouldn't dare do it and that they had no chance to make a move, the worry still lingered.

Wasn't he supposed to have no background?

Why had Lady Ayana personally gone to fetch him? And even stopped Otsuka?

What if he really did it?

What if I got dragged into it?

What if he wasn't just running his mouth, but was serious?

They said that a biting Poochyena never barked, but this guy really did look like he might bite someone at any moment!

When all was said and done, did they even have a conflict of interest with him?

He only wanted to coexist peacefully. Why antagonize him? Could there really be some benefit to it?

Exactly!

Quite a few people suddenly realized the truth. If they could keep the peace, why provoke an idiot who might drag everyone down with him at the drop of a hat? They would all go their separate ways once the competition ended.

After exchanging glances, these people quietly withdrew or concealed their hostility toward Baimu.

Nothing happened.

The atmosphere returned to how it had been at the beginning.

Yet among them, a pair of unwilling eyes also narrowed. Going against the tide when nothing could be done would only expose him. If he bided his time, he would eventually find a day to crush that bastard.

With one hand on Otsuka's shoulder as the latter's lips turned pale, Baimu glanced around and was somewhat surprised by how effective his words had been.

The results were astonishingly good. Were they all "smart people"?

To be honest, he had always thought the Quicksand Team's thugs lived only for verbal loyalty and pride, with no thought for the future whatsoever. Today had really broadened his horizons.

That was fine, too.

It saved him the trouble of saying more.

"Let's battle, Otsuka. But remember to go easy on me, okay? Aron is my only Pokémon. If anything happens to it, I won't be able to participate in the competition."

Baimu patted the boy's shoulder.

"Why should I?"

Otsuka gritted his teeth resentfully.

"Why should you...? Aren't we good friends, Otsuka?" He looked at the other party in surprise. "I'll be unhappy if you act like this!"

Who's your good friend?!

Otsuka's face twisted into a mask of agony, but faced with Baimu's low-level threat, he still chose to obediently submit after much inner struggle, allowing himself to be dragged away with barely any force.

He looked just like an elementary school student whose pocket money had been taken by an older student.

The gazes directed at Otsuka from those around them were filled with pity. No one wanted to compromise like this, but reality was often helpless.

Better you than me. Please, Otsuka!

--

Although Aron had joined them five days ago, Baimu had never let it have a proper battle because of the injury to its right leg.

Today, circumstances had brought him a decent sparring partner.

Compared to battling Cheng Hong and the others' Pokémon, it would probably have a better chance of leveling up or evolving... At what level did Aron evolve into Lairon?

Baimu couldn't remember.

Actually, there was no need to remember. Pokémon evolution in this world mainly depended on fate and sudden inspiration, like Bulbasaur's evolution festival in Mystery Garden and the mass evolution of Silcoon into Beautifly in the forest of Littleroot Town, followed by their migration.

When the time came, they would evolve. It was somewhat related to level, but not necessarily absolute.

That was how it was said, but seizing an opportunity was incredibly difficult.

"Let's go. This is our first battle." Baimu encouraged Aron. The more battles and training they had, the more likely they were to find an opportunity to evolve.

Not far away.

Otsuka stood there with a bitter expression, holding two Poké Balls. He shouted angrily, "Hey! Which one are you choosing?"

Baimu said, "Bring them both out! Who knows what Pokémon you have? Hurry up!"

"You—"

Otsuka was so angry his teeth ached as he opened the two Poké Balls in his hands.

Bang! Bang!

With two light sounds, the sharp-eyed Graveler and the stooped Sandshrew landed on the ground. Judging from how spirited they looked, they were quite different from the Pokémon held by many other Quicksand Team members.

"Hmm... Why didn't you use Trade Evolution on your Graveler? Are you waiting for something?"

Baimu looked at Otsuka curiously. "Or does Graveler lose its value after evolving, making it inconvenient for you to sell?"

"Who's selling Pokémon! And what kind of weird thing is Trade Evolution?" Otsuka snapped back, then immediately saw the contempt mixed with disdain in those eyes.

"Eh—you don't even know about Trade Evolution? What a disgrace of a Trainer!"

"You—me—none of your business! Are we battling or not? Why are you spouting so much nonsense?" Otsuka's face shifted from green to red.

Baimu waved his hand. "Of course we're battling. Let's have Graveler go first."

His opponent had probably been a Trainer for quite some time, yet he didn't know about Trade Evolution. The Quicksand Team couldn't possibly lack machines for Pokémon trading, so perhaps Otsuka simply had insufficient knowledge?

It was a little strange.

Then, under Otsuka's command, the boulder standing half a man tall rolled to a spot near Aron.

"I'll let you attack first!"

Once the battle began, Otsuka seemed to regain his confidence and spoke rather arrogantly.

"Fine."

Baimu didn't hold back either. After all, this was his first time properly directing a Pokémon battle, and he wasn't familiar with some things. "Iron Defense!"

"Guh!"

Upon hearing his voice, Aron's body immediately lit up with a deep silver radiance. Orange-red waves of energy rose from beneath its feet, symbolizing an increase in its abilities.

His opponent had a Ground type, which had a fourfold advantage against Aron's Rock and Steel types. Fighting head-on could easily get Aron killed on the spot, so using Iron Defense at the start to raise its defensive ability would make him feel safer, no matter how much it increased.

Seeing this, Otsuka burst out laughing. "Hahaha! Hiding in your shell won't help you defeat your opponent! Graveler, use Defense Curl and Rollout!"

"Grrr!"

Graveler roared as it pressed its two thick arms tightly against its body. The moment the orange-red waves surged upward, it suddenly rolled forward!

Graveler had clearly used this combination many times before, so it executed it extremely quickly.

Rumble, rumble—

The ground trembled continuously as it rolled at high speed, but Baimu remained calm.

"Dig and wait for an opportunity!"

Whoosh, whoosh...

A large amount of sand flew through the air. Aron vanished as if it had sunk into water, coincidentally slipping past the rolling Graveler. What a pity.

Relief appeared on Baimu's face. Although Rollout, a Rock-type move, wasn't especially effective against Aron, who knew how much damage it would deal?

He was just about to continue giving orders when he saw that Graveler's attack had not weakened. It rolled straight toward him!

In the crisis, he suddenly rolled to the right to dodge. Covered in dirt, he still avoided Graveler's Rollout attack.

"You had Graveler attack me? Are you serious?"

Baimu looked at Otsuka, who wore a gleeful expression, his face solemn.

"Gah!" Otsuka's smile froze on his face. For some reason, his heart began pounding wildly. He turned his head away, unwilling to meet Baimu's gaze. "You just happened to be in Graveler's path. Why blame me? Besides, that's how battles are. They never take the Trainer into consideration. If you get hit, that's your bad luck!"

If you're so innocent, then look at him while you talk!

The few people secretly watching the battle cursed inwardly. They also found it strange. When had Otsuka ever been this timid before? Why had he become like a Raticate facing a Meowth the moment he encountered Baimu?

"...That's true. It was my problem."

Baimu's stern expression softened. Since the Trainer was also present on the battlefield, being caught in a Pokémon's attack was inevitable. Thinking about it carefully, he had indeed been standing in Graveler's unavoidable path.

It was just that he had been somewhat wary of Otsuka, so he had assumed the other party had done it deliberately.

He turned his head and immediately saw Graveler aggressively take a huge turn, its edge scraping against the wire fence and throwing off countless sparks.

Its speed had become even faster.

Please support this book by reading on~

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"Pokémon: I'm Really Not a Poison-Type Trainer"

A traditional Pokémon story.

It begins in the Kanto region.

A mysterious fifth person from Pallet Town, born in the same period as Ash.

Starter Pokémon: Bulbasaur.

No system. Raising Pokémon relies entirely on hard work, creativity, and opportunity.