Evolution

"Starly has pretty much mastered Aerial Ace now."

"Even without my help, he can hit the target accurately."

"It's time to test the results of our training in a real battle."

With that in mind, Bai Shi looked around for a suitable opponent.

Because they were near the sea, Pokémon Trainers often came here hoping to catch Water-type Pokémon.

When their eyes met, a battle was likely to follow.

Bai Shi had received challenges from other Pokémon Trainers before.

At the time, though, he had been focused on training and had no interest in battling anyone.

He had even moved to a quieter corner to avoid them.

Now that his training had paid off, Bai Shi wanted a suitable Pokémon Trainer to practice against.

His opponent couldn't be too strong or too weak.

Ideally, the opponent's Pokémon would be evenly matched with Starly.

Only then would the battle serve as useful practice.

Bai Shi wandered Sandgem Beach for quite a while before he spotted a suitable candidate.

The young man seemed to be an ordinary Pokémon Trainer who, like Bai Shi, had only recently set out on his journey.

He had a Water-type Pokémon: a Corphish.

Before challenging him, Bai Shi had watched him battle someone else.

He was skilled, but not so skilled that Bai Shi couldn't take him on.

He would be the perfect test for Starly.

When the young man went looking for another battle, Bai Shi stepped forward without hesitation.

"Great! It's a one-on-one battle. Give me everything you've got!"

Sakai grinned confidently and accepted at once.

Ever since he had caught Corphish, he hadn't met a Pokémon Trainer in the area who could beat him.

That had given Sakai plenty of confidence.

"Go, Starly!"

As planned, Bai Shi sent out Starly.

"Starly!"

Starly was unusually excited to be in a proper battle again and let out a spirited cry.

He could feel a vast power that had built up inside him without his noticing.

It had almost filled his body to bursting.

Starly desperately wanted to release it through battle.

"Corphish, use Bubble Beam!"

As soon as the battle began, Sakai made the first move.

Corphish opened his pincers and fired a stream of clear bubbles at Starly.

"Starly, use Gust!"

Bai Shi gave the order calmly.

Facing the incoming bubbles, Starly beat his wings hard and whipped up a powerful current of air.

It scattered the bubbles and kept blowing toward his opponent.

Corphish took a little damage.

"Starly, use Quick Attack!"

Bai Shi pressed his advantage and ordered Starly to attack again.

Starly immediately became a streak of white light, hurtling toward Corphish at tremendous speed.

"Corphish, quick! Use Water Gun!"

Sakai's expression changed, and he shouted the order.

Corphish fired a jet of water as thick as a baby's arm.

He tried to use it to stop Starly's charge.

"Starly!" Child's play!

Starly paid no heed to the water shooting toward him.

He put the results of his recent training on display.

Just before the jet could hit him, he shifted course slightly.

He swept beneath it and appeared in front of Corphish, completely unharmed.

With a rush of air, he slammed into Corphish.

The impact sent Corphish stumbling back several steps.

It hadn't dealt a decisive blow, though.

"Corphish, use Crabhammer!"

Accustomed to having the upper hand, Sakai shouted in his haste to turn the battle around.

He had beaten plenty of Pokémon Trainers with this move.

Corphish leaped up, raised a pincer glowing white, and swung it at Starly with all his strength.

"Starly, climb higher! Then use Aerial Ace!"

At Bai Shi's command, Starly beat his wings hard and shot upward.

Corphish's powerful blow struck nothing but air.

Once he had gained enough height, Starly wheeled around for a counterattack.

He traced a circle through the air, then dove back toward Corphish.

The move had clearly caught his opponent by surprise.

"What?"

Sakai stood frozen, watching helplessly as Aerial Ace struck Corphish.

By the time he came to his senses, Corphish had fallen to the ground.

Only sheer determination kept him struggling.

"Starly, finish it! Use Wing Attack!"

Bai Shi pressed the attack and gave Starly his next order.

Starly spread his wings and swept one across Corphish's head with a sharp whoosh.

Thud!

Corphish's eyes went dark, and he could no longer battle.

"Corphish..."

Seeing his Pokémon defeated, Sakai looked utterly dejected. His earlier confidence was gone.

"Starly!" That's it? Get up!

Still eager for more, Starly went on taunting the unconscious Corphish.

Despite the fierce battle, the power inside him had not been released. Instead, it had grown.

The power bottled up inside Starly had now reached a critical point.

Like a volcano, it could erupt at any moment.

Starly had to strain with all his might just to hold it down.

"Our recent training paid off even more than I expected."

Seeing how easily Starly had won, Bai Shi rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

He had yet to notice that anything was wrong with Starly.

"Starly!"

Suddenly, Starly could no longer contain the surging power inside him. He let out a piercing cry.

"What's wrong, Starly?"

Bai Shi snapped to attention and hurriedly looked over at him.

All he saw was a blaze of white light.

"Is this... Evolution?"

Bai Shi froze for a moment, then his face lit up with surprise and delight.

"Come out, Dunsparce!"

Recovering quickly, Bai Shi sent out Dunsparce.

He had Dunsparce stand guard beside Starly.

He wanted to make sure Sakai, angered by his loss, couldn't interfere with Starly's Evolution.

As it turned out, Bai Shi had worried for nothing.

Sakai was still absorbed in his defeat and paid no attention to Starly.

Wrapped in white light, Starly's body underwent a dramatic change.

After a while, the light gradually faded.

A new Pokémon stood before Bai Shi.

Compared with Starly, he was a full size larger.

The feathers on his head stood taller and curled up more.

The tips of his claws had turned black and grown much sharper.

"Phew... Congratulations, Staravia!"

Seeing Starly evolve successfully, Bai Shi couldn't help sighing with relief.

He congratulated the newly evolved Staravia right away.