Adventure's First Battle: Ito Hei

"Cubone! Cubone!"

"Hon!"

The two traded taunts. Cubone even waved his little bone in an open declaration of war.

That set Rhyhorn off. Unable to hold back, he charged!

"Now! Dodge!"

Liu Xin's voice made Shiny Cubone react instinctively. He darted to one side.

Perfect Evasion.

To Liu Xin's surprise, Shiny Cubone pulled off a perfect dodge and avoided Rhyhorn's Tackle.

"Ding! System notification: Shiny Cubone has learned Perfect Evasion."

"Now, let's see if you can even touch me."

The corners of Liu Xin's mouth lifted slightly, interest gleaming in his eyes.

Shiny Cubone took a deep breath, roared, and beat the ground with his bone.

"Cubone! Cubone!"

Eager to fight, he kept taunting his opponent.

Rhyhorn lost his head and attacked again and again.

Perfect Evasion.

Perfect Evasion.

Three or four charges in a row, Shiny Cubone dodged each one cleanly, draining most of Rhyhorn's stamina.

Rhyhorn had little strength left. He stood panting in place, his face grim.

Even his cries had grown faint. It was a wonder he was still on his feet.

Shiny Cubone had expended plenty of energy too, but he was in far better shape than Rhyhorn.

"He's only got one charge left in him, right?"

"Watch closely. Dodge partway, then seize your chance to trip him with your bone!"

"Cubone, Cubone."

Shiny Cubone shot Liu Xin a look from the battlefield, as if to say, Are you telling me what to do?

He really wasn't the friendliest Pokémon.

But Pokémon like him had boundless potential if raised well.

Panting hard, Rhyhorn poured all his strength and resolve into one last Tackle.

With a roar, he thundered forward.

His entire focus was on what lay ahead. Everything else vanished from his sight.

Charge!

His only thought was to defeat the Shiny Cubone before him.

Perfect Evasion.

This time, Shiny Cubone dodged only halfway. He swung the bone in his hand.

It struck Rhyhorn's thigh hard. Rhyhorn's body was protected, but once he lost his balance, his own strength and momentum carried him forward. He couldn't stop himself from crashing to the ground.

He hit the dirt face-first, looking thoroughly miserable.

"Ding! System notification: Shiny Cubone used Knock Off. It was highly effective."

"Ding! System notification: Congratulations! Shiny Cubone defeated Rhyhorn and leveled up. Points +11."

Liu Xin pulled up Shiny Cubone's status panel to take a look:

Shiny Cubone:

Level: 10 (evolves into Marowak at level 30)

Attack: 160

Special Attack: 140

Defense: 100

Special Defense: 130

Speed: 90

Abilities: Rock Head (takes no recoil damage from moves), Lightning Rod (draws in electric attacks and takes no damage from them), Shiny Ability: Battle Armor (cannot be struck by critical hits, gains improved evasion, and gains a few points of Defense with every successful dodge!)

Moves: Headbutt, Endure, Boomerang, Perfect Evasion

"Cubone! Cubone!"

Thrilled by his victory, Shiny Cubone raised his bone club and made to swing it at Liu Xin.

"Come on, celebrate all you want, but could you not do it by trying to kill me?"

"If you celebrate like this every time you win, ten lives wouldn't be enough for me."

Shiny Cubone gave him a disdainful look, as though Liu Xin were being stingy for refusing to take even one hit.

The little guy was getting cockier by the minute, but he and Liu Xin were growing closer too.

His level had risen, and his stats had improved here and there. How well he fought, though, still depended on his performance in battle.

If we run into another Pokémon with armor that tough, I doubt we'll win.

Shiny Cubone's Physical Attack is formidable, but breaking through armor is another matter.

We'll find some easier opponents and level him up fast.

Before they could even rest, Shiny Cubone's next battle began.

He went on to challenge one wild Pokémon after another.

Not long after, the sound of hooves broke the forest's quiet.

A lively young man with dark skin rode out of the trees on a Ponyta, looking quite impressive.

According to the system, the Ponyta was level 14.

"Are you a trainer from Pallet Town? I'm Ito Hei. Just call me Xiao Hei."

"Liu Xin. What are you doing out here, Xiao Hei?"

Ito Hei smiled and dismounted. "Training my Pokémon, of course. My Ponyta's level might be high now, but he was pretty weak just a few days ago."

"Since we've met, how about a friendly match? We'll stop before anyone gets hurt."

Liu Xin grinned and nodded. "I'd love to."

"I hope you can give me a good fight, Xiao Hei."

Shiny Cubone stood ready, facing off against Ponyta.

Flames blazed along Ponyta's mane. It was said that the brighter those flames burned, the stronger a Ponyta was.

The Ponyta before him was clearly no pushover.

"Use Endure!"

Enduring an opponent's attack in exchange for a powerful counterattack was a gamble Liu Xin wouldn't have dared take if his opponent weren't a Fire-type Ponyta.

Shiny Cubone obeyed. He held his bone in front of him, and a faint gray sheen spread over his body to protect him.

"Going on the defensive already?"

"Ponyta, use Fireball."

Ponyta spat flame from his mouth. A small fireball hurtled toward Shiny Cubone with vicious force.

Thud!

The blow struck Shiny Cubone, but it did little damage. Instead, it gave Endure a chance to work.

Shiny Cubone swept the flames aside with one hand, raised his bone club, and charged Ponyta.

"Well, would you look at that. Ponyta, dodge!"

Ponyta was quick. He evaded the charge, and the two began a contest of speed.

Shiny Cubone was no slower than his opponent. After his last battle, he wasn't the same fighter he had been before.

The bone in his hand struck with tremendous force. One blow left a small crater in the ground, showing just how fearsome his Physical Attack was.

A pale brown glow now covered Shiny Cubone's body: the boost from Endure.

Ponyta dodged while spitting small fireballs.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Shiny Cubone didn't slow down. With a swing of his bone, he smashed them all apart.

The brownish-gray glow around him deepened, and his strength grew.

Ponyta's flames began to weaken, while Shiny Cubone stood brimming with energy, his whole body shining brown.

"Now!" Liu Xin said calmly.

"Boomerang."

Shiny Cubone hurled his trusty bone at Ponyta with all his might. It flew toward him at blinding speed.

Crack!

The bone struck Ponyta squarely. Backed by Shiny Cubone's immense Physical Attack, the blow sent him flying.

With Endure's boost, Shiny Cubone's Physical Attack had reached a terrifying level.

A knockout in one hit!