The Vain Woman in the Black Dress

Falling Thunder hovered in the air, flickering in and out of sight as though it might strike at any moment.

Wariness crept into Voltorb's fierce expression. The Light Screen around it looked painfully fragile.

You're using an electric charge? Then so am I.

Lightning wrapped around Voltorb's entire body, though it was nowhere near as fearsome as Luxio's.

"Luxio!"

"Voltorb!"

With a roar from each, they charged at each other.

Sparks and lightning flew in their wake. Two deep, charred furrows tore across the ground.

Shock waves burst outward, and Liu Xin promptly took another step or two back.

Watching them clash head-on, he clenched his fists. "Come on!"

"You can make up for the level gap if you refuse to give up!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Falling Thunder struck. It had been gathering for some time, and it hit hard.

Voltorb's Light Screen blocked only a small fraction of the lightning before the rest slammed into it.

The electric attack in front of it was already stronger than its own, and the thunder descending from above was even more dangerous.

It hurt. Badly.

But what could it do?

Voltorb was still paralyzed, making the Electric-type attack even more potent.

Bolts of lightning coiled around Voltorb like snakes, tightening their grip. Agony twisted its face.

Luxio pressed closer step by step, its attack still growing stronger. It gave Voltorb no chance to breathe.

At last, Voltorb let out a wail, and the battle ended.

The lightning vanished. Voltorb's body hit the ground with a heavy thud, unconscious.

A closer look revealed plenty of wounds, all left by the lightning.

We did it!

Liu Xin swept the weakened Luxio into his arms. "You did it. You got your revenge."

"You were amazing!"

"Luxio..."

Luxio answered faintly a few times. Its opponent had been no pushover, after all.

Liu Xin gently stroked Luxio and smiled. "Get some rest. Once you wake up, our agreement will be over."

Reluctance filled Luxio's eyes. At that moment, the red thread of their bond grew a little stronger.

Ding! Congratulations, host. Task completed.

You have received one Ground Type item and 100 Points.

A Ground Type item?

It was the same kind of item as the one he had fought over at the lighthouse.

He gave the weapon wrapped in earth a light tap, and its full form slowly emerged before his eyes.

Bone Collar.

Ground Type moves used by the Pokémon wearing it become five times as powerful, and the Pokémon gains five percent more experience. Only Ground Type Pokémon can use it.

It was made for his Pokémon and was a fine piece of equipment.

Even Super Gible's Violet Aurora had not boosted its moves by that much.

The only drawback was the Ground Type restriction.

Liu Xin did not hesitate for long. He gave it straight to Shiny Cubone.

Mutated Phanpy and Super Gible already had other types to rely on, so he did not need to worry too much about them.

That left Giant Onix and Shiny Cubone. After weighing his options, Liu Xin gave it to his old partner.

Shiny Cubone was his first Pokémon. He could not leave it shortchanged.

"Cubone, Cubone."

Shiny Cubone was delighted with the bone necklace and tried to treat Liu Xin to a swing of its bone club.

After he turned it down, Shiny Cubone plunged back into the forest to fight.

Luxio had recovered well enough. It had only exhausted its strength and had few wounds, so a little rest would do.

"All right. Our agreement ends here. You're free to do whatever you want."

If Liu Xin had been able to catch Pokémon of other types, he would have loved to take Luxio with him.

It was a shame. Luxio had trained well, and they had formed a good bond.

Liu Xin waved goodbye, then went to watch his Pokémon battle.

That night, everyone gathered at the uncle's home.

"How did two days of building bonds feel?"

"Pretty good, I'd say?"

Shinya and Dazhi had enjoyed it. Ito Hei and Sen Anxiang, on the other hand, felt little difference, though they had each caught a new Pokémon.

Of them all, Liu Xin had gained the most.

The uncle looked at the group and chuckled. "I taught you ahead of time, and you can keep the glasses. They aren't worth much anyway."

"Get some sleep tonight. You head back to the academy tomorrow."

Early the next morning, Liu Xin and the others followed Shinya's group to the Pokémon Academy.

It looked much the same as before, though the campus was considerably larger and had more students.

Graduating from this school gave students the right to enter Pokémon League competitions directly, without challenging Gyms around the region for badges.

Liu Xin did not envy that life. Training on an adventure sounded far more interesting.

Shinya glanced around. "Quite a few students have gone out for their trials lately, so the school feels a lot emptier."

"Looks like our team finished pretty quickly."

Battle arenas stood everywhere, and the academy had every facility they could need.

Dazhi showed them around while Shinya went to turn in their assignment.

"Vermilion City isn't far from here. Once we've settled everything, we'll take you there."

"You're planning to challenge the Gym and enter the upcoming Pokémon Contest?"

Sen Anxiang nodded excitedly. "That's right! I'm entering the contest."

"I put a lot of effort into training my Pokémon."

Effort into training?

You eat and drink together every day, then go to sleep when you're tired of playing.

How does that count?

Ito Hei and Liu Xin exchanged a speechless look. Only the three of them knew what she meant by training.

Liu Xin did not join their conversation. His mind wandered as he looked around, and before he knew it, he was lost.

"When am I ever going to stop getting lost so easily?"

He did not worry about it. However large the Pokémon Academy was, it had its limits.

He could walk around and explore on his own. He might even enjoy it more.

"I am a rose hidden in the abyss. No one sees me, no one admires me, yet I remain proud and breathtakingly beautiful."

"Oh, why do I look so devastating in a black dress? I'm such a sinful woman."

A long-haired woman in a deep-black dress gazed into a clean window, lost in admiration of her own beauty.

How could a girl this beautiful exist?

If beauty were a sin, I'd be guilty beyond redemption.

Liu Xin heard every word. He had never met a woman so vain.

He walked right up beside her, but she did not notice.

So he spoke. "Excuse me, beautiful lady. Could you tell me where the restrooms are?"

"Huh!?"

Startled, the woman sprang back like a cat with its fur raised and glared fiercely at Liu Xin.

"You saw that?"

Liu Xin nodded honestly.

"You heard it too?"

Liu Xin gave an awkward smile. His answer was clear.

The vain woman's face instantly turned bright red. Without looking up, she tossed out a Poké Ball.

"You saw me acting that embarrassingly. I have to make you forget. I have to!"

"I heard people lose all their memories when they faint!"

"Then don't blame me for being ruthless! Umbreon, knock him out!"