Battle Against Houndoom

"Mutant Phanpy, use Flame Charge! Let's meet it head-on."

Boom!

Flames surged up around Mutant Phanpy. From a distance, it looked like a small meteorite.

Then it kicked off the ground and hurtled toward the oncoming Raticate.

It was a one-sided rout. Raticate put up even less resistance than it had against Shiny Cubone and was sent flying.

"Ding! Mutant Phanpy used Flame Charge. It was super effective."

"Ding! Mutant Phanpy defeated Raticate. Level up. Points +22."

Liu Xin looked at the remaining Arbok and Team Rocket members, a wicked grin on his face. "Come on, my little bundles of experience."

"You're not getting away."

"Fireball!"

Mutant Phanpy gathered flames into a huge fireball and launched it.

It shot straight toward Arbok and the Team Rocket members.

Dadi shook his head. "N-no!"

"Arbok!"

The two men and their Pokémon were blasted away and vanished from sight.

"Ding! Mutant Phanpy used Fireball. It was super effective."

"Ding! Mutant Phanpy defeated Arbok. Level up. Points +23."

Mutant Phanpy:

Level: 18

It sure leveled up fast. But right now, Mutant Phanpy didn't seem to be in a very good mood.

The moment the battle ended, it turned an angry glare on Liu Xin.

Its eyes were full of resentment and defiance, and a fireball looked ready to fly at any second.

"Hey, buddy, calm down. Let's talk this out."

"I didn't mean to interrupt your move so I could catch you. Believe me."

"Wait! Shiny Cubone, come out and protect me!"

But when Shiny Cubone came out, it didn't help Liu Xin. It stood off to the side and cheered Mutant Phanpy on.

"Cubo, cubo!"

"Phanpy!"

After the two Pokémon exchanged a few words, Mutant Phanpy seemed even more determined to go after Liu Xin.

It fired one Fireball Technique after another, sending Liu Xin fleeing in a panic.

"Ahhh! Why are both my Pokémon so rebellious?"

"Forget Shiny Cubone developing Flameproof. If this keeps up, I'm going to develop an iron skull and fire resistance myself."

"Somebody save me!"

A week passed.

Liu Xin and his two Pokémon challenged Wild Pokémon wherever they went. Apart from resting and building their bond, they spent every day looking for their next battle.

Ding! Shiny Cubone defeated Killer Bee. Level up. Points +26.

Ding! Mutant Phanpy defeated Pidgeotto. Level up. Points +26.

Shiny Cubone, level: 16

Mutant Phanpy, level: 20

Mutant Phanpy was higher-level mostly because it couldn't stay out of trouble. It made enemies everywhere. If it spotted a single Caterpie, it wouldn't stop until it had provoked the whole group.

If it saw a Spearow, it wouldn't quit until it had beaten the entire flock.

Even Shiny Cubone was amazed by how quickly it gained experience.

Shiny Cubone still had fourteen levels to go before it could evolve. Mutant Phanpy, though, was acting strangely. Its experience had been stuck at level 20 for some time, and its whole body was burning hot.

"It's been quite a while since we beat Team Rocket."

"Why has Mutant Phanpy ended up like this?"

He brought up the system and checked Mutant Phanpy's stats.

Mutant Phanpy:

Level: 20 (Can evolve into Donphan at level 30, but due to its mutation, a Fire Stone is required to complete the evolution.)

Attack: 230

Special Attack: 270

Defense: 230

Special Defense: 200

Speed: 65

Ability: Sand Veil (Raises evasion during a Sandstorm and prevents HP loss from Sandstorm weather.)

Mutated Ability: Armor-Breaking Fire (Ignores all defenses. Whether a skill's defense, the target's own defense, or a shield, this fire can easily burn through it. Damage scales with Special Attack.)

Skills: Ground Spike, Flamethrower, Fireball Technique, Earthquake, Tackle

...

An ordinary Phanpy could evolve normally. Liu Xin hadn't expected Mutant Phanpy to need a specific item like a Fire Stone.

But where could he find one? The system surely had Fire Stones, but they weren't especially rare in this world. He could save his Points instead of splurging right away.

"Forget it. I won't figure anything out on my own. I'll go ask around in Viridian City."

Mutant Phanpy kept growing hotter, and Liu Xin no longer dared let it out casually.

So he decided to ask around Viridian Forest to see where he could find a Fire Stone.

But just as he was about to leave the forest, the grass ahead rustled again.

"Who's there?"

Several trainers emerged, including a familiar face: Ito Hei.

"Oh, Xiao Hei! Fancy seeing you here."

Ito Hei recognized Liu Xin's voice and turned to greet him. After they exchanged a few words, he made an offer.

"I still can't accept losing to you, so I've been training my Pokémon lately. I also caught a Vulpix that needs a Fire Stone to evolve."

"We're heading to the Special Energy Area to look around. There might be a Fire Stone there."

The Special Energy Area?

Liu Xin didn't know what kind of place it was, but if it had a Fire Stone, that was all that mattered.

They had the same destination, and Ito Hei's group seemed to include some skilled trainers.

Traveling with them would make the trip safer.

"Great. I was planning to go there myself, but I don't know the way."

"If you can lead me there, Xiao Hei, you'd be a huge help."

The chubby young man leading the group, Zai Youta, gave Liu Xin an arrogant look.

"New guy, how strong are you?"

"We don't need dead weight on our team."

The provocation irritated Liu Xin. He answered coldly, "You're welcome to test whether I'm dead weight."

"Then let's see what you're made of."

"Come out, Houndoom! Burn this ignorant fool to a crisp!"

Houndoom's horns were large and curved. Its orange snout jutted forward, ending in a black nose above two barely visible fangs.

Pale gray, bone-like bands encircled its neck and back. Three ran across its back, and a round gray-white protrusion sat at the center of its throat.

It looked vicious, like a hellhound. The sight of it alone was strangely intimidating.

Its information appeared before Liu Xin's eyes.

Houndoom:

Level: 26

Attack: 110

Special Attack: 120

Another Pokémon that relied more on its moves to deal damage.

It was Fire and Dark type. Whether Liu Xin sent out Mutant Phanpy or Shiny Cubone, either one should be able to handle it easily.

But Mutant Phanpy was unstable right now. Sending it into battle was out of the question.

"I choose you, Shiny Cubone."

"Beat that dog until it sees stars!"

Houndoom was clearly enraged, and its expression turned hostile.

It bared its teeth and tried to Intimidate Shiny Cubone, but the threat had no effect at all.

Shiny Cubone yawned. It paid Houndoom no mind; this one seemed weaker than the Pokémon it had faced during its training in the forest.

"Cubo, cubo."

A Taunt, delivered with utter contempt.

Its attitude and cries pushed Houndoom over the edge. It unleashed a blast of Flamethrower!

"Hey, why'd you attack on your own?"

"Oh, forget it. Keep using Flamethrower!"

"Use Clear Smog, then Lightning Rod!"

Houndoom unleashed three moves in succession. Though their types differed, they worked together with devastating effect.