The first battle

Today was Zhang Cheng's first day taking on a task at the Nanting Training Ground.

When his alarm rang, Zhang Cheng immediately got up and washed. After a quick breakfast, he headed for the Nanting Training Ground.

Once outside, he booked a Didi ride as usual. Looking at the Rapidash and Dodrio along the roadside, Zhang Cheng thought about catching a Pokémon he could ride someday. Getting around would be much easier that way.

Still, that wish would probably be difficult to fulfill anytime soon. His current Pokémon was low-level, and he didn't have enough Pokémon coins.

Never mind how difficult those Pokémon would be to catch—even if he caught one, he couldn't afford its daily expenses.

That idea wasn't realistic right now. His priority was to train Poliwag well, earn a good score on the college entrance exam, and continue his studies at a better university.

He soon arrived at the Lanting Training Ground, where a staff member welcomed him inside.

The staff member led Zhang Cheng into a lounge.

"A group of novice Trainers will be coming over for practice battles shortly. You'll have two battles a day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon," the staff member explained to Zhang Cheng.

"You must give every battle your all. The Training Ground will cover treatment for any injuries your Pokémon suffer during battle. Both sides must know when to stop, and you must not seriously injure the Pokémon."

After explaining the battle rules, the staff member sat down to wait for the Trainers to arrive.

Trainers who came to places like this for battle practice generally came from fairly well-off families.

After all, training at the Training Ground required paying a fee in Pokémon Coins.

Those whose families weren't so well-off would generally choose to take on tasks with their Pokémon at this stage to earn some Pokémon Coins.

After a little over ten minutes, a boy around Zhang Cheng's age entered the lounge, wearing blue casual clothes.

The staff member got up, walked over to Zhang Cheng, and introduced him. "This is Jiang Nian, your opponent for today's first practice match."

"This is Zhang Cheng, your opponent for today's first practice match. You can talk things over first. If there are no issues, you can start preparing for the match now," the staff member then told Jiang Nian.

"Okay, no problem," Jiang Nian said with a nod.

The staff member then opened the large doors across from the lounge, revealing a standard battle arena measuring 150 square meters.

The floor was made from a special material that wouldn't be damaged even by powerful attacks.

"This will be a one-on-one battle. The match ends when either Pokémon is unable to battle or a Trainer concedes," the staff member told them from the referee's platform.

"Go, Charmander!"

"Poliwag, I choose you!"

Both released their Pokémon at the same time. His opponent's Pokémon was a Charmander. Having one of the starter Pokémon as his first Pokémon showed just how well-off his family was.

Zhang Cheng first used his cheat to check Charmander's information.

As the saying went, "Know yourself and your enemy, and you will win every battle."

Wouldn't he be an idiot not to use his cheat? All the transmigrators who had come before him had relied on their cheats to reach the pinnacle of life.

After his cheat scanned Charmander, its information appeared before Zhang Cheng:

Name: Charmander (Level 3)

Sex: Male

Potential: B

Type: Fire

Held item: None

Basic moves: Scratch, Growl, Ember

Egg moves: Bite, Outrage

Ability: Blaze (When HP falls below one-third, the power of Fire-type moves increases to 1.5 times normal.)

Notes: Charmander, the Lizard Pokémon. The flame on his tail is the light of his life. When he is full of energy, the flame burns brightly.

This Charmander certainly lived up to his status as a starter Pokémon. He had high Potential and excellent egg moves.

Bite could deal considerable damage during a Pokémon's Infant Stage, with a power of 60.

Damaging moves like Water Gun and Ember had a power of 40, making Bite extremely powerful in early-stage Pokémon battles.

As for Outrage, this Charmander probably couldn't master it yet.

During the battle, he would mainly need to watch out for Charmander's Bite—assuming his opponent had already taught him that move.

The opposing Trainer probably wouldn't use Ember, either.

Unless Blaze activated, an ordinary Ember attack would struggle to deal much damage to Poliwag.

Zhang Cheng felt he had a very good chance of winning this match.

Poliwag had a type advantage over Charmander, there was only a one-Level difference between them, and Poliwag had already learned Water Gun, a move effective against Fire-types.

"Both sides, please get ready. The battle begins now."

"Charmander, close in on Poliwag quickly and use Scratch!" Jiang Qing seized the initiative and gave Charmander his command.

Hearing his Trainer's order, Charmander launched an attack on Poliwag.

Zhang Cheng immediately commanded Poliwag, "Use Water Gun to knock Charmander back!"

Poliwag shot a stream of water from its mouth, striking Charmander's body. The Water-type move dealt heavy damage to him.

At the same time, Charmander's sharp claws also inflicted some damage on Poliwag.

But Charmander had clearly taken the worse hit.

Thanks to Zhang Cheng's recent intensive training and the type advantage, Poliwag's Water Gun was already beginning to show its power.

Seeing this, Jiang Qing immediately changed tactics. "Charmander, avoid Poliwag's head-on attacks as much as possible and look for a chance to use Growl!"

Zhang Cheng saw through his plan at once. Jiang Qing intended to keep weakening Poliwag's attack with Growl.

Once Charmander's HP dropped below one-third, Blaze would activate, allowing him to turn the battle around with Ember.

He had to admit that Trainers from wealthy families received a good education, too. Even as brand-new Trainers, they already had a solid grasp of battle strategy.

If Zhang Cheng hadn't been a transmigrator, he really couldn't claim that he would have been so quick-witted at this age.

Of course, Zhang Cheng wasn't about to let his opponent have his way. "Poliwag, finish this quickly! Aim Water Gun at Charmander's tail!"

That was the advantage of having a cheat and being a transmigrator. Knowing all the opposing Pokémon's moves and abilities was an enormous help when directing a battle.

The flame on Charmander's tail symbolized his life, and his tail was also a vulnerable spot. Attacking it with a Water-type move could inflict severe damage.

Poliwag fired Water Gun straight at Charmander's vulnerable spot.

"Charmander, dodge quickly and look for a chance to use Growl!" Jiang Qing also reacted in time, directing Charmander to evade.

Charmander dodged one Water Gun and successfully used Growl, lowering Poliwag's attack.

But Poliwag's second Water Gun struck Charmander squarely in the tail, dealing him a heavy blow.

Zhang Cheng didn't relax, however.

Although that Water Gun had seriously hurt Charmander, it hadn't defeated him outright.

With that injury, Charmander's HP had fallen below one-third, triggering his Blaze ability.

The next moment would decide the battle!