"Go, Screech!"
Onix opened its mouth and let out a piercing cry, lowering its opponent's physical defense.
Lombre clutched its head, its face twisted in pain.
"Now, Dig!"
"Roar!"
Onix twisted its body, then slammed its tail down hard. The ground cracked open, and it swiftly burrowed underground.
Lombre recovered from Screech. Furious, it spread its arms, and white mist suddenly shrouded the battlefield.
"It's Mist!"
Yong watched the white mist rise and called out again.
"Onix, use Screech underground!"
Another piercing shriek rang out, amplified by the underground tunnel. Thanks to Mist, Lombre's stats wouldn't drop, but the noise could still disrupt it. Sure enough, Lombre cried out in pain.
"Can you hear it, Onix? Charge toward the sound!"
Within the white mist, the ground trembled. With a thunderous crash, Onix burst out from underground and rammed into Lombre!
Bang!
Distracted by Screech, Lombre failed to dodge Onix's charge. It was sent flying and crashed to the ground!
It looked badly hurt, but it still struggled to get back up.
"What can I say? That's a Grass-type for you! Grass-type Pokémon really can take a beating!"
Yong quipped, deciding to press his advantage.
"Onix, don't give it a chance! Charge!"
"Roar!"
Onix roared. Drawing on the strength of its coiled body, it released its power like a spring and hurtled toward Lombre!
But just before the attack landed, Lombre suddenly scrambled to its feet.
"Lom-bre!!"
Clearly, it was angry!
As it cried out, emerald light shone around it! At the same time, a mass of emerald energy spheres streamed out of Onix and swiftly flowed into Lombre's body!
Onix faltered, then broke off its charge and stopped, its face contorted in pain.
"Roar!"
"That's... Absorb!"
The moment Yong saw this, he understood.
"Onix, pull yourself together! Iron Tail!"
"Roar!"
Onix struggled to shake off the effects of the Grass-type move. At Yong's command, its tail lit up with white light!
At such close range, Lombre wouldn't be able to withstand the hit if it landed.
Just then, revitalized by Absorb, Lombre reacted as well. Blue moisture gathered in its mouth, then erupted in a powerful jet!
Whoosh!
Water Gun collided with Onix's Iron Tail. Blue Water-type energy and silvery-gray Steel-type energy exploded in midair, and the shock wave scattered the white mist!
"Roar!"
Onix struggled! As the Steel-type energy around its tail gradually faded, Water Gun struck its body directly!
Yong's expression shifted slightly as he watched the water batter Onix.
"Onix, hang in there! Interrupt it with Screech!"
"Roar!"
Onix's tenacity pleased Yong immensely! It unleashed Screech once again!
The piercing cry made Lombre clutch its head, forcing it to endure the torment of the noise. Without its control, Water Gun slowly dissipated.
"Now, Onix! Finish it with Return!"
Return was a Normal-type move. The closer a Pokémon was to its Trainer, the greater its power.
Onix's bond with Yong was as strong as it could be!
White, star-shaped motes of light enveloped Onix's body. With every ounce of its strength, it slammed into Lombre!
Bam!
"Lom-bre!"
The impact was tremendous! Lombre flew away with a cry of pain and landed on the ground in the distance!
A moment later, spirals appeared in its eyes...
At the sight, Yong finally let out a relieved breath.
"Thank goodness we won..."
Ding! Battle ended. Onix won and earned 5 Training Points. First victory bonus: 10 Training Points. Onix reached Lv. 19 and learned Rock Throw (beginner).
Only fifteen points from one battle? Yong was a little speechless. Still, Onix had leveled up and learned a new move, which wasn't bad. As for Training Value, he would save it for now.
He slowly walked over to Onix and stroked its body. Watching it pant heavily, the boy smiled and encouraged it.
"Thanks for all your hard work, Onix. You did great!"
"Roar~"
Onix had taken hits from both Water-type and Grass-type moves without going down despite its overwhelming disadvantage. That truly exceeded his expectations!
This was a hidden talent!
"All right, let me apply some medicine, then you can have a good rest!"
"Roar!"
Although he hadn't registered as a League Trainer yet and couldn't enjoy the Pokémon Center's benefits, he could still get treatment by paying.
But injuries sustained in battle couldn't be left untreated. Minor ones might be fine, but serious ones could even cause irreversible damage!
With that in mind, Yong quickly applied a Potion to Onix, then recalled it into its Poké Ball. He chose to return to the closer Petalburg City and head for the Pokémon Center.
Upon entering the lobby, he found the counter directly ahead. Nurse Joy, who looked almost exactly like her counterpart in the anime, was busy behind it. Beside her stood a plump pink Pokémon with an egg in the pouch on its belly!
This was Chansey, the Joy Family's partner!
Chansey
"Hello, Nurse Joy. My Onix is injured. Could you please examine it?"
Yong went straight to the counter, took out the Poké Ball, and handed it to Nurse Joy.
"Of course. Please show me your Pokédex!"
Nurse Joy spoke in a gentle voice, smiling at the boy before her.
A little embarrassed, Yong said,
"I haven't received my Pokédex yet, but I'm on my way to Littleroot Town. I just ran into a wild Pokémon on the road... so..."
With a slight smile, Nurse Joy nodded in understanding.
"I see. You're a new Trainer. Please register here!"
"Okay!"
He quickly wrote his name on a form and paid the fee.
Finally, it was done!
"Then leave your Pokémon with me. You can get some rest on the sofa over there!"
Nurse Joy accepted the Poké Ball and continued speaking gently to Yong.
"It won't take long. Don't worry!"
After reassuring him, Nurse Joy turned around, placed the Poké Ball on a diagnostic machine, and began operating it.
Seeing this, Yong breathed a sigh of relief as well. After all, it would be bad if delaying treatment left Onix with lingering injuries.
Only then did he feel up to looking around.
Much like in the anime, Pokémon Centers were facilities built to serve Pokémon Trainers.
Apart from the Alola Region, Pokémon Centers could be found in most towns and cities throughout the Pokémon World! Certain important locations or sites might also have a Pokémon Center, or even just a small set of Pokémon medical equipment.
Other locations, such as Pokémon Contest venues and each region's Pokémon League, also had Pokémon Center counters.
Each had its own distinct appearance, but most had red roofs. Escalators provided access between floors, and the buildings had automatic glass entrance doors.
The first-floor lobby of a Pokémon Center had two main sections.
At the counter on the left, a Nurse Joy examined and treated Trainers' Pokémon. On the right were telephones for contacting family and friends and checking travel routes. Tables, chairs, and sofas were scattered around, providing travel-weary Trainers with somewhere to rest for a while.
The entrance to the second floor was usually at the back of the lobby! Upstairs were a link club and communication equipment.
These allowed Trainers to connect with one another, offering Pokémon trading, link evolution, battles, and a record corner.
Many Pokémon needed specific conditions to evolve. Trade Evolution, also known as link evolution, was one of them. Unfortunately, Onix belonged to that category!
Behind the Pokémon Center was a large courtyard with lawns, low hills, ponds, and trees, designed to accommodate as many kinds of Pokémon as possible, whether they wanted to rest or battle.
This was also where the most Trainers gathered. Battles took place from morning until night, though most of the participants were beginners.
Farther back stood the dormitory building, which curved around the courtyard. Together with the front lobby, it enclosed the entire space.
The first floor housed a dining hall and a recreation hall, while the second floor contained guest rooms.
League Trainers certainly enjoyed excellent benefits! In return, however, they were expected to repay those benefits by working hard to improve and remaining ready for the League's call to confront dark forces. That, too, was a Trainer's responsibility.
After watching the Pokémon battles in the courtyard for a while, Yong gained a rough understanding of how well his peers in this world commanded their Pokémon. How should he put it?
"Quick, dodge!" "Get up!" "Hang in there!"
They used these miraculous techniques far more deftly than a certain Ash! Of course, perhaps he simply hadn't met any outstanding Trainers his age yet. After all, Yong himself was only a rookie who had just left home.
He returned to the front lobby, went to the telephones, and called home. The call connected quickly.
"Yong, where are you now? Petalburg City?"
Seeing his mother appear on the video screen, with his father behind her stealing sideways glances while pretending not to care, Yong grinned and chuckled inwardly.
"Mom! I've reached Petalburg City. I'm at the Pokémon Center now!"
"Wonderful! As long as you arrived safely! Did everything go smoothly on the road?"
His mother smiled, finally reassured.
"Of course! And Onix did really well in its first battle!"
"Really? That little one works so hard."
"Yeah, it just got a little hurt. It's being treated now!"
Yong scratched his head.
"But Onix is even stronger than I expected! It's really talented!"
"Then make sure you take good care of it! Remember to send any Pokémon you catch back home. Mom can help you look after them!"
"Great! Thanks, Mom. You're so much better than Dad! Haha! I'll leave it there for now. Bye, Mom!"
Yong waved happily and hurriedly hung up. He thought he faintly heard a voice coming through the receiver.
"You little brat..."
"Heh~"
He couldn't help smiling knowingly. Just then, an announcement rang out in the lobby.
"Would young Shiyan Yong please come to the counter~"
Without time to complain about being called young, he immediately ran to the counter.
"Hello, I'm Yong!"
Nurse Joy handed him the Luxury Ball.
"Your Pokémon has made a full recovery!"
"Thank you, Nurse Joy!"
"You're welcome. Have a pleasant journey!"
Smiling, Yong nodded and left the Pokémon Center. He set off once more toward Littleroot Town.
"Onix, charge! Finish it!"
"Roar!"
After the flying dust settled, a Wurmple lay defeated.
Wurmple
Ding! Battle ended. Onix won. No Training Points awarded because the opponent was too weak. Gained a small amount of experience!
Yong shook his head, speechless.
"Why are they all Bug-types? Leveling up like this is too slow!"
"Roar!"
Onix nodded in agreement.
They had battled plenty of bugs along the way, but all of them were weak Pokémon! As a result, Onix still hadn't reached Lv. 20...
It seemed they needed to find an evenly matched opponent. Looking at the Beedrill nest in the distance, Yong ultimately resisted the urge to court death. Although Rock-types had an advantage over Bug-types, there were simply too many of them!
Enough ants can bring down an elephant. I'm out of here.
Without the strength to back it up, it was best not to tempt fate!