"I feel like I missed out on a hundred million."
Shuren looked full of regret.
Once... a chance to get close to Ralts had been right in front of him, and he hadn't treasured it.
If heaven gave him another chance!
Well, he still couldn't win. He would probably still just be there to make up the numbers.
Yushu raised an eyebrow. "Oh? From the sound of it, you two have Pokémon too?"
"Are you kidding? Boss, you're looking down on us a little too much. I'm an expert too, you know."
Aili pulled a Poké Ball from her pocket and tossed it out with a flourish.
Bang!
White light flashed, and a foxlike Pokémon appeared on the ground.
Its fur was brown all over, with a fluffy ruff around its neck. It looked cute and adorable.
[Eevee] [Type: Normal] [Ability: Adaptability] [Moves: Bite, Sand Rush, Quick Attack, Swift, Dig...] [Level: Late Intermediate Stage]
"Vee~"
Eevee cried out, gently swishing its big, fluffy tail.
"You even have an Eevee?"
Yushu was a little surprised.
Eevee counted as a rare Pokémon. Although it had plenty of evolutions, wild Eevee had always been few in number. In some respects, it was no less desirable than Starter Pokémon.
It seemed this rather unreliable-looking young woman had some money behind her after all.
"Of course! Anyway, battle me, boss! If I win, you have to let me cuddle Ralts for a week!"
Aili planted both hands on her hips and announced it fiercely.
"Are you sure?"
Yushu's expression turned subtle.
This young woman was getting a little carried away.
"Absolutely! Raising Pokémon is my talent, and battling is my hobby! For Ralts, I'll definitely win!"
Ralts's cuteness had gone straight to her head. All she could think about now was that soft, adorable little creature.
Reason, the difference in their strength-she had thrown all of it to the back of her mind.
"Don't say I bullied you."
Yushu turned to Shuren. "Shuren, you have a Pokémon too, right? Join Aili and take me on together."
Since even Aili had a Pokémon, Shuren, who wanted to become a Trainer, surely had one too.
Fighting one was still fighting. Fighting two was still fighting.
He might as well fight them together and save himself the trouble.
"Hey, hey, aren't you being a little too cocky, boss?"
A town tournament championship, and the boss is already this full of himself? He actually dares to take on two people at once? Aili thought.
Does he think his Pokémon is at the Elite Stage?
"I-I'll pass."
Shuren hurriedly waved his hands, looking thoroughly resistant.
He really wasn't good at battling. His previous experience had already made that painfully clear to him.
Aili turned to him, her voice carrying a devilish temptation.
"Oh? Really? Shuren, don't you want to cuddle Ralts?"
"Well..."
Shuren hesitated.
He thought about Ralts's adorable appearance, those soft, sweet cries, that fluffy little body...
It really was cute.
Aili continued her devilish whispering. "Look how cute Ralts is, and it even makes those little whimpering sounds. Just imagine having a whimpering Ralts in your arms. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"
"The boss is just one person. If we both take him on, what if we manage to beat him? What if we win?"
Shuren struggled internally for a moment. In the end, cuteness defeated reason.
"I'm in!"
He immediately threw out his Poké Ball.
Bang!
The light faded, and a Pokémon with a pale yellow body appeared on the ground.
It had a big head, round eyes, and a tail shaped like a spiral drill. Its body looked limp and soft, like a little snake.
A pair of small wings grew from its back, but it couldn't fly.
[Dunsparce] [Type: Normal] [Ability: Run Away] [Moves: Dig, Mud-Slap, Bite, Tackle, Glare, Ancient Power, Drill Run...] [Level: Middle Intermediate Stage]
Yushu hadn't expected Shuren to use an uncommon Pokémon too.
Aili's eyes lit up when she saw Dunsparce. "Oh, so your Pokémon is a Dunsparce, Shuren? It's pretty cute too."
"It's all right."
Shuren scratched his head sheepishly.
"All right. Since you've decided, I won't hold back."
Yushu turned and called, "Rotom, come here!"
"Roto~" (Coming, coming!)
A flash of electricity streaked past, and Rotom floated out of the washing machine, with a patch of suds still clinging to its body.
It had been possessing the washing machine to do the laundry, and had rushed straight over upon hearing Yushu's call.
"Go on. Deal with those two."
"Roto!" (As you command!)
Rotom turned to face the two Pokémon opposite it, dangerous sparks flashing over its body.
It was at the Elite Stage and even carried the Psychic Plate. Fighting two baby Pokémon at the Intermediate Stage was practically an adult beating up children.
They couldn't blame it for showing no mercy.
"For Ralts! Charge!"
Aili shouted, "Eevee, use Swift!"
"Vee!"
Eevee flicked its tail, sending a golden star attack shooting toward Rotom. It traced a bright path through the air at great speed.
"Dunsparce, use Mud-Slap!"
Shuren wasn't about to fall behind either.
Dunsparce scooped up some mud with its tail and hurled it at Rotom.
Yushu's expression grew complicated.
These two's attacks... were seriously weak. They weren't much better than beginners.
Mud-Slap was understandable. At least it was a proper move. But what the hell was that Swift?
Didn't she know the type matchup chart?
"Roto...!"
Electricity surged all over Rotom's body!
Thunder Wave!
Bzzzt!
Blue electricity erupted from Rotom. The stars and mud struck the Thunder Wave and exploded outright, dispersing into a cloud of smoke.
"Eevee, use Quick Attack!"
Aili shouted defiantly.
Eevee turned into a streak of white light and charged straight at Rotom.
Bang!
Eevee slammed into Rotom, but Rotom didn't budge. Instead, Eevee itself bounced back, rolling several times across the ground and ending up dizzy.
"You... don't know Rotom is a Ghost-type?" Yushu looked at Aili speechlessly.
First Swift, and now Quick Attack? What the hell? Don't you have any other moves?
She wasn't much good at this hobby either.
"Sorry, sorry. I forgot."
Aili gave an awkward laugh.
"Roto!"
Rotom felt insulted.
Fine, fine, fine. You're messing with me, huh?
Using Normal-type moves against a Ghost-type-isn't that an insult to my intelligence?
It turned straight around and possessed the nearby lawn mower. A face appeared on the mower's metal casing, with a dangerous glint in its eyes.
Mow Rotom!
"Roto!"
Rotom started the engine. The lawn mower's wheels began turning, its blades buzzing as it bore down on Eevee, picking up more and more speed.
The young lady has arrived! Everyone, out of the way!
"Vee!!!"
Seeing the mower with a face charging toward it, Eevee was scared out of its wits. It scrambled around and took off running.
"Roto! Roto!"
Mow Rotom was having a wonderful time. It kept chasing Eevee, always staying close enough that Eevee would get shaved if it stopped.
It even deliberately made buzzing noises to add to the terror, as though playing cat and mouse.
"Eevee, run! It's catching up behind you!" Aili stamped her feet in panic.
"Vee!"
Eevee was on the verge of tears. It had never run this fast in its life, its four legs already pumping as hard as they could.
But the mower behind it kept maintaining that damned distance.
The moment it stopped, it would get shaved.
"Shuren, help me out here!"
Aili suddenly remembered she had a teammate.
"Um... I'm afraid I can't help." Shuren pointed at the ground, looking a little embarrassed.
A large hole had appeared where Dunsparce had originally been.
Seeing that things were going wrong, it had long since used Dig to make its escape.