"Battle?"
Outside the museum, Fang Yuan and Jiang Li turned to look at this guy.
He was likely younger than Fang Yuan, with freckles on his face beneath his curly brown hair, his eyes burning with a desire to battle.
The reason he guessed Fang Yuan and his companion were Trainers was because of the Eevee perched on Fang Yuan's shoulder.
"Sorry..." Fang Yuan indicated his disinterest in battling.
Big brother, daring to request a battle with the Fifth King of Hua Nation and the Champion of the Four Heavenly Kings, you've got guts!!
To avoid dampening the other's enthusiasm and pursuit of dreams, Fang Yuan thought it was better to just let it go.
No matter how Fang Yuan looked at it, this guy seemed like a New Trainer, and even if he wasn't, he probably was just a freshman or sophomore.
"You guys..."
The young man was sensitive; he seemed to discern from Fang Yuan and Jiang Li's subtle smiles that they were not too busy to battle him, but simply didn't want to.
It was as if he perceived it as a slight.
After taking a deep breath, the freckled youth produced a badge and said, "I am the runner-up of the Hawaii Newcomer Cup, a freshmen representative of the University of Hawaii, how about that, are you willing to accept a battle now?"
Zoe put away the badge, as he was currently on a special challenge; he wanted to tackle 100 foreign tourist Trainers, battling with Trainers from different regions to accumulate experience.
Even though Jiang Li looked a bit older, Fang Yuan's age seemed just right to Zoe as a worthy opponent.
"The Hawaii Newcomer Cup?"
"Yes," Zoe spoke, pulling out the badge again, and he distinctly felt a change in the attitude of Fang Yuan and Jiang Li.
Hehe... Is this the aura of honor? Zoe was getting inflated.
"Alright then," Fang Yuan saw the other guy was so persistent and nodded, saying, "I'll battle you, what are the rules?"
"2VS2, is that acceptable?"
"No problem."
Meanwhile, seeing Fang Yuan actually accepting the battle, Jiang Li was speechless. You ignore a Battle Club designed for foreign Trainers to gain experience in Hawaii to fight against a kid who's barely left the New Trainer status, how can you be so shameless!!
If he sees you in the World Championship later, what will he think of you!
"Ahem..." Jiang Li helplessly followed along, a runner-up in a newcomer match, huh?
Wonder how he compares to the likes of Jiang Ran and Fang Yuan back in the day.
In the New Trainer competitions of Su province, both Fang Yuan and Jiang Ran were outstanding within the elite domain, no less capable than elite Trainers from key universities.
.......
The battle beach.
Fang Yuan and Zoe each stood on opposite sides, with the Pokemon they initially sent out being Araquanid and Bulbasaur respectively.
To face a rookie, Fang Yuan naturally wouldn't use Monferno and the others; that would be too bullying. Monferno and company probably wouldn't be interested either, and besides, the battle would completely lose its meaning.
Considering the opponent was a runner-up in the newcomer competition, Fang Yuan thought it would be nice to let Bulbasaur fight this one out.
Aside from that, the two Gear children, Ditto, could enter the ring; if mobile phone Rotom temporarily left the mobile device, it also... forget it, let's leave Rotom out of this.
"Awesome, a Bulbasaur!" Zoe clenched his fist; it was a rare Grass-type Pokemon from the Asia region. He definitely hadn't chosen the wrong person to challenge, but... it would have been even better if it was a Venusaur. Bulbasaur always gave Zoe the impression of being too delicate.
Though, this Bulbasaur didn't look weak at all and had quite an impressive aura.
"Da Na!~" On the beach, Bulbasaur looked towards Araquanid, a Water and Bug Property Sprite with large eyes, light blue stripes, and a head surrounded by a water bubble.
As Fang Yuan and Zoe were preparing for battle, Jiang Li on the side touched his chin, Bulbasaur? Is it a new Pokemon Fang Yuan just captured?
Moments later, Bulbasaur and Araquanid began their battle.
Battling against a Trainer of this level, Fang Yuan didn't need to resort to the Power of the Heart or Mind Induction; he took the role of a same-level Trainer and gave his commands.
Under Fang Yuan's instruction, Bulbasaur quickly released several Razor Leaves, attacking Araquanid.
The green leaves "wooshed" towards the target as Zoe quickly gestured and commanded:
"X-Scissor!"
Obeying, Araquanid leaped forward, the cross-like dance of its appendages slicing through the incoming Razor Leaves.
Jiang Li recognized that both Pokemon were at an elite stage; Araquanid was alright, but to be able to train a Bulbasaur to such strength without letting it evolve revealed Fang Yuan's great ambitions...
Utilizing Bug Type Moves to counter Grass-type Techniques, Zoe had Araquanid break through the Razor Leaf attack, and then Araquanid charged directly at its opponent.
"Close in on the opposition."
Zoe recognized the strength of this particular Bulbasaur and became more serious.
"It's not that easy."
"Bulbasaur, use Vine Whip."
Fang Yuan smiled lightly, the initial move was simply a probe; now came the real attack.
"Da Na!!" As Araquanid approached, Bulbasaur extended two vines from the base of its bulb, swiftly swinging them towards the oncoming opponent, while Araquanid prepared to counter with X-Scissor.
In a battle of Bug Type Moves versus Grass-type Technique, Zoe didn't think Araquanid would lose; the previous encounter with Razor Leaf was the best example.
Swish!
Araquanid slightly lifted its front leg, gathering a sharp glow, ready to swing it. However, just as Araquanid was about to clash with Vine Whip and take the opportunity to injure Bulbasaur, the whooshing sound of the Vine Whip suddenly intensified.
Bang!
At that moment, the two strands of Vine Whip seemed to massively grow stronger and thicker, becoming as hard and sturdy as iron whips. In an instant, Araquanid, who tried to defend with X-Scissor, not only failed to cut through the Vine Whip but was also sent flying along with it by the forceful impact.
"Combination Skill!!" Zoe's pupils shrank at this attack from Bulbasaur. It was...
Growth and Vine Whip!
Although it only lasted a fraction of a second, Jiang Li observed that Bulbasaur had concentrated all its strength into the Vine Whip and swung a hard, lightning-fast strike. At that time, the tip of the Vine Whip probably even possessed extreme piercing power...
Localized Growth, huh? Similar to the techniques from the Grass Star Flow Dojo...
Jiang Li looked unsurprised, for whilst their overall abilities might be similar, Fang Yuan, as an almost top-tier Trainer, had a level of nurturing skills that a New Trainer simply couldn't compare to.
While Jiang Li found it normal, Zoe was stunned.
"Give it the finishing blow, Vine Whip," Fang Yuan said, pushing for a follow-up attack.
This move was one that Bulbasaur had practiced according to Fang Yuan's training manual during its illusionary battle with Magnemite. At that time, it was very difficult for Bulbasaur to break through Magnemite's defense due to its iron-like body. But with this technique of localized strengthening, the piercing power of Vine Whip was sufficient to allow Bulbasaur the strength to penetrate rock, causing damage to Magnemite.
Waving its Vine Whip, Bulbasaur seemed to transform into a different Pokemon, instantly overpowering Araquanid and pinning it down on the sandy beach.
"..." Zoe watched silently as Araquanid fell.
"You are very strong."
"Thank you."
"But your Bulbasaur is definitely not its match." After recalling Araquanid, Zoe threw another Poké Ball.
Whoosh!!
In an instant, flames rose and a red feline Pokemon with black stripes appeared, emitting waves of heat.
Fire-type, Heatmor.
Seeing this Pokemon, Eevee yawned. Although it might be slightly stronger than Araquanid and more of a threat to Bulbasaur, Fang Yuan likely didn't need to switch out his Pokemon. Against Fire-type Pokemon, Bulbasaur also had a few tricks up its sleeve, all honed from battling against the illusion of the Fierce Fire Monkey.
Earlier, due to the advantage in Type matchup, Zoe opted to have Araquanid use Bug Type Moves against Grass-type Techniques, not daring to use Water-based Spells. Now, Zoe continued to choose moves that were effective against Bulbasaur's Type for the confrontation.
Under the onslaught of Heatmor's flames, even Bulbasaur, which had mastered an enhanced version of Vine Whip, couldn't afford a head-on clash and was forced to evade, being chased by Heatmor.
Since Bulbasaur was much slower than Heatmor, trying to hit it directly would be very difficult and could put Bulbasaur in danger.
Even in fleeing and dodging, Bulbasaur only managed to do it by barely disturbing the foe with Sweet Scent and Sleep Powder.
However, it seemed like fleeing, but Bulbasaur was in fact methodically counterattacking. After all, despite its young age, Bulbasaur's battle experience was by no means weak, and besides, it had Fang Yuan's commands.
"Power of Nature."
Fang Yuan spoke calmly, and the next second, the fleeing Bulbasaur stopped in its tracks, while the hot Flame Meowth that was chasing it, shooting flames, was suddenly entangled in the green energy vines that had grown out of the sand beneath its feet.
During the chase, Bulbasaur had used Leech Seed twice but missed, and the seeds fell to the ground. Normally, the move would have failed, but Bulbasaur still had a special ability up its sleeve.
Although it wasn't as domineering as Venusaur, capable of directly manipulating nature, using the Power of Nature to revive the Leech Seeds wasn't difficult for Bulbasaur.
This was a skill honed through diligent watering and planting!
The missed Leech Seeds had become a trap, and the moment the Flame Meowth stepped on them, they grew wildly.
"Meow-oww!!"
Entangled by the energy vines of the Leech Seeds, the Flame Meowth immediately panicked.
"Don't panic, release the flames from the Flame Pouch to encase your body!" Zoe quickly instructed.
If that worked, it would burn away the energy vines, but Bulbasaur wasn't about to give it the chance. The usually speedy Flame Meowth was trapped and couldn't move, creating the perfect opportunity for a counterattack.
Under Zoe and Jiang Li's astonished expressions, Bulbasaur took down the Flame Meowth with two attacks.
And the move that surprised Jiang Li, the Champion of the Four Heavenly Kings, was naturally the Power of Awakening.
A Garlic Turtle, surprisingly, created a wave of Water-based Spell and smashed a water ball onto Flame Meowth, a scene neither Jiang Li nor Zoe expected.
As Flame Meowth's flames were extinguished, it collapsed like a drenched cat, signaling the end of the battle.
Bulbasaur stood proudly.
Compared to the Vicious Monkey Illusion of Big Sister Eevee, this Flame Meowth was far too weak!!
And at this moment, Zoe had fallen into a state of shock... not expecting to be defeated so soundly. Are all Trainers from Asia this terrifying?
...............
"Hahaha." After leaving the battle beach, Jiang Li couldn't help but laugh, picturing the expression of that freckled young man and finding it amusing.
"Actually, he doesn't need to be that dejected, as long as you tell him who you are."
After all, even the reigning King of Hua Nation had lost to Fang Yuan in a three-way defeat. Losing to Fang Yuan was nothing to be ashamed of, and Jiang Li thought of Shang Ren, the Reigning King. In the end, that guy was the one who should feel more embarrassed.
"Forget it, that wouldn't be good," Fang Yuan said.
"But your Bulbasaur is really well-trained," Jiang Li affirmed. He had never seen such a unique Bulbasaur before.
Fang Yuan nodded in agreement. However, without evolving, it would be difficult for Bulbasaur to reach Senior Level combat power. Lately, he had been giving Bulbasaur special training for its Overgrow trait, planning to use a Special trait enhancement capsule for the final nurturing phase in a few days, followed by evolution!
Soon after, Fang Yuan and Jiang Li returned to the villa.
Now that Fang Yuan had accomplished all he came to Hawaii for, it was almost time to consider returning to his country.