"Minccino!"
Minccino looked at Felix, asking if it could fight.
Felix confirmed, and a battle was inevitable.
Minccino, with a body like a round foam ball, was agile and quick.
Sandshrew, on the other hand, was good at digging and utilizing the terrain. Their duel was destined to be a contest of skill and wit.
The battle began.
Minccino launched the first attack, releasing a swift Swift, aiming at Sandshrew.
However, Sandshrew easily dodged the attack using its Dig. It shuttled back and forth underground, making it difficult for Minccino to catch.
Minccino continuously launched attacks, but Sandshrew skillfully dodged them all.
Sandshrew launched attacks from underground, trying to hit Minccino.
Although Minccino was agile, it struggled against Sandshrew's attacks.
The battle entered a stalemate. Minccino kept releasing Swift, trying to hit Sandshrew.
Sandshrew, meanwhile, shuttled underground, looking for opportunities to attack.
Both displayed their strengths but couldn't secure a decisive victory.
Minccino was slightly stronger, but not overwhelmingly so, failing to gain a dominant advantage, let alone win.
Perhaps in the future, when its skill set is richer, it can solve this awkward situation, but definitely not now.
Ultimately, the two Pokémon decided to stop fighting, declaring a draw.
Felix was surprised by the outcome. He thought Minccino would win, but Sandshrew used its terrain advantage to turn a losing battle into a draw.
Sandshrew emerged from the ground, sticking its tongue out at Minccino, making the latter angry but helpless, only able to rage ineffectively.
Felix's eyes lit up. Though he couldn't capture Sandshrew through normal means, using other methods was still possible.
After all, he was just a rancher, without a trainer's high ideals of capturing only after defeating.
Just as he was about to take action, Minccino's body briefly flashed.
Hmm, what happened?
Felix immediately opened Minccino's panel.
Pokémon: Cinccino
Type: Normal
Potential: Gym
Ability: Cute Charm
Strength: Intermediate (0.6%)
In its anger, Minccino broke through the barrier, reaching Intermediate strength, surprising Felix.
He understood; faced with the opponent's provocation and its inability to respond, it was naturally very angry.
In its anger, Minccino not only did that, but also took out a shiny white stone from its body and placed it on its chest. Soon, the stone emitted a bright light, enveloping Minccino.
"This is a Shiny Stone. How did Minccino get it?"
Felix was baffled.
After evolving, Minccino—no, Cinccino—became even stronger, its strength progressing from 0.6% to 10.5%.
This meant its combat power could now rival Pokémon who had been Intermediate for some time.
Of course, training the skills was crucial.
Thud thud thud...
Green bullets shot out rapidly, hitting the still-taunting Sandshrew, stunning it completely.
This was Cinccino's newly learned skill, Bullet Seed. As a machine gun, it was incredibly fast.
Sandshrew couldn't react in time and got hit.
Cinccino quickly launched Bullet Seed, attacking Sandshrew fiercely. Sandshrew tried to dodge using Dig, but Cinccino's attack speed was too fast, making it impossible to fully evade.
Seeds rained down on Sandshrew, preventing it from counterattacking.
Sandshrew attempted to fight back, but Cinccino had seized the battle rhythm. It continuously launched Bullet Seed, keeping Sandshrew at bay.
Sandshrew was forced into retreat, unable to mount an effective counterattack.
Sandshrew tried digging again, but the inertia of Bullet Seed interrupted its rhythm every time, making Digging ineffective.
Finally, Cinccino delivered a decisive blow, defeating Sandshrew.
Standing on the battlefield, Cinccino panted slightly but wore a victorious smile.
It had crushed its opponent with sheer strength.
Although the battle was brief, it showcased Cinccino's powerful prowess.
Compared to before, it could now take on at least two and a half of its former selves.
Felix was satisfied, looking at the battered Sandshrew and recalling its earlier arrogance. The thorough beating was well-deserved.
He then took out a Poké Ball and captured Sandshrew.
Approaching Cinccino, he praised it:
"Well done, Cinccino."
"Cinccino!"
Hearing the praise, Cinccino was delighted, leaping into Felix's arms and nuzzling his face.
It was still the same, affectionate and clingy.
Later, Felix massaged Cinccino all over, asking about the Shiny Stone's origin.
It turned out Cinccino had found it in a natural cave. The cave had nothing else but the Shiny Stone, making Felix lose interest in exploring it.
He thought Cinccino must be a lucky Pokémon; otherwise, why would its potential be so high and it find a suitable evolution stone so easily?
Though not a main character, Cinccino certainly had some fortuitous qualities.
As a Ground-type Pokémon adept at digging, Sandshrew was perfect for plowing fields, planting trees, and digging holes. Its addition would double their efficiency in planting trees.
After capturing Sandshrew, he released it. The Poké Ball had healed its severe injuries, and it was now awake.
Seeing Cinccino, Sandshrew hid behind Felix in fear.
Felix chuckled, thinking, "You were arrogant before, now you got beaten up, haha."
Of course, these were his inner thoughts. He wouldn't say them out loud to avoid straining his relationship with Sandshrew.
"Sandshrew, don't be afraid. Cinccino doesn't hold a grudge. From now on, we're all partners."
Sandshrew timidly looked at Cinccino, who nodded and extended a paw.
Sandshrew shook the paw, and the barrier between them dissolved.
"Sandshrew, let's plant trees next. With you, we'll be much faster."
Sandshrew was bewildered, thinking it was captured just for planting trees.
"Once we're done, I'll make you delicious food, which even Cinccino loves."
Cinccino nodded, convincing Sandshrew, who was now curious.
Felix, seeing Sandshrew agree, used a potion to heal its remaining injuries. After that, they began planting trees.
Felix led Sandshrew, Cinccino, Growlithe, and six Poochyena to a vast field.
They decided to plant seeds of hope together, envisioning a lush green forest in the future.
Sandshrew started digging holes quickly and neatly with its claws.
Cinccino carefully placed seeds into the holes from its pocket.
The six Poochyena followed, using their paws to cover the seeds with soil, burying them deeply.
They worked in coordinated harmony, with Felix supervising to ensure perfection in every step.
Sandshrew dug swiftly, Cinccino distributed seeds evenly, the Poochyena diligently covered them with soil, and Growlithe help watered the planted seeds to moisturiz the seeds, ensuring safe growth.
As time passed, Felix, Sandshrew, Growlithe, and Cinccino smiled, satisfied with their work.
They knew this land would become more beautiful and prosperous.
After finishing, with the sun setting, Felix and his Pokémon returned to the villa.
Standing by the stove, Felix expertly stirred fried rice. The rice grains were golden and plump. He added vegetables and meat, making the fried rice even more delicious and tempting.
Yes, for dinner, Felix decided to make fried rice, one of his best dishes.
Cinccino, Sandshrew, and the six Poochyena sat around the table, their eyes fixed on Felix's pan, drooling at the aroma of fried rice.