"Eeeeeemol..."
Emolga stood on a tree that wasn't too tall, holding the energy cube tightly in its arms, with tears in its eyes.
"Wow!!"
Under the tree, a gray Pokémon was staring at Emolga coldly with its fierce eyes,as it barked.
It had two large, curved horns on top of its head, a tail resembling an inverted triangle, and sharp fangs protruding from its mouth.
"Hoo hoo hoo!!"
The terrifying howl echoed through the woods, ringing out for a long time.
"Eeeeeeemol!!"
Emolga tightly closed her eyes. Despite Houndoom's constant Roar beneath the tree, it still held the two energy cubes in its arms.
Houndoom suddenly opened its mouth, orange flames surged, and a thick pillar of fire gathered in an instant. The heat wave rolled toward Emolga!
At that moment, a blue light beam came from a distance, violently colliding with the Flamethrower.
Boom!
A huge roar exploded in mid-air. The sound was deafening, and a strong shockwave spread out in all directions. Leaves fell rustling, and the wind fluttered.
"Emol!"
Emolga was hit with the force of the impact. Its cloak-like membranes rattled as its feet wobbled. Though it resisted with all its strength, its thin body fell to the ground all at once.
"Emol!!"
Emolga fell quickly, its eyes are closed , not daring to look. It clutched the energy cubes even tighter.
"Com-busken."
A figure flew past at high speed, arriving beneath the tree in an instant, and caught Emolga in its arms.
"Emol?"
Emolga opened her eyes in a daze and looked up into Combusken's orange pupils. It shrank its neck slightly but then felt relieved.
"Little guy, still refusing to let go in this situation?" Aron quickly walked over, looking down at Emolga in Combusken's arms, and smiled.
Emolga lived in trees and could glide using the inner side of its cloak-like membrane, discharging electricity while flying.
If Emolga had dropped the energy cubes, it could have glided away safely.
But perhaps Emolga was just too greedy and chose not to let go of the cubes.
"Whoa!!!"
Houndoom's eyes turned colder as it howled again, its mouth spewing poisonous sparks. It raised its head to the sky and howled in anger.
Aron's gaze locked onto Houndoom, analyzing the situation carefully.
[Pokémon: Houndoom (Dark/Fire)
Ability: Early Bird
Qualification: Gym
Level: 25 (Intermediate)]
"Does it want to snatch your energy cube?" Aron asked after a moment of thought.
"Emol,emo!" Emolga blinked its eyes, showing an expression of grievance, and nodded eagerly, as if to confirm Aron's suspicion.
"So it's like this..." Aron thought to himself. The energy cubes were made by Mary were of the highest quality,rare on the market.therefore it is irresistible to every Pokémon.
Like a ant drawn to sugar, every Pokémon was drawn to these cubes.
Just as Aron was thinking, Houndoom opened its bloody mouth wide, and in an instant, a hot pillar of fire shot out, swirling with astonishing heat and heading straight toward them.
"Combusken!"
Seeing the attack, Combusken's eyes narrowed, and it immediately responded by launching a Flamethrower of its own.
Boom!
The two Flamethrowers collided in mid-air, causing a deafening rumble that spread far and wide through the trees.
---
Meanwhile, in another part of the forest...
"What's that sound?" Lian raised his head and looked around, confused.
Takashi narrowed his eyes, listening carefully before pointing forward. "Let's go check it out."
Without hesitation, the two started moving forward at a quick pace.
As they ran, Takashi glanced at Lian, who was panting slightly, and chuckled. "Cousin, you should work on your stamina, or you'll struggle during the field military training."
Lian's face turned red, slightly embarrassed, but he asked curiously, "Cousin, what exactly is field military training? Can you tell me about it?"
"Sure." Takashi smiled, his expression serious. "As the name suggests, field military training involves survival activities in the field."
"Every university conducts field military training before school starts, to test students' survival skills and abilities."
"Test our abilities?" Lian frowned, puzzled.
"Yes. It's a way for the school to assess how well your Pokémon are trained.They rank you based on your performance, and the top performers get rewards."
Takashi's expression brightened. "Most importantly, the whole school watches this ranking. The higher your rank, the more attention you get."
"It's a great opportunity to gain popularity, and you might meet some seniors along the way."
Lian silently glanced at Takashi, who wore a strange smile, before falling quiet.
Takashi noticed Lian's calm reaction and cleared his throat. "Anyway, you need to perform well in the field military training. Aim for the top ranks and make a good impression on the teachers."
"Yes, I will!" Lian's heart surged with excitement.he was looking forward to his college life in just half a month.
As they continued walking, they got closer to the source of the sound.
"Over here." Takashi hid behind a thick tree and waved to Lian.
Lian ran quickly, joining Takashi behind the tree. They peered out cautiously.
Before them, a slender boy stood with a Combusken at his side, while a menacing Houndoom paced back and forth, its blood-red eyes fixed on Combusken.
"They'r Intermediate level Pokemon," Takashi remarked after a brief inspection.
Lian adjusted his glasses, staring at the boy's back intently.
Something about this figure seemed familiar. He couldn't shake the feeling that he'd met this person before.
Then, the boy's voice drifted through the air, issuing an order in a calm tone.
"Quick Attack."
The accent was unmistakable—a southern Riverland dialect.
Lian's pupils dilated in shock, and his mouth opened in disbelief.
It was him!
He was certain of it!
That voice… It belonged to the person who had commanded Torchic with such calm manner on the very first day he joined the battle club, crushing Squirtle effortlessly.
Wait… Combusken?!
Lian froze, his mouth still open, as the realization hit him.
Intermediate level?!!