Amber handed the Pokéblock to Lumine, and Wingull let out a soft "Woo~" before hopping onto Lumine's palm. It gently pecked at the block twice, and soon after, its face turned purple, and swirls appeared in its eyes.
Lumine exclaimed in surprise, "Wingull, are you okay?!"
"Woo..."
Wingull looked deeply poisoned, collapsing in Lumine's hand.
"Hehe, if Wingull can't eat it, then Paimon will!" Paimon's little pink tongue licked at the corners of her mouth, and she jumped forward. "It's so sweet! Tastes amazing!"
"Paimon!" Lumine scolded, glaring at her.
Amber covered her head, apologizing. "Is Wingull going to be alright?"
Takashi stepped in to explain, "No worries. Pokémon have different food preferences, and they also have different tastes—some like stronger flavors, some prefer mild."
"I see," Amber sighed in relief, patting her chest.
"By the way, have you all read through your Trainer's Handbook?" Takashi asked.
Lisa said nonchalantly, "Yesterday, I stopped by Angel's Share for a few drinks, so I haven't had the chance to go through it yet."
Lumine and Paimon exchanged a glance and sighed. They had been too busy running errands to even think about reading it.
Amber was no different. She had spent half the day joyfully riding Ponyta and hadn't thought about anything else.
"Alright then, let me tell you a bit about Pokémon types." Takashi sat cross-legged on the lawn.
Amber was on his left, Lisa on his right, Lumine in front, and Paimon behind.
Klee and her Pokémon were playing, laughing joyfully like a rose in full bloom. It didn't seem like she would be able to pay attention to anything serious.
Fortunately, Lisa was the top student at the Witch Academy. She could help teach Klee later.
"Hmm, where should I start?" Takashi rubbed his chin, pausing for a moment. Around him, expectant eyes gazed intently at him.
"Let's start with the Pokémon you have," Takashi said. "Lotad is a Water-type, which is effective against Fire, Ground, and Rock types. Using Water-type moves deals double damage to these Pokémon."
"Ponyta is a Fire-type, effective against Steel, Bug, and Grass types. The damage is also doubled."
"Tynamo is a dual-type Pokémon with both Electric and Poison types. Electric is effective against Flying and Water types, while Poison is effective against Bug and Grass types."
"Wingull is both Flying and Water types. Flying is effective against Grass, Bug, and Fighting types."
Lisa smiled playfully at the explanation. "So Klee's Lotad and the Traveler's Wingull could easily be manipulated by my Tynamo?"
Lumine shook her head calmly, while Paimon's cheeks puffed up like chestnuts. She put her hands on her hips and said defiantly, "You bookworm! Just because you say that doesn't mean Wingull will be afraid of you!"
Oh boy, Takashi thought. Oh boy.
This little one was drawing fire toward Wingull—of course, she wouldn't be the one getting beaten up. It's easy to be bold when you're not the target.
Amber raised her right hand like a student asking a question, her left hand resting on her chin. "Shopkeeper, Ponyta is a Fire-type. Does that mean it's not afraid of Tynamo?"
Takashi shook his head. "Ponyta and Tynamo don't have a type advantage over each other. Under equal conditions, it's a fifty-fifty chance."
"Got it, Amber. I'm not scared of you either!" Lisa couldn't resist teasing Amber.
Traveler Lumine seemed lost in thought after hearing this, and Takashi noticed her distraction. He comforted her, "There are many kinds of Pokémon, and their types interact in various ways, just like how your Visions interact to trigger different elemental reactions."
Paimon put her hands on her hips, pouting. "That's easy for you to say! Traveler's Wingull can't beat the bookworm's Tynamo—that's a fact!"
Paimon had a point, but Takashi didn't want to discourage the new trainers and their enthusiasm for their Pokémon, so he explained further. "Battling Pokémon isn't just about type matchups.
If type advantage was everything, you'd just need to pick the type your opponent fears the most and declare victory."
Lisa chuckled softly. "Shopkeeper, I think you should hurry up and build some confidence in these two cuties."
Takashi covered his face—one was fanning the flames, and the other was enjoying the drama. Amber, on the other hand, was so easygoing.
He pulled out a Poké Ball from his belt and threw it into Cider Lake. "Come on out, Feebas!"
A white light flashed, and Feebas jumped out of the Poké Ball.
With a "splash," Klee bit her hand, her eyes wide in shock.
Lotad: "Tada (Scared to death)..."
Ponyta: ...
Xerneas: ...
Paimon, Amber, Lumine, and Lisa were all stunned.
Paimon wiped the drool from her mouth and said greedily, "What a big fish! It's been so long since I've had roasted tigerfish."
Lumine shook her head; she didn't like the look of the fish. It resembled some kind of giant mutant that had been exposed to nuclear radiation for too long.
Lisa said with interest, "Shopkeeper, would you be interested in having this Pokémon test out my new potion?"
Amber smiled sheepishly. "This fish does look... unique."
Takashi spread his hands helplessly. "This is a Pokémon. You can't eat it. Also, as trainers, we should always carry our Pokédex to deal with any unexpected situations—it's written in the Trainer's Handbook."
Lisa shrugged lazily. "Sorry, I left in a hurry this morning and didn't bring it."
Lumine rummaged through her spatial backpack, her face anxious. "Oh no, I must've lost it during the fight with the Treasure Hoarders."
"Come by my shop sometime to get a replacement. It'll be 20,000 Mora. Next time, be more careful with it," Takashi sighed.
Amber took out her Pokédex from her pouch. "Hehe, it's alright. I've got one."
In the end, Amber proved to be the most reliable.
Lumine and Lisa both gave Takashi skeptical looks.
"Don't look at me like that. I'm a living, walking Pokédex," Takashi said, coughing slightly, not the least bit embarrassed.
Amber scanned Feebas with her Pokédex, and a mechanical voice spoke up.
"Feebas, the Fish Pokémon. Though its body is full of scars, it possesses tenacious vitality, capable of surviving in any environment."
"It's a Water-type, right?" Amber asked.
"That's correct," Takashi nodded slightly. "This is the Pokémon I recently caught."
Lisa gave Takashi an amused look. "Shopkeeper, are you planning to have this Pokémon battle my Tynamo?"
Takashi cleared his throat. "I wouldn't normally want to do that, considering Miss Lisa is a new trainer. But to prove to the Traveler that a Pokémon's strength doesn't solely depend on type matchups..."
Lisa smiled softly. "I don't mind. Actually, I'd like to see how strong my Tynamo is."
"Alright then. Let's have a friendly match—friendship first, competition second."
"Sounds good. The loser treats everyone to the new dandelion wine at the tavern," Lisa said, smiling charmingly.