Amber and Eula stepped through the unassuming little door, finding themselves in a space completely different from what they had expected. The size of the place, the vast expanse of the battlefield—it was more extravagant than the Church of Favonius itself.
This shopkeeper sure spent a lot of Mora to secretly build this? What a waste!
Eula and Chikorita were led by Takashi to the battlefield, which was a grassy field. Chikorita arrived, seemingly feeling right at home. It rolled happily across the grass, its short legs rubbing against the turf, clearly enjoying itself.
Eula shot it a sidelong glance. After all, it was just a plant-based creature—so naïve.
Amber sat in the stands, overlooking the ridiculous battle that was about to commence. A Pokémon against a trainer? This was going to be interesting, more unusual than the usual Pokémon battles.
Takashi wasn't quite sure what to say anymore. Whoever lost, he knew the Pokémon Center's Nurse Joy would be able to take care of it afterward. But with Eula's strength, there was no way she would lose, right? Takashi was more worried about Chikorita; its small, fragile frame didn't seem like it could last very long.
Oh well, enough said. Let's get started.
"Xerneas," Takashi whispered, "keep an eye on Chikorita. Make sure it doesn't get hurt too badly."
"Chiko, Chiko..."
Xerneas glanced at Chikorita and then at Takashi.
Takashi cleared his throat. "No need to translate pre-match trash talk. It ruins the audience experience."
Xerneas nodded.
Takashi raised his right hand high. "The match between Chikorita and rookie trainer Eula is about to begin. This will be a one-on-one match. The first to lose either their will to fight or their fighting ability loses the match."
Amber, in the stands, was initially worried for Chikorita, but as she watched, she couldn't help but laugh.
"The match begins!"
As Takashi lowered his hand, Chikorita's gaze turned sharp. Eula's eyes grew cold, and she gripped her claymore tightly. There was no trace of Cryo energy on her, indicating she hadn't intended to use her Vision just yet.
"Come on!" Eula swung her claymore and charged towards Chikorita.
Chikorita dashed nimbly with its short legs, charging straight towards Eula with a headbutt.
Amber, being a rookie trainer, didn't understand the move, so she quickly scanned it with her Pokédex.
"Oh, it's Tackle."
She put down her Pokédex and watched as Chikorita's head made contact with Eula's claymore.
That little thing sure had a hard head! It took that hit without flinching.
Eula's claymore trembled slightly. She swung it forward, and Chikorita was flung into the air.
Takashi's heart skipped a beat. At that height, if Chikorita landed on its back, it would suffer a severe impact.
Unexpectedly, Chikorita performed two mid-air somersaults, and two green vines extended from its back, whipping against the ground to soften the impact and allow it to land safely.
"Chiko..."
Chikorita let out a spirited call.
"That's Vine Whip! A Grass-type move—nice job, Chikorita!" Amber applauded its perfect landing.
Eula pushed her light blue bangs out of her eyes. This little thing was no ordinary creature. But if it thought it could beat her, it was sorely mistaken.
Eula's expression grew serious. Earlier, she had only been playing around, letting it have a free hit since it was small. Now, she was ready to stop pretending.
She wanted to end this ridiculous battle quickly.
Cryo energy flowed from the Vision on her shoulder, and her arm was immediately coated in a thin layer of frost.
Takashi's eyelid twitched. This wasn't good—she was serious now. "Xerneas."
"Leave it to me," Xerneas said, focusing intently on Chikorita, prepared to intervene if Eula's attack became too dangerous.
"Chiko..."
Chikorita extended its Vine Whip, binding Eula tightly like two serpents, trying to force her into submission with sheer strength.
But Chikorita had miscalculated. Cryo energy began flowing from Eula's Vision, and ice—the natural enemy of grass—quickly enveloped the vines.
In the blink of an eye, Chikorita was covered in a thick layer of frost, unable to move.
Eula effortlessly removed the vines from her body, then walked over to Chikorita, tapping it lightly with her claymore to break the frost. "You lost."
"Chiko..."
Chikorita stubbornly tried to stand, even though its body was already covered in frostbite. The cold had nearly paralyzed it.
Had Xerneas not used its psychic power to shield it, Chikorita would likely have passed out already.
The result was clear.
Takashi wanted to pick Chikorita up to heal it, but Eula stopped him. "I still have something to say to it."
Chikorita gritted its teeth, refusing to collapse.
Eula spoke coldly, "Are you angry? Frustrated? I used to be just like you. If you can't win, then accept defeat, train harder, and come back for revenge."
"Chi...ko!"
"So? Come with me. I'll make you stronger. Afterward, you can make as much trouble as you want. Are you in?"
Takashi suddenly remembered a familiar line: "If you can't beat me, then join me. After that, you can cause all the trouble you want on my ship."
"Chiko, Chiko..."
Chikorita called out, still refusing to fall.
Takashi shrugged. "Xerneas, translate."
Xerneas stood tall and translated, "Chikorita said, 'Don't think flattering me will make me forget. I'll come for you again someday. Since I can't beat you, I'll follow you for now.'"
Well then—if you can't beat them, join them. What a tsundere.
Eula put her claymore back on her back and crossed her arms. "Little one, don't think that by following me, you'll have an easy life. Get ready for a rough ride."
"Chiko, Chiko..."
"Chikorita says, 'Don't think your threats scare me!'"
Eula's lips curled slightly into a rare smile.
Amber ran down from the stands. "Congratulations, Eula! You captured Chikorita!"
In front of others, Eula found it hard to deal with Amber's enthusiasm, pushing her away gently. "All right, Amber, settle down."
Takashi nodded towards Xerneas. "Take Chikorita to the Pokémon Center for treatment."
"Understood."
Takashi, Eula, and Amber returned to the shop. Takashi took out two high-grade energy cubes, a Pokédex, and a Trainer's Manual. "Most of the information you need is in the Pokédex and the manual. If you have questions, look them up, or you can ask Amber. Of course, you're also welcome to come to me."
Amber helped Eula take the Pokédex, the energy cubes, and the manual, giggling. "Hehe, Eula, now we can have sister battles whenever we want."
Attribute suppression, huh?
Takashi rolled his eyes. Amber was already making her plans.