The moment Amber spoke, she raised her hand and scratched her face. "Sorry to interrupt, but I remember Chicorita fought Eula once before, while Captain Kaeya hasn't had any battle experience yet."
Kaeya's eyes flickered imperceptibly, and then, out of courtesy, he quickly returned to his usual calm demeanor.
Lisa took the opportunity to look at her, not missing the chance to "tease" Eula. "You actually fought a Pokémon?"
Eula crossed her arms, remaining calm. In just a few words, she left Lisa speechless. "The child was disobedient and needed to be disciplined."
"Chico…"
Chicorita turned around and glanced at Eula after hearing her, then threw its head to the side in a fit of pettiness.
Takashi, seeing the awkward atmosphere, had to step in as the peacemaker. "I have a good idea. Since Captain Kaeya and Miss Eula have no experience in Pokémon battles, why don't we have Lisa and Amber demonstrate a battle for them to get familiar with the rules?"
"Huh?" Amber exclaimed. "Why does it involve me now? I was just here to watch."
Lisa chuckled. "Amber, please go easy on me."
Amber thought about how Lisa was a top student from Sumeru, and how she and her partner, Elekid, worked seamlessly together the first time by the shores of Lake Mondstadt. It seemed like Lisa had a natural talent for Pokémon battles, which made Amber uneasy.
"What do you two think?" Takashi turned to ask Eula and Kaeya.
Kaeya shrugged. "No problem."
Eula nodded in agreement.
"Then—"
Lisa interrupted Takashi, "Store manager, since Amber and I are going to demonstrate for these two newbies, shouldn't we be compensated for our hard work?"
Amber perked up at this and immediately said, "Yes, exactly! Store manager, I brought Captain Kaeya here to buy a Pokémon, and I didn't even get a thank you."
Kaeya looked at Amber in surprise. "You tricked me?"
Amber had accidentally confessed her own trickery and hurriedly scratched the back of her head, awkwardly smiling. "Sorry, Captain, I just didn't want the Pokémon to be lonely and thought it would be good to find them more companions."
Ah, so they were trying to take advantage of me.
Do they think I'm so easy to take advantage of?
Takashi sighed and nodded in agreement. "Alright, I'll prepare five sets of advanced energy cubes as a reward. But they're for the winning trainer and their Pokémon."
Amber looked at Lisa's confident smile and immediately protested, "Store manager, Lisa has a dual-attribute Pokémon, while my Ponyta only has one attribute. It's not a fair match; I'm more likely to lose!"
Lisa smiled slyly. "Or you could surrender now, and I might consider giving you a portion of the advanced energy cubes."
Kaeya crossed his arms. "Since the prize is Pokémon food, I want some as well."
Amber stood with her hands on her hips and said righteously, "Captain Kaeya, we're demonstrating for you. It's already nice of us not to ask for an appearance fee."
Eula, always adding fuel to the fire, spoke calmly. "No one would say no to more rations. Spending so much on this little one, I do want to save some money on the training costs."
"Eula, even you…" Amber felt helpless, having yet another formidable enemy to deal with.
Takashi, seeing that the four of them were quite enthusiastic, thought of a plan. "How about this, we do a knockout tournament. Lisa and Amber will battle first, and then Miss Eula and Captain Kaeya can follow. The winners will advance to the final match."
Amber sighed and nodded along with the others.
Takashi and Xerneas led the four into the battle simulation space.
Takashi pointed to the stands closest to the battlefield and said, "To ensure both trainers and their Pokémon can fight smoothly and without distraction, I ask Miss Eula and Captain Kaeya to wait in the stands. In the meantime, you can use the Pokédex to learn about your Pokémon's skills and learn how to collaborate effectively."
Eula and Kaeya said nothing and sat quietly in the stands.
Takashi and Xerneas stood in the middle of the grassy field. On the left was Amber with her Ponyta, and on the right was Lisa with her Elekid.
"This battle will be a one-on-one match, with one Pokémon per trainer. If one side's Pokémon loses its ability to fight or its will to fight, the other side will be declared the winner." Takashi clearly explained the rules once again.
Kaeya, sitting in the stands, crossed his arms and asked Eula, "I heard you fought a Pokémon before?"
Eula thought, *How polite are you?*
On the surface, she replied, "The child was disobedient. I just gave it a little discipline. It wasn't really a fight."
Kaeya, still amused, continued, "That's pretty interesting. By the way, did you get any information out of those treasure hoarders?"
Eula's expression shifted slightly. She had just returned to the Knights and hadn't seen Kaeya, yet he already knew why she was back. It felt as if someone had been watching her, and she didn't like it. "You can ask Jean yourself."
"Alright," Kaeya said casually, then curiously picked up the Pokédex and scanned his Machop to check its skills.
"Low Kick: Uses a powerful kick aimed at the opponent's legs to trip and attack. The heavier the opponent, the greater the damage."
"Leer: Glares at the opponent, reducing its defense."
"Attract: Charms the opponent, potentially causing them to be unable to act. Only effective on Pokémon of the opposite gender. Ineffective if either party is genderless or of the same gender."
Eula tilted her head, picking up her Pokédex and scanning her Chicorita to check its skills.
"Tackle, Growl, Vine Whip, Poison Powder."
She had seen Vine Whip in action before—the little thing was stronger than it looked.
"Tackle: Charges at the opponent to attack with its whole body."
"Growl: Lets out a cute growl that distracts the opponent, reducing their attack."
"Poison Powder: Scatters poison spores to poison the opponent, causing continuous damage."
Both of them put down their Pokédexes. Even after reading the descriptions, they still struggled to understand the mechanics of battling. What kind of strategy would they need to win?
They focused their attention on the battlefield below.
Takashi cleared his throat. "The battle is about to begin. Do either of you have anything to say?"
Amber stood confidently with her hands on her hips, her bright smile showing all her teeth. "Lisa, even though you're my senior, I won't lose to you when it comes to my love for Pokémon!"
Lisa placed her hand on her purple witch hat, smiling mischievously. "Oh my, Amber, seems like I haven't taught you how to face defeat for a long time."
With the pre-battle trash talk out of the way, the two trainers on the field were now ready for a showdown.
Takashi raised his right arm and announced solemnly, "The battle begins!"
Amber pointed at Elekid, her fighting spirit high. "Alright, Ponyta, use Ember to teach them a lesson!"
"Neigh!"
Ponyta reared up, gathering flames in its mouth before spewing them out.
Lisa chuckled, amused by Amber's usual impulsive nature. Attacking so directly, trying to make an impression and secure an early lead?
"Don't let her succeed, Elekid. Use Acid to counter it."