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"I'm going to be a Trainer too. I need to act more composed," Li Xiang said with a steady expression. At times like these, acting playful often convinced people more than explanations.
Sure enough, upon hearing his words, Lin Feng looked surprised.
"Not this again?"
The word "again" was used cleverly—according to the memories Li Xiang inherited, "he" was indeed someone who got excited about things for three minutes before losing interest. He'd say he wanted to act aloof, only to burst out laughing moments later.
Sigh... all blackmail-worthy history.
But that didn't matter anymore.
The two joked and chatted as they walked back to watch He Zhenghui's battle, just as it was starting.
The opponents were Azumarill and a Grotle—a cross between a land tortoise and a shield-bearing dinosaur with lush foliage growing on its back.
'Type disadvantage?'
'Another master of unfavorable matchups?' Li Xiang raised an eyebrow. Grotle was a pure Grass-type Pokémon, clearly at an advantage against Azumarill.
Of course, it wasn't to the point where Azumarill would shatter upon contact.
He recalled that Azumarill's offensive power wasn't particularly notable—unless it had the Huge Power Ability coupled with Belly Drum to boost its strength. Its durability was decent, making it hard for Grotle to overpower it completely, even with a type advantage.
If this were a game, where He Zhenghui and his opponent would declare their energy levels, Li Xiang might have been tempted to pull out a calculator to compute damage.
Unfortunately, real battles had too many variables. Beyond the lack of a turn-based system, even the difference between grazing a move versus hitting the target squarely could lead to drastically different outcomes.
Such nuances simply couldn't be accounted for in the games. Random number fluctuations in the games didn't come close to the variability here.
The battle started.
Azumarill was slightly faster than Grotle. Without hesitation, it opened its mouth and unleashed a torrent of icy blue beams, freezing the ground it passed over.
(Ice Beam, a Special Ice-type move with a small chance to freeze the opponent.)
In the anime, Ice Beam was practically standard for Azumarill, and the same held true in this world.
Though Ice-types were disadvantaged defensively, their offensive coverage against other types, combined with neutral matchups, made them quite formidable.
Faced with the icy assault, Grotle's Trainer commanded it to dodge and counterattack.
In the games, Speed determined who struck first, making it crucial for victory.
However, in real combat, while Speed was still important, it wasn't as critical.
Why? Because ranged attacks needed time to reach their targets.
Close-combat specialists also had to physically close the distance.
Though this battle took place on a small field, the dynamics were already apparent. On larger arenas, the importance of Speed would diminish even further.
Reality grounded Speed from its lofty pedestal.
"Razor Leaf!"
At the Trainer's command, Grotle lowered its body. The foliage on its back rustled as sharp leaves shot out, slicing through the air with sharp "whoosh" sounds, aimed directly at Azumarill.
'Is this multi-hit too?!'
Li Xiang's expression became thoughtful. In the anime, Razor Leaf often behaved like the multi-hit move Bullet Seed. Apparently, the same applied here.
That made him wonder—would this further torment Pokémon like Mimikyu or those with the Sturdy Ability?
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Three crisp sounds echoed as four leaves were launched—three missed, but one struck Azumarill squarely on its lower belly.
"Azumarill!"
Azumarill let out a pained cry, its cute face scrunching up in visible agony.
Li Xiang wondered idly if such a state might trigger some kind of rage effect, like increased critical-hit chances.
Grinding its teeth in pain, Azumarill retaliated with another Ice Beam.
The frosty beam snaked forward, spreading across the battlefield like writhing blue serpents, so cold it seemed to freeze the air itself.
'Its power seems stronger than before!'
Li Xiang observed but couldn't be entirely sure.
This time, Grotle opted against dodging. Instead, it raised its front legs and let out a roar. In front of it, a translucent, square pink barrier appeared, shimmering like a pane of glass.
Moments later, the Ice Beam hit the barrier, piercing through and striking Grotle's back. Frost rapidly spread across its foliage, blanketing the trees in a thin layer of ice.
It was super effective!
However, the damage was underwhelming.
Grotle shook itself vigorously, scattering the frost as it roared with renewed energy. The pink glass barrier shimmered briefly before fading away.
'That's...'
"Light Screen," Li Xiang muttered to himself.
(Light Screen, a Psychic-type status move, reduces damage from Special attacks for the team.)
"That was perfectly timed!" Lin Feng whispered in admiration.
Li Xiang nodded. The speed of the icy beam could be measured in mere breaths, but Grotle had still managed to set up its wall just in time. That was a close call.
Unlike in the games, Light Screen here only manifested visually upon being hit.
This made things much harder for Azumarill. Its offensive power was already mediocre, and with Light Screen reducing its Special damage, it was practically crippled.
'It probably doesn't know Belly Drum. Otherwise, it would've used it already.'
'What Ability did this Azumarill have, anyway? Huge Power? Thick Fat?'
'If it had Sap Sipper, Razor Leaf wouldn't have affected it earlier.'
"Bounce!"
He Zhenghui immediately adjusted his strategy, calling for a new move.
(Bounce, a Flying-type Physical move, allows the user to leap into the air briefly, sometimes paralyzing the target.)
A milky white stream of energy swirled around Azumarill, enveloping it in a faint blue sphere. It crouched, then sprang upward with incredible force, soaring over 20 meters into the air in an instant!
Not one to sit idle, Grotle's Trainer called for Curse.
(Curse, a Ghost-type status move, increases Attack and Defense at the cost of Speed when used by non-Ghost Pokémon.)
'Planning to tank through?'
As if confirming Li Xiang's thoughts, Azumarill came crashing down moments later, aiming directly for Grotle!
Boom!
A heavy impact resounded as the sphere shattered, kicking up dust and leaves across the field.
Azumarill landed a clean hit, leaving Grotle sprawled on the ground.
But before Azumarill could recover from the attack, Grotle struck back with Razor Leaf at point-blank range.
Unable to dodge, Azumarill took the full brunt of the super-effective move, leaving it barely standing.
Yet, it still managed to close the gap between them, raising a glowing, frost-coated fist and slamming it into Grotle's head!
Crack! Thud!
The sound of ice cracking was followed by a dull thud as the impact sent shockwaves through the field.
Li Xiang was certain—this Azumarill definitely had Huge Power.
'Such terrifying strength!'
"It's down to the wire!" Lin Feng exclaimed, nudging Li Xiang excitedly.
Li Xiang nodded. Even a novice could tell both Pokémon were reaching their limits.
Unlike the seemingly tireless battles in anime, real Pokémon clearly had finite stamina.
Li Xiang felt that coming here today wasn't a waste—it had been quite rewarding.
On the battlefield.
The Grotel showed no intention of getting back on its feet. As Azumarill withdrew its fist and prepared to launch another attack, the Grotel, enduring the dizziness in its head, obeyed its trainer's command. It opened its mouth and unleashed a beam of red light at Azumarill.
Countless glowing green particles were drawn from Azumarill's body, merging into the Grotel.
Giga Drain!
A critical recovery move right when it counted!
And with that, Azumarill was done for.
Its next Ice Punch froze midway, and its eyes turned into swirling spirals as it collapsed backward onto the ground with a loud thud, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Applause erupted from the crowd of onlookers.
The two trainers exchanged respectful nods with the audience before recalling their Pokémon, stepping forward to shake hands, and starting to exchange notes about the battle.
Lin Feng and Li Xiang shamelessly moved closer to listen. He Zhenhui didn't mind at all. In fact, he deliberately avoided using too many technical terms, explaining things in more simple terms.
The opposing trainer noticed this and did the same, offering more accessible insights.
From the conversation, Li Xiang gained valuable knowledge, piecing it together with his memories.
First, Pokémon were not limited to knowing only four moves. In official battles, no such restriction existed.
Second, Pokémon learning moves was not as easy as depicted in the anime, where they mastered a move after a day or two of training. It required significant time and effort. Mastery demanded extensive practice, and newly learned moves were notably inferior in power and accuracy compared to well-practiced ones.
For example, Grotel's Giga Drain was a newly learned move. He Zhenhui's opponent didn't trust its accuracy fully, so they baited Azumarill closer before catching it off guard.
Additionally, the Grotel was on the brink of evolving. Its energy level had long surpassed the game's standard evolution requirement of level 36. Currently, it was at level 38 and likely wouldn't take much longer.
Li Xiang noted that while this world acknowledged levels, evolution didn't strictly adhere to in-game mechanics. Pokémon didn't always evolve at the exact level specified in the games; there was usually a small variance, often within a ±3 level range.
For example, a Charmander would likely evolve between levels 13 and 19, and Charmeleon between levels 33 and 39.
This suggested that reality was far more unpredictable, filled with variables rather than absolute rules.
Outliers, such as Lance's level 47 Dragonite in Gold and Silver or level 40 Dragonite in HeartGold and SoulSilver, were practically anomalies, with a near-zero chance of occurring in this world.
So, what purpose did energy levels serve here?
The answer was simple: as the name suggested, energy levels reflected a Pokémon's total internal energy. As their level rose, their elemental energy increased proportionally.
Elemental energy was the foundation that allowed Pokémon to use their moves—freezing, spitting fire, and summoning rocks out of nowhere.
Energy levels also served as an indicator of a Pokémon's surface-level strength and growth across its six main attributes.
The anime had alluded to this system on numerous occasions, often with Brock providing the explanations. In later seasons, however, the concept was downplayed to allow Ash's underdog victories and enhance the series' appeal.
The Pokémon Adventures manga, on the other hand, explicitly referenced levels, with character profiles listing the levels of their Pokémon in detail.
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An hour later.
As the trainers concluded their morning practice, some headed to the Pokémon Center, while others went to work or school.
At the park gate, Li Xiang and Lin Feng parted ways. Lin Feng had to help out at his dad's shop and was pressed for time.
"Thanks for inviting me out today," Li Xiang said softly, expressing his gratitude.
No matter what he had thought before, after spending time together, he found Lin Feng to be a genuinely good kid—both in character and the way he spoke.
"Cut it out with the formalities!" Lin Feng laughed, playfully punching Li Xiang's shoulder. "Catch you on WeChat later!"
With that, he dashed off.
Soon after, from the nearby bushes emerged his stealthy, plump feline bodyguard, who sauntered over and crouched beside Li Xiang, lifting its head to look at him.
"Meow~"
"Yeah, let's head home." Li Xiang gently patted the Purugly's head.
Purugly turned and glanced back at him, signaling for him to follow.
One person and one Pokémon opted to take the bus back home since the big cat deemed crowded places safer.
And honestly, it wasn't wrong.
As he walked behind Purugly, Li Xiang couldn't stop thinking about everything he had just learned about Pokémon battles.
To be honest, he was hooked.
"A world where humans and Pokémon coexist… it's truly wonderful."
Sunlight spilled over him, warming his heart and bringing a wide smile to his face.
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