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Battle.
The key to a Pokémon battle is intelligence gathering.
Unfortunately, Li Xiang knew neither Charmander's level nor its ability, and he had no clue about its move set.
While newly acquired Pokémon typically weren't high-level, Charmander had access to far more Egg Moves than Litten.
Who knew how many absurdly powerful moves it might use?
Moves like Dragon Dance, Outrage, Belly Drum, Flare Blitz, or even Draco Meteor didn't need to be learned; they could simply be inherited.
While Dragon Dance was removed in Generation VIII, this world didn't adhere to the games' generational rules.
It was easy to see how much of an advantage such Pokémon had.
Li Xiang recalled Charmander's inheritance table and remembered a Rock-type move called Ancient Power, which was extremely effective against Litten. Not to mention, there were other moves that could deal neutral damage.
With cautious tactics and the synergy he had built with Litten over the past few days, he felt confident he could win.
Probably.
Li Xiang wasn't entirely sure—what if Lin Feng naturally synced with Charmander, like how Green in the Pokémon Special manga mentioned that every trainer in Pallet Town had an innate connection with Pokémon?
But then again, why worry? The only way to know was to fight.
Losing wouldn't hurt him anyway.
Li Xiang took a deep breath, locking eyes with Lin Feng, who stood at a diagonal across the field.
Above them, Litten and Charmander stood poised, staring each other down. Neither made a sound, but their unwavering patience showed they were waiting for their trainers' commands to clash.
Battles were restricted to designated fields.
Any battle outside these areas within the city violated municipal regulations. The consequences ranged from detention to imprisonment.
These rules effectively curbed the once-reckless behavior of trainers and protected both personal property and urban infrastructure.
Li Xiang and Lin Feng, being law-abiding citizens, wouldn't take advantage of their minor status to break the law. They waited patiently in the depths of the park for an arena to free up.
As regulars in this park, their arrival soon drew a crowd of spectators.
Among them were many trainers engaged in morning training.
However, the onlookers didn't interrupt. Observing in silence was a basic courtesy, and those who wanted to chat kept their voices low.
Lin Feng took a coin out of his pocket.
"Coin flip to decide who goes first, or shall we count down together?"
Early competitive battling rules involved sending out a Pokémon and using a coin flip to determine the order of moves, avoiding preemptive strikes.
Over time, however, this evolved into numerical countdowns. Pokémon were kept in PokéBalls, only released at the end of the countdown, to prevent strategic counter-picking.
"Countdown."
Li Xiang chose the latter, opting not to return Litten to its PokéBall to activate Intimidate upon re-entry.
"Alright then."
Lin Feng readily agreed, and together they began a five-second countdown.
The activation of abilities like Intimidate could be controlled post-birth. Otherwise, wild Tyranitars and Pelippers might only manage to trigger weather effects once in their lifetimes.
For Pokémon like Arcanine with Intimidate, for whom the ability was practically ornamental in the wild—it would be used up at birth, without any PokeBalls to reset them.
Determining what qualified as "entering" or "exiting" battle added complexity. Who even made these rules?
More importantly, Pokémon with Solar Power wouldn't survive very long outdoors on a sunny day—they'd burn out under their own ability.
That said, triggering abilities took time—sometimes a second, sometimes just a fraction.
The downside? Certain abilities, such as weather or terrain effects, consumed energy points (the equivalent of PP in this world).
Additionally, weather-related moves were exceptionally draining due to their scale, range, and duration.
On the plus side, most abilities triggered without significant effort, unlike some slower moves with negative priority, which took an agonizingly long time to execute.
Abilities like Intimidate couldn't be interrupted by Flinch or Paralysis, though stunning a Pokémon outright could work.
Repeated use of Intimidate by the same Pokémon couldn't stack its effects.
If an opponent's attack had already been lowered and hadn't returned to normal, Intimidate wouldn't reduce it further. Only after the stat recovered could it be reapplied.
Li Xiang wondered whether Intimidate here worked like in the games, where it reduced the attack stat by one stage—or if the entire stat-stage system even existed here.
Chances were, it didn't. This world had long deviated from the games' framework.
Li Xiang's online searches turned up no results for stat-stage mechanics. Instead, terms like "increased attack," "decreased attack," "significant increase," or "significant decrease" were more common.
Was it all non-standardized?
In the games, stat changes were calculated in percentages. But in reality, they seemed more variable.
For instance, Li Xiang once watched a battle where a Level 71 Gyarados failed to KO a Level 65 Mamoswine with Aqua Tail under rain, even after using Dragon Dance.
Gyarados' attack power, especially after Dragon Dance in rain, was monstrous. Combined with the Moxie ability, it should've been unstoppable.
Yet it still couldn't overpower a Mamoswine with no defensive buffs.
This led Li Xiang to believe that stat-boosting moves might grant fixed increments rather than percentages.
Outside type-effectiveness, most status effects like Leech Seed, Poison, Burn, Sandstorm, and Hail didn't seem to follow fixed percentages either.
In the games, these effects dealt fixed damage at the end of a turn, proportional to HP. But in real-time combat, they drained HP continuously, with the amount fluctuating due to various factors.
For example, Burn didn't only activate after a move. Otherwise, a Pokémon that never attacked would never suffer burn damage. Similarly, Sandstorm and Hail persisted without interruption, constantly dealing damage.
It was a vastly different world.
When you're fully focused on using a move, and flames suddenly leap out to burn you—what kind of concept is that?
Simply put, it's a game-changer that interrupts an opponent's move.
Pokémon aren't machines; they can feel pain.
Even a rock-like lifeform such as Onix would howl in agony when burned.
That said, being burned doesn't look like it does in the anime, where flames coil around the body, resembling Flare Blitz.
Instead, it's more like the faint smoke curling from wounds in a grand battlefield. The burn delivers a constant, dull ache, gradually wearing down the opponent's stamina while also dulling their offensive power.
From all this, one thing is clear: this world maintains the dignity of Legendary Pokémon.
These majestic beings are the biggest beneficiaries.
At least in this reality, a Level 1 Charmander won't "burn" a Kyogre to death using Will-O-Wisp, nor will repeated Fake Tears shred its special defense to the point where even a Torkoal could defeat it effortlessly.
Similarly, Groudon won't fall victim to a hailstorm that could pummel it to "death" and won't have its physical attacks completely neutered by Intimidate.
Moreover, should it face Rough Skin or Iron Barbs, it won't have to worry about fainting just because it slashed its opponent eight times.
These "gods" won't be humiliated by ordinary Pokémon anymore.
However, if you want percentages to exist reasonably, the answer boils down to one thing:
"World rules."
If Pokémon can exist, why not percentages? The former is already far from rational.
Thankfully, the rules of this world are relatively more grounded in "reality."
But without question, this world is also highly surreal, making any direct comparison with a past life impossible.
For example, if you want to align with "reality," you'd have to explain how colossal creatures like Onix and Steelix manage to raise their heads and move with agility on land.
Newton's grave would barely stay sealed at this point.
And if you insist on realism, then Wailord should be floating through the skies, Magcargo should be melting the ground with every step, and Gastly would be classified as a biochemical weapon, capable of poisoning an elephant in seconds.
Even Wailord by itself is outrageous: a 14-meter-long creature weighing only 400 kilograms, essentially a massive hot air balloon.
...
Back to the match.
As Li Xiang and Lin Feng simultaneously counted down to zero, the battle officially began.
"Meow!"
Litten let out a low growl, triggering its Intimidate ability.
Charmander's physical attack dropped!
The intimidation effect hit its mark!
Charmander froze on the spot, almost as if its system had crashed.
Taking advantage of the moment, Litten quickly retreated, putting distance between itself and its opponent.
That's right, Litten chose to back off.
Li Xiang remained silent, keeping a safe distance from the two Pokémon.
For now, everything was going according to his plan.
He had prepared for this match extensively—researching, analyzing, and imagining the battle in his head.
But all of that was theoretical.
Now was the time to put it to the test!
"Dragon Dance!"
Lin Feng hadn't noticed Charmander's earlier hesitation. His focus was on Litten, and seeing it retreat, he issued a command.
A trainer must learn to observe their opponent's Pokémon; it's a basic skill—not something to be done blindly.
'Of course, it knows Dragon Dance!'
Li Xiang watched as Charmander closed its eyes and began to perform a peculiar, rhythmic movement. He knew it was boosting both its speed and attack.
Baiting out a move? Not a bad trade.
"Nasty Plot."
Strengthening moves weren't exclusive to Charmander—Litten's Nasty Plot was also ready to shine.
Lowering itself, Litten growled, a mist of energy forming above its head. Within the mist, numerous question marks appeared and disappeared.
"Perfect! Crunch!"
Lin Feng's eyes lit up. With Charmander finishing its boost first, the advantage was his!
"Cha!"
The adorable Charmander let out a cry, dashing forward with its tiny legs, jaws wide open. Its sharp fangs gleamed with a dark, ominous glow as it lunged at Litten!
But this is where Litten's earlier retreat came into play.
Charmander had chosen a close-range move, meaning it had to reach Litten first to land its attack.
And as for Litten—
"Heat Wave."
Li Xiang's calm expression betrayed no haste as he gave the order.
He had repeated this command countless times during training. The moment Litten heard the first word, it instinctively sprang into action.
Litten opened its small mouth, releasing a large cloud of fiery mist. In an instant, the mist expanded into a roaring inferno, surging forward with intense heat and embers.
The searing winds surged forward!
Caught mid-dash, Charmander was struck directly. Not only was its momentum disrupted, but its small body was also blown back several steps by the fiery gust!
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