The backyard of the Pokémon House.
"Good thing I carefully chose this store," Alex mused with a smile, admiring the spacious environment around him. He had selected this store specifically for situations like this.
The backyard provided ample space for customers to have battles.
"Are you both ready?"
Alex positioned Hannah and Ethan on opposite sides and asked them.
Next to Alex stood Lily, her expression full of curiosity, while Diancie stood further back with a camera.
Yes, Alex was filming the event.
"I'm totally ready!"
"I'm ready too."
Hannah was full of energy, clearly showing her outgoing nature.
Ethan was a bit nervous, being an introvert, but he managed to suppress his anxiety.
This new activity excited him.
"Alright, let's begin the battle between Hannah and Ethan here," Alex announced with a smile, addressing the two of them.
"The battle rules are 1vs1. Each side uses one Pokémon. When one Pokémon loses the ability to fight or loses the will to fight, the other side wins."
"Battle begins!"
Alex announced the rules and then stepped back, leaving the field to the two competitors.
"This feels so formal and professional," Lily remarked, glancing at Alex.
This boss was indeed mysterious, and how did he know so much about these Pokémon?
But these thoughts were fleeting, and Lily turned her attention to Hannah.
"Go, Hannah!" Lily cheered for her best friend.
"Squirtle Squirtle~ (Go for it!)"
Squirtle waved its little paws, cheering cutely.
As a Pokémon, it certainly understood what was happening.
"Hmph~ Of course! Charmander! Take down that fox!"
"Charmander~"
Hannah was confident and shouted to Charmander, but her introverted Charmander seemed less assured, even letting out a timid growl.
"My Vulpix won't lose to a lizard!"
Unfazed by his opponent's confidence, Ethan replied with equal determination.
"You..." Hannah was dissatisfied. Who's a lizard?
"Excuse me, Hannah, Pokémon battles aren't just about shouting. You need to have your Pokémon use their moves..."
Alex, unable to hold back any longer, interrupted Hannah, who was about to retort. Had he expected too much?
"Let me think."
Hannah paused, pulling out her Pokédex to check Charmander's moves.
Oops, she had forgotten what moves Charmander could use.
"Ember, Growl, Scratch..."
Seeing Hannah looking up Charmander's moves mid-battle, Alex felt a slight headache.
This was...
"Vulpix! Use Ember!"
Compared to Hannah, Ethan was obviously more prepared. After all, Vulpix had already demonstrated its unique moves before.
"Vulpix~"
Hearing Ethan, Vulpix opened its mouth, releasing small embers that shot towards Charmander.
Without receiving any command from Hannah, the young Charmander didn't know how to dodge, getting hit by the Ember attack.
Charmander groaned in pain and was knocked to the ground.
"Charmander, are you okay?"
Hannah was shocked and quickly checked on Charmander.
"Charmander~"
Charmander stood up and reassured Hannah that it was okay, though it had some minor burns, it wasn't seriously hurt.
Fire-type Ember wasn't very effective against Charmander.
Seeing that Charmander was alright, Hannah sighed in relief, but then glared at Ethan.
"That was sneaky! You attacked my Charmander!"
"Miss, you need to take responsibility for your words. You didn't command Charmander at all."
Ethan was displeased. This was a serious contest, so why was she accusing him of underhanded tactics?
Alex had clearly announced that the battle had begun.
"Darn it! Charmander, use Ember too!" Hannah was even angrier.
Hearing this, Ethan was momentarily stunned, as was Lily, who was watching.
If memory served...
Charmander puffed up its stomach slightly, launching a small fireball at Vulpix.
But to Hannah's surprise, Ethan didn't command Vulpix to dodge.
What happened next left Hannah astonished.
Charmander's Ember quickly reached Vulpix, but the embers seemed to be drawn to Vulpix, hovering around it before being absorbed.
Vulpix's entire body glowed with a faint red light, becoming even more beautiful.
"How could this be?" Hannah was confused.
"It's Flash Fire Ability, you idiot! Didn't we read about Vulpix together earlier?"
Lily couldn't help herself and scolded her friend.
Didn't she notice Ethan's mysterious grin? It was like watching a comedy unfold.
"Ah... I forgot..."
Hannah blushed, realizing that Vulpix's Flash Fire Ability made fire attacks ineffective, only strengthening its own firepower.
"Vulpix, continue with Ember."
Ethan smiled, feeling a sense of satisfaction from his opponent's oversight.
With more intense fireballs coming, Vulpix's Ember was even more potent than before!
"Charmander, dodge!" Hannah was visibly anxious.
Although she gave the correct command this time, Vulpix's Ember was more numerous, and Charmander struggled to dodge with its short legs.
It was still hit by one or two small fireballs, though the damage was minimal.
"This is like two rookies pecking at each other..."
Alex, observing the battle, couldn't help but cringe. One Pokémon kept using Ember from a stationary position, while the other scrambled to dodge.
Well, he shouldn't have expected much from this so-called world's first Pokémon battle.
Diancie held the camera in one hand, covering her mouth with the other as she yawned cutely.
It wasn't as entertaining as watching the cat and mouse cartoons...