-036- Eevee’s First Battle

“A high-quality, rare-colored Lotad, is it?” Tong Si murmured under his breath.

In this world, rare-colored Pokémon are not uncommon. However, surviving within their own species is extremely difficult for them. Typically, unless a rare-colored Pokémon is the leader of its group, it becomes the target of exclusion. Most trainers, when choosing their Pokémon, prioritize natural aptitude above all else, and only then consider whether it is rare-colored. Some enthusiasts, fascinated by the unusual, dedicate themselves to collecting these uniquely colored creatures. Each species’ rare coloration comes in more than one shade.

Right now, this rare-colored Lotad was unleashing a Water Gun attack in an attempt to fend off the three poachers.

“Hmph! Just a worthless runt! Electrode, use Thunder Shock!”

“Bzzzt!”

At the command of one of the poachers, the three Electrodes simultaneously released their electric attacks. Three bolts of golden lightning crackled through the air, instantly conducting through Lotad’s Water Gun. In the next moment, Lotad’s entire body was paralyzed by electricity.

“Lotad…” Qi Qi rushed over to scoop up the little Lotad, wanting to check if it was alright, but unexpectedly, the residual electricity on Lotad’s body shocked Qi Qi directly.

“Ah…” The electric current surged through Qi Qi, leaving his whole body trembling.

“Hahaha… Did these pests really think they could challenge us? What a joke!” One of the poachers burst out laughing, not seeing Tong Si and his companions as a threat at all. The sheer audacity with which they were openly hunting Lotad made it clear—they had no fear of consequence.

“Ludicolo, I’m counting on you!” The old man who cared for the Lotads sent out his Ludicolo to confront the three poachers.

“Pluru~” Ludicolo clapped its hands, hopping forward in its usual cheerful style. Looking at the data panel, Tong Si saw that Ludicolo’s level was not particularly high—only level twenty.

Lotad evolves into Lombre at level fourteen, but to evolve from Lombre into Ludicolo requires a Water Stone, not experience. This old man’s Ludicolo was clearly not a battle-hardened one. Even now, in the heat of battle, it remained cheerful, living up to its name—a true optimist.

“Oh? A Ludicolo? Let’s capture this one too!” The poachers, seeing Ludicolo, decided to seize it as well. The three Electrodes moved to block Ludicolo’s path, ready for a three-on-one assault.

Tong Si glanced at the Electrodes’ levels: eighteen, twenty-one, and twenty-three. Judging by the numbers, Ludicolo was in a dire situation.

“What loathsome scoundrels!” Tong Si muttered, rubbing his nose in disgust.

The battle began, but Ludicolo couldn’t use any powerful moves. The three Electrodes attacked with Thunder Shock and Sonic Boom, quickly defeating Ludicolo.

“Ludicolo…” The old caretaker called out helplessly. He truly wasn’t skilled at Pokémon battles—he’d simply been looking after this group of Lotads.

“Damn it!” Having just recovered from the electric shock, Qi Qi was furious at what he saw.

Tong Si, meanwhile, looked towards his Eevee.

“Eevee, are you willing to fight?”

If Electabuzz were here, Tong Si would have been confident even in an uphill battle against the three Electrodes. But right now, Eevee was his only companion.

“Bui…” Eevee hung its head, looking timid.

“Eevee! Are you just going to stand by and watch those villains capture all these Lotads?” Tong Si gently stroked Eevee’s head.

He knew full well that even if Eevee joined the fight, victory was far from certain. The gap in level was not something easily overcome; after all, Eevee was only level six! But how could they just stand by and let these three poachers do as they pleased?

“Bui!” As if making up its mind, Eevee’s eyes grew determined.

“Bui bui~” With its plush little paw, Eevee pointed at the three Electrodes, signaling its willingness to fight.

“Alright! Then let’s embrace our first true battle, Eevee!” Tong Si stood, his spirits high. Eevee was finally ready to fight! Regardless of the outcome, Tong Si was proud of its courage.

“Oh? You want to send this little runt against us? Hahaha… What an overconfident kid!”

“Tsk, let’s teach this brat a lesson—Pokémon battles aren’t child’s play!”

“Wonder what price an Eevee would fetch… Probably enough for a nice little treat.”

“Might as well nab it while we’re at it!”

Perhaps emboldened by their victories over Qi Qi and the caretaker, the three poachers were in high spirits, planning to capture the rare-colored Lotad, Ludicolo, and Eevee all at once.

“Electrode, take out that little runt with Thunder Shock!”

They weren’t planning to gang up on Eevee; that would be overkill. To them, Eevee looked no more dangerous than a baby.

“Bzzzt!” The lowest-level Electrode stepped forward, accepting the challenge. It sent a mild Thunder Shock toward Eevee.

“Eevee, use Sand Attack!”

For Eevee’s first official battle, Tong Si was understandably cautious.

“Bui~” Though Eevee usually slacked off, when it came to real battles, it was serious. The ground near the pond was wet and muddy. When Eevee used Sand Attack, it flung up a great deal of damp earth.

“Hahaha… What a baby, all it can do is play in the mud!” The three poachers laughed heartily.

But as Electrode’s Thunder Shock struck, Eevee looked as though it were basking in the warmth of spring, perfectly comfortable. Yet, instead of showing pleasure, Eevee feigned pain, making itself appear to be suffering.

Tong Si immediately understood what was happening—Eevee was playing the fool to catch the enemy off guard! All those television dramas he’d shown Eevee hadn’t been wasted; the little creature had a real talent for acting.

Having withstood the first Thunder Shock, Eevee shook its head, fur fluffing back to normal.

The poachers, seeing Eevee still standing, laughed even louder, even discussing how tough Eevee seemed to be. After all, the Thunder Shock had landed cleanly, and Eevee had looked to be in real pain.

“Electrode, hit it with another Thunder Shock! Let’s teach it a lesson!” The poacher gave the order again.

“Bzzzt!” Electrode, clearly enjoying itself, released another jolt of electricity. Bullies like this were in their element.

“Zzz…” Another Thunder Shock came flying.

“Eevee, use Sand Attack again!”

“Bui~” This time, Eevee kicked up the mud even more vigorously. All the wet earth around was flung into the air.

The caretaker and Qi Qi looked on, baffled. What was Tong Si doing? Why wasn’t he telling Eevee to dodge, but instead, letting it take Electrode’s attacks head-on?

Could it be… Tong Si had never been in a real Pokémon battle before?

…To be continued.