"Is Zhang Tian really a walking disaster?" the host Xiaolan finally sighed.
"15! 14..."
As Iris was counting down, a Poké Ball on Zhang's waist suddenly began to vibrate. It was his Pidgeot.
"Pidge!" its voice came, full of excitement and a little bit of grievance.
So that's it. You want to fight too, Pidgeot? A gentle smile appeared on Zhang's face. He hadn't sent Pidgeot into battle for a long time. It was feeling jealous, useless.
"Then come on, Pidgeot! Let's win this together!" Zhang said with a smile. He had sensed Pidgeot's emotional fluctuations. Perhaps this battle would be the catalyst for it to master the power of its emotions. Even if it didn't, losing this round was no big deal. He still had a pocket full of powerful monsters. Valerie couldn't beat him.
Pidgeot was special. It was his first Pokémon, the one who had accompanied him through his most difficult times. If he didn't have the system, Pidgeot would have been the only thing he could rely on. He would have had to grow up like any other civilian trainer, haunted by endless danger, perhaps dying in the wild, or perhaps becoming famous through grit and determination. In any case, Pidgeot was his anchor. They had shared honor and disgrace, and had been ready to follow each other to the death. In Zhang's heart, Pidgeot was the most important, even if it wasn't as powerful as the monsters.
"3! 2! 1! Begin!"
"Old friend! Let's win this battle together!"
"Mr. Mime, it's up to you!"
The red lights flashed. A Pidgeot, larger than normal, appeared before Zhang.
"Pidge!" it cried, its eyes burning like flames. I'm finally on the field. I can't lose. I want to fight by Zhang's side.
As Zhang's team had grown, filled with powerful monsters, Pidgeot had felt more and more useless, like it was just dragging him down. It knew it wasn't strong enough, but it yearned to fight, to grow with him like they had for the past two years. It didn't want to be a burden; it wanted to be a pillar of support.
It remembered the days and nights of training. It was tiring, but it was fun. It remembered when Zhang had chosen it at the Pokémon Center. It hadn't been a particularly talented Pidgey. Zhang could have chosen a stronger one for the same price. But he had chosen it, saying, "You're really similar to me! We're both just unimportant, average nobodies."
"In the future, let's rely on each other and grow together. We'll make those who look down on us eat their words."
"We may be weak, but we will not submit to anyone, not even death."
"We cannot resist life, but we must be the masters of our own souls. Our souls must be free."
At the time, Zhang hadn't even awakened his system. He was just an ordinary student. His starter was everything to him. And he had chosen the Pidgey with no talent, because he saw in its eyes an unyielding soul. For the weak, indomitability was the only virtue.
Pidgeot remembered how it had struggled in training, unable to keep up with the normal Pidgeys. But Zhang had never said a bad word. He had always encouraged it, praised it, told it that it was great. And with every word of praise, it had felt happy. It had trained hard every day, not wanting to disappoint him.
Then, Zhang had taken it to another world, and it had met many powerful partners. And it had become more and more useless. It was unwilling to accept this. Even though Zhang treated it the same as before, with the same gentleness, that only made it more unwilling.
"In the future, let's rely on each other and grow together." Pidgeot had never forgotten those words.
I can't lose! I must become stronger! I will be his support, not his burden! I cannot betray our oath!
"Pidge!" it let out a violent cry, a cry of mourning, a cry of defiance.
"Pidgeot..." Zhang's heart twitched. He felt his partner's heart. If one day, all his other Pokémon left him, only Pidgeot would remain. Even in death, it would be with him.
"Pidgeot, you haven't forgotten that sentence. How could I?" he muttered. "Otherwise, why would I have trained you so hard, when I already had all those powerful monsters?"
"Pidgeot!" he roared.
"Pidge!" it cried back, as if it had been waiting for him. In that moment, Pidgeot felt Zhang's heart as well.
RUMBLE! A terrifying, illusory flame erupted from Pidgeot's body. In that moment, it mastered the power of emotion. It was the fire of its unyielding will.
"This is the power of emotions," Iris thought, surprised. "It seems Zhang and his Pokémon have a very good relationship. This kind of extreme emotional fire is rare, even among champion-level trainers."
"So, he mastered the power of emotions too? He really is amazing," Valerie thought. "But a competition is still a competition. Its base stats aren't that high. I should still win this." Her eyes glowed pink. "Mr. Mime, Psychic!"
Pidgeot's stats were average, even after Mega Evolution. This was why few strong trainers used it. Valerie was confident. The power of emotions was strong, but it wasn't invincible. Her Mega Mawile had still lost to the Anjanath. Hard power was what mattered most.
"Hurricane!" Zhang commanded.
"Pidge!" Pidgeot flapped its huge wings, and a massive storm of wind erupted, covering the entire battlefield. The illusory flames on its body burned even more fiercely. At the same time, Mr. Mime launched its own attack. Three huge waves of psychic energy rose to meet the storm.
Seeing that Mr. Mime was attacking and not defending, Pidgeot went all-in, releasing all its emotional power to boost the Hurricane.
RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE!
What Valerie expected did not happen. In her mind, her Mr. Mime's Psychic should have easily broken through the Hurricane. Pidgeot's Special Attack was only 70, after all. Even with the power of the storm at 110, it shouldn't have been a match for her Mr. Mime's special Psychic technique. But in the roar of the collision, the Hurricane smashed through the three psychic waves and slammed into Mr. Mime, sending it flying, seriously injured. Mr. Mime's Special Defense was high, 120, but its HP was a paltry 40. It couldn't withstand the attack.
"This little girl underestimated Pidgeot," Iris thought. "Compared to Zhang's other monsters, Pidgeot looks as cute as a puppy. But that doesn't mean it isn't dangerous. Which Pokémon that can burn with the fire of emotion is weak?"
"How is that possible?" Valerie's eyes widened in disbelief. Even with the power of its emotions, it shouldn't be that strong. The power her Mawile had displayed was nothing compared to this. Is her bond with Mawile not as strong as Zhang's with his Pidgeot? How can that be?
"Mr. Mime is unable to battle! The winner is Pidgeot! Please recall your Pokémon within 30 seconds," Iris announced.
"Pidge!" The moment it won, the flames on Pidgeot's body flared violently, like gasoline being poured on a fire. It had broken through its own heart-knot. Its strength had once again improved. I'm finally no longer a burden. I've found a way to get stronger. It was overjoyed. But the flames quickly subsided and vanished. The power of bonds was a one-time burst.
"Valerie was too confident in her Mr. Mime's Psychic," Zhang thought, shaking his head. "If she had been more stable and used Protect to block the first wave, Pidgeot would not have won so easily. A Pidgeot that had consumed some of its emotional power would not have been able to launch a second attack that was as terrifying as the first." He had chosen defense against Mawile's final attack because he was a careful person by nature. He would not underestimate an enemy, no matter how strong he was.
"Come back, Pidgeot. You worked hard," he said, recalling his Pokémon. He sighed. He hadn't expected Pidgeot to burst forth with such power. "Pidgeot, I will not disappoint you, nor will I betray your trust. When this competition is over, I will find you a Mega Stone to make you stronger." A Pidgeotite would increase its base stats by 100, a huge boost to its strength.
"Pidge," came the happy reply from inside the ball.
"Zhang Tian, I didn't expect your Pidgeot to be so powerful," Valerie sighed, recalling her Mr. Mime. "I thought your Pidgeot was no good. It seems I underestimated it."
"Okay, see you later," she said. "I admit defeat." Her Mr. Mime was the key to her "weak beats strong" strategy. With it gone, she had no hope of defeating Zhang with her remaining four Pokémon. There was no need to fight any longer. Of course, the most important reason she gave up was that Zhang's monsters were too ferocious. The brutal Legiana had left a deep impression on her. She was afraid her other Pokémon would be injured.
"Valerie has forfeited! The winner is Zhang Tian! Congratulations to Zhang Tian for entering the quarterfinals!" Iris announced.
Today's games are finally over. I can go back and rest, get something to eat. The quarterfinals don't start until tomorrow, Zhang thought, feeling relaxed. He and Valerie strode off the battlefield.
"Zhang Tian, congratulations on your victory and successfully entering the top 8!" Bea and Cynthia said, running up to him.
"It's your turn next. You two better cheer up. I'd love to see you in the next round," he said with a smile. They had also reached the Round of 16. If they won their next matches, they would be in the quarterfinals with him tomorrow.
"Don't worry, Zhang Tian, I will definitely advance," Bea said confidently.
"There shouldn't be any problem for me either. My opponent isn't strong," Cynthia said gently.
"Good. Cynthia, it looks like your match is next. Go on," Zhang said.
"Okay. Wait for my good news," she nodded, and strode onto the battlefield. Her opponent was not a character from the games or anime, but a local trainer from this world, like Bella or Shilong.
In a villa in Shanghai, two middle-aged men were meeting.
"The boss sent a mission. We are to go up today and grab the stone from that kid Zhang Tian's hand, the one that allows his Legiana to use special abilities."
"How is that possible? Just the two of us? We're only quasi-Elite Four level, not much stronger than that kid. And Iris, that crazy woman, is also in the city. Even if we grab it, we won't be able to run."
"Don't worry. We're just the initial assault. Cadres from Team Magma will come to our aid. As for escape, it's very simple. A Team Magma cadre has a very powerful Alakazam. It can teleport us away."
The full story so far is available on Patreon!:
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