"Alright, next trainer."
After Venusaur finished healing the Ivysaur, it signaled for the next candidate to begin the duel. Feng Che retreated to the side, holding the "troublemaker" Bulbasaur. He took the opportunity to release Ditto and applied specialized medicine to treat the exhaustion and minor scuffs from its previous undercover battles.
The results of the other matches came swiftly. The fat man's Pidgeotto was incredibly agile on its feet, but its inability to fly proved fatal. The Ivysaur snared it with a Grass Knot, ending the match in a flash.
The boy with glasses, however, genuinely impressed Feng Che. He wasn't just posing with his laptop; he used his camera to create a real-time 3D model of the Ivysaur, analyzing its muscle movements to predict its next move. He successfully defeated the Ivysaur, setting up the final showdown against Feng Che.
"Good. Two victors," Venusaur announced. "According to our laws, the two of you must duel to determine who earns the right to choose."
"My partner is Magneton. It's my strongest companion," the boy said, adjusting his glasses.
"And mine is this one," Feng Che replied, releasing Ditto, who was currently disguised as an Arbok. The massive cobra coiled its body, flickering its tongue with a menacing hiss.
Arbok vs. Magneton... not exactly a type advantage for me, Feng Che noted.
"An Arbok? Beginning analysis." The boy's fingers flew across his keyboard. "Modeling the target... Arbok. Initial assessment: extremely high speed."
"Arbok, use Poison Sting!"
Ditto-Arbok spat a relentless hail of purple needles.
"Target used Poison Sting. Velocity: 10m/s. Impact in 3 seconds," the boy muttered to himself. "Toxic effects are negated by Magneton's Steel typing. Only kinetic impact is relevant. Magneton, use 100,000 Volts (Thunderbolt). Ignore the needles!"
The boy chose to trade damage. The needles slammed into Magneton, leaving tiny pits on its metallic surface, but a massive surge of electricity erupted from the magnet, slamming directly into Arbok.
To the boy's shock, Arbok didn't dodge. It stood its ground, bathed in crackling golden lightning. Yet, as the current faded, the snake looked completely unharmed.
"Impossible! It ignored a Thunderbolt?!"
"Wait..." The boy checked his screen. "I see. It jammed its tail deep into the earth. It used its own body as a grounding wire to divert the entire charge into the soil. Clever."
He adjusted his glasses, a competitive spark in his eye. "Magneton, use Tri Attack!"
Three orbs of energy—Fire, Ice, and Lightning—formed around Magneton, spinning in a perfect, stabilized triangle.
Analytic ability... he has a deep grasp of energy manipulation, Feng Che thought. But Tri Attack has a critical flaw: the balance.
"Arbok, Iron Tail!"
Feng Che had already taught Ditto how to handle this. As the tri-colored spiral closed in, Arbok's tail turned silver. It struck the blue Ice orb with surgical precision. The balance shattered. The ice orb exploded into a frost that momentarily froze Arbok's tail, but the snake simply slammed its tail against the ground, shattering the ice. The electric orb dissipated into the grass, and the fire orb was snuffed out by a flick of Venusaur's vine.
"Forest area. Watch the fire," Venusaur warned neutrally.
"Dammit," the boy growled. "Magneton, use Electric Gyro Ball!"
This was his trump card. Magneton began to spin at high velocity, becoming a silver blur crackling with intense electricity. The air filled with a high-pitched hum like a thousand birds. The grass beneath it was scorched to ash instantly as it began to move toward Arbok, leaving a black trail in its wake.
"A Thunderbolt and Gyro Ball combo... what a terrifying level of insight," Feng Che said, his face turning solemn. "But there's a way to break it."
"Ditto, listen to my plan," Feng Che sent a telepathic message.
"Arbok, use Dig!"
Arbok vanished into the ground just as the Electric Gyro Ball passed over its previous position.
"Useless! My model can calculate exactly where you'll surface," the boy shouted. "The moment you emerge, the residual charge will fry you!"
Suddenly, a shadow burst from the soil—but it wasn't a head. It was Arbok's tail.
"What?!"
The tail struck the spinning Magneton with a series of heavy Brutal Swings.
"Haha, Gyro Ball is the best defense!" the boy laughed, his victory nearly within reach. "The more you strike it, the more charge accumulates. Once it detonates that charge, your Arbok is dead!"
Then he froze. He looked at his screen. "Wait... the model is wrong. Why is it only surfacing the tail?"
He realized his mistake. By keeping most of its body underground and only surfacing the tail to strike, Arbok was continuing to ground the electricity. Furthermore, the constant blunt impacts of Brutal Swing were gradually siphoning the Magneton's rotational momentum.
Magneton's spin slowed. Then it stopped.
Arbok burst fully from the ground, its jaws glowing with Fire Fang. It clamped down on the stalled Magneton. The silver body turned glowing red as the magnetism failed, and the three units of Magneton fell apart, crashing to the ground.
"You... you were grounding the charge while slowing the rotation," the boy sighed, looking at Feng Che with a mix of frustration and respect. "A brilliant strategy. In a formal tournament, I'd love a rematch."
Suddenly, a faint, sweet fragrance filled the air. The boy slumped over, falling asleep in the flower field.
"The test is over. I will now wipe their memories of the garden," Venusaur said.
"What about their equipment?" Feng Che asked.
"I will plant a suggestion in their minds. They will believe they got lost, fell asleep, and accidentally damaged their devices. It will look like a mundane accident." Venusaur turned to him. "Now, trainer. The final trial. Will you take this Bulbasaur?"
"I will," Feng Che said firmly.
Venusaur looked at the clumsy Bulbasaur. "Bulbasaur, do you wish to travel with this human?"
The little frog looked at Feng Che. All its life, it had been a "troublemaker" who couldn't walk or fight. But this human had shown it the sky and given it courage. It didn't know if it could be a warrior, but it wanted to try.
"Bana! Bana!" it chirped, nodding vigorously.
Yes! Bulbasaur get! Feng Che cheered internally. I just poached the intended successor of the Hidden Garden!
Bulbasaur tried to walk toward him but tripped again. Feng Che laughed and scooped it up. The Pokémon licked his cheek in delight. "Hey! Enough with the slobber!"
"Trainer, would you like to stay for the Evolution Ceremony?" Venusaur asked. "Tonight is the full moon."
"I'd be honored," Feng Che replied.
"Then take this Leaf Crystal," Venusaur said, extending a vine with a glowing green gem. "It will help stabilize Bulbasaur's neural discordance. I must prepare for the ritual."
Venusaur turned and vanished back into the great tree, leaving Feng Che with his newest, clumsiest, and most talented partner.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
⭐ Read chapters early on Patreon → https://www.patreon.com/Bagga_10 ⭐
BONUS CHAPTER REWARDS
• Every 20 reviews = 1 bonus chapter
• Every 50 Power Stones = 1 bonus chapter
Your support directly unlocks more content and faster releases.