[Pokémon]: Bulbasaur
[Type]: Grass / Poison
[Ability]: Overgrow (When HP decreases, the power of Grass-type moves increases)
[Strength]: Beginner, Intermediate
[Potential]: Elite
After obtaining Bulbasaur, the system had also issued a prompt regarding tailed beast template fusion. However, because Bulbasaur's compatibility with the available tailed beast templates was not high, Sam gave it some thought and decisively gave up on the idea.
The number of tailed beast templates was limited. If there was no suitable Pokémon, Sam would never waste one.
"Seed, seed."
Bulbasaur took the upcoming battle very seriously.
Its expression was focused, the vines at its bulb extending outward as it prepared itself for combat.
"Then… let the battle begin."
Sam had chosen the opponent well.
Poliwag, which had grown up in the wild, clearly possessed solid battle instincts.
The moment Sam announced the start of the battle, Poliwag launched its attack without hesitation.
A cluster of bubbles suddenly filled the battlefield, rushing straight toward Bulbasaur.
Sam was momentarily startled. He hadn't expected Poliwag to be so decisive.
The Bubble attack moved quickly, and Bulbasaur, never particularly agile to begin with, had no time to dodge.
Fortunately, Bulbasaur had the advantage in type. Even after being hit by the Water-type move, it didn't suffer too much damage. This also gave Sam more room for error.
With the type advantage on his side, Sam raised his hand and issued a command.
Attack with attack.
"Bulbasaur, Vine Whip!"
Trust was the foundation of cooperation between Trainer and Pokémon.
Facing the incoming bubbles, Bulbasaur was momentarily afraid, but after hearing Sam's command, it carried it out without hesitation.
Enduring the pain as the bubbles struck its face, Bulbasaur swiftly lashed out with its vines toward Poliwag in the distance.
Bang!
The Vine Whip struck Poliwag squarely, leaving a red mark across its white belly.
The impact interrupted Poliwag's Bubble attack, forcing it to scramble around to evade further strikes.
"Bulbasaur, Petal Dance!"
Bulbasaur was exceptionally talented.
In addition to basic moves such as Tackle, Growl, and Vine Whip, it had also inherited the move Petal Dance.
Sam had learned this through communication with Bulbasaur.
A Trainer's first lesson was to thoroughly understand their own Pokémon. In that regard, Sam could now barely be considered a qualified Trainer.
As Sam's command fell, countless petals burst forth from Bulbasaur's back, filling the battlefield in an instant.
For a brief moment, the scene was breathtakingly beautiful.
The surrounding Pokémon watching the battle couldn't help but cry out in surprise.
But Petal Dance was not only beautiful, it was terrifyingly lethal.
Before Poliwag could recover from the damage inflicted by Vine Whip, it was already enveloped by the swirling petals.
There was no escape.
The petals descended like sharp blades, cutting into Poliwag's body.
Already heavily injured, Poliwag finally reached its limit and collapsed.
Ding! Congratulations to the host. You have won your first battle and received a B-rank evaluation.
Would you like to view the reward details? Yes / No.
As the emotionless system notification sounded, two data panels appeared in Sam's mind.
Receiving a B-rank evaluation was not unexpected. Given Bulbasaur's current strength, achieving this result was already excellent.
Sam was very satisfied.
Now, it was time to claim the reward.
"Confirm."
With a thought, Sam confirmed the reward.
Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining one B-rank item and a Tenfold Experience Card (7 days).
Pokémon will gain greatly increased experience from battles during this period.
Looking at the rewards, Sam couldn't help but take a deep breath.
With the Tenfold Experience Card active for seven days, Bulbasaur's strength could increase at an astonishing pace.
And this was only a B-rank reward.
If B-rank rewards were already this generous, then what about A-rank… S-rank… SS-rank… or even SSS-rank?
For the first time, Sam truly felt that his future was filled with limitless possibilities.
After receiving the mission reward, Sam did not leave immediately.
Thanks to Poliwag, he had obtained such valuable rewards. Defeating it and then abandoning it without a second thought was something Su Mu simply couldn't bring himself to do.
He took a Potion from his backpack and sprayed it over Poliwag's body.
Potions in the Pokémon world were incredibly effective. Almost immediately, Poliwag's wounds began healing at a visible rate.
Within just a few minutes, its injuries had fully recovered.
Once healed, Poliwag regained its energy and began humming happily.
"This is your reward."
After treating Poliwag, Sam also gave it two Oran Berries, items that were especially beneficial for its growth, before turning to leave.
"Goodbye, Poliwag. I hope next time we meet, you'll have evolved into a Poliwrath."
After waving goodbye, Sam set off once more on his journey.