"Huh? Brother, aren't you afraid Dad will come after you for this?"
Seeing that her annoying older brother was actually tempted, Ava looked at him in surprise and teased him with a grin.
"You're not scared yourself," Liam snorted. "Why would I be?"
Ava clicked her tongue a few times, clearly pleased with herself. It seemed her influence was rubbing off.
Mr. Serious had finally cracked.
Ren, however, didn't bother with their sibling banter. Seeing another customer about to buy a Pokémon made him happy enough already. He handed the store manager's Pokédex to Liam and smiled.
"Go ahead."
"I'm definitely going for the best one!"
Liam tossed the beginner trainer's manual to Ava, rubbed his hands together, and took the Pokédex, his voice tinged with excitement.
He had already read the entire manual and had a rough understanding of Pokémon, but not having one of his own yet had left him itching inside.
"By the way, boss," Liam paused and asked curiously, "which type is the strongest?"
"It's obviously Grass-type!"
"Bulba~ saur~!"
Ava hugged Bulbasaur confidently. Bulbasaur even cried out in agreement, as if backing her up.
Liam shot her and Bulbasaur a look of pure disdain. How could she say something like that with a straight face?
"There's no such thing as an absolutely strongest or weakest type," Ren replied after thinking for a moment. "You should already know that from the beginner's manual. Pokémon types restrain each other."
He spoke calmly.
"The most basic example is the classic starter triangle—Fire beats Grass, Grass restrains Water, and Water suppresses Fire."
"So there's no invincible type. Even something as powerful as Dragon-type Pokémon are completely countered by Fairy-types."
"Dragon-type moves are ineffective against Fairy-types, just like how Psychic-type moves don't work on Dark-types. Type matchups are like a chain."
After a brief pause, Ren continued.
"But if we're talking about types that are especially troublesome to deal with, Ghost, Poison, and Psychic are usually considered the most iconic."
"As for Dragon-types…"
"Dragon-types are widely considered powerful because they're born with extremely strong physiques. It's not just their typing—compared to most Pokémon, Dragon-types have a natural physical advantage."
Ren chose his words carefully.
Ghost and Psychic didn't really need further explanation. Poison-types, meanwhile, were infamous for how annoying they could be—once properly trained, they could grind opponents down until defeat felt inevitable.
As for Dragon-types, their reputation wasn't undeserved. Dragon-type Pokémon were incredibly rare.
If you actually checked the Pokédex, you'd find that among fully evolved Dragon-types—aside from Druddigon—almost none had base stats below 500.
That was precisely why Druddigon was jokingly called the "shame of the Dragon clan" by fans.
Not because it was weak—it wasn't—but because it dragged down the absurdly high average of Dragon-types.
"Of course," Ren added, "these are just general observations. Whether a Pokémon is strong or not ultimately depends on the trainer."
"In battle, the trainer's decisions play a huge role."
"I see."
Liam nodded thoughtfully and wrote down the four types Ren had mentioned:
Poison. Ghost. Psychic. Dragon.
Taking a deep breath, he solemnly tapped 'Start' on the Pokédex.
Come on… a Dragon-type.
Please. A Dragon-type.
Liam stared intensely at the rapidly spinning black silhouettes on the screen, silently praying to every deity he could think of—Sanqing, Nüwa, the Yellow Emperor, God, Jesus, and even the Goddess of Luck.
Ava leaned over eagerly, just as curious about what kind of Pokémon her stiff brother would end up drawing.
After a while, the silhouette slowed… and finally stopped.
"Boss," Liam said, startled, "what is this?"
Ren glanced at the screen and raised an eyebrow.
"Oh—nice pull. You're pretty lucky. This is Elekid."
"Elekid …?"
Liam repeated the name, immediately thinking of Electric-types.
"That's right," Ren said with a smile. " Elekid is a very standard Electric-type Pokémon, and its strength among Electric-types is outstanding."
"In particular, its final evolution has excellent overall combat power."
"It looks a little weird… but not ugly."
Ava gently pinched Bulbasaur's cheek while examining Elekid's image.
"It's not cute, but it's not bad either."
"What do you think?" Ren asked Liam, who looked conflicted. "You can redraw if you want, but personally, I think Elekid is a very good choice."
Ren understood Liam's hesitation. He had probably been aiming for one of the types mentioned earlier.
But things were never that simple.
There was no guarantee a redraw would be better. In fact, there was a very real chance it would be worse—or something completely different.
Of course, Ren was just a seller. The final decision rested with the customer.
After struggling internally for a moment, Liam finally made up his mind.
"I'll take Elekid, boss."
It was his first Pokémon.
Liam looked at Elekid on the screen and felt unexpectedly satisfied.
First draw. First partner.
This was fate.
"A very wise choice," Ren nodded approvingly.
He genuinely liked customers like Liam—rational, thoughtful, and decisive.
…Though he still liked impulsive spenders a bit more.