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Thank you 🙂 ——————– “Go, Screech!” Opening its jaws, a piercing screech erupted from Onix’s mouth, lowering the opponent’s physical defense.
Lombre clutched its head, a pained expression on its face.
“Now, Dig!” “Roar!” Onix twisted its massive body, and immediately after, its tail slammed heavily into the ground.
The earth cracked open, and it rapidly burrowed underground.
Lombre recovered from the Screech, its face filled with anger.
It spread its hands apart, and a white mist suddenly shrouded the battlefield.
“Mist, huh!” Watching the rising mist, Leo issued another command.
“Onix, use Screech from underground!” The sharp screech rang out once more.
Amplified by the underground tunnel, the sound echoed louder, but due to the effects of Mist, Lombre’s stats wouldn’t be lowered—it would only suffer from the sonic disturbance.
Sure enough, Lombre let out a cry of agony.
“Did you hear that, Onix?
Head toward the sound and use Tackle!” Inside the mist, the ground trembled.
With a loud boom, Onix burst forth from underground, slamming right into Lombre!
Bang!
Hampered by the Screech, Lombre couldn’t dodge Onix’s Tackle.
It was sent flying backward and crashed to the ground!
It looked heavily injured, but it was still struggling to get back up.
“I’ve gotta say, as expected of a Grass-type!
Grass Pokémon really can take a beating!” Leo muttered, deciding to press his advantage.
“Onix, don’t give it a chance!
Tackle!” “Roar!” Onix roared.
Using the coiled power of its body like a spring, it exploded forward with immense force, crashing toward Lombre!
But just as it was about to land the hit, Lombre suddenly scrambled to its feet.
“Lombre!!” It was angry now!
Following its cry, an emerald green light glowed!
At the same time, similar green, orb-like energy surged out from Onix’s body in large quantities, then rapidly merged into Lombre!
Onix’s movement stalled.
It abruptly halted its Tackle, stopping with a pained expression.
“Roar!” “That’s…
Absorb!” Seeing this scene, Leo immediately understood what was happening.
“Onix, hang in there!
Iron Tail!” “Roar!” Onix fought to shake off the effects of the Grass-type move.
Hearing Leo’s command, its tail began to glow with a white light!
At such close range, if it landed, Lombre definitely wouldn’t be able to take it.
Just then, buoyed by the stamina it had siphoned via Absorb, Lombre also reacted.
A blue water vapor gathered in its mouth, then violently erupted outward!
Sizzle!
Water Gun clashed with Onix’s Iron Tail.
Blue Water-type energy and silver-gray Steel-type energy detonated in mid-air, and the shockwave blew away the shroud of Mist!
“Roar!” Onix was visibly uncomfortable!
As the Steel-type energy around its tail gradually dissipated, the Water Gun blasted directly onto Onix’s body!
Seeing Onix being washed by the Water Gun, Leo’s expression shifted slightly.
“Onix, hold on!
Interrupt it with Screech!” “Roar!” Onix’s resilience greatly satisfied Leo!
It unleashed Screech once again!
The piercing screech forced Lombre to tightly clutch its head.
Unable to withstand the torment of the noise, the uncontrolled Water Gun slowly fizzled out.
“Now’s your chance, Onix!
Use your ultimate move—Return!” Return, a Normal-type move.
The higher the friendship with the trainer, the greater its power.
Onix and Leo’s friendship was maxed out!
Star-shaped white specks of light enveloped Onix’s body.
Using every ounce of its strength, it slammed viciously into Lombre!
Bam!
“Lombre!” Such tremendous impact!
Lombre shrieked as it was sent flying, crashing into the ground far away!
After a moment, swirls appeared in its eyes…
Seeing this, Leo finally let out a sigh of relief.
“Thank goodness we won…” [Ding!
Battle concluded.
Onix wins.
Obtained 5 Training Points.
First victory bonus: 10 Training Points.
Onix leveled up to Lv.19 and learned Rock Throw (Beginner).] Only 15 points per battle?
Leo was a little speechless.
But leveling up and learning a new move was pretty good.
As for Training Points, he’d save them up for now.
He slowly walked over to Onix, stroking its body.
Seeing it panting heavily, the boy smiled and encouraged it.
“Thanks for your hard work, Onix.
You did great out there!” “Roar~” Taking hits from Water- and Grass-type moves and not falling in such a disadvantageous situation had genuinely exceeded his expectations!
This was a hidden talent!
“Alright, let me apply some medicine for you, and then you can get a good rest.” “Roar!” Although he hadn’t registered as a League trainer yet and couldn’t enjoy the free services at the Pokémon Center, paying out of pocket would still get the job done.
Injuries sustained in battle couldn’t be neglected.
Minor ones were fine, but if left untreated, severe ones could even cause irreversible consequences!
Thinking of this, Leo quickly applied Potion to Onix, then recalled it into its Poké Ball.
He chose to head back to the closer Petalburg City to visit the Pokémon Center.
Entering the lobby, the front desk was straight ahead.
A Nurse Joy, looking almost exactly like in the anime, was busy at the counter.
Beside her was a plump, pink Pokémon, with an egg resting in the pouch on its belly!
It was a Chansey, the partner of the Joy family!
“Hello, Nurse Joy.
My Onix is injured, please help me check on it!” Leo went straight to the counter, taking out a Poké Ball and handing it to Nurse Joy.
“Certainly.
Please present your Pokédex!” a gentle voice rang out.
Nurse Joy looked at the boy before her and smiled.
Looking a bit embarrassed, Leo said, “I haven’t obtained a Pokédex yet.
But I’m on my way to Littleroot Town right now.
I just encountered a wild Pokémon on the road…
so…” Smiling slightly, Nurse Joy nodded in understanding.
“I understand, a rookie trainer then.
Please register over here!” “Okay!” He quickly wrote his name on a form and paid the fee.
Finally done!
“Leave your Pokémon to me.
You can take a good rest in the lounge over there!” Nurse Joy took the Poké Ball and spoke gently to Leo.
“It’ll be healed in no time, don’t worry!” After offering a word of comfort, Nurse Joy turned around, placed the Poké Ball on the diagnostic machine, and began operating it.
Seeing this, Leo let out a sigh of relief.
After all, if he delayed too long, lingering injuries could become a real problem.
Only then did he have the mood to observe his surroundings.
It wasn’t much different from the anime.
A Pokémon Center was a type of facility built to serve Pokémon trainers.
Outside of the Alola region, Pokémon Centers were spread across most towns in the Pokémon world!
Some important locations or landmarks might also house a Pokémon Center, or at least small-scale Pokémon medical equipment.
Other locations, such as Contest Halls and the Pokémon League headquarters in various regions, also had Pokémon Center counters.
They all had their own distinct appearances, but most featured red roofs.
The stairs between floors were all escalators, and the entrances were automatic glass doors.
The first-floor lobby of a Pokémon Center mainly consisted of two sections.
The left counter was manned by a Nurse Joy responsible for examining and treating trainers’ Pokémon.
On the right was a video phone station, where trainers could contact family and friends and confirm their travel routes.
Scattered around were tables, chairs, and sofas provided for weary trainers to take a temporary rest.
The entrance to the second floor was usually at the back of the lobby!
Inside was the Union Room and communication equipment.
(T/N: Who still remembers the Union Room, what a throwback) This area allowed trainers to connect with one another, facilitating Pokémon trades, trade evolutions, battles, and record matching.
Many Pokémon required specific conditions to evolve, and trade evolution was one of them.
Unfortunately, Onix was on that list!
Behind the Pokémon Center was a large courtyard complete with lawns, small hills, pools, and trees, designed to accommodate all kinds of Pokémon for resting or battling.
This was also the place with the highest concentration of trainers.
Battles were happening from dawn to dusk, though most participants were rookies.
Further back was the dormitory building, forming a ring around the courtyard.
Together with the front lobby, it fully enclosed the courtyard.
The first floor of the dormitory housed a dining hall and an entertainment hall, while the second floor contained guest rooms for lodging.
It was safe to say that the benefits League trainers enjoyed were quite good!
But in return, one had to give back for these privileges—namely, working hard to improve oneself and remaining ready to answer the League’s call to deal with dark syndicates at any time.
This was a trainer’s responsibility.
After watching a few Pokémon battles in the courtyard, Leo got a general idea of the commanding abilities of his peers in this world.
How should he put it…
“Dodge it!” “Stand up!” “Hang in there!” They used these “ultimate techniques” far more proficiently than a certain Ash Ketchum!
Of course, it was also possible he just hadn’t encountered any top-tier peers yet.
After all, Leo himself was just a rookie who had recently left home.
Returning to the front lobby, he went to the video phone and dialed home.
The call connected quickly.
“Leo, where are you now?
Petalburg City?” Seeing his mother appear on the video, with his father standing behind her, pretending not to care while occasionally peeking over, Leo grinned and laughed inwardly.
“Mom!
I’m in Petalburg City, at the Pokémon Center right now!” “That’s wonderful.
Safe and sound!
Was the trip smooth?” His mother smiled, finally relieved.
“Of course it was smooth!
And Onix performed really well in its first battle!” “Is that so?
That child has been working hard.” “Yeah, it just took a few injuries and is getting treated right now!” Leo scratched his head.
“But Onix is stronger than I imagined!
It has a lot of talent!” “Then you have to take good care of it!
Remember, once you catch more Pokémon, send them home.
Mom can help you take care of them!” “That’s great!
Thanks, Mom, you’re so much better than Dad!
Haha!
I’ll leave it at that for now, bye Mom!” Leo happily waved and hastily hung up the phone.
Faintly, he thought he heard a voice coming from the receiver…
“Brat…” “Heh.” He couldn’t help but smile knowingly.
Just then, an announcement broadcast over the lobby’s speakers.
“Would little Leo Flint please come to the front desk~” Not having the time to complain about being called “little,” he immediately ran to the counter.
“Hello, I’m Leo!” Nurse Joy handed over the Luxury Ball.
“Your Pokémon has been fully restored to health!” “Thank you, Nurse Joy!” “You’re welcome.
Have a pleasant journey!” Nodding with a smile, Leo left the Pokémon Center and set off once again, heading toward Littleroot Town.
“Onix, Tackle!
Finish it off!” “Roar!” After a cloud of dust settled, a Wurmple collapsed.
[Ding!
Battle concluded.
Onix wins.
Due to the opponent’s excessively low strength, no Training Points awarded.
Received a small amount of experience!] Leo shook his head speechlessly.
“Why are they all Bug-types?
Leveling up like this is way too slow!” “Roar!” Onix nodded in agreement.
He had battled a large number of bugs along the way, all weak Pokémon!
As a result, he hadn’t even reached Level 20 yet…
It seemed he really needed to find evenly matched opponents.
Looking at a Beedrill hive in the distance, Leo ultimately suppressed his death-seeking urge.
Even though Rock-types resisted Bug-types, there was no way to deal with those numbers!
Even ants could bite an elephant to death.
Time to skedaddle.
Without sufficient strength, it was better not to overestimate himself!