บท 17: There's Something Off About My Pokémon. [17]
"Huh?" Lu Cheng was a bit surprised. After all, A Le never showed much interest in becoming a trainer. Why the sudden desire to join the U20?
"Last time, that junior… she's participating too," A Le said shyly, his face turning red. "I want to be there with her, to cheer her on."
"Sure!" Lu Cheng teased, nudging A Le, "So, how far have you gotten?"
"What do you mean how far?" A Le smiled bitterly. "She only sees me as a senior. Besides, she's from a family of trainers. Her dad is a well-known Rain Team player!"
The Rain Team strategy relies on rainy weather to boost the speed and power of Water-type Pokémon's moves, making it a powerful and flashy playstyle. No wonder that junior's family raised a Pelipper.
Lu Cheng nodded and suggested, "You can register online. Even though our school's slots are full, the competition is open to everyone, so the school's recommended slots aren't that important."
"Sure!" A Le nodded. "I've already signed up."
Lu Cheng laughed, "That's great! We can train together next time, but during the actual competition, I won't go easy on you!"
A Le smiled bitterly, "Okay, okay! Just remember to take it easy on me!"
---
A week passed, and despite their efforts, Lu Cheng and his Vulpix didn't make much progress in removing the startup animation for their move. Before they knew it, Saturday arrived, leaving just a week before the U20 Youth Trainer Competition. The event would take place in Jiangcheng at the beginning of May and last an entire month. Various city TV stations were set to broadcast the event, providing excellent exposure opportunities for the participants.
From what Lu Cheng knew, many people around him were joining with a "let's try our luck" attitude, including Grandpa Wang's grandson. This event was shaping up to be a grand gathering of trainers from all over Zhejiang Province.
Lu Cheng sighed, resting his head on the desk with a look of despair. "Senior, the competition is going to be really fierce."
The senior had just gotten a haircut; her long hair barely reached her shoulders, and she wore another pair of black-rimmed glasses, looking even more like an intellectual. Holding a book, she looked up at Lu Cheng and said gently, "You don't need to feel too much pressure. With your skills, I'm sure you'll achieve a satisfactory result."
Little did she know that Lu Cheng was aiming for the championship! Lu Cheng turned to her and asked, "Senior, what do you expect your rank to be?"
"Me?" The senior thought for a moment before replying, "Top sixteen, at least. After all, I've already entered university. This time, many high school students are participating, and even some middle school students are joining!" She smiled sweetly and added, "You can't lose to them, after all, you've already defeated me."
Suddenly, Lu Cheng felt a chill run down his spine and quickly changed the subject. "By the way, Senior, do you know how to improve the speed of a Pokémon's move execution?"
"Huh? Why are you suddenly interested in this?" The senior asked, looking surprised. "This is part of the university's Pokémon Battle course. Where did you learn about it?"
Lu Cheng was also surprised and replied, "I just noticed that when Vulpix uses Return, it always glows white…"
The light is too obvious, Lu Cheng thought, considering whether it could use the move without emitting light.
"Return? You taught Vulpix that move?" The senior rested her chin on her hand, pondering. "Indeed, your bond with Vulpix is very strong, so its power must be considerable. But there's a significant drawback to Return: the signs for releasing the move are way too obvious."
"Generally, powerful moves come with corresponding limitations," she explained seriously. "For instance, Mawile's Play Rough can only be used upon contact with the opponent."
"If you want to make Vulpix's Return less obvious, you could try preparing the move while using Extrasensory first. After all, the purple glow of Extrasensory can mask the telltale signs of releasing Return."
"In Pokémon battles, there's no need to be too rigid. Sometimes, combining moves can help you achieve your desired result." The senior spoke like a knowledgeable teacher but then softened, smiling, "Of course, this is just something I've heard from others. It might not be entirely correct; you'll have to figure it out yourself."
Lu Cheng felt enlightened. So that's it! Since Return has such a noticeable startup animation, he could use other moves to disguise it! For example, combining Vulpix's Extrasensory with Return or even using Quick Attack could create effective combos. Lu Cheng realized he had fallen into a rigid mindset—thinking in turn-based logic like in the games, forgetting to consider the dynamic nature of real battles.
Just then, he heard a notification from the system:
"Ding—Due to the host's deepened understanding of Pokémon moves, you have received the special ability reward: 'Chain!'
"Chain LV1: The host's Pokémon's casting speed in battles is increased by 10%. When using the same move consecutively, its power stacks by 10%!
Lu Cheng was taken aback. He quickly made an excuse to head to the restroom and asked the system, "System, what is this ability?"
"Ding—The host can obtain special ability rewards by completing tasks, achieving accomplishments, or meeting hidden conditions. The host's abilities can stack, and there is no limit to the number of times!"
"Then how do I upgrade this ability?"
"Ding—The host needs to explore and upgrade it independently!"
"Alright."
Regardless, this added a valuable edge to Lu Cheng's chances in the U20 tournament. As he returned to his study, Mawile entered with a cake during the lunch break. Upon seeing Vulpix, her face lit up with joy as she rushed over, tumbling into a playful heap with Vulpix. Watching this affectionate moment, Lu Cheng couldn't help but smile, realizing he had truly integrated into this world. Now, when he saw Mawile's big eyes gleaming with excitement, he no longer felt fear—just a hint of fondness.
Before he knew it, Vulpix had already grown six tails, signifying that it had officially entered its mature phase. The six fiery red tails were warm and dazzling. Mawile wrapped them around her neck like a scarf, beaming with happiness. In that moment, Lu Cheng suddenly caught a glimpse of the senior looking at the Pokémon with a tender smile, and his heart skipped a beat! Oh no, was this what it felt like to be smitten? It was as if they were a family of four!
"By the way," the senior suddenly spoke up.
"Huh? What?"
"Why is your face so red?"
"Nothing, nothing. It might just be too hot."
"Really? I think the air conditioning is quite sufficient." The senior adjusted the thermostat down a few degrees and continued, "Have you thought about taking Vulpix for practical training?"
"Practical training?"
"Yeah! Although you can't see wild Pokémon in the city anymore, there are still many wild forests in the suburbs outside Jiang City. You could go there and practice with some wild Pokémon to improve Vulpix's battle experience."
Isn't that just leveling up through monster battles? This idea resonated perfectly with Lu Cheng, and he nodded, "My grandfather's place in the countryside has a lot of wild Pokémon. It used to be a conservation area, but I don't know why it's been abandoned."
"I'll take Vulpix there to check it out."
---
T/N: Friendly reminder to point out any errors to me so I can fix it.
15+ Advanced Chapters [P@treon.com/WiseTL]
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