Who needs a girlfriend when you have Pokémon?

The turkey smacked its beak again, sending sparks flying and enveloping its entire body.

This charged flame attack was far faster than the previous one...

All Luo Wei could see was a golden-red afterimage. The swift attack, which was beyond the range of human dynamic vision, was hurtling towards Xin Ye Miao.

However, Shin-Ye-Nyan didn't react at all, standing still and letting the attacks hit her.

"Eh?"

The golden-red flames shattered, but Xin Ye Miao, who had taken the full force of the attack, did stagger twice but did not fall down.

"how come……"

Newleaf is not known for its durability. After taking a hit from Torchic, which was both STAB and type-advantageous, it should have been knocked out on the spot.

"...My new Leafy Cat's last move was 'Sharpen Claws,' a Dark-type move."

"So what... um..."

In a moment of stunned silence, Xiao Yao understood what Luo Wei meant.

Just as May's Torchic has the Speed-Up ability, Lowell's Neoleaf also has a Pokémon ability.

Changeable and free...

It can change a Pokémon's type to match the type of move it uses...

Starting with Generation IX, this powerful ability was modified and will only take effect once per appearance.

However, this is the original, unmodified effect, meaning that every time a skill is used, the user's attributes will change, making it truly "free to change"!

After the opening leaf attack, Rowe never let New Leaf Cat use any Grass-type moves, whether it was Quick Attack, Sharpen Claw, or Scratch, all of which are types that have no advantage against Fire.

Charged Flame Strike only has a power of 40, which isn't a particularly powerful STAB move...

Without any type advantage, New Leafy managed to withstand the attack because Rowe knew that in terms of speed, it was no longer a match for Torchic with its triple speed boost.

So, by taking a hit from the opponent, you can get close enough to force them to reveal a weakness.

Now it's time for Luo Wei to perform...

After using the claw sharpening technique twice, New Leaf Cat has already increased its attack power by two levels...

With a sweep of its gleaming claws, it was too late to use any insight; there was simply no way to dodge at that distance.

The instant the Charged Flame Strike hits Leafeon, Leafeon's attack also hits Torchic...

The turkey staggered back two steps, its eyes instantly turning into mosquito coils, before it fell backward onto the ground...

Torchic cannot win the battle, the winner...

...Lowe~

Chapter Twelve: Ultimate Beast

"Haha, I lost..."

Haruka picked up Torchic and took out a spray bottle from her pocket, spraying it all over.

The Torchic, which had just been spinning its mosquito coil-like eyes, quickly shook its feathers and regained its spirit after being sprayed all over. It jumped out of Haruka's arms, spread its two little wings and struck a pose as if to say, "I can still fight two hundred rounds."

Unfortunately, the outcome was already decided. It was a mere clash that ended there. From the moment Torchic lost its fighting ability, the result was already determined.

Upon learning the result, the turkey could only droop its feathers and listlessly shake its head.

Haruka didn't seem to mind at all, and just chuckled as she reached out to pat Torchic's head, "It's okay, it's okay, there's nothing shameful about losing to Rowe~"

Of course, this consolation didn't seem to have much effect. Torchic is a very competitive Pokémon, and this must have been a small blow to it.

Meanwhile, Dr. Birch watched the whole process unfold. The two men's tactics were not complicated, but they were executed very well.

May's tactics clearly involve increasing her mobility by constantly increasing her speed. In Pokémon battles, speed is often everything, meaning you can go first and use speed to avoid most single-target close-range moves.

Unless you encounter an area-of-effect (AOE) attack like an earthquake or surfing, you simply can't dodge it no matter how fast you are.

In fact, this is because Torchic's skills are not strong enough at the moment. If it had used Flame Charge with a power of 120 instead of the 40-power Flame Charge, then New Leafy would probably be in trouble.

Similarly, since Torchic has not yet mastered any skills that can increase its attack power, if it had mastered a move like Swords Dance, it could use its speed advantage to find an opening and use Swords Dance once or twice, and then it could snowball its advantage and continuously amplify its achievements.

From this perspective, Xiaoyao adopts a snowball tactic. Starting with the first charged flame attack, each attribute improvement she accumulates amplifies her own advantages.

Luo Wei's tactics are more flexible, after all, the "Changeable" trait is very flexible, and he can change his own attributes by using skills, so he can create many unexpected combinations.

However, this requires the trainer to have a strong ability to adapt to changing circumstances. After the first Leaf attack was countered, Lowe immediately changed tactics. During this time, he also chose to increase his attack based on Torchic's speed-up ability and adopted a strategy of taking a hit head-on to trade damage for damage.

Since Torchic isn't a Pokémon known for its durability, and with its two-stage Sharpening Claws increasing its attack power, a single hit is enough to end the battle.

Although the process wasn't particularly complicated, it was filled with many small details, and at least for a rookie trainer, the performance was outstanding.

"A beautiful duel, both sides performed exceptionally well..."

Professor Birch stepped forward while clapping. Although it is important for trainers to customize tactics, the cooperation of Pokémon is even more important. After all, tactical planning is just theory. Without the actual strength of the Pokémon to support it, any tactical planning is just empty talk.

It is precisely because the Pokémon's training is fully integrated with the tactics that the trainer's tactics can be perfectly implemented.

Pokémon training is also an important indicator for evaluating trainers, and both Rowe and May have shown outstanding results in this regard.

"In that case, there shouldn't be any problem starting the journey..."

Professor Birch remarked, and Haruka immediately snapped out of her reverie, "So, Rowe is also preparing to set off?"

"Yeah, so, wanna come together?"

Rowe knew that May was also preparing to embark on her journey to become a Pokémon Master, so he casually extended an invitation. However, May showed a conflicted expression on her face.

"Hmm, I'd love to go together, but... I also have some work to do, so it might not be convenient. Hmm, how about we have a competition and see who can get more badges first!"

Xiaoyao raised her right hand and clenched it into a fist. Luo Wei understood immediately and also raised his right fist. As they bumped fists, a new agreement and competition were established.

Seeing this, Professor Birch made a decision...

"...Luo Wei, there's something I'd like to ask you for a favor, is that alright?"

As they were talking, Dr. Birch took out a device about the size of a palm and handed it to Rowe.

"this is……"

"The Pokémon Pokédex is a third-generation enhanced version of the original Pokédex invented by Professor Oak..."

"Oh, Professor Oak!"

Luo Wei heard a familiar name again, and this name was quite famous. Professor Birch was a well-known figure in the Pokémon academic world, but Professor Oak was a towering figure in the Pokémon academic world.

He made outstanding contributions to Pokémon research. For example, his invention of the Pokédex led to a systematic leap forward in Pokémon research.

The Pokédex is a device that records Pokémon data and updates it in real time online. By distributing the Pokédex to trainers, hundreds or thousands of databases can be released around the world at the same time, recording and updating Pokémon data anytime, anywhere.

"I hope Rowe will accept this Pokédex and collect Pokémon data during your travels. Of course, you won't work for nothing. Once you've collected enough data, my assistants and I will provide you with some useful items and tools. How about that?"

Luo Wei immediately smiled and reached out to take the illustration. He was joking, how could he possibly let go of such an important symbol of identity and a crucial plot item?

What's more, Luo Wei was a complete Pokédex collector in his past life, and seeing a genuine Pokédex made his very DNA start to stir...

"Okay, don't worry, I've got your back."

"Haha, then I'll have to trouble you. Oh, by the way, I heard from Xiaoyao that you've already met 'that', right, Luo Wei?"

Upon hearing what Professor Birch said, May immediately opened her Pokédex and flipped to a page containing the strange jellyfish-like creature from before.

"That's right, that's what I was just about to ask, what is it?"

Although Luo Wei should know more about the origin of this thing than anyone else present, he still pretended to know nothing and asked a question.

"That's a very strange, uh... creature that has recently appeared all over the world..."

Luo Wei caught the key words in the conversation and immediately asked, "Isn't it a Pokémon?"

"To be honest, there's still a lot of debate in academia about whether they are Pokémon, so for now, we're just using the abbreviation UB to refer to them. The one you saw was the 'parasite' codenamed UB-01..."

“I see…” Luo Wei nodded, then continued to ask, “So, what exactly does ‘UB’ stand for?”

"Haha, UB stands for Ultra Beast, which is also known as—"

—Ultimate Beast!

Chapter Thirteen Birthday Gift

Ultra Beast……

...Ultimate Beast!

This is a mysterious creature that has been sighted and caused quite a stir around the world recently.

Their existence is still shrouded in mystery, and even what they "are" is a difficult question to answer.

It is said that the first Ultra Beast was discovered three years ago. In the past three years, the entire academic community has conducted countless studies, but no conclusion has been reached on the classification of Ultra Beasts.

As mentioned before, Pokémon are incredible creatures that exist in this world, but this world is not only home to Pokémon; there are also other ordinary creatures such as flowers, birds, fish, and insects.

Logically, with Pokémon existing, ordinary creatures would be completely crushed and eliminated from their ecological niche. However, nature has its own balancing mechanism. In short, it can be summarized in one sentence...

...You don't need to understand the details of the plan so clearly.

For this reason, whether Ultra Beasts are unknown Pokémon or some other kind of creature is still a subject of much debate, but Ultra Beasts do possess many mysterious powers.

And Lowe also heard another keyword...

"Hey, three years ago, could it be that the reason you suddenly moved house, Doctor, was because of this?"

"Haha, quite perceptive, that's right..." Professor Birch spread his hands frankly. This research was quite confidential three years ago, but after three years, there have been many sighting reports of Ultra Beasts. What's that saying again?

The truth will eventually come out; the existence of Ultra Beasts will be fully revealed to the public sooner or later, and that time probably won't be too long.

As the person directly in charge of the research, Dr. Odama was naturally very clear about it, so he didn't hide anything. Besides, Rowe himself was already a direct witness.

"Three years ago, I was assigned to conduct research on Ultra Beasts, which is why I moved to the Pokémon Lab in Lastwhite Town. Unfortunately, the research hasn't made much progress yet. Oh, by the way..."

Professor Birch gestured to the Pokédex in Rowe's hand, "If Rowe encounters any other Ultra Beasts along the way, I hope he can record as much data about them as possible..."