Pokémon: Did you play Pokémon today?

Chapter 409 Ruby, let's have a Pokémon battle!

"I do!"

Shafia blurted it out almost reflexively, her voice so loud it startled even herself.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, but she couldn't suppress the smile on her lips, and her eyes were already starting to sparkle uncontrollably.

What will I look like in the game? What kind of adventures will I have? What kind of Pokémon and partners will I encounter?

Ruby watched from the side, feeling a mix of emotions.

It's sour, and I'm so envious.

Meanwhile, my brain was already working furiously, rapidly drafting a draft.

What do Pokémon mean to me? Partners? Family? Dreams? Or—he's got it all figured out!

The wording must be more elegant than Safia's! The theme must be more profound than Safia's! The emotions must be more sincere than Safia's!

He straightened his chest, striking a confident pose, waiting for Bai Zhou to come and ask him questions.

Bai Zhou indeed walked towards him.

Ruby.

"Um!"

'

Let's have a Pokémon battle!

Bai Zhou's tone was calm, yet left no room for argument.

"If you win, I'll let you become a Pokédex holder."

"Yes—oh?"

Ruby was completely stunned, his expression incredibly interesting.

He had prepared a whole host of eloquent words, but he didn't use a single one.

A battle? But his dream is to become a Coordinator Master, not a League Champion!

Battles are completely unnecessary for him, and would even affect the size and aesthetics of the Pokémon.

He glanced at the Pokémon around Bai Zhou.

The newly evolved Milotic was gracefully circling, exuding an aura of dominance. It was breathtakingly beautiful and incredibly powerful.

The Gengar, barely visible in the shadows, peeked out with half its head, seemingly plotting something sinister.

Young Gilas was playing with a rock on its head, and each impact made the ground tremble slightly.

And then there's Gardevoir, standing quietly behind White Boat. Though it doesn't utter a word, it exudes an unfathomable sense of oppression.

Each one exudes a powerful aura that sends chills down your spine.

By any measure, this match seems destined to be lost, right?

But Ruby's gaze fell on the encyclopedia in Sapphire's hand, and he recalled what Bai Zhou had just said about the "next generation of game protagonists" —

He gritted his teeth.

"Okay! I accept!"

Bai Zhou smiled slightly, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes.

He was certainly aware of Ruby's problems.

This child is smart, talented, and has a genuine love for Pokémon, but his mindset is still far from perfect.

Ruby, in terms of both temperament and attitude towards Pokémon, is not yet a qualified Pokédex holder.

For Ruby, Pokémon are certainly partners, but to some extent, they are also "tools" to help him achieve his dreams.

This statement may be somewhat biased, but it is roughly true.

Whether it's a grand competition or a coordination master, these goals themselves are not wrong.

But if you've never truly touched the heart of a Pokémon, then your so-called "dream" is nothing but a castle in the air.

As the commissioner of the encyclopedia, Bai Zhou felt it was his responsibility to guide this boy onto the right path.

What to do when you encounter troubled teenagers?

A beating would do the trick.

After the fight, many things became clear.

Bai Zhou stepped aside, creating a space between himself and Lu Bi that allowed both sides to maneuver freely.

"The rules are simple."

He held up one finger.

"I'll only send out one Pokémon. No matter what method you use, as long as you can defeat it or gain its approval, you win."

Ruby breathed a sigh of relief.

If it's just one Pokémon, then it's not a big problem.

With four against one, there's always a chance.

Bai Zhou immediately dispatched Milotic.

"Milotic, please."

"~7"

Milotic gracefully circled out and came to rest in the center of the field.

It gently raised its long neck, and its innate aura of dominance silently enveloped the entire space, transforming into invisible waves of energy that spread outwards.

"Oh, this—"

Ruby's face fell instantly, and he inwardly groaned.

It's over.

He really offended Milotic terribly just now, and now he's getting his comeuppance.

However, his worries were completely unnecessary; Milotic didn't take him seriously at all.

It didn't even bother to look at Lubi, only occasionally brushing the tip of its tail against Bai Zhou's arm, letting out soft chirps as if it were being affectionate.

It doesn't care about the approval of others.

As long as the owner approves of it, that's fine.

Ruby took a deep breath, patted his cheeks, and forced himself to calm down.

He knew that conventional tactics were meaningless against an opponent like Milotic.

We must go all out and use every means at our disposal!

"Nana! Coco! Lulu! Grandma! Let's all attack together!"

Poliwag, Skitty, Ralts, and Mudkip, who recently joined the team, all four Pokémon jumped out of their Poké Balls at the same time.

They landed steadily in front of Ruby, forming a semicircle, ready for battle.

Four against one.

Ruby was determined to outnumber the enemy and win quickly.

As the son of Senri, the leader of the Petalburg Gym, he is quite skilled in battle and tactics.

Although he hated fighting, he didn't miss out on any of the things he needed to learn.

"Nana, attack from the left! Coco, unleash a barrage of slaps from the right! Lulu, use telekinesis to disrupt us! Grandma, provide cover with water guns!"

The command was clear and the division of labor was well-defined.

The four Pokémon quickly dispersed.

The Coyote lowered its body, pawed at the ground, and charged at high speed from the left, aiming directly at Milotic's side.

The cheeky cat flanked from the right, leaping forward lightly, its tail glowing with a faint white light.

Ralts' eyes glowed blue as invisible psychic energy swirled around it, attempting to lock onto Milotic's movements.

Mudkip opened its small mouth, and a thin stream of water shot straight at Milotic's face.

Four attacks from four directions arrived almost simultaneously.

Bai Zhou saw this and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

"Milotic, water gun, to the right."

Milotic tilted its head slightly, not even looking directly at the skirmisher that pounced on it.

It opened its mouth, and a disproportionately thick jet of water shot out, rushing straight to the right with astonishing force!

Ruby's pupils suddenly contracted.

The water gun is aimed at Mudkip!

Mudkip is a Water-type Pokémon and is resistant to Water-type moves. Although it will get hurt if it takes a direct hit from this Water Gun, it can definitely withstand it.

If Mudkip can block this attack, the attacks from the other three Pokémon will hit simultaneously!

Four against one, the opportunity is fleeting!

Ruby had already raised his hand, and the words of command were almost out of his mouth.

As long as he shouts "Grandpa, hold it!", Mudkip will obey his command and use its small body to block the jet of water that is enough to send it flying.

But his gaze fell on Mudkip.

The little guy had his mouth open, the water gun had just been fired, and he wasn't defending himself at all.

It was so small and weak, with snot hanging from its nose.

If you were hit head-on by this water gun...

Ruby's finger stopped in mid-air.

He hesitated.

It was that moment of hesitation.

Milotic has fired its water gun, but the target is never Mudkip.

The water gun arced through the attack trajectories of the four Pokémon.

The psychic power was dispersed, and the impact was blocked.

The four Pokémon were knocked back several steps by the powerful water flow. Although they were not seriously injured, their attack had been completely thwarted.

Ruby turned pale as he watched this scene.

Bai Zhou, however, gave him no chance to catch his breath.

Milotic, Water Ring.

Milotic gracefully raised its head, and water elements began to gather around it.

The water curtain unfolded, wrapping around Milotic like a ribbon, reflecting a soft glow in the sunlight—a truly breathtaking sight.

Ruby's expression grew increasingly grave.

The continuous healing effect of the water ring meant that his quick and decisive tactics had completely failed.

To win, we must quickly inflict negative status effects on Milotic to weaken its combat power and create an opportunity to find a breakthrough.

"Nana, widen your eyes! Coco, wag your tail! Lulu, bark! Grandma, you bark too!"

The four Pokémon immediately carried out the command, unleashing various moves that weakened Milotic.

A glare and a tail wag that lower defense attributes, and a bark that lowers attack attributes.

If all these moves hit, even if Milotic has the advantage in raw power, it will inevitably reveal a weakness.

Seeing this, Bai Zhou not only didn't panic, but couldn't help but laugh.

"Milotic! Take it!"

Milotic arrogantly tilted its head back, completely ignoring the little creatures' antics.

It even closed its eyes, letting the energy of those moves transform into various colored streams of light, climbing onto its body layer by layer.

The energy of the attack began to take effect, and the energy fluctuations around Milotic visibly decreased.

Both attack and defense have decreased by a full two levels.

"That's great!"

Ruby was speechless before he could finish speaking, choked by the scene before him.

The energy fluctuations around Milotic did not weaken; instead, they increased at an alarming rate!

"W-What's going on?!"

Ruby's eyes widened, and she took a step back in disbelief.

"You—you drive—"

He wanted to accuse you of cheating, but the words were on the tip of his tongue when he suddenly realized that this wasn't a game at all, and there were no cheats to use.

Bai Zhou looked at his bewildered expression with amusement and explained calmly, "Mildano's ability is 'Competitive.' When its stats are lowered, its Special Attack increases significantly."

Ruby was completely dumbfounded.

The four Pokémon he sent out, with their carefully designed weakening tactics, have now become Milotic's "power bank"!

To use a Pokémon analogy, Milotic's Special Attack is maxed out, reaching a terrifying +6!

"How...how do I fight this?!"

Ruby was on the verge of tears, but he didn't want to admit defeat.

If four against one, and you give up without even daring to fight, that would be too shameful!

"Nana! Charge! Bite down!"

The hyena mustered its courage, lowered its body, and pounced on Milotic.

Milotic didn't even look at it directly, merely flicking its tail lightly.

The wolfhound was slapped away, rolled twice on the ground, got up dazedly, shook its head, and stubbornly stood back in its original position.

"Coco! Catch!"

The cheeky cat jumped up, its paw flashing in the sunlight.

Milotic slightly turned its body to dodge the grab, and flicked its tail gently.

Skitty was bounced onto Ralts, and the two rolled around in a ball.

Luby panicked, and his calm thinking from just now vanished into thin air.

"Grandpa! Water gun!"

The Mudskipper opens its mouth and spouts a jet of water.

Milotic neither dodged nor avoided the thin water jets hitting its body, without even blinking.

It lowered its head and glanced at the Mudskipper.

That look was like looking at a clueless child.

The Mudkip was so frightened by that look that it hiccuped, popped its snot bubble, and huddled up in a ball, trembling.

Ruby clenched his fists as he looked at his companions.

The Mudkip was soaking wet and shivering, but it still stubbornly stood in front of him.

The coyote had just gotten up from the ground, its legs trembling, but it still bared its teeth and refused to back down.

Skitty and Ralts stood together, clearly terrified, yet neither of them ran away.

Ruby suddenly felt something stuck in her chest.

Bai Zhou looked at his expression and sighed softly.

"Ruby, do you know what your biggest problem is?"

Ruby looked up.

"Mutant could have easily taken that water gun shot and created an opportunity. But you gave up."

Ruby opened his mouth, trying to explain.

"Because—it will get hurt—"

"and then?"

"Injury will affect its temperament—it will ruin its beauty—"

Ruby's voice trailed off, as if he himself realized something was wrong with what he had said.

Bai Zhou looked at him calmly.

"So, you'd rather lose the battle than let it get hurt?"

Ruby fell silent.

"Ruby, you make your Pokémon fight for you, instead of fighting alongside them."

Bai Zhou's voice wasn't loud, but every word struck Lu Bixin hard.

"You care more about how well they play than whether they want to win."

"Pokémon are not tools for you to showcase your aesthetics; they are partners, living beings with their own thoughts."

"They are willing to fight for you, not because you dress them up nicely, but because they trust you."

"Do you even understand this?"

Ruby was speechless, his face turning bright red.

He wanted to argue, to say that wasn't the case.

He wanted to say that he loved his Pokémon more than anyone else, and he wouldn't let them get hurt because he cared about them.

But when those words reached his lips, he couldn't utter a single one.

Because he knew that Bai Zhou was right.

He treats battles like a performance, and what he cares about is not winning or losing, but whether it looks good.

A chilling coldness spread from head to toe.

Ruby stood there, unable to utter a single word.

The outcome of the battle was a foregone conclusion.

Milotic, with its Special Attack maxed out, used its tail to "gently" lull Ruby's little guys to sleep.

The four Pokémon—Pokémon, Skitty, Ralts, and Mudkip—lay neatly on the ground, breathing evenly and sleeping soundly.

Milotic retracted its tail, gracefully swam back to White Boat's side, gently nuzzled his arm, and began to boast.

The battle is over.

Ruby lost, lost completely.

This means that he cannot obtain the encyclopedia, nor is he someone recognized by Dr. Shirazumi.

Ruby stood still, his shoulders slumped slightly.

He knew why Dr. Shirazuki hadn't asked the same question as Shafiya—because he hadn't been able to answer it from the start.

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