Elf: I have a secret realm of emerald green.

【Mud Throw】, a Ground-type move, throws mud at the opponent's face. If successful, it will obstruct the opponent's vision and reduce the accuracy of the move.

The girl on the other side clearly lacked combat experience and was somewhat flustered by the situation.

With the trainer in a panic and the Totodile out of sight, it could only spray water guns haphazardly in all directions.

Meanwhile, the Screw Mole had already slyly burrowed into the ground, awaiting the trainer's next instruction.

Seeing that the little tortoise was showing signs of fatigue, the boy shouted, "Now! Screw Mole, get behind him and use your metal claws!"

The soil under the little alligator's feet rustled, and a moment later, the screw gopher emerged from behind the alligator and slapped it on the back of the head with its paw.

The little tortoise collapsed from exhaustion, and the screw-mouse won.

The girl lowered her head sadly, comforting the little tortoise: "Little tortoise, you did a great job, come back and rest..."

The boy also retrieved the screw-shaped gopher, and said with a grin, "Thank you for the favor!"

The onlookers were also talking about the match.

"What class is this guy in? He's so polite. He must have won three straight games by noon today using this dirty trick."

"Zhou Yuanyuan from Class 1, Grade 11, I got bullied by him during the summer vacation. Do you know the most effective way to beat him up?"

"how to spell?"

"Just move the battlefield to a concrete surface."

"Holy crap, are you dirtier or what?!"

............

Zhou Yuanyuan looked around and challenged the crowd: "There's still enough time for another match. Anyone want to spar? Same rules as before, the wager is a 50kg Snorlax buffet dinner voucher! High school seniors, please don't try to bully me."

Upon hearing about dinner, the giblets immediately perked up, looking up at Xia Shen with fierce fighting spirit in their eyes.

Zhou Yuanyuan also noticed the commotion, a flash of surprise crossing his eyes, and said, "Xia Shen, wanna have a match?"

Xia Shen was surprised that he knew his name, after all, the two had only been classmates for a day, and this was their first conversation.

“Sure!” Since Gible wanted to fight, Xia Shen had no reason to refuse.

Although he had only caught Gible that morning and there was no chemistry between them, it was still a good opportunity to practice his on-the-spot command skills.

In my past life, I was also a competitive player in games, and I even achieved a pretty high ranking.

But reality and games are definitely very different. Whether it's just theoretical or not, this game will tell.

The instructor for this match happened to be Ms. Ye, the two students' homeroom teacher. She was quite surprised by Xia Shen's Gible, but since she had to preside over the match, she didn't say anything.

Once both sides were in position, Zhou Yuanyuan excitedly threw out a Poké Ball and shouted, "Let's go, Excadrill! Let's show them who the real Garchomp is!"

Xia Shen also encouraged the Gible: "Do you know what a buffet means? It means that once you go in, you can eat whatever you want, understand?"

When Gible heard Xia Shen's words, its mouth opened wide and it roared, staring intently at the Screw Mole opposite it, making its opponent nervous.

More and more people gathered around the battlefield. After all, it was a relatively rare Gible, and many people were interested in seeing the strength of the so-called pseudo-god.

"Who is this guy? His starter Pokémon is Gible. Does he own a mine?"

"Ah, I know him. He's Xia Shen, a classmate from my first year of high school. He had pretty good grades, I didn't expect him to be so talented!"

......

On the battlefield, after confirming with Xia Shen and Zhou Yuanyuan, Teacher Ye released his Blazing Roaring Tiger, stood on the sidelines, and said, "The match begins!"

Zhou Yuanyuan took the initiative, "Screw Mole, let's hit him with a mud throw first."

The Screw Mole grabbed a clod of dirt from the ground with its claws, and with a flick of its long arm, the clod of dirt, imbued with dark yellow energy, was thrown towards the Gible.

"Gible, roll forward to dodge and fight him at close range!" Xia Shen didn't choose to dodge the mud throw elsewhere, but instead wanted Gible to get close to the Screw Mole.

With its rough skin, it would be a shame not to engage in direct confrontations with its opponents.

Moreover, the power of a dragon claw, under the same force, is greater than that of a metal claw.

Xia Shen didn't think that giblets, which survive in such a harsh environment as pure white permafrost, would be inferior to gophers raised in greenhouses.

The mud splattered solidly onto the giblet's back, but caused no pain or itch.

This move has very low power, and the annoying thing is that hitting someone in the face can reduce the hit rate of skills, but if it hits someone on the back, it doesn't matter.

The gible relentlessly approached the screw-like gopher.

Zhou Yuanyuan was not annoyed that he hadn't landed a hit on the first try, and shouted, "Fight him! Use the metal claws!"

Zhou Yuanyuan didn't choose to confront the enemy head-on out of a moment of passion.

The metal claws are quite powerful and can also enhance one's physical attack capabilities. Moreover, it can also be used to test the opponent's strength.

Xia Shen smiled slightly, which suited me perfectly. "We won't dodge, we'll use the Dragon Claw!"

On the field, the metallic and dark green claws collided suddenly, producing a loud bang, and both the Screwpod and Gible were knocked back several steps by the impact.

"Gible, roll to the right to dodge!"

"Screw mole, now's your chance to throw mud!"

The commands from the two trainers were relayed to the field one after the other.

The Screw Mole's close-range Mud Throw was anticipated and missed the Gible.

"Gible, use Meteor Shower!" Xia Shen seized the opportunity when Zhou Yuanyuan was stunned and shouted at Gible.

"Screw mole, burrow into your hole and hide, quick!"

Zhou Yuanyuan sounded somewhat flustered. If they were to directly confront this powerful meteor shower, their chances of winning the battle would be slim.

Unfortunately, before the Screw Mole could burrow into the ground, the Gible's meteor shower had already struck.

Fortunately, the screw-like mole was fast at burrowing, so it didn't take full damage.

Having won three games in a row, Zhou Yuanyuan was not about to suffer such a loss. Seizing the moment when Gible paused after unleashing its Meteor Shower, he shouted, "Get behind him and use your Metal Claws!"

"Gible, don't be afraid, Dragon Claw responds!"

"Bang—" It was another fierce close-quarters battle. This time, Gible, which had taken less damage earlier, clearly had the upper hand and stood firmly in place.

Looking at the Screw Mole, which was clearly showing signs of fatigue, Zhou Yuanyuan gritted his teeth and shouted, "Go back underground and look for an opportunity."

In just a few seconds, the screw mole disappeared from the field again.

The Gible stood there bewildered, unsure how to deal with this opponent.

“Look at the ground, Gible.” Xia Shen’s voice reassured the Gible a little. “His digging isn’t very deep, and there will be very obvious traces when he moves underground.”

Once the Gible had calmed down, it looked at the churning mud on the ground and realized that it was indeed true.

Seeing that the Screw Mole's tracks were firmly under control, Zhou Yuanyuan decided to take a gamble. "Get close to him and use the Horn Drill!"

【Corner Drill】: Pierce the enemy's body with a rotating horn; a single hit will result in instant death.

Xia Shen couldn't help but laugh. "Playing by chance, huh? This guy's got some nerve. But too bad, I won't give you that chance!"

"Now! Use Stomp!" Seeing the surging trajectory getting closer and closer to the Gible, Xia Shen decisively gave the command.

Gible leaped high into the air, its feet gathering dark yellow energy, before crashing down.

"Boom—" The ground shook violently, followed by a scream from a ground squirrel, and then silence.

(Thanks to the person who donated the bath pills, it's too much! Red bean paste, arigato! Also, please add to your favorites, invest, follow, and recommend this book!)

## Chapter 8: Review and Reflections on the First Battle

"Afu, rescue the screw mole."

Seeing that the outcome was decided, Teacher Ye had her muscular hunk Tiger retrieve the screw-like gopher that was buried in the ground.

Fortunately, the Screw Mole's burrow wasn't very deep. The Blazing Roaring Tiger dug a couple of times and then picked up the unconscious Screw Mole.

"Thank you for your hard work, Screw Mole." Zhou Yuanyuan recalled his Pokémon and walked towards Xia Shen.

"I admit defeat because I'm not as skilled!" Zhou Yuanyuan handed over the agreed-upon buffet voucher and slipped away. "I need to hurry and treat Screw Mole's injury. I'll talk to you again when I get back to the classroom!"

"Phew..." Watching Zhou Yuanyuan's departing figure, Xia Shen's tense heart finally relaxed.

Commanding Pokémon in battle is exhausting!

Compared to battles in Pokémon games, it's like the difference between a real-time strategy game and a turn-based game.

If you react even a second too slowly, the situation could be completely different in the next moment.

……

Crouching down, Xia Shen waved the meal voucher in his hand at Gible and said with a smile, "This is our first victory! We'll go over there for a celebration dinner tonight."

“Awooo~~” Upon hearing about food, the Gible, which was somewhat tired after the battle, immediately became excited and bounced around Xia Shen in circles.

"Is this child your starter Pokémon?" Teacher Ye recalled Incineroar, walked to Xia Shen's side, and looked at Gible with great interest.

"Yes, Teacher Ye, it was prepared for me by one of my uncles. I officially caught him yesterday." Xia Shen fabricated Gible's background without batting an eye.

"You just subdued it yesterday?" Teacher Ye exclaimed in surprise. "Your teamwork is excellent! By the way, your ability to anticipate and command on the spot is also quite impressive."

"Hehe, thank you for the compliment, teacher. Maybe Gible and I are just compatible. It's so great to have met him!"

"Awoo~" The little shark tilted its head back, its eyes sparkling as it looked at Xia Shen, "Meeting you is my greatest fortune!"

Unfortunately, Xia Shen has neither the power of Tokiwa nor the hero of Aura, so he cannot receive Gible's heartfelt confession.

"That's true." Teacher Ye sighed, patting the Blazing Roaring Tiger beside him. The big cat's naturally fierce face softened into a gentle expression.

"The moment I saw Afu at the breeding base, I knew that this was the elf that I would spend my whole life with."

Xia Shen felt a surge of inexplicable emotion.

Bonds, growth, companionship—that's what I love most about Pokémon.

"Alright, it's getting late. Hurry up and take the Gible to the school clinic for a checkup. You have class this afternoon." Teacher Ye patted Xia Shen's shoulder and turned to leave.

Xia Shen responded and went to the infirmary as well.

............

When Xia Shen arrived, Teacher Lu was receiving Zhou Yuanyuan and his Screw Mole; the two seemed to be old acquaintances.

"You've finally met your match, haven't you?" Teacher Lu teased with a smile.