127 Defeat

"Fraxure, use Protect!" Floyd shouted desperately.

"Fra-xure!" Fraxure used his two arms to defend against Ursaring's attack, but this time the scenario was different compared to before because Fraxure was smashed into the ground by Ursaring.

Fraxure lost consciousness.

"Teddiursa~" Teddiursa cheerfully rushed toward his father.

"Ekans~" Ekans also celebrated, standing beside her exhausted mother.

"Cha-rbokkk," Arbok, though injured, still celebrated.

Other wild Pokémon also celebrated their victory. Floyd's Pokémon, including Dratini, Growlithe, Goomy, and others, watched as their elder brother was defeated and were left dumbfounded. This was the first time in their eight fights against Ursaring and Arbok that they had seen Fraxure lose.

In all seven previous fights, Fraxure had dominated because of his Dig move. Since upgrading to Ace level, Fraxure had become even stronger than in the first fight.

Arbok, who usually suffered most in their fights due to his Poison type being weak against the Ground move Dig, this time turned out to be the key player of the game.

Floyd looked at Arbok bitterly, while the latter stared back at him proudly, though exhausted. Ursaring roared as he proudly carried his son, his eyes brimming with tears of joy.

They couldn't fathom how much they had suffered at the hands of Floyd's Pokémon, whether it was Fraxure, Horsea, Growlithe, Dratini, or Goomy. Though sometimes they managed to defeat some of them, Floyd was still the dominant one.

However, this time, despite Floyd's usual dominance, seeing the strongest among them, Fraxure, defeated, made this victory far more significant and a great honor for them.

Floyd sighed as he took out the antidote powder and poured it into Fraxure's mouth. He still couldn't shake off how they had managed to defeat his Fraxure.

The cunning Arbok had unexpectedly poisoned Ursaring, catching Floyd off guard and leaving him too late to react.

Initially, he thought Arbok was targeting Fraxure with her Poison Fang, but when Fraxure dodged, Ursaring allowed his arm to be bitten by it.

When Fraxure thought he had an opportunity to strike Arbok with his Dragon Claw, Arbok took the hit and then used her Wrap move with all her strength.

Fraxure was immobilized for a few seconds, struggling to break free, but this gave Ursaring enough time to attack with his Hammer Arm. This caught Fraxure off guard, and he was badly injured instantly.

Worse still, Arbok used her Poison Sting, putting Fraxure into a poisoned state. The result was Ursaring overpowering Fraxure until the latter lost consciousness.

Floyd thoughtfully considered Arbok's cunningness. He speculated that Arbok might have discovered Ursaring's ability during their fifth fight when she accidentally poisoned Ursaring with her Poison Sting.

Floyd hadn't expected that Arbok would remember this incident so vividly. He realized he should not become complacent, especially since the Ace level was a significant step up from Rookie and Pro levels.

For Fraxure, managing to suppress Ursaring and Arbok was already an impressive achievement, given that Fraxure was only at a middle evolutionary stage, not fully evolved.

Now, he was facing two strong Ace-level Pokémon, a challenge far greater than before. Floyd accepted the outcome of the battle and proceeded to reward them. "Here's your reward, along with some Healing Powder for your injury," he said.

"Let's go to Chansey," Floyd announced as he carried Fraxure on his back and held two injured Goomy in his arms.

"Sorry, Onix, Rhydon, I guess our fight will have to wait," he apologized, having previously promised to battle them after defeating Arbok and Ursaring, but circumstances had changed.

All his Pokémon, except for Fraxure, had been training by fighting Wild Pokémon. They had all experienced both victory and defeat. Some of his Pokémon who lost were concerned that Floyd would be upset at their losses, but Floyd reassured them.

He was not worried about the losses; his focus was on allowing himself and his Pokémon to learn and gain more experience from these defeats.

Like with Fraxure's loss, although Floyd was disappointed, he accepted it, thinking that in their next encounter, he should be more cautious of Ursaring's abilities and Arbok's poison. The upcoming battle against Arbok and Ursaring seemed more challenging than before, but Floyd found such challenges was exciting.

The stronger his opponents, the more motivated he was to engage in battle. To him, fighting a strong opponent was exhilarating; he would find it disappointing if his opponents were weaker than his Pokémon.

And whenever Floyd lost a fight, he found himself thinking of Ash from the Pokémon anime. Floyd, having watched the series of pokemon, saw Ash as a point of comparison for himself. He noted how Ash experienced several losses but ultimately became a Pokémon Master.

Floyd had seen Ash doubting himself during those losses and facing numerous setbacks, which led Floyd to believe that the notion of being 'undefeated' was merely a gimmick, one that only added more pressure.

Despite this, Floyd remained focused on his goal of achieving victory. He understood that losing was part of the process, but experiencing consecutive losses was disheartening. Floyd was determined to do his best in subsequent battles, striving to avoid a string of defeats.

(Author's Note: It's the protagonist, not the author, who watched the Pokémon anime and drew these comparisons. Hahaha.)

Continuing his walk, Floyd then heard someone's voice. "You're still early as ever, youngest."

"Oh, sister Linh," Floyd greeted Linh and looked at his four Pokémon: Two Mankeys, a Tyrogue, and a Machop. 

Surprisingly, Growlithe recognized this Mankey; it was the one that had defeated him before in Maharlika.

"Awrrr," Growlithe challenged him.

"Mankey~" Mankey was also ready.

"Let's go back. Although you're already healed, there might still be some injuries. We will go to Chansey," Floyd reminded.

"Awrrr," Growlithe felt a bit disappointed but nodded.

"They know each other?" Linh asked in surprise as he looked at them.

"These two were formerly owned by someone in our country, and they were also acquaintances," Floyd explained.

"I see. By the way, you're always up early. Be careful with your body; it might collapse. You must get enough sleep," Linh advised him.

"Don't worry, Sister Linh, I know my body," Floyd reassured her but didn't take her words too seriously, knowing his body was enhanced by Dragon Power.

"Well, I've advised you, so it's not my problem anymore," Linh said.

"By the way, are you heading to the Safe Zone?" Floyd asked.

"Yes, as usual, to train my beasts," Linh nodded.

"Then you must prepare your Pokéblocks," Floyd suggested.

"Of course, I know that. I already have them here," Linh said, taking a bag from his backpack.

"I see. Then, I'll be going now," Floyd said as he started walking away.

"Okay, take care," Linh nodded.

"You too," Floyd responded.

Four days passed, and many things happened. Other people noticed that Floyd was training his Pokémon against wild Pokémon. Kang Jihoon, who often challenged Floyd, discovered this method of rapid improvement and couldn't resist imitating Floyd.

Floyd advised him on what to do, explaining the rules, and soon, Kang Jihoon understood. And it wasn't just Kang Jihoon; others like Linh, Jonathan, Hu Tianyi, and more also flocked to the Safe Zone to train.

They even wanted to enter the Kemonohaji forest like Floyd, but Kanraku didn't allow them, as they weren't as strong as him and Floyd. So, this became their gathering place in the Safe Zone, fighting wild Pokémon.

Their money finally found a use. Although they did some work here and earned a salary, they had little use for money. But now, their funds were being used to buy Pokéblocks from the storage stocks.