Chapter 20

The arena was filled with enthusiastic cheers and waves of excitement.

Seeing Xiangling and Hu Tao staying silent after they entered the stage, Takumi thought they were worried about the safety of their Pokémon.

"Pokémon are very resilient and difficult to seriously harm," Takumi reassured them. "Haven't you seen the treatment device before? Even if a Pokémon's health drops to half and it's on the verge of collapse, it can be saved by placing it on the treatment table."

Xiangling, who had some stage experience from winning the Liyue Cooking Competition, still found her throat dry. She wanted to say something in response to Takumi, but at this moment, she seemed overwhelmed by the atmosphere of the cheering crowd.

The Larvesta and Gible, resting in their Poké Balls, suddenly leaped up, filled with enthusiasm.

"Gible~!!"

The Gible, now fully rested, was full of energy and ready to fight. It signaled its desire to Hu Tao by pounding its short forelimbs against its chest. The intense expression and body language made it clear:

"I want to fight!"

Hu Tao was startled by Gible's eagerness.

"Gible, you..."

Takumi's gentle voice interrupted:

"It's obvious Gible is willing to fight for you. It doesn't just want to prove its strength; it wants to do it for you, as its trainer. It wants to win for you, earn you honor, and help you become a Pokémon Master."

Hu Tao squatted down, gently stroking Gible's head. They looked into each other's eyes for a long time.

Suddenly, Hu Tao smiled with understanding.

"So this is what it means to be a trainer?"

On the other side, a similar moment was happening between Xiangling and her Larvesta.

"Wooo~~"

Xiangling was moved to tears as she hugged Larvesta tightly.

"Larvesta! You're still so young, and you want to fight for me?!"

"Stain! (Honor!)"

"Stain!! (Battle!)"

At that moment, the emotions between humans and Pokémon began to take shape.

Without needing Takumi's guidance, Hu Tao and Xiangling moved toward the trainer's podium. The two Pokémon stood on the battlefield, exchanging intense glances as if sparks were flying between them.

Takumi stood at the referee's position, observing the stage and the Pokémon.

Very good. It truly felt like the atmosphere of a championship! But, as for the skill level of the trainers... well, it couldn't be worse.

"Do you want to engage in some friendly trash talk?" Takumi asked them with a smile. "According to the rules, trainers' trash talk is not restricted."

Hu Tao and Xiangling, being lively girls, clenched their fists.

"Xiangling, this victory in Teyvat's first Pokémon battle belongs to me, Hu Tao, the head of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor!" Hu Tao shouted with determination, raising her fist toward her friend on the opposite podium.

Xiangling smiled confidently and glanced at her Larvesta.

"Larvesta!"

"Today, we are going to teach Hu Tao a lesson and show her why the flowers bloom so beautifully!"

The atmosphere was set and the tension had already risen.

Takumi announced:

"The rules of the battle are one versus one. Both trainers may only use one Pokémon. When either Pokémon loses its ability to fight or faints, the other side wins."

"Battle, begin!"

Having spent more time with her Gible, Hu Tao clearly had a better understanding of her Pokémon than Xiangling did of her Larvesta.

"Hmph!"

"Gible, use your strongest move—Take Down!"

"Go all out, dump truck style, and crush that insect with its crazy delusions!"

Hu Tao gave her command arrogantly. After the morning's mishap, she had become confident in the power of Take Down.

"Gible!!"

The Gible began to gather momentum, charging towards its target.

Eh? Eh?!

Xiangling hadn't expected her friend to go all out from the beginning with a powerful move that could destroy buildings. She took a sharp breath.

"Larvesta... dodge, dodge!"

The Larvesta, with almost no combat experience, still understood its master's intention.

Dodge? Okay.

The black limbs under its body began to move, gradually picking up speed.

But Gible was already gaining on it, moving quickly and seizing the opportunity.

Xiangling's command and reaction had been a beat too slow.

As a result, Gible rammed right into Larvesta's tail.

"Stain!"

It hurts!

Larvesta cried out sharply, flying through the air.

"Larvesta!" Xiangling wailed.

This...

Takumi, in the referee's seat, couldn't help but feel exasperated.

Chef Xiangling, you're usually amazing at cooking, but could your reaction be any slower?

The Teyvat version of the Pokédex couldn't show the detailed stats of each Pokémon, but Takumi's system version could.

Just like in the original game, Larvesta's base stats were at 360, which was significantly higher than Gible's 300 at this point. In terms of level, there was no real difference between level 1 and level 3—both were just babies.

How did it end up taking such damage from just one attack?

Uh...

Takumi saw that Larvesta, though staggering, was standing back up.

So it wasn't a knockout...

Takumi sighed, rubbing his temples, and turned to Xiangling, who was tearfully worried over her Pokémon.

"Your Pokémon only has a sliver of health left."

"Look at the Pokédex! Use its skills and start counterattacking!"

Xiangling suddenly remembered she had her Pokédex and hurriedly opened it.

"Skills: Ember, String Shot"

Hey, two skills!

Xiangling, cramming in some last-minute battle knowledge, felt hope rekindle in her chest.

"Larvesta, use String Shot!"

On the other side, Gible's Take Down had been very effective, almost sending Larvesta flying off the battlefield.

Hu Tao couldn't help but place her hands on her hips, letting out a hearty laugh.

"Gible, use Tackle!"

"Come on, let's show them—we're unstoppable!"

Sssss!

Before she finished her command, Gible's head was suddenly covered with sticky white threads.

"Gible~?"

Gible's stubby legs began struggling.

Xiangling quickly issued her second command.

"Well done, Larvesta!"

"Use Ember!"

The red tentacles on Larvesta's head suddenly glowed with fiery energy, and heat began to surge.

Hu Tao was shocked:

"Gible, dodge!"

Boom.

The Ember attack hit Gible directly, leaving burn marks.

Now, it was Xiangling's turn to laugh in triumph.

"Finish it off! One more Ember!"

"Crush that little dragon!"

The second Ember hit the struggling Gible again.

The baby Pokémon fell to the ground, its large eyes spinning in dizziness.

Takumi immediately declared:

"Xiangling and Larvesta are the winners!"

After announcing the verdict, Takumi let out a deep breath.

Darn, that was intense.

The entire battle lasted just a minute or two, filled with highs and lows.

Takumi reminded himself not to have any expectations of beginner trainers who had just received their first Pokémon. It was too nerve-wracking!

What a pair of rookies!

Takumi was utterly exhausted but also delighted at the unique dynamic of the battle.