"Excellent. Litten is actually getting a bit annoyed."
Feng Che watched from the sidelines with a look of pure schadenfreude as Scyther continued its provocation.
Litten suddenly snapped its head up, its golden pupils locking onto Scyther with a predatory intensity. The kitten rose slowly from the ground. Suddenly, a three-meter-high pillar of flame erupted from its back, instantly incinerating the surrounding dry leaves and grass into ash.
[Scyther: So strong... this unremarkable kitten can explode with such terrifying flames?]
Scyther's pupils contracted in shock. Litten opened its mouth and unleashed a roaring pillar of fire directly at it.
[Scyther: Little cat, your fire is strong, but it's useless if it can't hit me!]
Scyther flapped its wings, turning into a teal streak to evade the Flamethrower. It retaliated with Slash, sending a pressurized gale-blade toward Litten. The wind-blade carved a deep trench into the earth as it passed. To Scyther's disbelief, Litten simply tilted its head an inch to the side, letting the blade whistle past to bisect a massive tree behind it.
[Scyther: What did I just see? How is a Litten this fast? It dodged my move with a mere tilt of the head?][Scyther: I don't believe it!]
Scyther unleashed a flurry of Slashes, but Litten simply stretched its limbs like it was bored, dancing through the attacks as a red blur of speed. Wherever Litten stepped, a charred black line remained on the ground. Finally, the two collided.
Scyther felt an unbearable heat surge through it. The smell of scorched protein rose from its chitinous armor.
"That's enough, Litten. Pull back the flames."
Feng Che intervened before the damage became permanent. Litten took a deep breath, sucking the lingering fire off Scyther's body back into its own. But the damage was done—Scyther was covered in painful, heat-induced blisters.
Litten reverted to its harmless, "lazy housecat" persona and returned to the bonfire, yawning.
"Sorry about that. Here, let me apply some burn ointment," Feng Che said, treating the wounds. As the cool cream touched its skin, the searing pain vanished.
[Scyther: This human trainer is amazing. If I follow him, I won't have to worry about getting hurt when I pick fights to recruit underlings.][Scyther: I was just careless. I picked an opponent who looked weak but was actually a monster. Plus, fire is my weakness.][Scyther: This time, I'll pick someone truly weak to show my real power.]
Scyther's gaze drifted to Froakie, who was diligently practicing under a nearby tree. Froakie was trying to compress a Water Pulse into the size of a ping-pong ball. Suddenly, the unstable orb burst, splashing water all over Froakie's face.
[Froakie: This compressed Water Pulse is indeed difficult. It took me ages to get it this small.][Froakie: Compression increases the power while keeping me low-profile so 'monstrous' enemies don't notice me. But I've hit a plateau. I need a sparring partner.]
Froakie looked toward Litten. Litten felt the intense gaze, immediately turned its head, and focused intently on grooming its own fur, pretending not to see anything. It remembered the last time they sparred—Froakie was so paranoid it treated every practice match like a death struggle. Litten had no intention of being a lab rat today.
Froakie sighed, looking at its other "evolved" teammates who were ignoring it. Just then, Scyther stepped forward, pointing a blade at the frog with a taunting gesture.
Heavens... this Scyther is truly gluttonous for punishment, Feng Che thought, shaking his head. He's about to be bullied into a mid-life crisis.
Froakie led Scyther to a clearing, looking humble and honest.
[Scyther: That kitten was a freak, but this frog looks pathetic. It was literally playing with a tiny water ball. I'll cut it in half in one move.]
Froakie looks harmless because it suppresses its aura to stay 'low-profile', Feng Che mused. Thinking it's the weak link is the biggest mistake you can make.
Scyther decided to use its best Double Team tactic. It blurred, tapping the ground four times to leave behind five identical copies, shadows and all.
[Scyther: The frog is frozen in fear! Hah!]
Then Scyther looked up, and its eyes nearly popped out of its head.
The clearing was covered in dozens of Froakie. Every single clone was doing something different—some were playing, some were sitting, some were stretching.
[Scyther: I can't tell... I can't tell at all! Their auras are identical! I'll just have to shred them all!]
Scyther unleashed Air Cutter, filling the forest with a dense web of wind-blades.
[Froakie: A powerful opponent! Such a terrifying move!][Froakie: My new technique isn't ready... I'll have to use my current 'strongest' strike.]
Froakie pressed its palms together. A ping-pong-sized ball of hyper-compressed water appeared. As Scyther smirked at the tiny orb, Froakie threw it.
The moment it left Froakie's hand, the ball expanded with violent force, creating a massive Water Pulse vortex that sucked the Air Cutters—and Scyther—into its center. Scyther found itself trapped in a watery centrifuge, unable to flap its wings. It spun until it slammed into a giant tree and slid to the ground, dizzy and gasping.
[Froakie: Wow, it's already awake? My move is still too weak. I need to practice a hundred times a day.]
Litten watched from the side, its eyelids drooping. Told you so. That frog's water manipulation is getting demonic.
Feng Che gave Scyther a Stamina Potion. It was physically fine, but its spirit was bruised.
[Scyther: Careless again... that frog was also a hidden boss.]
Stubborn to a fault, Scyther looked at the evolved Ivysaur and Corvisquire. Evolved... too dangerous. Finally, it looked at the pink, jelly-like Ditto sitting by the fire, peacefully sipping a glass of juice.
[Scyther: This 'Dot-Eyes' looks truly weak. I'll teach it a lesson to get my dignity back.]
Scyther walked over to Ditto. Ditto barely acknowledged its presence, continuing to sip its juice through a straw.
Feeling humiliated by the "weakling's" disregard, Scyther lashed out with a blade, knocking the glass from Ditto's hand. The juice spilled into the dirt, turning into a muddy mess.
The lazy, indifferent look in Ditto's dot-eyes vanished. A terrifying, cold light burst from its gaze. It offered Scyther a wide, ghastly grin.
You just destroyed Ditto's favorite snack... Feng Che sighed, already preparing the medical kit. This Scyther is truly addicted to the edge of death.
He saw the rest of the team looking at Scyther with pure pity. Scyther, however, remained utterly oblivious.
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