"Emmm, I do have the TM, but I've already used it. My Poliwhirl has already learned Ice Beam," Nakata said generously. "However, my Poliwhirl can teach it. If you can defeat my Pokémon, I'll have him pass the technique on to yours."
"Then I'll thank you in advance, Mr. Nakata."
Feng Che threw a Poké Ball, releasing his Ivysaur.
"I just told you my Poliwhirl knows Ice Beam, which is super effective against Grass-types. Why would you send out an Ivysaur?" Nakata asked, sounding a bit exasperated, as if he were failing to teach a student.
"It's alright, Mr. Nakata. My Ivysaur is very strong; it isn't afraid of Ice-type moves," Feng Che replied. His eyes held a level of confidence that Nakata found difficult to grasp.
"Poliwhirl, use Rain Dance!"
Poliwhirl pressed its hands together while a rhythmic, thunderous croaking echoed from its belly. Feng Che could sense the surrounding moisture being pulled toward them. Being near the ocean, the humidity allowed the Rain Dance to take effect almost instantly.
"Haha! The floor of this platform has specialized drainage, so don't worry about the rain flooding the arena," Nakata explained with a smug grin.
"Ivysaur, use Grassy Terrain."
A pale green light pulsed from Ivysaur. Instantly, lush grass erupted from the drainage grates, followed by a burst of multi-colored flowers.
"Beautiful! I never expected to see a garden bloom on a battle platform. Truly magical," Nakata marveled.
"Poliwhirl, Water Gun!"
Poliwhirl unleashed a series of high-pressure jets. Ivysaur began a strange, rhythmic dance—Petal Dance. It moved with surprising grace, allowing the water to miss entirely while a storm of sharp, vibrant petals spiraled from its back. The air was filled with a floral rain that crackled with energy as it struck Poliwhirl. Nakata, a veteran of many battles, recognized the move immediately.
"Switching tactics! Poliwhirl, use Aqua Ring to recover, then Bubble Beam!"
A ring of translucent water enveloped Poliwhirl, its blue light pulsing as it restored the frog's stamina. Poliwhirl then threw its hands wide, releasing a gargantuan flood of bubbles. Within seconds, the entire arena was submerged in foam, and Poliwhirl's form vanished into the white mass.
"Poliwhirl, Icy Wind!"
A blast of sub-zero air surged from the bubbles. The foam near Ivysaur shattered into frozen shards, causing the dinosaur to sneeze violently. The floor, already slick, became treacherous as the bubbles acted like a lubricant over the grass. Ivysaur's feet slipped, and it tumbled to the ground.
"Don't panic, Ivysaur! Use Vine Whip to anchor yourself and Razor Leaf to clear the foam!" Feng Che commanded calmly.
Ivysaur lashed out with its vines, intending to grip the floor, but the surface was too slippery. Instead of anchoring, the counter-force sent Ivysaur sliding across the arena.
"Incredible. I didn't think bubbles could be used as a battlefield hazard like this," Feng Che laughed. He wasn't worried. "Ivysaur, use your vines to skate. If you master the sliding rhythm, you can control your balance perfectly. You aren't the same as you used to be; this is easy for you."
Ivysaur nodded. It began to slide, using its four vines like outriggers to maintain its center of gravity while moving through the foam with surprising speed.
"Your Ivysaur is something else," Nakata praised. He didn't attack immediately, curious to see how the Grass-type would respond to such an environment.
"Good! Now, Razor Leaf!"
"Useless! Poliwhirl is hidden. You can't hit what you can't see," Nakata countered. "Poliwhirl, Mud Shot!"
A dozen globes of brown mud burst from the bubbles. Ivysaur narrowly dodged the barrage with its vines, but its hide was still splattered with dirt. It panted, the slick environment clearly taking a toll on its speed.
"How about that, kid? My Poliwhirl hasn't even used its best move yet, and your Ivysaur looks exhausted," Nakata smirked.
Poliwhirl remained completely invisible. For every bubble Ivysaur cleared, Poliwhirl generated a hundred more.
"Ivysaur, charge Solar Beam and wait for my signal," Feng Che sent the telepathic command.
The bud on Ivysaur's back began to glow faintly. Because the sun was now high in the sky, the intense glare masked the gathering light of the move.
"Enough playing! Poliwhirl, end this with Ice Beam!"
A streak of chilling blue light tore through the bubbles, incinerating the foam into a fine mist of ice crystals that sparkled like diamonds in the sun.
"Now, Ivysaur! Counter with Solar Beam!"
The golden pillar of light met the blue ray head-on. The two energies locked in a violent struggle, creating a massive pulse of pressure. The resulting shockwave cleared the remaining bubbles and ice mist instantly.
Poliwhirl was revealed, straining to hold the beam struggle.
"Now! Use Vine Whip to finish it!"
Four massive vines erupted from Ivysaur's back, weaving together into a single, colossal wooden arm.
"Poliwhirl, look out!" Nakata screamed.
But Poliwhirl was locked into its Ice Beam. It couldn't move. WHAM. The giant wooden hand slammed Poliwhirl into the deck, leaving a person-shaped crater and shaking the entire platform. Poliwhirl lay still, completely unconscious.
"I lost... To think an Ivysaur could multitask like that during a beam struggle. Remarkable," Nakata said, giving a thumbs-up.
Ivysaur, hearing the praise, began to dance with joy—only to slip on the residual bubble residue and fall flat on its face.
[Ivysaur: Oh, for the love of... so embarrassing! Don't look!] It turned bright red and used its vines to cover its eyes.
"Haha, you did great, Ivysaur. Take a rest." Feng Che recalled it.
"You too, Poliwhirl," Nakata said, recalling his partner. "That was exhilarating! Next up is my second partner. Go, Golduck!"
A sleek, blue-skinned Pokémon appeared. It had a red gem on its forehead and long, webbed limbs.
Pokémon: Golduck Gender: Male Potential: Outstanding (Yellow) Ability: Swift Swim Level: 24 Skills: Confusion, Disable, Zen Headbutt, Shadow Claw, Psychic, Substitute, Meditation, Future Sight, Hyper Beam, Light Screen. Status: Indifferent / Disdainful. Evaluation: An extremely lecherous Golduck. It performs at 200% capacity when facing beautiful women in bikinis, but its current trainer is a burly man.
A lecherous Golduck? Feng Che thought, the scenario feeling oddly familiar. Like Misty's "miracle" Golduck that turned out to be just a flirt. However, he noticed the staggering number of moves it knew. TMs were expensive. This Nakata isn't a simple sailor. He's likely a veteran of the Sea Hunters, Feng Che surmised.
"Go, Corvisquire!"
Feng Che released the bird, which was close in level to the Golduck. He didn't want to overwork his starters with level-mismatched battles.
"A species I've never seen, but its aura is sharp," Nakata noted seriously. "Golduck! Snap out of it! Don't let your guard down!"
Golduck looked bored.
"If you lose, I'm cutting your gourmet rations. You know I'll do it," Nakata threatened. Golduck finally stood up straight, eyes narrowing slightly.
Something is off, Feng Che noted. A normal Pokémon wouldn't be this dismissive of its own trainer.
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