With a tacit understanding reached, the Buizel and Oddish scattered, clearing out a wide space for the two Pokémon to battle.
"Pokémon have so much power—won't they seriously hurt each other in a fight?" a worried comment appeared in the live chat.
"They won't," Max shook his head, signaling everyone to relax. "Unlike life-and-death struggles between humans, Pokémon battles are a form of communication and release. Sometimes, their bond even grows stronger through battle."
"Since we're talking about battles," Max continued, "there's another extremely important concept you should know—type effectiveness."
Floatzel could see that Max was talking to the strange machine. Although it didn't understand what he was doing, it politely refrained from signaling the start of the match.
"Just like how birds eat bugs and tigers eat meat in nature, Pokémon have advantages and disadvantages based on their types. For example, Fire is strong against Grass, and Flying is strong against Bug. In battle, using a move with a type advantage greatly increases the damage dealt. On the other hand, using a move with a type disadvantage has very little effect."
"Of course, type isn't the only factor that determines victory," Max added. "A truly powerful Pokémon can overcome type disadvantages entirely. A Bug-type Beedrill can still defeat a Flying-type Pidgey. But if you do have a type advantage, the battle becomes much easier."
"Rockruff is Rock-type—sounds strong!"
"Rock is definitely stronger than Water!"
The chat was full of confidence.
"Unfortunately," Max said, pouring cold water on their enthusiasm, "Water happens to have an advantage over Rock. That's why Rockruff is actually at a pretty big disadvantage here. Still, it's not impossible to win. There are no absolutely invincible types—every type has strengths and weaknesses. And Pokémon aren't limited to moves of just one type."
"Alright," Max said, looking at Floatzel and nodding. "Let the battle begin."
Floatzel shifted its gaze away from Max and called out to the two Pokémon in the field.
"Flo… lo!"
Begin!
The battle erupted instantly. Compared to Rockruff, the Buizel stepping forward was clearly more experienced. The moment Floatzel gave the signal, it moved!
Quick Attack!
The Buizel turned into a streak of white light. In an instant, astonishing power burst from its small body as it lunged straight toward Rockruff!
"Retreat while using Sand Attack!" Max called out quickly. This was his first time commanding a real battle, and he'd nearly been caught off guard.
Fortunately, Rockruff reacted immediately. As the Buizel closed in, it leaped backward, slamming its front paws into the ground. Earthy yellow energy surged, and a cloud of sand blasted forward, striking the Buizel head-on.
The Quick Attack should have landed—but after the interference from Sand Attack, the Buizel slowed just enough to miss. Sand filled its eyes, blurring its vision and leaving it momentarily disoriented.
"Next—Double Team! Surround it!" Max said, suppressing the excitement pounding in his chest.
"Woof!"
Trusting Max completely, Rockruff dashed around the field. In an instant, two nearly identical clones appeared around the Buizel, forming a triangle.
Panicking, the Buizel fired a low-powered Water Gun at its own face, washing the sand away. Just as it was about to open its eyes and locate Rockruff, Max's next command rang out.
"Glare, then Tackle—and retreat with Sand Attack!"
The Buizel was startled. One of the three Rockruff suddenly leapt forward, its sapphire-blue eyes blazing with intimidation. A sense of fear welled up instinctively, creating a split-second opening.
Now!
Rockruff slammed hard into the Buizel with Tackle, then immediately kicked up another burst of sand and vanished again!
Having taken such a loss so suddenly, the Buizel became flustered. Cheeks puffed, it fired a Water Gun in a random direction—only managing to dispel one of Rockruff's Double Team clones.
The chat exploded with excitement, convinced that victory was within reach.
But Max and Floatzel remained calm.
They could both see the truth: despite the surprise tactics, Rockruff's moves dealt limited damage. One solid Water Gun from the Buizel would seriously injure Rockruff.
The Buizel could afford countless mistakes.
Rockruff couldn't afford even one.
But Max wasn't anxious. His eyes shifted to the system panel, where Rockruff's path to victory was clearly displayed.
That path was—
Treasure.
Treasure was a move Rockruff had inherited from its parents. Compared to Tackle's modest power, Treasure boasted an incredible base power of 140. However, it came with strict conditions.
In the system description, Treasure could only be used after all other learned moves had been used.
But real battles weren't bound by rigid game mechanics. There was no strict four-move limit. If Rockruff truly had to use every move first, the battle would've ended long ago.
So what was the real condition?
Max opened the detailed description and smiled faintly.
> Becomes usable after using at most three different moves in battle.
That was it.
Sand Attack. Double Team. Tackle.
The requirement was met.
Max had taken a calculated risk by ordering Tackle earlier. Otherwise, with his cautious nature, he would've just kept rotating Sand Attack and Double Team.
Luckily, the Buizel's Water Gun hadn't hit—otherwise, things would've been beyond saving.
"Rockruff," Max said with a smile, "the final blow."
The earlier Tackle had chipped away enough stamina. Now, Treasure would be more than enough to decide the match.
And if not?
Then they'd do it again.
"Treasure!"
Golden light surged from all directions, converging on Rockruff. At the same time, the Buizel finally spotted Rockruff's real body and charged in with another Quick Attack!
But it was too late.
Fighting spirit blazed in Rockruff's eyes. It let out a sharp cry and charged forward as well!
Golden energy enveloped its body, forming a massive, radiant star in front of it. The power erupted violently!
BOOM!
The collision had no suspense.
The Buizel was blasted backward, splashing into the lake, eyes spinning in dizzy circles. As the golden light faded, Rockruff stood proudly at the center of the field, looking every bit majestic.
Floatzel let out a long sigh and pressed a paw to its forehead in a very human-like gesture.
What a reckless kid…
That move's energy had been overwhelming—and yet it had charged straight into it.
"Flo."
Floatzel turned to Max and nodded solemnly.
I acknowledge you. As this child said, I'm willing to believe you're not a bad person.
Max froze for a moment, then smiled.
"Thank you."
After a brief pause, he took a bottle of Potion from his backpack and handed it over.
"Use this on it. It works very well."
Floatzel didn't refuse. It signaled to the other Buizel, who fished their companion out of the water and carried it over.
Hiss—
The Potion sprayed over the Buizel's injuries. Its body healed at a speed visible to the naked eye. Within a minute, it was back on its feet, completely restored, waving its little paws excitedly.
"Zelu!"