"Ding!"
At nine o'clock the next morning, Xia Yu was still playing with his little Noibat when the doorbell rang.
"Xia Yu!" A burly, sweaty boy stood at the door, his chubby face flushed red, his skin as smooth as a girl's. "Open the door quick!"
"Old Wu, this early?" Xia Yu opened the door, grinning at the chubby boy. Wu Yaozu, his childhood best friend, had been Xia Yu's shadow since elementary school.
"It's so hot out there!" Wu Yaozu waltzed into the house like it was his own, heading straight for the fridge. He grabbed a soda and chugged it down.
"Man, this hits the spot. Nothing beats your place. My parents won't even let me have soda," Wu Yaozu grumbled.
"Stop whining. Your folks are just looking out for you. Look at you—over two hundred pounds already," Xia Yu teased, giving Wu Yaozu's belly a playful pat, eliciting a crisp sound.
"Don't touch my stomach!" Wu Yaozu swatted Xia Yu's hand away, his eyes gleaming mischievously. "School starts in a few days. Wanna hit the internet café? I'll go mid, you support, and I'll carry you to victory."
"Nah." Xia Yu waved him off. In this second life, he had little interest in games. Plus, Wu Yaozu was terrible at them yet overly confident, which killed any desire to play. "I need to focus on studying."
"Xia Yu, quit acting all high and mighty. Wait…" Wu Yaozu's eyes lit up as he spotted Noibat resting in the incubator. "Is that a Noibat? A Dragon-type! Is it your brother's or your dad's?"
Wu Yaozu didn't even consider that it could be Xia Yu's. He knew Xia Yu's family was well-off in Xingguang City, but Xia Yu had never taken up Pokémon training, so he dismissed the idea.
"It's mine," Xia Yu said.
"Stop joking. Gotta be your brother's," Wu Yaozu muttered to himself. "Your brother's probably aiming for Champion rank, so he's raising a Dragon-type. But Noivern's not exactly top-tier among Dragons. He should've gone for a pseudo-legendary. Such a shame."
As Wu Yaozu rambled, he suddenly noticed Xia Yu feeding Noibat an energy cube. His jaw dropped. "Wait, this is really your starter Pokémon? The sun must've risen in the west! Young Master Xia is actually becoming a trainer?"
"I just hadn't found the right Pokémon before. When I did, I caught it," Xia Yu said, making up an excuse on the spot. "Wanna have a battle? Didn't you just catch a Charmander?"
"Let's do it!" Wu Yaozu's eyes sparkled with excitement. He was no match for Xia Yu in academics, but he fancied himself talented in battles. While he wasn't a prodigy, he was confident he could school a newbie like Xia Yu. "Today, Master Wu will teach you a lesson."
…
The two headed to the basement, which had been converted into a spacious battle arena. Xia Yu and Wu Yaozu took opposite ends and released their Pokémon.
Wu Yaozu had two Pokémon: a Rockruff he'd raised since childhood and a recently caught Charmander, one of the Kanto starter trio.
"Go, Charmander!"
Charmander was one of the most iconic Pokémon in the world, its final evolution, Charizard, being among the most popular. In the Pokémon anime, Champions like Lance, Alain, Leon, and Ash all had a Charizard, practically a staple for top trainers.
Xia Yu himself loved Charizard, but he hadn't encountered one with Champion-level potential.
Xia Yu sent out his newly hatched Noibat.
["Task Triggered: First Victory." ]
[First Victory]: Win your first battle.
Failure Penalty: None.
Reward: One random draw.
Seeing the system's task, Xia Yu's eyes gleamed with determination. He locked onto Charmander, his fighting spirit ignited. Sensing Xia Yu's seriousness, Wu Yaozu grinned confidently. "Brother Yu, let Old Wu show you the ropes. The path of a trainer isn't so easy."
"Noibat, Tackle!"
Xia Yu wasted no time, commanding Noibat to attack.
Noibat's Ability was Telepathy. In the games, it was designed for double battles, allowing it to anticipate and dodge allies' moves. In reality, Telepathy was exceedingly rare. Beyond its game effects, it enabled mental communication with its trainer without verbal commands, almost like a minor psychic power.
Noibat and Xia Yu shared a strong bond. At his command, it flapped its tiny wings and charged at Charmander.
"That's not fair! A sneak attack while I'm still talking!" Wu Yaozu shouted, quickly issuing his own command. "Charmander, dodge!"
At Wu Yaozu's order, Charmander's orange body darted backward, evading Noibat's attack.
Xia Yu couldn't help but chuckle. Dodging really was the ultimate move in reality, sidestepping attacks entirely. Unlike the turn-based mechanics of the games, real battles had no such limitations.
"Charmander, Dragon Tail!" Wu Yaozu's battle instincts were sharp. After Charmander dodged, he immediately ordered a counterattack.
Dragon Tail, a Dragon-type move, was super effective against Noibat, dealing double damage. It also had the added effect of knocking the opponent back, forcing a switch to another Pokémon.
"Noibat, take to the air and dodge!" Xia Yu remained calm. Though he had little battle experience, he'd grown up under the guidance of his brother and father, both Gym Leader-level trainers, giving him a wealth of theoretical knowledge.
Against a grounded Pokémon like Charmander, Noibat's ability to fly was a natural advantage. Once airborne, Charmander's Dragon Tail was useless.
Unlike the games' turn-based system, where hits depended on accuracy and evasion stats, reality favored practical tactics. Flying Pokémon could dominate non-flying opponents without ranged moves.
"Charmander, Ember!" Wu Yaozu saw through Xia Yu's strategy and quickly ordered Charmander to use Ember, one of its few ranged attacks.
A burst of hot sparks shot toward Noibat in the air. Fire-type moves only dealt half damage to Noibat, so the impact was minimal.
"Noibat, Moonlight!"
Facing Charmander's attack, Xia Yu had Noibat use Moonlight. Fairy-type energy enveloped Noibat, healing its minor injuries.
"Noibat, Supersonic!"
After restoring Noibat's health, Xia Yu ordered it to use Supersonic.
[Supersonic: Emits special sound waves that cause the opponent to become confused. ]
As a sound-based Pokémon, Noibat excelled at Supersonic. It unleashed a precise wave of sound from its mouth, hitting Charmander and throwing it into confusion.
"Charmander!"
Wu Yaozu watched his Charmander stumble in confusion, realizing the battle was slipping away. He knew he was likely doomed to lose.
...