Chapter 4: The First Battle

The battle begins!

In the span of a single breath, Zorua abruptly vanished from its spot. Its form became a blur of motion, weaving through the battlefield like a stray beam of light. Bulbasaur, unable to find its mark, looked around frantically, its eyes darting in every direction.

Agility?

An ordinary wild Pokémon wouldn't usually be at a high enough level for such a move, but N was well aware of how unique this Zorua was, so he wasn't the least bit surprised.

This fox possessed an exceptionally rare and powerful talent; it was naturally more perceptive and gifted than its peers. Even without reaching the typical level requirement, it had already mastered Agility. Winning this with a Bulbasaur would be no simple task.

Combine that with a battle-hungry personality and a sharp wit, and Zorua had become nearly invincible in its daily skirmishes with other wild Pokémon thanks to its unique abilities and blistering speed.

Even among the stronger residents of the forest, besting it was a tall order. In N’s eyes, this wild Zorua had already reached Mid Elite strength. Its talent was immense, while the Bulbasaur helping him had barely managed to step across the threshold of the Elite level.

However...

In a Pokémon battle, the presence of a "Trainer" meant the result was far more than the simple sum of its parts.

"Calm down."

N’s calm voice seemed to carry a trace of magic. The Bulbasaur, which had been panicking and losing its bearings, settled down instantly. It stood perfectly still. This sudden, unwavering composure actually caused the distant Zorua to grow a bit restless.

Sensing this shift, Zorua didn't stop to overthink. A ruthless glint flashed in its pale blue pupils as the muscles in its legs tensed, and it suddenly lunged forward with explosive force!

"Directly behind you. Use Vine Whip."

Bulbasaur reacted instantly. Even though its eyes couldn't see the opponent, it strictly executed N’s command. Two vines lashed out from the bulb on its back, striking blindly into the space behind it!

Zorua happened to be charging in from the rear at that exact moment. It never expected a preemptive strike, and with its momentum carrying it forward, it couldn't react in time to dodge. The vines caught it dead-on.

Crack!

"Catch it with the momentum and hurl it forward!"

"Zua?!"

Zorua, still reeling from the lash of the vines, had no time to recover before both its forepaws were ensnared by the twin whips. Its body suddenly lost all weight as it was slammed into the ground ahead. Even with its supple body dampening the impact, its head was left spinning.

The disoriented Zorua scrambled to get up, intending to create some distance and reassess the fight, but before it could find its feet, the next move arrived.

Pop!

A small seed landed perfectly on its head. A moment later, it pulsed with a faint green light, and in the blink of an eye, vines sprouted at a visible rate, binding its entire body. It didn't even have a chance to evade!

"Stun Spore."

Bulbasaur gave a soft cry of affirmation. Having just deployed Leech Seed, it took a brief moment to catch its breath before immediately releasing a cloud of paralyzing powder. Bound by the parasitic vines, Zorua was a sitting duck and took the hit head-on.

Bzzzt...

A sound like a low-voltage current crackled in Zorua’s ears. Its entire body became incredibly stiff; it couldn't even stretch its limbs! With the Leech Seed vines constricting it and the paralysis setting in, its movements were hindered to an unimaginable degree.

It had made one fatal mistake: it was too arrogant and had underestimated its opponent at the start. It had assumed a simple ambush from behind would end it, never dreaming that the opponent would strike without even looking.

Followed by a relentless series of combos, Zorua was left dizzy and overwhelmed, completely unsure of how to fight back.

Zorua had always been confident in its speed. It believed it could dodge any of Bulbasaur’s attacks even without using Agility, but it felt as if N could see the future. He knew exactly what Zorua was going to do and had launched his counter-attacks in advance!

"Tackle."

The corners of N’s mouth turned upward. His left hand gently pressed down on the brim of his black-and-white cap as he calmly issued the final command.

"Saur!"

Facing a target that couldn't move, even Bulbasaur’s somewhat clumsy Tackle was guaranteed to hit. With a dull thud, the Zorua, wrapped up like a festive zongzi, was sent flying by a headbutt, crashing back to the ground where it lay motionless.

At that moment, N seized the opportunity and threw a Poké Ball. The red-and-white sphere sucked the cunning little fox inside. It wobbled just a few times for appearance's sake before the light clicked off, signifying...

Ping!

The capture was successful!

"Thank you for your hard work, Bulbasaur."

N let out a slow sigh of relief. He pulled a sweet berry from his pocket and handed it to the Bulbasaur as a reward. The gesture made the Bulbasaur tilt its head in a bit of sheepish confusion.

It felt like it hadn't really done much, yet somehow, it had won?

Usually, it was bullied into a corner by that rotten fox, but today was different. That fox had been beaten so badly its own mother wouldn't recognize it. The "Garlic Turtle" felt a surge of intense satisfaction!

"Zorua, I look forward to working with you."

N didn't know what the Bulbasaur was thinking. Carrying a faint, lingering smile, he bent down to pick up the Poké Ball. This little fellow would be his Starter Pokémon.

And because of this choice, in the years to come, a monster described as a "Demon" would reveal itself to the world.

But of course, that is a story for another time.