Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Defeated Magikarp

"Hyena Dog! Get out of the way, quickly!" The beautiful woman issued her command urgently, but the Hyena Dog was still dizzy, its head spinning as if the world itself was swirling around it. There was no way it could evade the Magikarp's attack, which was already upon it.

Another dull thud echoed; this time, the Hyena Dog couldn't even stand up. It only wanted to lie quietly on the ground, for standing brought on that unbearable sensation of vertigo.

"It seems I've won," Zhao Fang smiled, having dealt with the first opponent. Yet he felt no pride in this victory. Had the woman not underestimated him, winning would certainly have been much more troublesome.

With a darkened expression, the beautiful woman glared at Zhao Fang, then glanced at the second Poké Ball in his arms. She bit her lip, and after a moment’s hesitation, released her next Pokémon.

"Lilypad Child, let's put an end to this farce!" The Lilypad Child obeyed its trainer’s command, stepping into the field, while the Hyena Dog was withdrawn.

"Lilypad Child, huh..." Zhao Fang eyed the opponent warily. For Magikarp, this was a formidable foe; after all, Lilypad Child bore both Grass and Water attributes, and Grass was a clear counter to Magikarp.

"Magikarp, can you still fight?" Zhao Fang looked at Magikarp and quietly asked.

Despite the wound atop its head, Magikarp resolutely slapped the ground with its tail. Zhao Fang hesitated. As a trainer, when faced with an opponent whose attributes countered his Pokémon, he should have switched Magikarp out. Yet he couldn’t ignore Magikarp’s determination and effort. If he withdrew it now, Magikarp would surely be unhappy.

"I’ll leave it to you then, Magikarp." Zhao Fang gently patted Magikarp’s body and turned his gaze toward Lilypad Child.

Magikarp held one advantage: it hadn’t mastered any Water-type moves, relying only on basic Tackle attacks. The benefit was not worrying about reduced effectiveness, but the real trouble lay in the opponent's Grass-type moves—if they hit, it would be disastrous.

As for Lilypad Child, Zhao Fang remembered it could use...

"This farce ends now! Lilypad Child, use Absorb!" As expected, the woman immediately ordered Lilypad Child to use Absorb.

Absorb wasn’t especially powerful, but as a Grass-type move, it could be fatal if it landed on Magikarp.

"Magikarp! Use Splash to jump up, quickly!" Zhao Fang issued his command at the same time.

Absorb could be dodged, but it was tricky because of its speed. Had Zhao Fang not given his command at the same time the woman spoke, Magikarp would have surely suffered from Absorb.

Though Magikarp dodged the attack, it was airborne, unable to muster any strength. Following Zhao Fang's training, it forcibly changed its descent trajectory with Tackle.

"Heh, did you think I hadn't seen that attack before? Lilypad Child, dodge and use Absorb again!" The woman sneered, unimpressed. The same trick would not work twice.

Magikarp's Tackle missed, and this time it couldn't avoid Absorb. As the attack hit, Magikarp’s spirit instantly flagged.

"Magikarp!" Zhao Fang watched anxiously, clenching his fists. Why hadn't it happened yet?

"Hopeless, little one. Let me teach you something: Grass-type counters Water-type," the woman said smugly, feigning the air of a mentor.

Zhao Fang felt like tearing her apart with his bare hands. She was certainly good at acting. Then suddenly, he noticed Magikarp’s tail twitch.

"Magikarp! Use Tackle!" Zhao Fang shouted.

"What?" The woman turned in surprise just as Magikarp, which should have been drained of all stamina and unable to battle, launched another Tackle and rammed Lilypad Child squarely on the head.

With this final attack, Magikarp completely lost its ability to fight, lying motionless on the ground. Lilypad Child didn’t fare much better—it now understood how the Hyena Dog had felt when struck.

Luckily, Magikarp had only squeezed out its remaining strength, so the damage wasn’t severe. Yet the woman’s expression soured; she’d lost a Pokémon to a Magikarp, and even been struck one last time!

Even without looking, she knew her companions must be laughing themselves sick.

"Hmph, use Rain Dance!" she snapped at Zhao Fang as he recalled Magikarp, then issued the command to Lilypad Child.

Zhao Fang stared at her in disbelief. He hadn't expected Lilypad Child to know Rain Dance. In the real world, moves like Rain Dance and Sunny Day were rare, mastered only by exceptionally gifted Pokémon.

But as he watched rain clouds gather above Lilypad Child's head—a small patch only—Zhao Fang felt calmer. Though Lilypad Child had talent, it was nothing compared to Kyogre, whose rain clouds enveloped the entire Hoenn region.

"Rain Dish ability..." Zhao Fang murmured, watching Lilypad Child slowly recover from its wounds in the rain.

"Little one, send out your second Pokémon," the woman mocked, convinced that Zhao Fang wouldn’t have anything powerful.

"I already have," Zhao Fang replied with a shrug.

"What?" The woman was startled. Then she heard Lilypad Child cry out in pain, fresh claw marks appearing on its body. In front of Lilypad Child, a bizarre-looking Pokémon materialized, floating in midair.

The woman stared in astonishment, then was swept up in delight. She couldn’t believe she’d stumbled upon a treasure!

Though she couldn’t identify the species, it was clearly no ordinary Pokémon—especially as it had appeared out of thin air, suggesting Ghost-type attributes.

"Hahaha—you're really something, kid! When you lose, hand this Pokémon over to me," she said gleefully, her eyes fixed on Dragomessia, convinced she was about to strike it rich.

As for losing? The woman never worried about that—if her Pokémon failed, she had two companions, one of whom possessed a formidable Golbat.

"Is that so? Beat me first, then we'll see. Dragomessia, use Dragon Tail!" Zhao Fang quickly commanded. The woman was even more ecstatic—now she saw, it was a Dragon-type Pokémon!

"Garchomp, what do you think of that trainer's strength?" In the woods, a golden-haired woman smiled, gently stroking the powerful figure beside her.