After spending a joyful day outside, Gothita was in a great mood. Riding on Cubchoo's back, it sang a little tune it thought sounded really nice, bouncing along the road toward home. Flabébé floated in the air, while Natsuhiko and Haruki followed behind with Buneary and Chikorita respectively.
Natsuhiko pouted, clearly annoyed by Gothita's smug expression. Previously, he had gotten into a conflict with Gothita at the YoYo Day Care, and his mom had given him a serious scolding because of it. That's why he had volunteered to walk Gothita and the others home with Haruki—he was looking for a chance to get revenge along the way.
Unfortunately, Gothita hadn't given him a single opportunity, and Buneary's eyes were watching him like a scanning sensor, not relaxing for a second.
Just as they were nearing the YoYo Day Care, a figure suddenly blocked their path.
"Hey, little cuties, where are you all headed?"
The one blocking them was a blond young man. Gothita immediately recognized him—it was the guy who had broken its little parasol at the Pokémon Contest venue. Instantly, it glared at him furiously.
As fate would have it, the blond youth was in the neighborhood to buy something and had unexpectedly run into these little ones.
Still fuming from his loss at the Contest, he was in a terrible mood. Seeing Gothita glare at him only made it worse. He stepped forward and growled, "What are you looking at? Watch it, or I'll gouge your eyeballs out!"
That's right—this blond guy was also a Pokémon Coordinator. But his luck had been awful; he was eliminated in the first round, so he'd been bitter ever since.
He didn't believe it was due to a lack of skill—he simply thought the judges had no taste.
Seeing his fierce expression, Gothita became even angrier. It pointed at him and began chirping furiously. Of course, the blond didn't understand a word, but it was obvious even to him that Gothita was cursing him out.
His eyes glinted with scheming light, and he suddenly put on a big smile. "So you dare curse at me? As compensation for my emotional damage, you're coming with me!" he said, reaching out to grab Gothita.
Thinking of the girl who had won the Contest that day, the blond figured maybe it was because she used a cute Pokémon like Delcatty that the judges had favored her. So, what if he used a cuter Pokémon next time?
This Gothita would be perfect!
With that thought, his eyes burned even hotter with greed. He didn't care if the Gothita had a Trainer—once he left Verdanturf City, who would stop him from doing as he pleased?
Hehehe...
Flabébé, seeing that Gothita was in danger, immediately flew in front of it and lashed her vine whip at the blond's dirty hand.
"Hisss~"
The blond sucked in a breath as he withdrew his hand, now marked with a red welt. He was just about to get angry, but when he saw Flabébé, his smile returned. "Another one? Great! You can both come with me."
Flabébé would do nicely too!
At this moment, Haruki and Natsuhiko finally realized the blond was trying to steal their Pokémon. Haruki rushed forward and spread his arms wide to block the man's path.
"What do you think you're doing?!"
Natsuhiko hadn't wanted to get involved at first, but Buneary gave him a swift kick, forcing him to stumble forward to stand beside Haruki. He turned to glare at Buneary, but Buneary was already used to that look—didn't bother it one bit. What, did a glare cost it anything?
"You two, outta my way."
The blond didn't take the two kids seriously at all. With a wave of his hand, he tried to push Natsuhiko and Haruki aside, but Buneary and Chikorita weren't about to let that happen.
Buneary leapt into the air and delivered a flying kick square into the blond's stomach.
Having grown used to kicking Natsuhiko, Buneary was a master of control—it knew exactly how to hurt someone without actually causing injury. The kick left the blond in intense pain, but nothing too serious.
Meanwhile, Chikorita used Vine Whip to lash across the blond's face with a loud "smack smack," leaving his cheeks swollen from the blows.
The blond howled in pain. He hadn't expected these two little brats to actually fight back. Caught off guard, he fell to the ground. The burning pain in his stomach and face ignited a fury in him.
He quickly scrambled to his feet, pulled out a Poké Ball, and released a vicious-looking Arbok, growling furiously, "You little brats must be looking for trouble!"
Seeing the fierce serpent before him, Natsuhiko's heart trembled with fear. He instantly regretted letting his emotions get the better of him and tagging along with Haruki today. Still, he forced himself to point at the blond and shouted, "Picking on kids—shame on you!"
"Shame on your damn face!" the blond snapped back. "I'll bully whoever I want, whenever I want!" With that, he pointed at Arbok and barked, "Arbok! Teach these little punks a lesson—they don't know their place!"
Arbok slithered forward, tongue flicking, its entire body radiating a powerful pressure that made Chikorita and Buneary's skin crawl. Natsuhiko and Haruki also instinctively took two steps back.
Buneary groaned internally: I'm still just a kid—why do I have to deal with stuff like this?!
But it didn't hesitate. Without waiting for that fool Natsuhiko to give a command, it leapt into the air, its long rabbit ears stretching out as it charged Arbok with a Dizzy Punch.
Buneary had been specially picked out by Yuga for Natsuhiko's mom. Although it only had yellow potential, its overall stats were top-tier among yellow potential Pokémon, and its level was considerably higher than most young Pokémon. So it still had decent fighting power.
Arbok, arrogant and proud like its Trainer, had underestimated Buneary and didn't expect it to attack so decisively. As a result, it took a solid punch right to the jaw.
"Arbok~"
Arbok was knocked back, rolling across the ground. But just before it hit the dirt, it swung its tail and slammed Buneary with Iron Tail.
Buneary was still mid-air and had no way to dodge. The attack sent it flying, and it crashed hard into the ground.
"Buneary!"
Natsuhiko cried out and dashed forward, scooping the unconscious Buneary into his arms. Tears poured down his face. If Mom sees Buneary hurt when we get home, I'm definitely getting whooped!
Buneary's level was still far behind Arbok's. Now it had been knocked out cold. Fortunately, Flabébé knew how to use Grassy Terrain and hurried over to begin healing it.
Gothita had been holding back this whole time, remembering Yuga's warning not to fight outside. But now it had reached its limit. No longer able to tolerate it, it urged Cubchoo forward, and the two of them launched a combined attack on Arbok.
Gothita's Psybeam and Cubchoo's Powder Snow struck the just-rising Arbok simultaneously.
Among the little group, Gothita and Cubchoo had the highest levels. They'd even spent some time recovering at the Bell Tower, so their strength was not on the same level as Buneary's.
Gothita's Psybeam knocked Arbok down once more, while Cubchoo's Powder Snow froze its tail with ease.
Chikorita didn't just stand there either. Though frightened, it gathered its courage and attacked with Razor Leaf.
But against Arbok, that attack was little more than a tickle.
Gothita and Cubchoo pressed the advantage. Cubchoo leapt high and slashed Arbok across the face with a powerful Slash, while Gothita followed up with a flurry of open-palmed slaps.
Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!
Arbok's face was swollen from the hits—matching its Trainer's—and its huge body crashed to the ground with a heavy thud.
Gothita had Cubchoo step back and proudly stared down the blond, as if to say: "Hmph~ Now you've seen what this lady can do!"
Of course, the blond was shocked. He hadn't expected Gothita to be this strong. But rather than getting angry, he was even more delighted.
A strong Pokémon like this… It's perfect for me, isn't it?
Arbok got back up again, shaking its dizzy head. Its eyes, now full of malice, locked onto Gothita and Cubchoo.
Gothita was also surprised—it hadn't expected this big snake to be so thick-skinned and durable that it could still get up again.
"You won't escape from the palm of my hand!"
The blond man grinned wickedly as he took out another Poké Ball. With a flash of red light, an Ariados appeared before the little ones. This Ariados exuded an even more powerful aura than the Arbok from earlier.
As a Trainer, how could the blond possibly only have an Arbok?
Ariados let out a screech, and a string of web shot out under its control, instantly wrapping up Gothita.
Seeing this, Chikorita quickly used Razor Leaf in an attempt to cut the web, but its strength was too low. Not only did Razor Leaf fail to slice the silk, it even bounced off the soft threads and almost accidentally injured itself and Haruki.
On the other hand, Cubchoo's attack was a bit stronger. It wore a high-quality Never-Melt Ice, which greatly boosted the power of its Ice-type moves.
The web was frozen solid by Cubchoo's chilly breath, then shattered into pieces of ice, enraging Ariados, which quickly scuttled forward. In the blink of an eye, it reached Gothita and Cubchoo's side.
Chikorita wanted to rush over to help but was suddenly blocked by Arbok, who twisted its large body and swung its tail mercilessly toward it.
Chikorita was no match for Arbok. With a pained cry, it was sent flying and immediately lost consciousness.
"Chikorita!"
Haruki managed to catch Chikorita in time, but it had already fainted.
After dealing with Chikorita, Arbok swiftly slithered around to the other side of Gothita and Cubchoo. Now Ariados and Arbok were flanking the two small Pokémon, preparing to launch a pincer attack.
Ariados lifted its front legs and prepared a Cross Poison aimed at Gothita and Cubchoo, while Arbok raised its tail as well.
At that critical moment, Flabébé had just finished healing Buneary. It quickly cast Fairy Wind, knocking both Ariados and Arbok off their feet and saving Gothita and Cubchoo just in time.
Ariados immediately regained its footing and opened its mouth, spitting out a barrage of Poison Stings that shot toward Flabébé with a shoo-shoo-shoo sound.
"Watch out!"
Seeing this, Haruki lunged forward and tackled Flabébé to the ground, saving it in the nick of time—but in doing so, he accidentally crushed Flabébé's Fairy Flower.
Cubchoo and Gothita took the opportunity to strike at Ariados, but Arbok blocked them once more. Ariados, now back on alert, landed a Cross Poison on Cubchoo's body. Cubchoo not only collapsed but also, unfortunately, was poisoned in the process.
"Gothita~ Gothita~"
Seeing Cubchoo go down, Gothita also collapsed to the ground. It scrambled to protect Cubchoo by standing in front of it, but was immediately caught by another web string and tied up tightly.
Unable to break free, Gothita was struck by Arbok's Iron Tail and crashed onto Cubchoo's body. Although it didn't faint, it no longer had the strength to continue fighting.
Seeing all her friends fall, Flabébé flew out of Haruki's arms, but due to the damaged Fairy Flower, she wobbled in the air, unable to maintain balance.
"Flabébé!"
Haruki tried to stop Flabébé from pushing herself, but he failed.
Flabébé summoned another Fairy Wind, but it wasn't enough to seriously affect Ariados or Arbok. Instead, Ariados caught her with its web and left her hanging in the air.
"Heh heh... see? You've all ended up in my hands anyway." The blond man walked over with a smile, reaching out to grab Flabébé.
Just then, a crisp and pleasant voice rang out from behind him.
"What do you think you're doing!"
The blond man turned around, only to see a beautiful young girl standing not far away, glaring at him with an expression full of anger.
"Yuki, it's you!"
At the same time, Flabébé also recognized her—the girl was none other than today's winner of the Pokémon Contest.
"Botan, what are you doing?!" the girl named Yuki questioned him again.
Botan was the name of the blond young man.
Botan grabbed Flabébé tightly and warned with a vicious tone, "Yuki, I advise you not to meddle in things that don't concern you."
They were both Pokémon Coordinators. Because they frequently participated in Pokémon Contests across different regions, they often ran into each other. Although the two of them had never battled before, they knew each other well.
"Let go of that child, or I won't hold back!"
Yuki said seriously, as she released her Delcatty.
"You really want to fight me?" Botan said, malicious yet clearly lacking confidence.
"I'll say it one more time. Let go of that child!" Yuki continued.
However, Botan didn't listen. Instead, he subtly signaled Arbok and Ariados to attack. But Yuki had been prepared. Just as the two Pokémon lunged toward her, Delcatty unleashed a Thunderbolt.
With a sharp crackling sound and two piercing screams, two charred figures fell heavily to the ground—it was Arbok and Ariados.
It was clear that Yuki's strength far surpassed Botan's, and she hadn't won the Contest by simply acting cute or charming, as Botan had assumed.
Botan was thoroughly frightened. No longer daring to act tough, he threw Flabébé away, then quickly recalled the unconscious Arbok and Ariados before fleeing without a second glance. Even as he ran, he shouted a threat:
"You just wait!"
The thrown Flabébé was caught just in time by Haruki, so it wasn't injured.
Seeing Botan run away, Yuki secretly let out a breath of relief. Although she had acted tough just now, the truth was, she had been scared.
Yuki was indeed strong, but she was a Trainer who had been raised within the protective walls of an ivory tower. She had never experienced a real fight, so she naturally lacked confidence in such situations.
"Big sister, thank you for saving us!"
At that moment, Haruki's voice brought Yuki back to reality. She gently asked, "Little guy, are you alright?"
Haruki shook his head and said, "I'm fine, but Chikorita and the others…" As he spoke, tears welled up in his eyes.
"Alright, don't cry. I'll help you check on them."
Seeing Haruki start to cry, Yuki immediately became flustered. She took the unconscious Chikorita and began checking its condition. However, she only knew basic first aid. After spraying some medicine on Chikorita, she said: "We should still take them to the Pokémon Center."