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Brian's starting Pokémon was a Marowak.
His Marowak possessed a wide range of attacks, and though its strength ranked lowest among Brian's three main Pokémon, it was perfectly suited for leading a battle...
Of course, "lowest strength" was only relative within Brian's own team.
Earlier today, three trainers had chosen to challenge Brian, and all were defeated by this Marowak.
For non-school team members, the strength of this Marowak was simply an insurmountable obstacle.
The Pokémon had both impressive strength and popularity within the school, earning enthusiastic applause when it appeared on the battlefield.
However.
At this moment, everyone present—including Brian himself—focused on Roy's starting Pokémon, and their minds went blank.
What was this?!
It was a cute, fairy-like Pokémon with pristine snow-white fur, unlike anything they'd seen before.
The appearance was very similar to Vulpix, but instead of the usual reddish-brown, its coat was pure white like freshly fallen snow.
"A Shiny Vulpix?" Elon, Brian, Callan, and other Trainers made their first guess.
Shiny Pokémon were extremely rare genetic mutations.
Their coloration differed completely from their peers, though they gained no attribute or talent advantages from this difference.
But rarity commanded value, and Shiny Pokémon were highly sought after by many trainers.
"No, it's not a Shiny Vulpix," said Serena, who raised a Vulpix herself.
The snow-white Vulpix on the field differed not only in color but also in many physical details from her own Vulpix—completely unlike the characteristics of Shiny Pokémon.
It seemed more like... a regional variant?
A previously undiscovered, new Pokémon form?
After a few seconds of stunned silence, the auditorium erupted in excitement. Many spectators stood up and leaned forward, trying to get a better look.
"Vulpix?"
"What's with this Pokémon? It's so, so cute!"
"Damn, my heart's melting."
"I know I shouldn't feel this way... but I think I'm in love."
"What?!"
Among those present were reporters who specialized in covering the National College League. They were now like sharks smelling blood, excitedly taking pictures of the snow-white Vulpix.
This Pokémon was breathtaking.
Perfect from every angle, requiring no photo editing at all—it had a naturally photogenic quality.
The last Pokémon to inspire such admiration purely through beauty was the global beauty pageant champion Milotic...
"Maro... wak?"
Marowak on the field was equally stunned, its face beneath the bone helmet turning red.
Soon, Marowak's hand holding its bone club trembled slightly as it hesitated.
"Am I going to fight her?"
"Use this bone club to hit her and hurt her?"
"—Do I deserve to do that?"
Marowak lost 70% of its fighting spirit, falling into deep reluctance.
No one present noticed that Vulpix's eyes had shone with a faint pink light from the moment it appeared on the stage.
—Move: Baby-Doll Eyes.
The principle behind this move was to use Fairy-type energy to amplify one's own cuteness, stare at the opponent, and reduce their fighting spirit, thereby weakening their attack power.
The higher the beauty level, the greater the effect.
The Vulpix species possessed outstanding charm inherently, and this one had been raised on special energy cubes that enhanced its beauty, coupled with increased spiritual power...
Under these various factors, the effect of Baby-Doll Eyes was astonishingly potent.
In the clouds above the stadium, the power of ice and snow continued to accumulate.
No one noticed.
Because everyone, including Brian, remained immersed in curiosity, admiration, and discussion about the white Vulpix, temporarily forgetting they were in the middle of a battle...
Roy thought to himself: 'The charm effect is amazing.'
After spending significant time together, Roy had become somewhat immune to Vulpix's charm.
In this world, no Trainer had mastered the strategy of "charm." This was the first attempt for him and Vulpix.
'But I can't be too optimistic,' he considered.
The reason for the charm's effectiveness this time was that no one was on guard against it, lacking the concept of 'charm' as a tactical approach. Moreover, there was the shock factor of seeing an Alolan Vulpix for the first time, with the added bonus of it being a regional variant Pokémon...
'With a defensive mindset and firm willpower, the effect won't be so pronounced.'
Roy's thinking remained clear.
In other words, this was precisely the effect he had hoped to achieve.
After a month of training, with proper resources and care, Vulpix's comprehensive evaluation had reached C+ level.
This rapid progress was impressive, but still far below Brian's Marowak, which was evaluated at B+ level.
To win, Roy needed a precise strategy.
Pokémon competitions never lacked instances of weaker Pokémon defeating stronger ones. Otherwise, why not just compare overall ratings? What would be the point of battling?
Wait—something's wrong!
Brian, the trainer himself, had also been "charmed." After a full minute, he suddenly snapped back to reality.
At the same time, he noticed the abnormal weather.
What was Roy planning?
"Marowak, snap out of it!" Brian shouted sternly. "Use Bonemerang!"
The Trainer's voice brought Marowak back to its senses. It gathered Ground-type energy and flung its bone club.
But as the bone left its hand, Marowak unconsciously pulled back about half its power.
Vulpix looked so delicate—better not hit too hard.
This reduced power should still be enough to defeat it.
The moment Brian regained his senses, Roy knew he could no longer continue quietly preparing his strategy. He issued commands simultaneously:
"Let it snow!"
"And use Icy Wind!"
The ice and snow energy that had accumulated for so long burst forth suddenly—hail, frost, and cold wind cascaded from the clouds.
Simultaneously, the Icy Wind exhaled by Vulpix met the Bonemerang head-on.
The cold wind was disrupted, but the Bonemerang lost momentum.
—They were evenly matched!
This result exceeded everyone's expectations.
'Is this regional Vulpix an Ice-type?'
The normal Vulpix was Fire-type, but this variant seemed to be at the opposite extreme—Ice-type!
The contrast was striking!
Ice-type had an advantage over Ground-type.
This type advantage, combined with Marowak's weakened attack, allowed Vulpix to overcome the three-level gap in power and hold its ground...
But it wasn't enough to secure victory.
The opportunity was fleeting, and Roy used his bond with Vulpix to convey instructions instantly.
"Intercept the return path and use Aurora Beam!"
The name "Bonemerang" was apt—the bone club, having been deflected, was now being drawn back by some mysterious force, spinning in its return arc.
This was the chance Roy had been waiting for!
Ice energy gathered in Vulpix's mouth, condensing rapidly into an aurora-like colorful beam that shot toward the returning bone club!
Vulpix's spiritual talent was exceptionally high, reflected in its comprehension and control over moves.
It had taken only two weeks to master Aurora Beam, reaching proficiency level.
The Aurora Beam hit the bone club with precision, and terrifying frost completely froze it into an ice sculpture.
"What—?!" Brian was taken aback.
He never expected Marowak would suffer such a significant setback from just one move.
Marowak losing its bone club was equivalent to a swordsman losing his sword.
Its combat effectiveness was greatly reduced.
Now the alarm bells in Brian mind rang loudly.
Vulpix's appearance was deceptively innocent—it didn't look powerful at all. Even knowing his opponent might be using clever tactics, Brian had believed they would be meaningless against absolute strength.
Yet his Pokémon had suffered such a heavy loss.
"Get close to it!" Brian shouted. "Brutal Swing!"
Marowak let out a roar of rage.
For the Marowak family, the bone club was as important as a mother.
The loss of something so precious fueled its anger, temporarily breaking it free from Vulpix's charm.
With powerful stomps, Marowak charged forward with incredible speed.
Normally, because of the significant level gap, even if Vulpix's reaction speed could keep up, it wouldn't be able to respond effectively.
But in this cultivated winter wonderland, falling hail hindered Marowak's progress, cold winds slowed its movement, and drifting snow obscured its vision...
"—Charm," Roy commanded through their mental connection.
"Vul~pix!"
Vulpix made an endearing cry, and Fairy-type energy used this sound as a medium to transmit spiritual power. The charm penetrated into Marowak's consciousness.
Marowak's charge slowed progressively, and when it finally reached Vulpix, it stopped entirely, its eyes unfocused.
It stared at Vulpix obsessively, losing all fighting spirit.
Bone club? What bone club?
The rage over losing its precious weapon...
"Finish it!" Roy smiled slightly. "Blizzard!"
Brilliant ice-blue light bloomed from Vulpix's body, summoning the ultimate Ice-type move.
—The preparation was slow.
This move was exceptionally powerful, and there weren't many opportunities to practice it daily. Even with Vulpix's talent, it was still at entry-level proficiency.
Marowak could interrupt at any moment if it chose to.
"Stop it! Marowak!" Brian yelled frantically, attempting to use the bond between Trainer and Pokémon to wake it from its trance.
His words fell on deaf ears.
Brian watched helplessly as Vulpix gathered energy for Blizzard and struck Marowak at point-blank range.
Super effective!
Despite the double damage, Vulpix didn't defeat Marowak instantly—instead, the pain actually helped Marowak regain its senses.
This moment highlighted the level gap between the two Pokémon. Marowak was indeed far stronger than Vulpix.
But Brian knew he had lost.
Because Marowak had fallen into a frozen state...
The frost had penetrated deep into its bones, making movement impossible.
Vulpix followed up with a few more Icy Winds, completely overwhelming Marowak until it was unable to battle.
"Return."
Using the Poké Ball to recall Marowak, Brian remained silent, questioning everything.
He lost?
It wasn't that he had never lost before, but what kind of defeat was this?
Marowak's formidable strength had completely missed its mark—rendered useless by clever strategy.
It was frustratingly brilliant.