Liu Yunlan was suffocating from the sheer frustration of being pummeled without being able to land a solid hit.
"I give up! I surrender!"
Swallowing her pride, she raised her hand and quickly recalled Monferno back into its Poké Ball.
There was no point dragging this out anymore—it was just unwinnable!
Though Fletchinder wasn't in perfect condition and bore a few wounds, it still soared proudly around Ding Yue in celebration.
At that moment, all eyes in the arena were on her and her Pokémon.
A one-against-two victory!
And her opponents weren't just anyone—it was Liu Yunlan, who possessed both a starter Pokémon and a Growlithe!
Her team was valued at over ten million credits, while Ding Yue's Fletchling had cost her only four hundred thousand.
The difference in value was like comparing clouds to mud.
And yet, it was this so-called "ordinary" Fletchling that evolved and took down both opponents in a clean sweep!
The crowd erupted with excitement.
After all, nothing stirs the heart like seeing the underdog triumph!
The cheers were thunderous!
Especially from the trainers who had also purchased Fletchling from the Pokémon Center—they were practically losing their minds from excitement.
It was worth noting that by now, the Center had already sold quite a few Pokémon.
Ding Yue wasn't the only one with a Fletchling.
Many who had bought one were initially less than thrilled—some disappointed, some skeptical.
But now, after witnessing one evolve right before their eyes and dominate the battle so brilliantly, realization dawned upon them:
A Pokémon's price doesn't define its strength.
"I'm going home to train my Rattata like crazy!"
"What if my Weedle's secretly a powerhouse and I just never trained it right?!"
"So cool! I bet my Oddish is secretly broken too!"
"I have a strange feeling my Caterpie will one day soar through the heavens after it evolves… Just you wait!"
The crowd was even more energized than during the previous doubles battle between Xiao Zhang and Pei Jingguo.
If that match had shown the thrill of synergy between Trainers and their Pokémon…
Then this battle taught them something even more valuable:
The power of the Trainer!
Ding Yue's win—using the weaker side to beat the stronger—was deeply inspiring.
Amidst the sea of cheers and chatter, Su Bai nodded with satisfaction.
Ding Yue's performance had unintentionally reignited the passion of many customers who had rough starts.
It was a happy surprise.
Even the long-time customers like Wang Tao were stunned by Fletchinder's performance.
"Damn... Flying-types are this OP?!"
His eyes were wide with disbelief—Fletchinder had completely exceeded his expectations.
His Grotle couldn't even beat Monferno because of type disadvantage…
And yet Monferno just got thoroughly outplayed and humiliated.
"So if it just keeps flying up there and bombing from the sky… isn't that basically invincible?!"
Now Wang Tao was having an existential crisis.
Sure, his Grotle had Razor Leaf, a kind of AOE move.
But Grass-type moves are weak against Fire-types, and Grotle's attack stat wasn't anything to brag about.
Even if it landed a hit, it probably wouldn't decide the match.
Worse, both Fire and Flying completely countered his Grass-type Pokémon.
If Ding Yue had challenged him instead, his only hope might've been his baby Hippopotas...
Su Bai cast a sympathetic glance at Wang Tao.
Sure, he had a starter, but let's be honest—Grotle's position in battle wasn't great.
Its overall stats were solid, but Grass-type weaknesses were numerous.
And when it evolved, it'd also become Ground-type.
That meant it would be utterly dominated by Flying-types—like a foot soldier trying to fight a heavyweight boxer.
If there were no Tera Form transformations, a Grotle facing Fletchinder was basically just free points.
"Invincible? Not quite," Su Bai said calmly, even though he was also impressed by Flying-types' early-game advantage.
"But think about it. In terms of speed, Monferno's not far behind Fletchinder."
"Even when both evolve to their final forms, their speed gap won't be significant."
"However, Monferno's attack power is way higher, and it's a physical and special attacker."
"Right now, Fletchinder's edge comes from flight—but that won't last forever."
"Once Monferno learns Flamethrower, Fletchinder's dodge training won't matter as much."
Flamethrower is a powerful move that Monferno naturally learns at level 41.
It spews a column of fire from the mouth—fast, direct, and difficult to avoid.
What Su Bai didn't mention was this:
Aside from learning moves through leveling up, there were also TMs—Technical Machines—in this world.
Take Flamethrower for example:
If Liu Yunlan had a Flamethrower TM, she could have taught Monferno the move immediately.
She could even teach it things like Aura Sphere or Rock Tomb.
Especially Rock Tomb, which damages the target and lowers its speed.
And Rock is super-effective against Flying-types—a deadly combo.
Unfortunately, the system hadn't released a way to obtain TMs yet, so this remained theoretical for now.
After Ding Yue and Liu Yunlan's match ended, the crowd's battle fever was fully ignited.
Many rushed off to challenge each other with their own Pokémon.
The Center's main battlefield—reserved for official matches—was kept closed for now.
But the side arenas were immediately filled.
Those who couldn't grab a slot stayed to watch the newbies duel it out.
Some of Wang Tao's group chose to observe, while others went off to train their Pokémon.
Meanwhile, Zhou Xiaofei returned to the counter with Su Bai, cradling his beloved Magikarp, his heart beating fast.
Taking over the desk from Ditto, he looked up with sparkling eyes and asked,
"Boss… that Fletchling isn't even that expensive, right?"
Su Bai chuckled. "Nope. Just four hundred thousand. Only about twice the price of a Magikarp."
Zhou Xiaofei's eyes gleamed. "If Fletchling can be that strong… does that mean Magikarp is awesome too?!"
Faced with such pure and innocent hope, Su Bai scratched his head awkwardly.
"Well… yeah, it gets pretty strong after it evolves. So make sure to train it hard."
That… wasn't entirely sincere.
Magikarp's training difficulty was straight-up hell-tier.
What could you even do with a Pokémon that only knows Splash?
Su Bai genuinely couldn't think of a solid plan.
Honestly, those who manage to evolve their Magikarp into Gyarados—they might be the true-born elite Trainers of this world.
Zhou Xiaofei nodded fiercely. "I'll train my Magikarp with everything I've got!"
"Let's do our best, Magikarp!"
The bright red Magikarp stared blankly with those round, emotionless eyes… then gave a single bounce, splashing its trainer right in the face.
At this point, the Pokémon Center had made a name for itself in Haicheng City.
Visitors flowed in and out constantly.
Even those who couldn't afford a Pokémon came just to watch the battles or ask questions.
Su Bai was just about to leave things to Zhou Xiaofei and Ditto when the Center's main door swung open.
In walked a man carrying a thick stack of booklets.
Judging from his outfit, he was clearly a teacher from Haicheng No.1 High School.
Su Bai narrowed his eyes as the man set the pile down on the counter, revealing his face behind the books—
It was none other than the school's discipline director!
"All done," the director said with a chuckle. "These are the training manuals we rushed to finish based on your information."
"They contain berry cultivation techniques and Pokéblock recipes—everything's in there."
"The City Lord's Office is helping distribute them too. Naturally, your Pokémon Center should have them as well."
"I've got to rush back to continue the research with the other teachers, so I won't stay long."
"Keep up the good work! I always knew you weren't just some ordinary kid!"
Wearing a proud smile like a doting aunt, the discipline director politely declined Su Bai's offer to sit and breezed out the door.
Su Bai sighed, lowering his hand in resignation.
At Haicheng No.1, under the old principal's leadership, the staff were basically workaholics.
One after another, they threw themselves headfirst into their duties.
He glanced at the towering stack of manuals and let out a sigh.
"Impressive speed… humans really are amazing."
And now, knowing the truth behind everything, he understood the City Lord's urgency even better.
Had humans been any slower, they might not have survived this long.
Su Bai casually flipped open one of the manuals.
A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips.
"The faster we move, the sooner the Pokémon world fully arrives."
"So let the storm stirred by this Pokémon Center… rage on even harder."