By now, Marina had run over to Tyrunt with Marill in tow; the little mouse had already forgotten the fright Tyrunt had given it moments earlier.
Waddling its round body, it held a small slice of watermelon and shared it with Feebas and Tyrunt in a happy circle.
Lionel also picked up a slice and took a big bite; sweet, cool juice burst across his tongue, sliding icily down his throat and instantly washing away the summer heat.
"Hey, Lionel, how about a battle with our family?"
Mitsuyo's tone brimmed with eagerness, eyes sparkling with anticipation:
"Meeting like this is fate
Let's bet Berries—if you win, we'll pick you a huge bunch of every kind we grow!
We often battle travelers, but the stakes are never this rich~"
Lionel didn't care much for Berry prizes, but seeing the family's excitement and Beldum beside him looking curious at the mention of battle,
he smiled and nodded. "Sure—please guide me!"
..."Battle—start!"
Grandma Mitsuyo cheerfully raised her palm-leaf fan to serve as referee.
The yard's atmosphere turned tense and lively; Tyrunt and Feebas sat obediently on the sidelines, wide-eyed as they watched Beldum's first-ever battle.
First up was Marina. Lionel had already seen Marill's stats—an excellent dragon slayer in the making, pity it hadn't grown up yet.
Fortunately it hadn't; otherwise its first meeting with Tyrunt might have ended with Tyrunt being the appetizer.
[Pokémon: Marill]
[Type: Water/Fairy]
[Category: Aqua Mouse Pokémon]
[Ability: Huge Power (physical moves deal double damage)]
[Moves: Tackle, help, Tail Whip, Water Gun, Rollout, Defense Curl, Bubble Beam, Charm]
Marina took a deep breath, tiny fists clutching her hem, face utterly serious:
"Marill, let's do our best! Bubble Beam!"
"Eee-ya—!"
Marill leapt, its round body tracing an arc through the air.
Its cheeks puffed, spraying countless crystal bubbles like a pearl necklace toward Beldum.
Before Lionel could speak, Beldum moved on its own, hovering while its red crystalline eyes blinked as if treating the match as a game.
Seeing the bubbles about to hit, it drifted backward, nimbly dodging the first wave.
Then, exploiting widening gaps, it zig-zagged playfully through the dense foam.
Its silvery form shot like a nimble meteor, every bubble missing.
"Wha..."
Marina's mouth fell open; her next command stuck in her throat, eyes round as coins.
Lionel, watching from the sideline, flashed a surprised look. Last night he'd noticed the little guy's gift—absurdly fast skill proficiency gains.
Ordinary Beldum rely on magnetism for slow movement, but this one used Confusion to boost and pivot, becoming astonishingly agile.
Yesterday during hide-and-seek it had wobbled like a toddler learning to walk.
After he'd only raised Zen Headbutt's proficiency at the hotel, Beldum grew ever smoother at manipulating its psychic power.
While playing chase with Tyrunt, it kept using Confusion to steer itself.
Eventually Tyrunt couldn't catch it, and Beldum even levitated Tyrunt for fun.
It was as if the little fellow innately knew how to wield Confusion but hadn't yet gotten used to its body.
Worse, normal Beldum should only know Tackle, yet this one had Confusion, Zen Headbutt, Iron Head, Iron Defense, and more.
Lionel suspected its move-list was even longer; the panel only showed moves it could use without limbs.
After all, it wasn't an ordinary Beldum—it had split directly from Steven's Metagross.
"Enough playing. Beldum, this is a battle—defeat the opponent. Zen Headbutt, aim for Marill."
Lionel's voice cut short the game of tag.
Beldum's eyes flashed red, grasping his meaning; pale blue psychic aura rippled around its body.
The glow coated its silver shell with sky-blue, turning it into a tiny blue-silver cannonball.
With a whoosh it shot toward Marill.
"Marill, dodge quickly!"
Marina cried in frantic alarm.
But it was too late.
Beldum's speed had multiplied; in a blink it slammed into Marill.
With a thud, the little mouse flipped like a football, landing on its back.
Stars spiraled in its eyes; its tummy rose and fell—out cold.
"Marill!"
Marina hurried over, cradling it and rubbing its head, then looked up at Beldum in awe,
"Big Brother Lionel, your Beldum is amazing!"
On the sidelines Tyrunt shrank its neck, paws instinctively covering its head as it shuffled back two steps, tail tucked tight.
It instantly recalled last night's invitation to another head-butt game and thanked itself for pleading a full stomach.
A hit like that would hurt terribly—maybe even knock it out like Marill. Too scary; from now on, no more head-butt games with Beldum!
"Marina loses this round~"
Grandma Mitsuyo smiled crescent-eyed, teasing gently,
"See? Marill still needs more training.
You were clamoring to challenge a Gym, but now you must train harder. Next up—your mother. Anjie, it's your turn!"
Anjie set down her iced tea, stepped into the field, and tossed a Poké Ball:
"I won't hold back this time, please advise."
Red light flashed, and a petite humanoid Pokémon landed.
Vivid green as if wearing a fluffy dress, it held a red and a teal blossom in each hand—Grass/Poison-type Roselia.
"Roselia, let's go."
Anjie's tone was calmer than Marina's. "Remember, Steel-type is immune to Poison moves—stick to Grass attacks."
Roselia gave a slight nod, raising flower-tipped arms into a battle stance.
۞۞۞۞
p-atreon.com/PokeFicLord
40+ Chapters in p-atreon.com.
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)