The moment Peter heard the words "Flamethrower," his heart skipped a beat.
Before he could even issue an order to dodge, Smoliv was completely engulfed in flames.
"Smoliv!!"
The fire finally dispersed.
The once tender, green little Pokémon was now almost charred black from head to toe.
"Mi… no…"
Smoliv spat out two puffs of black smoke, her body swaying weakly as she struggled—yet still managed—to stand.
She had endured it.
She'd actually endured the hit.
There was no time to feel relieved. Peter immediately opened the system panel to check the opponent's skill list.
And the moment he saw it, his pupils shrank.
More than twenty skills.
A move pool of that size meant only one thing.
"…Don't tell me…"
Peter's gaze shifted to the dark silhouette behind Cranidos.
By now, he understood how the system worked.
Through dreams, it pulled real Trainers into this space for simulated battles.
Paul was the clearest example.
Which meant—
The person standing behind Cranidos right now…
Was very likely the Gym Leader he'd be facing tomorrow.
Roark of Oreburgh City.
Thankfully, a few of the Leech Seeds had still landed. Vines wrapped around Cranidos, siphoning faint green light from its body and feeding it back into Smoliv, restoring a sliver of stamina.
Peter exhaled slowly and issued the next command, voice steady.
"Smoliv—Strength Sap!"
"Cranidos—Flamethrower again!"
Peter clenched his fists.
"Hang in there, Smoliv!"
"Mi!!"
Smoliv's mind replayed scenes she'd seen countless times—
The moment when Goku gathered energy from all living beings.
This time, Strength Sap activated faster than ever before.
Dense green light surged from Cranidos toward Smoliv.
But compared to life energy—
Flames were faster.
"BOOM—!!"
The fire slammed into Smoliv's battered body without mercy, swallowing her whole.
When the flames finally faded, Smoliv lay motionless on the ground, her body scorched and trembling.
Across the field, Cranidos and the shadow behind it slowly dissolved.
The system notification echoed softly.
[Ding. Two-tier over-level challenge failed.
You have obtained: Free Talent Points ×1.]
But Peter didn't care anymore.
He knelt down, gently applying Burn Heal to Smoliv's wounds.
After checking her status panel, his heart finally eased.
Thankfully, the last Strength Sap had restored just enough vitality.
Otherwise, that Flamethrower might have caused severe injury—maybe even affected tomorrow's Gym battle.
"I'm sorry, Smoliv…"
Peter softly stroked the seed atop her head.
He should have ended the fight earlier.
If he had, she wouldn't have been hurt like this.
"Mi-no~…"
(It's okay, Master… didn't you say that getting hurt is how we grow?)
Despite the pain, Smoliv forced a small, crooked smile.
Peter froze.
Something inside his chest felt like it had been struck hard.
He had imagined many possibilities—fear, hesitation, tears.
But never this.
Never her comforting him.
She was still just a child.
"…There won't be a next time," Peter vowed silently.
The small body in his arms felt impossibly heavy.
He carried Smoliv back to the gaming room and queued up a weather forecast channel for her.
It would help improve Weather Ball proficiency.
Then, he called Buneary over.
"Mi-kyu~"
The little rabbit instinctively extended her paw.
Peter patted her head and placed a Pokéblock in front of her.
"Buneary, I need your help," he said quietly.
"Tomorrow's Gym battle… I'll be counting on you."
He had already thought of a solution for Cranidos' Flamethrower.
But it required Buneary to make a breakthrough—fast.
"So you'll need to master it as soon as possible.
Can you do it?"
Buneary looked into his eyes.
Then, without hesitation, she swallowed the Pokéblock, puffed out her chest, and nodded firmly.
"Mi-kyu! (Leave it to me!)"
A short while later, Peter returned with her, gently placing headphones over her ears.
From them drifted a soft, emotional melody—
"The rain falls all night long,
My love overflows like the rain…"
Buneary listened with unprecedented focus.
Peter left both Pokémon in the Dream Space and exited, heading straight for the Pokémon Center.
"Hello, Nurse Joy. I'd like a suitable incubator made for this Pokémon Egg."
"Oh, it's you, Peter. Let me take a look~"
The pink-haired nurse measured the egg, then brought out a precise, well-maintained incubator from the back.
"This one should fit perfectly."
As she placed the egg inside, Peter immediately sensed something different.
"This incubator… it's not a standard one, is it?"
Nurse Joy smiled.
"This was used by Chansey back when she was hatching eggs. It's old—but still very reliable. Since you need one, consider it a gift."
Peter was about to refuse when Chansey herself waddled over, cheerfully pushing the incubator into his arms.
"Lucky~!"
Nurse Joy added warmly,
"Chansey said the little one inside will bring you happiness."
"…I see."
Peter smiled. "Thank you, Chansey."
He gave her two Sweet Pokéblocks, thanked Nurse Joy again, and left.
But his preparations weren't finished.
After feeding Miltank, Peter pulled out his phone and made a call.
"Hello?"
A gentle voice answered—it was Caroline.
"Auntie, it's me. Peter."
"Oh, Peter! You finally remembered to call. Norman keeps talking about you. You're looking for him, right? Hold on~"
"Yes, thank you."
Hearing Caroline's voice always warmed his heart.
In this world, aside from Whitney, the Norman family were the closest thing he had to family.
A moment later, a familiar voice came through.
"You little brat! Finally decided to call? Been gone half a month—how's it going?"
"Sorry for worrying you, Mr. Norman. Everything's been going well," Peter replied, smiling.
"I'm planning to challenge my first Gym tomorrow, so I wanted to report in."
"Oh? That's quick. Don't stress over it—there's still more than half a year before the League. For now, focus on gaining experience…"
Norman launched into a long lecture.
Peter listened quietly, responding only after it ended.
"Yes, I understand, Norman-senpai."
"Oh, right. You should also try the Arena battles. The payouts are decent—saves you from working odd jobs while traveling. Once you have more Pokémon, expenses really add up…"
Peter smiled faintly.
"Norman-senpai, I've already won eight Arena matches in a row. I'm one win away from Bronze rank."
"…Eight wins?"
Norman paused.
"…Wait—eight wins?!"
His voice cracked.
"Ah… yeah. It's been okay," Peter said sheepishly.
"…You're a monster, kid. Absolute freak," Norman muttered.
"When you get the chance, send me your battle recordings. I'll review them."
Despite preparing to challenge the Elite Four, Norman sounded more like a worried father than a top Trainer.
"Yes, Norman-senpai."
Peter hesitated, then added softly—
"Actually… there's one more thing I wanted to ask you about."
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