"Who's first?"
After the three met up, Leo gave a cheeky grin. Originally, he hadn't planned on going through with this battle.
Although they had made a pact at the end of the college entrance exams to battle again before summer ended, it was only early August. Munchlax hadn't evolved yet, and Leo felt his strength hadn't improved much, making him reluctant to get crushed.
But… Leo glanced at Eevee, who had already jumped onto a public bench to watch the show, and his eyes narrowed. Learning that Owen was using Magneton this time, Leo felt he might actually have a chance at victory. In that case, why not give it a shot?
"Then we'll go first," Owen said to Leo, seeing that Lynnea had no immediate intention of stepping up.
"Sure, you two go. If Magneton is out of stamina after the fight, I'll take on Eevee," Lynnea said with a graceful smile.
"Sounds good. Let me see how strong that Magnemite of yours has become after evolving," Leo said, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.
Both Leo and Lynnea knew that Magnemite had evolved, and they were incredibly curious about how the Psychic-gifted Pokémon fared in its new form. Now was the perfect time to find out.
"I'll serve as the referee," Lynnea said, walking to the center before retreating to the edge of the court.
"I'm counting on you, Munchlax!"
Looking at the unnervingly calm Owen, Leo swallowed hard. He suddenly felt like Owen was up to no good. With a flash of red light, Munchlax appeared on the court.
Having not seen it for a while, its round body seemed to have grown another size larger.
"Munch! Munch!" Munchlax shouted.
"You've gotten fatter... looks like you'll be even slower now," Owen teased.
"It might be fat, but Munchlax's speed hasn't dropped!" Leo beamed. He had paid special attention to this aspect, ensuring it wouldn't become a crippling weakness.
"Vee..." Eevee looked at Munchlax with a gaze of pure pity. Even if it hadn't slowed down, it wasn't exactly a speedster. The current Magneton was Munchlax's absolute nightmare.
"Magneton," Owen smiled, tossing out the Poké Ball.
The next moment, Magneton drifted onto the field.
"Ma-get!!" Magneton's cry was still a metallic drone, and while its voice was heavier and more electronic, the tone remained the same, which Owen found quite comforting.
Owen laughed. "Magneton, once the battle starts, use that. Don't give Leo an opening."
"Ma-get—" Magneton pre-locked onto Munchlax, becoming intensely focused.
"???"
Leo and Munchlax were instantly made nervous by Owen's mysteriousness. As Lynnea gave the "Battle Start" command, Leo shouted his order immediately: "Amnesia!"
No matter what, he wanted to push Munchlax's special defense to the limit. He figured that with Amnesia, no matter how strong Magneton's electricity was, it would be hard to deal significant damage.
But the next second, a coin-sized piece of steel began to condense in front of Magneton.
It wasn't a hard move to recognize: Magnet Bomb.
Leo prepared himself to have Munchlax smash it away with Fire Punch. However, a powerful current suddenly surged around the Magnet Bomb. The change left Leo and Munchlax wearing expressions of utter confusion.
Special effects? And they don't look cheap...
What they didn't know was that the Magnet ability, combined with high-voltage currents to create a rapid magnetic field, had instantly granted the Magnet Bomb an insane acceleration!
By the time they reacted—including Lynnea—they only saw a streak of light flash across the air. They didn't see how Magneton had fired the move at all. An afterimage still lingered in the air where Magneton was, but Munchlax had already been sent flying.
BANG!!!
The secondary explosion of the Magnet Bomb dealt even more damage, making Munchlax cry out in pain.
It was too fast. There was no dodging it.
Locked on by psychic power, Munchlax didn't even have a chance to react before the Super Electromagnetic Railgun slammed into its belly. Fortunately, Magneton hadn't aimed for the head, or else...
"Munch! Munch!!" Munchlax clutched its stomach, rolling on the ground with tears in its eyes. A visible dent was scorched into its belly, still smoking from the high-voltage impact.
Leo stood frozen... then looked at Magneton and Owen as if he were seeing ghosts.
Damn...
"How was that? You should probably give up. With Munchlax's reaction and movement speed, dodging is impossible. You can only tank it," Owen grinned, knowing he had Leo cornered.
"I—I'm not fighting anymore!" Leo collapsed in frustration. This was just bullying. What kind of broken move was that? It was a natural counter to Munchlax. No matter how thick Munchlax's belly was, it couldn't stand up to that "Bzzzt" out of nowhere.
"Lynnea, how about you? Figured out a counter yet?" Owen turned toward Lynnea and smiled.
"I..." Lynnea hesitated.
With warning, and given Growlithe's speed, Lynnea should be able to find a way to have it dodge. But...
This time, Leo acted as the referee.
Once the battle started, Lynnea's expression stiffened as she watched Growlithe suddenly lose its balance mid-stride.
"Is this... Gravity?" Leo was shocked to see a gravity field manifest on the court.
By using the gravity field to restrict the opponent's speed and cause them to lose balance before firing that high-speed projectile—how could anyone block that??
Lynnea had started the match by having Growlithe use Agility in an irregular movement pattern. Normally, even if Magneton locked on with psychic power, it would be hard to predict the target's exact location; it would have to be a gamble.
But Lynnea and Growlithe hadn't expected Magneton to be hiding a "god-tier" move like Gravity.
The sudden shift in gravity caused Growlithe to stumble. By the time it regained its senses and the gravity field vanished, the next attack was already upon it. It was too close to dodge.
The sheer speed and power of the Super Electromagnetic Railgun left Lynnea and Leo in deep thought.
Why has even Owen's second Pokémon become such a freak of nature?
Finally, Lynnea and Leo battled each other once more. It was only during dinner that Owen explained with a laugh, "Gravity was something it understood back in the Spirit Realm Secret Realm."
"And for the evolution, we went to the Electric Wilderness."
The Spirit Realm and the Electric Wilderness!
Hearing the benefits Magnemite had gained, Lynnea and Leo finally understood why they had lost. Owen had used his status as the Rookie King to access professional-level resources early. This was likely how he had raised Magneton to be so formidable.
Of course, that wasn't the whole reason. There were also the priceless Pokéblocks and Magneton's own natural psychic talent.
"I knew it..." Leo muttered, stuffed with food. He knew Owen wouldn't take a battle he wasn't sure of winning. The man was a schemer through and through.
Leo decided that after moving to Shanghai, he would definitely avoid battling Owen. He had ultimately chosen the Battle Academy affiliated with Shanghai University, making him a "half-student" of the university, so they would have plenty of chances to meet.
Lynnea, meanwhile, seemed to have undergone a change in personality. She kept her head down and ate silently, clearly stimulated by Owen and Magneton's strength.
It was one thing to lose to Eevee, but losing to Magneton now too... After swallowing a bite of rice, Lynnea looked up at Owen as he fed Eevee. She wondered what Owen would be like the next time they met.
Would he remain the center of attention in university just as he was in high school?
The three finished their meal, each lost in their own thoughts.
The next day, Lynnea left for her school.
A few days later, Owen also planned to depart, intending to head to Shanghai early to adapt to the environment.
Leo was continuing his "National Gourmet Tour" and said he wouldn't head to the city until the official start date, so Owen didn't invite him along.
At the maglev train station, Owen's parents came along to see him off.
"Alright, you guys head back now," Owen said with a smile, holding his luggage.
As a freshman for Magic University, Owen traveled light. Aside from the essentials, he only had Eevee and Magneton with him.
As he prepared to board, Owen took out a Poké Ball. It was time to put Eevee inside, as keeping Pokémon out was prohibited on the train.
"This child..."
Looking at Owen and the Eevee on his shoulder, Owen's mother still felt a bit uneasy. Finally, just before Eevee was recalled, she gave a final instruction:
"Eevee, take good care of Owen, okay?"
"Vee!" Before entering the ball, Eevee puffed out its chest and gave a serious nod.
Owen: "???"
I'm the one who needs taking care of?
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