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"Good work."
Li Xiang fed an energy block into Frogadier's mouth. "Once we catch the next one, we'll switch out."
Following the principle of sustainable development, he believed it was best not to wait until a Pokémon was exhausted before recalling it to its PokéBall.
The first two wild Pokémon they encountered had been practically helpless against Frogadier, much easier to handle than he had expected. But that didn't mean the next ones would be the same.
Every wild Pokémon was different.
"Kero!"
Frogadier nodded. Though the last two battles had seemed effortless—with the opponents failing to land a single hit—it had actually drained a fair amount of its stamina and energy.
Its Camouflage was a move, not an innate ability like Kecleon's. Maintaining it for long periods consumed a lot of energy.
They pressed onward.
Five minutes in, two captures.
At this rate, catching ten in an hour seemed entirely feasible, but fate loved playing tricks on people.
The third wild Pokémon Li Xiang and Frogadier encountered was a chubby bunny girl—ahem, a Diggersby.
True to its name, this thing was an expert at digging. Its seemingly fluffy ears were freakishly strong, capable of lifting even multi-ton boulders with ease.
What's more, its senses were sharp. While it couldn't spot Frogadier directly, it could detect the direction of its attacks.
A real pain to deal with.
After nearly four minutes of back-and-forth, this infuriating wild Pokémon suddenly Dug its way to escape—ridiculously fast, even quicker than an Onix carving tunnels underground.
Li Xiang had the will but not the means to chase it down. Frogadier hadn't learned Dig yet, so pursuit was impossible.
Of course, he briefly considered sending out Riolu to track it with Aura and moves, but was it worth exhausting Frogadier and Riolu's stamina over one wild Pokémon?
In the end, Li Xiang chose to let it go.
The cost outweighed the gain.
Fat bunny, don't let me run into you a second time!
Li Xiang was fuming. If it was going to run, why wait so long after tangling with Frogadier?
"Kero!"
Frogadier shook its head when Li Xiang reached for its PokéBall, signaling it could keep going.
"Enough. You'll have plenty of fights later. No need to push yourself now."
Li Xiang patted its head. Even if it still had energy left, there was no point in burning through it all at once.
He only had a Candy System, not a Stamina Gauge, so he couldn't see exactly how much energy his Pokémon had left. He had to rely on his own judgment—and sometimes, he misjudged.
Team Rotation.
As Frogadier was recalled into its PokéBall, it waved at Riolu, who returned the gesture.
If not for the fact that they couldn't physically interact while being recalled, they might've even high-fived.
Now this is what I call teamwork.
Li Xiang had always been proud of his three Pokémon. Even though they bickered and clashed at times, when it came to serious business, they put all that aside.
"Rio!"
Riolu, glossy-furred and full of vigor, looked at Li Xiang with bright eyes.
Li Xiang pinched its cheeks. This proud little dog still refused to let anyone pat its head or pick it up, but face-squishing and paw-squeezing were allowed.
"Let's get started."
Li Xiang took a sip of water and watched as Riolu leaped into the trees, resuming his hunt for easy wild Pokémon targets.
At first, the circular arena had seemed massive, but now that he was inside, it felt surprisingly small.
This time, he was smarter—he avoided the obviously tough opponents.
Finally, after Riolu ambushed an Azumarill with a Thunder Punch, sending the poor thing reeling, Li Xiang secured his third capture.
"...Eighteen minutes already?"
Li Xiang checked the time, a little frustrated. Earlier, he'd thought time wouldn't be an issue.
Now he realized that if he kept going at this pace, he'd never make it, but there was no helping it.
The average level of these wild Pokémon was around 30. They weren't pushovers.
Even though Riolu and the others could ambush them, securing a clean one-hit KO wasn't guaranteed.
They couldn't just spam stat-boosting moves all the time either—their stamina and energy weren't infinite.
Moving On.
Passing through the forested area, Li Xiang arrived at the second zone: sand and rocky terrain.
Compared to the obstructed sightlines of the forest, the open desert and rocky fields made it much easier to spot wild Pokémon.
And… other examinees.
"Whoa."
Li Xiang raised an eyebrow as he watched a trainer and their Pokémon being chased by an Onix in the distance.
Clearly, they had pissed it off, because it was not letting go.
"HELP! SOMEONE HELP!"
The fleeing trainer—a kid no older than fourteen or fifteen, just like Li Xiang—was screaming in panic, stumbling as he ran.
A city kid, unused to being chased by wild Pokémon.
"It won't attack you! Just recall your Pokémon!"
Li Xiang shouted at him while keeping an eye on a Sandslash that had poked its head out of the sand, watching the chaos unfold.
Not wanting to alert it, Li Xiang subtly nudged Riolu, who was clinging to his back in Camouflage.
Riolu understood. Through Aura Sense, it had already detected the Sandslash. But this thing was another escape artist—if they didn't take it down in one hit, they'd waste their energy.
Thinking quickly, Riolu silently used Swords Dance.
Meanwhile, the kid heard Li Xiang's advice and froze.
Right! Wild Pokémon here can't attack humans!
Realizing this, he immediately stopped running and recalled his Pokémon—a smart move to prevent further damage.
The Onix, seeing its target vanish, let out a frustrated roar. With no Pokémon left to fight, it could only vent its anger by slamming its tail against the ground, kicking up clouds of dust.
The kid flinched but, seeing the Onix couldn't touch him, turned and bolted, planning to release his Pokémon somewhere safer.
Perfect Distraction.
As the Onix roared in frustration, a flicker of icy-blue light caught its attention.
Riolu had struck.
Using Li Xiang's arm as a springboard, it shot toward the unsuspecting Sandslash like an arrow, a ribbon of freezing energy trailing behind its fist.
THUD!
The Sandslash didn't even have time to react before Riolu's Ice Punch slammed into its head. Frost spread instantly, encasing its entire body in ice.
Frozen!
Li Xiang and Riolu exchanged triumphant looks. When it came to captures, freeze and sleep were the best status conditions, followed by paralysis. Burns and poison? Useless.
Without hesitation—and acutely aware of the massive Onix now turning its attention their way—Li Xiang hurled a PokéBall at the frozen Sandslash.
The ball hit, absorbed the Pokémon, dropped to the ground, shook three times, and clicked shut.
Fourth Capture—Success!
Li Xiang snatched up the ball just as the ground began to tremble.
The Onix was charging straight at them.
"Buy one, get one free. Double happiness."
Li Xiang smirked, barely resisting the urge to clap. There was no wild Pokémon easier to catch than an enraged Onix.
As long as you could beat it, these stubborn creatures would fight to the bitter end before fleeing.
"Riolu! Teach it how to be a proper snake!"
Li Xiang backed away quickly, not wanting to be anywhere near the colossal rock serpent.
Riolu, already prepared, let out a low growl in response.
Then, with a flicker of movement, it split into over a dozen copies—Double Team.
Li Xiang had always found Double Team incredibly useful for confusing inexperienced opponents, but it had a major downside: energy consumption.
The more clones, the more energy it drained.
Some Pokémon in the anime could create dozens of copies, but that was just wasteful.
In Li Xiang's opinion, the most cost-effective number was between 15 and 20.
Enough to overwhelm the opponent's senses, but not so many that it became unsustainable.
The Onix, true to Li Xiang's expectations, panicked at the sight of multiple Riolus, all with glowing fists.
It retaliated by spitting boulders—yes, *spitting*— from its gaping maw.
The rocks, shrouded in brown energy, shot into the air before shattering and raining down like meteors.
Rock Slide.
"Never gets old, watching Pokémon defy physics," Li Xiang muttered, but the attack missed entirely, because the real Riolu had already slipped behind the Onix, balancing on one of the rocky segments near its head.
With a deep breath, it pressed its paw against the Onix's skull.
Focus.
Breathe.
Then—
*CRACK!*
A devastating Force Palm, enhanced by Swords Dance, erupted from Riolu's palm like a point-blank explosion.
The Onix's head jerked violently as the force traveled down its body, rattling its very core.
Before it could even collapse, Li Xiang's PokéBall was already in the air.
*CLINK!*
Direct hit—right between the eyes.
The ball wobbled once, twice, three times—
*CLICK.*
Fifth Capture—Success!
Li Xiang grinned.
Now that's what I call efficiency.