"Poliwhirl!"
Poliwhirl bumped its fists together and stepped forward, accepting Scyther's challenge.
"Scy—"
Metal screeched as Scyther rubbed its forearm blades together. Then it blurred in, cutting straight for Poliwhirl.
"Poliwhirl, Protect!"
The pale green barrier snapped up—and still the blow hit so hard it launched Poliwhirl backward.
"This Scyther is fast," Shun breathed.
Scyther flashed forward again.
"Waterfall to dodge!"
The ground burst under Poliwhirl's feet as it surged away—barely. Scyther was already on top of it again.
"Protect!"
Consecutive Protects rarely worked. This one failed—and Scyther's blade swatted Shun's Poliwhirl through the brush.
"Poliwhirl, you're up," Reiji said.
His Poliwhirl detonated off the dirt with Waterfall and intercepted, fist sheathing over in ice.
Steel met ice with a ringing crack. Both Pokémon skidded back.
"Careful," Reiji called. "It's mixing Quick Attack into its swings. And Agility's already live."
Poliwhirl dipped its head—got it.
Scyther shook frost from its blade and reassessed. This Poliwhirl wasn't the pushover from a moment ago.
The wings thrummed.
"Scy—!"
A green streak lunged.
"Protect—then Ice Punch!" Reiji snapped.
The shield flashed, the blade rebounded—and Poliwhirl's icy right hand smashed into Scyther's brow.
Scyther yelped as it pinwheeled into a trunk, showering leaves. It shoved itself back up, more excited than angry, blades singing as it scraped them edge to edge.
Poliwhirl squared up. The speed and steel were the problem; taking those scythes head-on was asking for stitches.
Scyther winked forward again.
"Sidestep—Mud Shot the wings!"
Poliwhirl burst past the strike and spat two tight globs. Both hit the wing joints. Scyther's airspeed dropped at once. It could still hop-fly—but not rocket.
"Keep pressure—Ice Punch!"
Poliwhirl chased, fist frosting over again.
Scyther dug in, used a wingbeat to kick off, backpedaling hard—but it was no longer running away with the exchange.
"Stay on it! Don't let it clear the mud!"
"Poli, poli!"
They vanished into the black timber, one chasing and one retreating.
Shun exhaled, cheeks tight. "It's strong."
"Stronger than most wilds," Reiji said, eyes on the trees. "Mud Shot to tax the wings, Ice Punch to punish. After that it's on them."
"Spinarak, Butterfree—shadow them," he added. "If Poliwhirl drops, bring him back."
Spinarak sprang off his shoulder. Butterfree lifted, wings whispering.
"Who wins?" Shun asked.
"We'll know soon," Reiji said, feeding the fire. "Patch your Poliwhirl. We'll hit town tomorrow and pray there's a Pokémon Center."
Shun cleaned and taped minor cuts. Reiji kept his face calm and his hands busy—but tension sat in his shoulders. He didn't mind losing the catch; he minded losing his partner.
While they waited, Reiji flicked open Poliwhirl's training log—hadn't checked it in half a month.
[Poliwhirl]
Type: Water
Gender: Male
Potential: 51.23%
Level: 41.67%
Abilities: Damp (20.53%), Swift Swim (Hidden; 22.13%)
Moves:
Mind Reader (18.21%) · Ice Ball (9.31%) · Refresh (25.11%) · Water Gun (32.14%) · Water Sport (25.21%) · Waterfall (30.22%) · Rain Dance (3.11%) · Ice Punch (18.31%) · Mega Punch (16.82%) · Mega Kick (13.45%) · Protect (19.31%) · Mud Shot (15.82%) · Drain Punch (6.84%)
Plenty of eating and not enough structured drilling lately; potential ticked up a little—probably the Pokéblocks. Waterfall and Ice Punch saw the biggest gains—run, burst, punch, repeat. Protect had a healthy bump from focused practice. Mud Shot rose quickly thanks to Water Gun muscle memory. New tech still pending: Stomping Tantrum and Bulk Up, when there's time.
Brush whispered.
Spinarak popped through first.
Butterfree swooped in after, clutching a limp green body. It set Scyther down by the fire. Out cold.
"Where's Poliwhirl?" Reiji asked.
Spinarak chittered toward the dark. A moment later Poliwhirl pushed through the grass, limping, hide laced with shallow cuts.
Reiji was at its side in a breath, easing it down, slipping a Pokéblock into its mouth. "Where's it bad?"
Mostly surface slices. No deep lines. He breathed again.
Cuts cleaned, spray on, wraps set.
He crossed to Scyther, pried its mouth open, tucked a Bug Pokéblock inside, then worked thaw spray across its brow, wing joints, and blade edges. Ice glittered everywhere. Poliwhirl hadn't pulled punches.
Scyther stirred as soon as Reiji stepped away, savoring the sweet in its beak—but kept its eyes closed until the work was done. When it did sit up, every Pokémon around the fire tensed.
Scyther looked at the bandages.
Then at Reiji.
It said nothing—kicked skyward, and slipped back into the forest.
"Not going to throw a ball?" Shun asked.
"Scyther aren't like most Bugs," Reiji said, leaning against the tree and watching the dark. "They're proud fighters. If it doesn't acknowledge you, the ball won't mean much. Let it decide. If it's worth having, it'll come back."
"And if it doesn't?"
"Then it wasn't the one."
Reiji pulled out a pocket notebook and scribbled: haunted house. If they found one, that was Gastly country. The best information hub would be the Pokémon Center—if this island even had one.
He flipped to his expense page—ten-plus days old.
Food: 30,000.
Croagunk cure at the Center: 10,000.
Top-tier Antidotes (10): 20,000.
Croagunk care manual: 1,000.
Ferry: 20,000.
Two months' food & water: 250,000.
Outdoor kit: 200,000.
Massage: 10,000.
Subtotal: 541,000.
Prev. balance: 34,127,000.
Tourney winnings: +600,000.
Now: 34,186,000.
He closed the book and ducked into the tent. Spinarak took first watch; Butterfree and Kingler flanked the fire. Shun and both Poliwhirl finally slept.
[End of Chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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