Chapter 195:
"Tepig, Ember—use Ember quickly!" he shouted.
But amidst the vast expanse of snow, only a few fiery sparks flickered before vanishing almost instantly.
Clearly, Ember was completely useless.
The Youngster was dumbfounded.
No way…
Didn't the teacher say Fire-type moves were super effective against Ice-types?
So why was it that when facing another participant in the Junior Cup, the opponent's Ice-type Pokémon just used one weather move, and now he couldn't even see his own Pokémon anymore?
Watching the opponent, who refused to give up yet looked utterly confused, Hayashi Kaede glanced toward the referee.
The referee finally snapped out of his daze. "This match goes to Hayashi Kaede and Alolan Vulpix! One win recorded!"
"Alright, Vulpix." Only then did Hayashi Kaede call out to a specific spot in the snow. Immediately, the clouds in the sky dissolved, and the snowfall gradually ceased.
All that remained was a thick layer of snow, proof of just how heavy the blizzard had been.
"Vulpix~"
Alolan Vulpix leapt out of the snow and bounded happily to Hayashi Kaede's side, its face glowing with excitement. Its sparkling eyes shone with anticipation. "Vulpix~?" (How was it? How was it?)
"You were amazing."
Balancing the egg with one hand, Hayashi Kaede crouched down and patted Vulpix's head.
(p≧w≦q)~
Alolan Vulpix glanced proudly at the pattern on its scarf and let out an excited cry. "Vulpix…" (Haha, I'm definitely going to become the Vulpix Hero!)
Hayashi Kaede nodded. Vulpix's fighting spirit was at its peak—it might be a good time to find a few more opponents for it to play with.
But when he turned around, he saw the other Trainer, with Rotom's help, finally digging his shivering Tepig out of the snow. Hayashi Kaede couldn't help but smile.
A Fire-type Pokémon frozen like this…
This was the sheer dominance of max-level Ice against beginner-level Fire.
But in truth, Tepig wasn't injured.
From start to finish, Alolan Vulpix had only used a weather move and never once launched an actual attack.
Once its body temperature rose again, Tepig would be fine soon enough.
Hayashi Kaede was about to ask the nearby Trainers if anyone wanted a battle, but as his gaze swept across them, everyone quickly looked away. Some even laughed awkwardly before slipping out of sight.
No way.
This kid's Alolan Vulpix might look harmless, but just one weather move had already made their eyes pop.
Clearly, this guy was an incredible Trainer!
"…" Hayashi Kaede fell silent for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Does anyone want a Pokémon battle?"
And with that, the rest of them dispersed even faster.
Helpless, Hayashi Kaede could only return to Mew's side with Alolan Vulpix.
"Vulpix~!" (Why won't anyone battle me?)
Alolan Vulpix turned around sulkily.
It was so fired up, and its Trainer had even challenged them—but not a single person stepped forward…
Before Hayashi Kaede could explain, Mew, who had watched the entire match, spoke first.
"You're too strong. None of them can beat you."
That made Hayashi Kaede raise an eyebrow in surprise as he looked at Mew.
It was actually capable of giving such praise?
That was unexpected.
But the innocent Alolan Vulpix was thrilled to hear the compliment.
"Vulpix~" (Vulpix is very strong~)
Excited, it immediately began scanning the surroundings, eager to find more opponents to challenge.
Hayashi Kaede also intended to satisfy Vulpix's desire for battles by finding some… relatively skilled participants in the arena.
And soon…
While searching, he froze.
He spotted Takagi Megumi at one of the fields.
But just seeing Takagi Megumi wasn't enough to surprise him.
What stunned him was the Pokémon floating beside her.
He rubbed his eyes.
Once he confirmed it was indeed Jirachi, Hayashi Kaede's eyes widened.
"Vulpix~" (It's the employee and Wartortle~)
Even Alolan Vulpix recognized them and cried out in delight.
Although Takagi Megumi always liked to pet it when she was around, after not seeing her for so long, Alolan Vulpix actually missed this always-smiling employee.
"Wait, wait…"
Hayashi Kaede suddenly remembered: yesterday, when he had told everyone about Jirachi, Mew had been present. Mew had even smirked mischievously while watching the Junior Cup battle footage.
And early this morning, Hayashi Kaede hadn't seen Mew anywhere, which meant…
This Jirachi was likely Mew in disguise!
I'm so clever!
Hayashi Kaede's mind immediately flashed with the perfect explanation, and he couldn't help but praise his own intelligence.
Still, he couldn't resist using [Eye of Exploration] on the Jirachi with the Megumi.
Come on, let me see what you little troublemaker is up to… Wait, what? It's really Jirachi?
[Pokémon: Jirachi]
[Gender: Genderless]
[Ability: Serene Grace]
[Aptitude: Mythical]
[IVs: HP (25) Attack (25) Sp. Atk (25) Defense (25) Sp. Def (25) Speed (25)]
[Level: ???]
[Moves: Confusion, Wish, Swift, Life Dew, Zen Headbutt, Gravity, Psychic…]
[Friendship: 10 (It's curious about you~)]
[Mood: 70 (Where's the tastier food…?)]
[Description: After accumulating energy through a millennium of slumber, this is its first day of freedom in seven days…]
Hayashi Kaede's jaw dropped as he watched Wartortle and Takagi Megumi battling on the field.
No way—he had just mentioned Jirachi yesterday, and today Jirachi appeared right before his eyes?
Was this coincidence really so absurd?
"What kind of Pokémon is that?"
Mewtwo's gaze turned puzzled as it looked at the Jirachi in the girl's arms, sensing a very special energy from it.
Mewtwo then looked at Hayashi Kaede.
Although it didn't understand, it felt Hayashi Kaede probably did.
Alolan Vulpix also looked up at him curiously.
Hayashi Kaede's expression was complicated. "What if I told you this is Jirachi? Would you believe me?"
"Vulpix?"
"What? That wish-granting Pokémon you mentioned?"
Mewtwo and Alolan Vulpix immediately widened their eyes.
"Yes…"
Hayashi Kaede nodded, confirming Jirachi's identity once more.
In his heart, he recalled yesterday's shooting star.
Didn't it seem to fall in the direction of Nagisuna City?
Was that the reason?
Both Pokémon fell silent, carefully examining the Jirachi with Takagi Megumi.
Although curious, Hayashi Kaede didn't call out to her since she was in the middle of a battle.
But speaking of which…
Wartortle had really improved a lot recently.
[Pokémon: Wartortle]
[Gender: Female]
[Ability: Torrent]
[Aptitude: Purple]
[IVs: …]
[Level: 29]
[Moves: Tackle, Tail Whip, Water Gun, Withdraw, Hydro Pump, Rapid Spin, Protect, Water Pulse, Rain Dance…]
[Friendship: 92 (It likes you a lot.)]
[Mood: 10 (Another one eating my Energy Cubes… My Energy Cubes are going to run out…)]
Level 29, just one step away from Gym Leader standard.
This strength, though not the most outstanding in the entire Junior Cup, was still impressive—especially considering Takagi Megumi was only sixteen, a high school sophomore who had just begun her journey this year.
She had a very promising future ahead.
Her opponent was a girl about the same age.
Her Pokémon was a Grass-type Grotle.
This Grotle also seemed quite strong.
[Pokémon: Grotle]
[Gender: Male]
[Ability: Overgrow]
[Aptitude: Blue]
[IVs: HP (28) Attack (11) Sp. Atk (19) Defense (24) Sp. Def (27) Speed (8)]
[Level: 27–29]
[Moves: Energy Ball, Withdraw, Absorb, Razor Leaf, Mega Drain, Leech Seed, Synthesis, Bullet Seed, Grass Pledge, Grassy Terrain.]
Interestingly, it had turned into a battle between two turtle Pokémon.
But the difference was clear.
Grotle clearly relied on a turret-style strategy—its large, heavy body making it slow and clumsy.
Wartortle, by contrast, was much more agile.
Even more interestingly, both Trainers chose moves with similar effects right from the first round.
Takagi Megumi chose Rain Dance.
The other girl chose Grassy Terrain.
As a continuous drizzle covered the field, Grass-type energy condensed into sprouting grass.
However, Hayashi Kaede could see that Wartortle was significantly faster at executing Rain Dance than Grotle. Moreover, the rainfall continuously suppressed the grass's growth momentum.
That gave Hayashi Kaede some comfort.
This guy swam over from the irrigation channel every day, so of course Hayashi Kaede couldn't let it just eat for free.
It had to help Milotic irrigate the land in return.
Unexpectedly, its Rain Dance had grown increasingly proficient throughout their journey.
"Alright, Wartortle, use Water Gun!" Takagi Megumi commanded with a wave of her hand.
During these past days, while traveling along the League's route for new Trainers from Aogiri Town to Nagisuna City, she had consistently relied on this move combination in battles.
Rain Dance plus Water Gun.
With the boost from Rain Dance—and perhaps thanks to earlier training alongside Snivy's vines—Wartortle's Water Gun, whether in speed or accuracy, was now virtually impossible to dodge.
So, day by day, she had advanced easily along the route for new Trainers.
Water Gun blasts, like swift arrows, struck one after another against Grotle's body.
The opposing Trainer soon frowned.
She knew Grotle's speed was always its weakness.
But this Wartortle was beyond her expectations.
In both energy control and physical prowess, it was exceptionally outstanding—almost unbelievably so.
Even with the type advantage, Grotle couldn't withstand the relentless Water Gun barrage.
But Grotle's Trainer was clearly experienced.
She quietly had it endure the increasingly fierce Water Gun strikes while steadily accumulating energy.
As Hayashi Kaede raised an eyebrow, she finally called out, "Grass Pledge!"
In an instant, the Grotle that had been storing up power erupted, no longer able to hold back its frustration at being suppressed by a Water-type.
Several towering grass cyclones, three to four meters high, burst from the ground, sweeping across the field in indiscriminate fury.
In Hayashi Kaede's opinion, it was an excellent choice.
Wartortle's "mobile turret" strategy was exactly what Grotle feared most.
Fast, with no startup lag for its moves.
That meant any move Grotle chose had to be carefully considered.
Because ordinary attacks could be easily dodged by Wartortle, and if dodged, they would only waste energy.
So Grotle's Trainer had gambled on Grass Pledge in the rain!
Aside from the boost from Grassy Terrain, there was another reason:
Grass Pledge's power was amplified on wet terrain.
With Grassy Terrain and rain both in play, as long as Grass Pledge hit Wartortle, she was confident it would be a one-hit KO!
"Wartortle?"
The sudden stormfront from all directions threw Takagi Megumi into a panic, leaving her unsure what command to give.
The cyclones were too many and too sudden, all surging toward Wartortle. Even Wartortle froze, stunned.
It wanted to fire Water Gun to break through, but the attack was too weak. Like arrows through wind, they had no impact—if anything, they only added water power to Grass Pledge.
Seeing the oncoming storm, Takagi Megumi knew dodging was impossible.
She shouted, "In that case… use Hydro Pump! Aim at Grotle!"
A massive torrent erupted from Wartortle's mouth.
As a major Water-type move, this Hydro Pump seemed to carry every ounce of its strength.
The stream was over a meter thick!
Its force was overwhelming—directly shattering one cyclone of Grass Pledge and surging toward Grotle.
At the same time, the remaining cyclones slammed into Wartortle.
Boom!
The earth-shaking collision instantly drew gasps from the surrounding crowd.
Hydro Pump blasted Grotle backward, while Grass Pledge swept over Wartortle, tearing up even the grass and soil beneath it.
When the cyclones finally subsided, Grotle's body barely managed to halt.
Both Pokémon froze in place.
Both Trainers held their breath, eyes locked on their partners.
The silence was so heavy you could hear a pin drop.
Finally, Takagi Megumi couldn't help but cry out, "Hang in there, Wartortle…!"
As if triggered by her voice, both Pokémon wavered unsteadily… and then collapsed at the same time.
But just then—
The Jirachi in Takagi Megumi's arms seemed to hear something.
Its gaze fixed on the fallen Wartortle.
Hang in there?
Was this… the second wish of the human who had given it delicious food?