Chapter 53: Dodge It!
On the wild plains.
"Charmander, use Ember on Exeggcute!"
The one who spoke was not Liz, but Will. In front of him, Blaze the Charmander was in a standoff with a wild Exeggcute.
Exeggcute is a Grass/Psychic-type Pokémon, making it weak to the Fire-type Charmander. It is composed of six egg-like individuals. Each individual has its own thoughts and expressions, but for the most part, their thoughts are unified. These individuals can be separated, but they feel uneasy when apart, lose their balance, and use their strong telepathic bond to quickly regroup. Although they are called Exeggcute, this is actually a misunderstanding from ancient times. While they look like eggs, their physiology is closer to that of plants. In the fields of biology and genetics, Exeggcute is more often considered to be a Pokémon similar to a plant seed.
"Char-char!!"
Hearing Will's words, Blaze spat out a stream of embers from his mouth, which ignited the patch of grass where the Exeggcute were.
"Exeggcute!"
The Exeggcute quickly rolled away as the blue light of psychic power glowed from their many eyes.
"Char~"
Seeing this light, Blaze's eyes began to swim. His eyelids grew heavy, and he finally collapsed to the ground, fast asleep. The Exeggcute, meanwhile, quickly rolled into the tall grass and escaped.
Hypnosis, huh.
Will quietly watched the Exeggcute leave, then lifted his tail.
[Aqua Tail]
His tail, wrapped in Water-type energy, swept across the small patch of burning grass, extinguishing the flames in an instant.
Neither Charmander nor Exeggcute have high levels. Charmander is probably only Lv. 5, Will thought, looking at the sleeping Blaze. He nudged him with his tail. He had tested him earlier; the only moves Blaze knew were Scratch, Growl, and Ember. He hadn't even learned Smokescreen, which he should get around Lv. 8. This was the state of a starter Pokémon just taken from a professor's lab.
"Char..." Blaze scratched his rear and continued to sleep.
Smack!
Will smacked the little one on the head.
"Char~"
Only then did the Charmander rub his eyes and get back up, looking around with a dopey expression, as if he couldn't remember what had just happened.
"Liz, it's your turn to command him in battle," Will said, ignoring Blaze and turning to the queen.
His goal in the previous duel wasn't for Blaze to win, but simply to let Liz watch the process of him commanding a Pokémon, so she would understand what he wanted her to do.
"Hm?"
Liz, who had been watching quietly from the side, tilted her head in confusion when Will suddenly looked at her.
"..."
Will lifted his head and thought for a moment. His eyes lit up. He flew off and grabbed a bewildered-looking Sentret.
It was a Normal-type Sentry Pokémon. If he had a choice, he wouldn't have brought a Sentret here. In the wild, a Sentret was not a competent solo fighter. This wasn't a matter of strength; it was just unqualified. Sentret have a very neurotic personality and are extremely wary. If they get separated from their colony, they become too scared to sleep. Without a partner by their side, they can't even muster the courage to fight.
If they have a Trainer, it's a different story. They will view their Trainer as a "partner" and become brave. But a wild Sentret on its own is quite helpless. When faced with a strange environment and an enemy, a lone Sentret will only do one thing.
"Sen!"
The Sentret stood up on its thick, large tail, making its body appear larger than usual in an attempt to intimidate them. In reality, the little guy was so scared it was about to cry.
"..."
Will sighed helplessly. The problem was that, aside from the Exeggcute, this Sentret was the only other Pokémon nearby that was a suitable opponent for Blaze. And with his current movepool, Blaze was no match for an Exeggcute that knew Hypnosis.
"Char-char!"
Blaze, however, was full of spirit. Seeing a new opponent, he hopped in front of the Sentret and let out a threatening cry.
"Are they going to fight again?" Liz asked, watching the scene with her bright, wine-red eyes.
But to her surprise, Will used his tail to wrap around her and place her about five meters behind the Charmander.
"Eh?"
Liz was stunned for a moment, but she immediately understood his intention. Recalling the positions he and Blaze had taken against the Exeggcute, she knew that Will wanted her to command the battle.
"Blaze, go and defeat it!" Liz commanded calmly.
She was no delicate flower raised in a greenhouse. Let's not forget, at the tender age of eight, she had personally led a team into the perilous Mt. Silver to bring out the Beedrill swarm. She had personally led that swarm and her army to defeat and conquer one tribe after another. In a way, she was the very first Beast-Caller of the Dragonite Kingdom. It was only after becoming queen ten years ago that she had stopped commanding beasts in battle.
"Char-char!"
Hearing Liz's words, Blaze charged forward, tail wagging. However, because Liz hadn't given a specific move command, he decided on his own to use Scratch.
Not bad, she has the makings of a Trainer, Will thought, nodding as he watched. He had thought that training Liz would be a long road, but it seemed that wasn't the case. The only trouble was that humans of this era had a very limited understanding of Pokémon names, moves, and types. They didn't understand that Pokémon could master a variety of moves, nor had they named those moves yet, so they couldn't give specific commands.
"Sen!"
The Sentret was startled as Blaze charged at it. It subconsciously dropped its tail, closed its eyes, and blindly rammed forward, a white light trailing behind it.
"Blaze, dodge it, quick!" Liz immediately changed her tactics.
"Char!"
Blaze dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the Sentret's Quick Attack. His tail got clipped, but it was nothing serious. The Sentret's battle sense was too poor. It had closed its eyes out of fear and nervousness while using Quick Attack, causing it to misjudge its direction, allowing Blaze to easily dodge.
So this god-tier move appeared this early, Will thought, a little surprised.
"Burn him with fire!" Liz commanded again.
"Char-char!" Blaze immediately opened his mouth and used Ember.
"SEN!!!"
The embers hit, injuring the poor Sentret.
"Sen-sen~ (I'm gonna die~)"
The fur on the little creature's body was slightly singed. It couldn't take it anymore. It sat down on the ground and began to wail helplessly.
"Oh dear... I'd better take this little one back," Will said. Seeing the Sentret crying so pitifully, he quickly wrapped it in his tail and returned it to its colony.
By the time he got back, Liz was already stroking Blaze's head and praising him.
"You were amazing, Blaze~"
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