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Question: The new Pokémon I just got used to be a girl, and I've already touched her all over. What should I do? Asking online, it's urgent.
Answer: Wait to die!!
To be honest, the moment Li Xiang found out Honedge was a little girl, the thought of returning her flashed through his mind for a second.
To send this "hot potato" back.
After all, a Pokémon who used to be a little girl... no matter how you looked at it, wasn't suitable to stay by his side.
But on second thought, she had already become a Honedge, bidding farewell to her past human body. It wasn't really appropriate to still view her through a human lens.
Consciousness changes along with the body.
Take Li Xiang himself, for example. He was troubled by the hormones flooding his body during puberty, controlling his actions.
Honedge had transitioned from human to Pokémon, free from hormonal influences. How much of her human emotions remained was truly unknown.
Based on current observations, her emotions seemed quite rich.
'...Well then, I'll just have to ask Senior Sister Yan Hu tomorrow to take me to Triple Village to consult Aegislash and Uncle Shimazaki.'
'I need to get a clear picture of what's going on with this Honedge—no, 'Yatama'. Otherwise, I really don't dare to just keep her by my side.'
As Li Xiang was lost in thought, Honedge in the distance turned her gaze toward him.
Different from the previous annoyed, angry look, what met his eyes now was a look of pure joy.
It was as if a lovely young girl was playing and laughing with Pokémon, and in her happiness, she happened to glance back at you'
'...Wait. Why am I thinking like this?'
Li Xiang shook his head, dispelling the distracting thoughts.
'That's a Pokémon! A Honedge! This isn't some gacha mobile game world where cold weapons are personified as girls!'
"Riolu?"
Riolu, seeing Li Xiang shaking his head repeatedly, nudged his arm with a worried expression.
"Huh? Oh, it's nothing."
Li Xiang pinched its cheek, stood up, and brushed off nonexistent dust. "No big deal."
He smiled at Riolu.
Worst-case scenario, he could just return her. What could go wrong?
Li Xiang quickly walked forward.
"Well... Little Sword."
He said in a low voice. Honedge's pupils, which had been full of laughter, instantly dilated.
Then..
Schwing—
"Nonono." Li Xiang pressed Honedge back into her scabbard. "Let's talk this out. Don't get excited. It's a term of endearment, a nickname! Look, all my Pokémon have nicknames."
He pointed at Incineroar. "This is Kitty.... I mean Big Kitty."
"Grrrowl..."
'It's a decent name, so why does it sound so cheap coming from you...'
Incineroar looked at Li Xiang speechlessly, then gave Honedge a fierce grin.
Honedge wobbled slightly in response. She no longer saw that grin as malicious.
Li Xiang pointed at Corviknight. "Big Black Steel Chicken. You know it's always clucking like a hen. It'll probably lay an egg someday."
"Gah!"
Corviknight's wings twitched. After a moment's thought, it decided not to curse—better leave a good impression on the newbie.
Li Xiang then pointed at Riolu. "Little Puppy. Lives up to the name, doesn't do human things."
'Dammit... My fist is hardening.'
Riolu forced a smile at Honedge, tiny claws clenching slightly.
'You're probably right about everything, but I still want to punch you.'
Moving on..
"This is Greninja, the Edgy Frog. 'It's not me who's wrong, it's this world.'"
"Ninja!"
'No doubt!'
Greninja, eyes narrowed, nodded and struck a cool pose.
Clap clap clap clap clap.
Li Xiang applauded and took a picture of the pose with his phone. "So cool, Greninja! Another one—Ahem, next, next."
He pointed at Rotom on Metang's head. "Washer. Also goes by Fire-machine, Grass-machine, Fan-machine, Frost-machine. Also our translator, tsundere, voice pack user."
"Wassup!"
Rotom raised a hand and gave Li Xiang a look that said, "I'm only doing this to be friendly with the newbie, not to give you face."
[I get it.]
Li Xiang returned the look.
"Finally... Iron Simpleton, Honest Guy, Dining Table.. take your pick."
He patted Metang's head, quite forcefully.
"Metang!?"
'You dare call me Dining Table!'
Metang's eyes widened, anger instantly surging. It raised its hammer-like claw to strike Li Xiang.
But just as it lifted it, it closed its eyes, slowly lowered its arm, and, like a human, mimed taking deep breaths.
"Metang..."
'The world is so beautiful, yet I am so hot-tempered. This is not good, not good...'
Li Xiang silently retracted his retreating step, expression unchanged, and said seriously to Honedge, "See? They're all terms of endearment. Nicknames. It's normal. Friendly."
Honedge hovered in mid-air, giving him an utterly speechless look.
It was a look that said, "The fact that you're still alive is a miracle; you should really kowtow to them."
"Hey, don't sweat the small stuff. Anyway, they're nicknames."
Li Xiang waved his hand. "So, Little Sword—"
Schwing—
The blade unsheathed!
"Shouldn't, shouldn't."
Li Xiang quickly stepped forward and pressed Honedge back in.
Watching her slowly return to her scabbard, hiding the gleaming blade, he couldn't help but let his imagination run wild—did the scabbard count as Honedge's clothes?
If so, didn't that mean Honedge had been naked several times?
And also...
'Drawing her sword against me was like taking her clothes off for me... How lewd.'
"Cough cough cough cough cough!!"
Li Xiang choked on his own swallowed saliva, coughing violently, almost hacking up a lung.
'Good grief, where did that thought come from?'
"Putting nicknames aside, let's get down to business."
He forced himself to change focus and do what he originally intended.
—Test Honedge's strength.
From earlier visual estimation, she shouldn't be weak, but he didn't know her level.
He pressed the level checker to her eye. The feedback was Level 30, exactly.
'What was Honedge's evolution level range again? Seems like it was 32 to 38, and then it needed a Dusk Stone for further evolution.'
Dusk Stone...
Luckily, he had three unused evolution stones at home. To save money—since they cost seven-eight thousand each—he could make a post on the forum to find someone local for a trade.
"You'll be evolving soon."
Li Xiang reminded her. "Minimum two levels, maximum eight levels."
Evolve?
A flicker of confusion passed through Honedge's eyes; she clearly had no concept of the word.
"Time-wise, anywhere from two months to ten months. Conservative estimate... Though it might be a bit late to ask, but have you ever battled other Pokémon before?"
Li Xiang, as if realizing something, asked in a low voice.
Honedge's body paused, as if thinking. After a moment, she shook herself honestly.
'Just as I thought.'
Li Xiang felt somewhat helpless. Unlike Incineroar and the others, who were trained by Breeders, or Greninja, who lived in the wild and often experienced battles, the troublemaker from Triple Village was starting from absolute zero.
So where did this Level 30 come from?
Simple. Through daily activities like chopping wood, running, hitting trees—anything that could be considered training.
Also, this involved something called natural growth level.
Before Level 40, a Pokémon's energy level could slowly increase with age, even if it might take decades.
After Level 40, it required arduous effort.
"Not a big problem. We'll take it slow. I don't need you to be combat-ready immediately anyway."
Li Xiang rubbed his face. "Next, let's test what moves you know."
He turned his head. "There's no target here, so Incineroar will be the dummy."
"Grrrowl."
Incineroar nodded, cracking its knuckles and twisting its neck.
'Such is the life of a meat shield. Big-Kitty brand power tester—highly rated by all who've used it.'
The bystanders slowly stepped back.
"Don't be nervous. It's not a Pokémon battle. I just want you to use all the moves you know."
Li Xiang saw Honedge looking around nervously and knew she was anxious.
Hearing his words, Honedge looked at Incineroar standing in place, beckoning her, and thought, Oh, I see.
Then..
Schwing!
Silver light flashed abruptly!
Li Xiang's vision blurred. Honedge, who had been some distance from Incineroar, was suddenly right above its head!
Sky-blue light shone along her blade as she slashed down fiercely!
Swish!
...
The testing didn't take long.
Incineroar didn't take much damage either; its tank-like durability was evident.
Its thick fur could even hinder slashing attacks.
Li Xiang looked at Honedge, who was swaying slightly as if tired, then at the chart Rotom had compiled on his phone, falling into thought.
Pokémon: Honedge
Gender: Female
Level: 30
Ability: No Guard
Type: Steel / Ghost
Moves: Fury Cutter, Metal Sound, Slash, Tackle, Aerial Ace, Shadow Sneak, Autotomize, Phantom Force, Swords Dance, Secret Sword, Destiny Bond, Wide Guard Night Slash.
Thirteen moves. Not a lot, but definitely not few.
Among them, the moves that caught Li Xiang's attention were Phantom Force, Secret Sword, and Aerial Ace.
The first one, no need to explain, couldn't be learned until at least Gen 8.
Plus, this move was a god-tier escape skill. Used well, she could flee anytime.
The second, Secret Sword.
Usually a move learned upon evolving into Aegislash. It was surprising Honedge knew it so early.
Good power, good effect—could be used for coverage.
Finally, Aerial Ace.
The move that surprised Li Xiang the most.
He never understood before why a 28-Speed Honedge could display such incredible speed. His dynamic vision couldn't even keep up.
Only after testing it properly did Li Xiang understand—this was another move that had undergone some changes.
The moment Honedge left her scabbard, Aerial Ace seemed to empower her, allowing her to attack like an Iaijutsu strike, at a speed defying belief.
Of course, it was only limited to that first draw-cut. Her speed would drop afterward, but it was still plenty impressive.
"Another move that's changed, after Camouflage, Force Palm, and Flare Blitz?"
Li Xiang narrowed his eyes, regretfully saying, "Too bad it's not STAB, and Aerial Ace's base power is limited."
But as an opening move, it was better than nothing.
Good for getting the jump on opponents.