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"Squirtle!"
"That's a Squirtle from the Kanto region? It's a rare Pokémon even over there—this is honestly kind of surprising!"
Seeing that Delia's first Pokémon to enter the field was Squirtle, Gym Leader Kim raised her eyebrows and turned to Delia with surprise.
"Hehe, actually, I'm from Kanto too. This little Squirtle was a gift from Liam back then~"
Delia scratched her cheek shyly when she saw Kim's surprised expression.
But her words only made Kim even more surprised. She turned her head to glance at Liam, who was quietly sitting in the spectator seats, then looked back at Delia, her eyes full of envy.
"He gave you such a rare Pokémon as a gift? Wow, your fiancé must treat you really well! Ugh! I'm so jealous I could scream! I can't take this anymore! I need to vent! The battle starts now! I'm attacking! Get ready!"
"Go, Hoothoot! Charge in with Peck!"
"Hoot~!"
The moment the command was issued, Hoothoot flapped its wings and soared straight at Squirtle. Its small, sharp beak glowed white with energy.
"Squirtle, Withdraw!"
Delia's voice trembled a bit as she called out. Although she had trained all afternoon with Liam the previous day and made decent progress, she only now realized how different it was to battle against a total stranger. There were far more variables to think about.
"Squirtle!"
The instant Delia gave the order, Squirtle tucked its head, tail, and limbs into its shell. The round shell hit the ground with a soft thud and stayed perfectly still.
"Hoothoot!"
Despite the Withdraw, Hoothoot didn't hesitate—it landed right on top of Squirtle's shell and began pecking repeatedly, its glowing beak making sharp, crisp thuds on the hard surface.
"Hmm? You're just going to sit there and take it?" Kim muttered. "Even though this Squirtle used Withdraw, that doesn't make it immune to damage. If Hoothoot keeps this up, Squirtle's going down sooner or later."
She could clearly see that Delia was flustered—a classic rookie reaction. Many beginners freeze up when attacked, thinking defense alone is enough.
But that's a common misconception. Just defending won't avoid damage forever.
This was a perfect moment for a Gym Leader to step in. Part of their duty was to guide challengers and teach them proper battle techniques.
From the spectator seats, Liam's eyes glinted with approval when he heard Kim's words. Not every Gym Leader took their responsibilities seriously—but Kim clearly did. She was both capable and dedicated.
"I—I got it! Squirtle, use Rapid Spin!"
Delia snapped out of her panic. Her cheeks reddened slightly as she processed the situation, then quickly shouted her next move.
"Squirtle!"
Clearly annoyed by the constant pecking, Squirtle let out a low grunt from within its shell. It quickly extended its limbs and launched into a high-speed spin the moment it hit the ground—spinning so fast that it flung Hoothoot off its back.
Hoothoot fluttered its wings and landed gracefully, unharmed.
Squirtle came to a stop as well, popping its head and tail out of the shell, glaring at Hoothoot indignantly.
"Hehe, using Rapid Spin to shake off Hoothoot? That was a great idea! You've got talent! Now I'm getting excited! Hoothoot, use Zen Headbutt!"
Kim's eyes sparkled. She pointed at Squirtle and quickly gave her next command.
"Hoot!"
Hoothoot began to glow with purple psychic energy, then shot forward like a violet bullet aimed straight at Squirtle.
"Squirtle, Water Gun!"
"Squiiirt!"
A powerful jet of clear water shot from Squirtle's mouth toward the incoming Hoothoot—but the bird's agility caught both Delia and Squirtle off guard.
"Dodge it, Hoothoot!"
"Hoothoot!"
Hoothoot twisted in midair, evading the stream with ease, then smashed into Squirtle with the full force of its psychic energy.
"Squirtle!"
The impact sent Squirtle flying with a painful cry.
"Squirtle!"
Delia cried out as her Pokémon crashed to the ground with a thud. She watched in anguish as it lay there.
"Squiiirt... squirtle...!"
With gritted teeth, Squirtle struggled back to its feet, balling its tiny fists and glaring at Hoothoot with a stubborn glint.
"Oh? Still standing? That's impressive—but this is where it ends! Hoothoot, use Confusion!"
"Hoot!"
Hoothoot's eyes lit up with a dazzling blue glow. Instantly, Squirtle's entire body was wrapped in a shimmering blue aura, and it winced in pain, straining hard to resist the mental force.
"Squirtle! Hang in there! You can't give up!"
Delia cheered desperately, but Kim rolled her eyes from across the battlefield.
"This isn't the time for a pep talk! You think some cheerleading is going to turn the tide? Counterattack! If not, then recall your Pokémon alre—"
Before Kim could finish, Squirtle suddenly twitched—interrupting her words.
"Squirtle!!"
Grunting through the pain of the psychic hold, Squirtle suddenly opened its eyes wide and let out a sharp, determined cry. A brilliant white light engulfed its body.
"Wha?! What's happening?!"
Delia gasped, her hands flying to her mouth as she stared at her Pokémon in shock.
"It's evolving?! Right now?!"
Even Kim looked stunned, her voice full of disbelief.
In seconds, the light faded to reveal a larger turtle Pokémon with a bushy tail and wing-like ears. It shook off the Confusion, stomped the ground, and stared down the airborne Hoothoot, its voice deeper and stronger.
"Wartortle!!"
"It's just evolution! Big deal! It's already spent so much energy—does it seriously think it can turn this around? Hoothoot, another Zen Headbutt!"
"Hoot~!"
Surrounded by violet energy once more, Hoothoot soared toward Wartortle.
"Wartortle!"
This time, Squirtle, now a Wartortle, didn't even wait for an order. It ducked its head and launched itself into the air like a rocket, trailing fiery air resistance. It smashed directly into Hoothoot mid-charge.
The clash was fierce, but Wartortle clearly had the upper hand—Hoothoot cried out and was flung backward, crashing hard into the ground with its eyes spinning.
Wartortle landed cleanly. Without missing a beat, it opened its mouth and fired a much stronger Water Gun, blasting the grounded Hoothoot again and sending it tumbling.
This time, Hoothoot didn't get up.
"Hoothoot is unable to battle! Wartortle wins!"
The Gym disciple acting as referee raised a hand and shouted the result.
"Wartortle! Wartortle~!"
Squirtle—now a Wartortle—cheered loudly. It raised both arms, spun around, and happily bounded toward Delia.
"Wartortle!!"
It stopped in front of her, proudly thumping its shell and striking a confident pose—one eye closed, waiting for praise. But after a few moments of silence, it peeked an eye open in confusion.
Then, all of a sudden, Delia threw her arms around its neck and wailed:
"Waaah! Little Wartortle! Don't worry! Even if you turn into a monster, I'll never abandon you! Waaaah!"
Thud!!
A wave of people collapsed around the battlefield, everyone casting speechless stares at the dramatic, sobbing Delia clinging to her poor Pokémon.
"Wartortle... wartle... (I'm gonna die... I can't... breathe...)"
Wartortle rolled its eyes in distress, flailing weakly as it was suffocated in a hug.