Chapter 22: The Past Drifts Away with the Wind
The next day, Bai Feng handed over the task of supervising the construction site to Bai Ye and went to the West District with Popplio and Helioptile.
The medication used to help Helioptile activate its Hidden Energy Circuit was running out, so he planned to go find Nurse Joy to buy some more.
Walking into the Pokémon Center, Bai Feng noticed that there seemed to be an unusually large number of people today. He looked at Nurse Joy in confusion and asked, "Is something special happening today? The backyard seems particularly lively."
Nurse Joy packed the medication for Bai Feng, handed it to him, and said with a smile, "Nothing special, really. Just two Pokémon Trainers who don't get along are having a 'duel' in the backyard. Everyone's watching the excitement."
"Oh, I see." Bai Feng found it amusing and didn't ask any more questions. What kind of deep-seated hatred could lead to a duel here?
As he held the medication and was about to leave, Popplio suddenly grabbed him.
"Ooh~ ooh~" Let's go watch too.
Bai Feng said speechlessly, "What's there to see?"
"Ooh~ ooh~" Let's watch, let's watch!
Popplio tugged at Bai Feng's pants and wouldn't let go, almost pulling them off.
"Alright, alright, stop pulling! You're impossible. Fine, I'll take you to see, okay? What's so interesting about this kind of spectacle!" Bai Feng pulled at his pants and said speechlessly. He then took Popplio and Helioptile to the Pokémon Center backyard.
Upon reaching the backyard, there were indeed two Pokémon Trainers, about sixteen or seventeen years old, battling on the arena. One was using a Chesnaught, and the other was using a Frogadier.
The two Pokémon were trading blows back and forth, and cheers occasionally erupted from the sidelines. There were quite a few people watching.
"Hey, kid, what's the beef between these two?" Bai Feng asked a boy standing nearby.
"Haha~ What beef could there be? These two fell for the same..." The boy recounted the entire story of their feud to Bai Feng in great detail.
It turned out these two had adventured together before and were good friends back then.
Later, they both set their sights on the same Pokémon in the Wilds. That Pokémon was quite rare, and both wanted to catch it, leading to a dispute. Unexpectedly, the Pokémon slipped away during the commotion.
Their conflict escalated, and they'd clash whenever they met. And just like that, they ran into each other at the Pokémon Center again today.
"So that's all it was about!"
Bai Feng was speechless. He thought these two had some deep-seated grudge. He looked down at Popplio.
"Satisfied now? Was the battle good?"
"Ooh~" So-so.
Popplio said, shaking its head. Suddenly, its movements froze, and it stared intently in one direction.
"What's wrong?" Bai Feng followed Popplio's gaze in confusion and saw a girl about twelve or thirteen years old also watching the excitement in the crowd not far away.
"Ooh~" I want to duel her!
Hearing Bai Feng's words, Popplio suddenly snapped back to attention. It grabbed Bai Feng's pants and pointed at the girl, saying.
Bai Feng was completely bewildered. Just because you see others dueling, you can't just randomly grab someone and demand a duel! And stop pulling my pants for no reason!
"That's not right, is it? We don't have any beef with her," Bai Feng said awkwardly.
"Ooh~ ooh~ ooh..."
Popplio chattered away, and only then did Bai Feng understand why it was so agitated. It turned out the girl was Captain Sanders' daughter, Popplio's original Pokémon Trainer.
Popplio wanted revenge for being "abandoned" back then!
"You really want to duel?" Bai Feng asked hesitantly.
"Ooh~" Popplio nodded firmly.
"Alright, if you insist." Bai Feng nodded and led Popplio and Helioptile towards the girl.
"Um... hello."
"What is it?" The girl was engrossed in watching the battle in the arena. Suddenly interrupted, her face showed clear displeasure.
"You're a Pokémon Trainer, right? How about a Pokémon battle with me?"
The girl was initially a bit annoyed, but upon hearing that Bai Feng was challenging her to a battle, the displeasure on her face instantly turned into delight.
"Sure!"
Saying that, she looked at Popplio and Helioptile by Bai Feng's feet. Her face immediately showed great confusion. Why was that Popplio glaring at her?
Clearly, the girl had completely forgotten what her former Popplio looked like. Of course, Popplio's appearance had also undergone some subtle changes.
"My name is Bai Feng, what's yours?"
"My name is Elia."
Soon, the battle in the arena ended. The two duelists determined a winner. The Frogadier, being at a Type disadvantage, ultimately narrowly lost to the Chesnaught.
Seeing the battle end, the spectators were about to disperse. Unexpectedly, two more people walked up, causing everyone to stop and stand back.
Elia took out a Poké Ball, about to send out her Pokémon, when she suddenly heard Bai Feng from across the field say, "I heard you have a Yamper. Could you use that Pokémon to battle me?"
That Yamper was the Pokémon that had bullied Popplio back then. It was also a Pokémon Elia's friend had specifically caught for her from the distant Galar Wilds.
Hearing this, Elia's hand paused. She thought to herself in confusion: How does he know I have a Yamper? Have we met before?
Without time to think further, Elia asked with a conflicted expression, "Are you sure? My Yamper evolved into a Boltund a long time ago. It's my strongest Pokémon."
"Yes, I'm sure. Please," Bai Feng said.
Elia looked at the Helioptile by Bai Feng's feet and thought Bai Feng wanted to use her Boltund to help his fellow Electric-type Pokémon, Helioptile, improve. So, she didn't refuse anymore and readily sent out Boltund.
"Woof!"
As soon as Boltund came out, it barked proudly, sparks flying all over its body, giving off a rather arrogant vibe.
It was Bai Feng's first time seeing this kind of Pokémon in reality. He observed it with interest, thinking Boltund was quite handsome.
The moment it saw Boltund, Popplio dashed into the center of the arena, glaring resentfully at its old enemy.
Elia didn't recognize Popplio, but Boltund recognized it at a glance. Its proud posture faltered, and it looked at Popplio with an unnatural expression.
"How are you here?"
"It's me, alright! I'm gonna beat the crap out of you today!" The fiery little pepper was raging.
Boltund originally felt a bit guilty towards Popplio, but being cursed at like that immediately made it angry.
"You? Can you even use Moves now?"
"You just wait and see, you dog!"
...
Elia, standing outside the arena, pointed at Popplio in surprise and said to Bai Feng, "You're going to use this Popplio?"
"Yeah, is there a problem?" Bai Feng nodded.
Elia was instantly furious. "Is there a problem?!" She felt that this kid across from her either lacked basic Pokémon Knowledge or was looking down on her. Either way was unbearable.
"Since you insist, I won't hold back! Boltund, Thunder Fang!" Elia angrily commanded Boltund to attack first.
"Woof!"
Boltund barked loudly and dashed forward on all fours, reaching Popplio in the blink of an eye. It opened its mouth, crackling with electricity, and bit towards Popplio.
Popplio had never had an advantage in speed, so it didn't even think about dodging. It opened its mouth, and a string of musical notes floated out. The enchanting sound caused Boltund's mind to become momentarily hazy.
Disarming Voice!
Boom!
Before Boltund could even touch Popplio, it was sent flying by a sound wave mixed with moisture. It rolled several times on the ground before shaking its head and getting back up.
It looked at Popplio, its heart filled with shock: Is this the same Popplio from before?
Similarly, Elia hadn't expected her strongest Boltund to be at a disadvantage after just one turn.
Before Elia and Boltund could react, the beautiful Singing echoed through the arena again, even more pleasant than before.
Those who heard the Singing felt their eyelids grow heavy. However, they weren't the direct targets of this Move, so the effect wasn't severe, and a couple of head shakes dispelled the drowsiness.
This time, Popplio wasn't using Disarming Voice, but the control Move Sing. Popplio had accidentally learned this Move while developing its Hidden Energy Circuit.
In terms of Sound-based Moves, it had unparalleled Talent. As soon as the Singing began, Boltund instantly fell asleep.
"Popplio, Water Gun!"
Following Bai Feng's command, a jet of water shot straight at Boltund.
"Boltund, wake up!" Elia called out anxiously.
However, Elia's calls had no effect. Boltund was directly blasted away by the water jet and slammed hard against a nearby wall. The intense pain finally brought it back to consciousness.
Just as Bai Feng and Elia were battling, a girl in white arrived at the Pokémon Center. After handing the Poké Ball in her hand to Nurse Joy, she asked, "Is someone battling in the backyard?"
Nurse Joy replied with a smile, "That's right. Your Pokémon's treatment will take a while, so you can go watch if you're interested."
The girl nodded and walked towards the backyard. When she parted the crowd and saw Bai Feng in the arena, an expression of surprise appeared on her face.
"It's him!"
The newly awakened Boltund was panting heavily. It was clear at a glance that it had lost a significant amount of HP.
At this moment, Elia no longer felt any anger. She only felt that Bai Feng had asked her to use her strongest Pokémon, and even used a Popplio with a Type disadvantage himself, all because of his confidence in his own strength.
Only Boltund was screaming wildly in its heart: They're getting revenge!
Just then, Popplio's Singing rang out again. Boltund didn't even have time to make any move before its eyelids drooped once more.
"Boltund! Boltund!"
No matter how Elia called out, Boltund didn't react. She was practically going crazy with worry. Besides the initial attack, she and Boltund hadn't had another chance to make a move.
The theoretical probability of the Move Sing putting a target to sleep is around fifty percent. However, in actual battles, due to various factors, this probability likely doesn't even reach forty percent.
But that Popplio across the field managed to hit every single time.
How the heck is this supposed to be played?
"Popplio, Water Gun!"
As Bai Feng's voice rang out, the opposing Boltund was once again sent flying by the water jet.
Seeing Boltund's pathetic state and Elia's dejected expression, Bai Feng thought guiltily: Was that too much?
Although he was getting revenge for Popplio, honestly, if he had been in Elia's position back then, he would have made the same choice.
In fact, without the Golden Finger, he wouldn't have suggested to Captain Sanders that he take in Popplio.
You can't say this kind of behavior is right, but you can say it's human nature; people are always seeking benefits and avoiding harm.
Furthermore, Captain Sanders had given Popplio to him for free back then. Now, bullying his daughter like this, he couldn't help but feel a little bad.
After falling this time, Boltund finally couldn't get back up.
Having defeated Boltund, Popplio finally vented its frustration and hopped happily over to Bai Feng's side.
Bai Feng stroked its head and said, "Feel better?"
Barely! Popplio tilted its head up.
"Now that you've vented, let it go. Don't hold grudges anymore, got it?"
"Ooh~ ooh~" Alright, alright.
Popplio replied perfunctorily.
At this moment, Elia, who had already recalled Boltund, walked up to Bai Feng and said, "You and your Popplio are very strong. It was an honor to battle you."
Although she said that, Elia was actually quite disheartened. Bai Feng looked about the same age as her, but his strength completely crushed hers. It would be hard for anyone not to be discouraged.
Elia had been traveling for the past two years, participating in many Competitions, big and small. She had always felt her strength was pretty good, but today's battle made her fully realize that there's always someone better out there.
"Me too," Bai Feng said with a smile.
Just then, Elia suddenly asked, "Have we met before? Otherwise, how would you know I have a Yamper?"
Bai Feng shook his head and replied, "We haven't met, but..." Saying that, he glanced at the Popplio by his feet.
Elia followed Bai Feng's gaze and looked at Popplio again. Seeing Popplio still glaring at her with a hostile attitude, something suddenly flashed in her mind. Connecting it with Bai Feng's attitude, she immediately looked at Bai Feng in disbelief and asked:
"Could it be... it's... it's..."
Dad had said he gave the Popplio to a young boy about her age, so... But how could that be?
Because she was too shocked, Elia even started to stutter, stammering for a long time without saying a complete sentence.
Bai Feng shook his head and didn't speak. He turned around and left with Popplio and Helioptile.
After Bai Feng left the Pokémon Center, he was about to catch a ride when he suddenly heard someone call out to him from behind.
"Hey, Bai Feng!"
Bai Feng turned around and saw a girl in a white dress looking at him charmingly.
"It's you?" Bai Feng said in surprise.
"So you still remember me!" The girl smiled brightly.
(End of Chapter)