In the depths of the forest, two figures moved with blinding speed. One was a blur of grayish-blue, while the other was vibrant green, its form nearly merging with the surrounding environment.
The two silhouettes collided repeatedly as they moved, clashing dozens of times in the blink of an eye.
In the end, the green figure proved superior, slashing the grayish-blue shadow to the ground.
"Lucario, are you alright?"
Jiang Chen hurried over to check on its condition.
Indeed, the grayish-blue figure was Lucario, and its opponent was none other than its sparring partner, Scyther.
Lucario stood up and gave Jiang Chen a small shake of its head, though the wounds on its body looked quite grisly.
"Latias, hurry and heal it."
Once its injuries were mended, Lucario immediately wanted to challenge Scyther again.
"Take a rest first. Let's switch and let Charizard have a turn," Jiang Chen said, stopping Lucario.
They had been here for three days now. During this time, Jiang Chen's Pokémon had made terrifying progress; combat was the easiest way to stimulate one's potential.
Scyther, in particular, had no concept of showing mercy. Every move it made was ruthless and precise, a testament to the combat skills it had honed in the unforgiving wilderness.
In the wild, techniques were developed to be lethal.
Jiang Chen didn't ask Scyther to hold back. He had already prepared safety measures, so nothing truly catastrophic would happen.
With Latias keeping watch, there was no chance of a real accident.
Lucario nodded and stepped behind Jiang Chen as Charizard walked toward Scyther.
Type-wise, Charizard held a massive advantage, but in terms of pure power, Scyther was far superior.
While Jiang Chen's Charizard was capable of fighting above its level, it simply couldn't bridge a gap of that magnitude. It was impossible for it to defeat Scyther.
"Pay attention, don't let Charizard start a forest fire."
Jiang Chen patted Blastoise's shell, signaling it to keep an eye on Charizard. If a fire broke out in the forest, it would be a disaster.
Forest fires weren't uncommon in this world, and most were ignited by Fire-type or Electric-type Pokémon.
"Scyther, if you're tired, you can take a break."
Jiang Chen didn't treat Scyther as a mere tool; he couldn't let it work itself to exhaustion.
Scyther shook its head. Combat didn't tire it; if anything, it left it feeling a hundred times more energetic.
The battle between Scyther and Charizard ended as expected: Charizard lost. The difference in strength was not something easily overcome.
Moreover, Scyther's actual combat effectiveness was nothing short of terrifying.
"Let's take a break. Have some Pokéblocks."
Jiang Chen pulled out several high-grade Pokéblocks and shared them with Scyther. Over the past few days, Scyther had developed a real taste for them.
Eating them allowed for rapid stamina recovery. Scyther even felt that if it consumed these Pokéblocks over a long period, its physical constitution might actually improve.
While Scyther rested, Jiang Chen had Latias heal Charizard. Latias had been busy lately; if Jiang Chen hadn't been using lollipops as a bribe, it might have gone on strike by now.
Latias was playful by nature. Being forced to sit quietly and monitor the battles between Scyther and Jiang Chen's Pokémon was naturally uncomfortable for it.
It might have found it interesting at first, but after a while, it had clearly lost interest.
"Jiang Chen, look what I found!"
Xiao Luoxue came running toward Jiang Chen with an air of excitement, her face glowing.
Jiang Chen immediately spotted the little creature held in her arms. It had dark green skin and a sharp horn atop its head.
"A Larvitar? You found this?"
"That's right! I found it at the foot of the northern mountain. I've already caught the little guy," Xiao Luoxue said, unable to contain her thrill.
A pseudo-legendary! Although she already owned two pseudo-legendaries, she hadn't caught Salamence or Garchomp herself; she had obtained them through her father's connections.
This Larvitar was different. This was a pseudo-legendary she had found and captured with her own two hands.
"I actually envy your luck."
Jiang Chen truly admired her fortune. He knew Larvitar could be found in this area after all, they had even seen a Tyranitar but the chances of actually stumbling upon one were astronomical.
The fact that Xiao Luoxue encountered it meant her luck was off the charts.
"Haha, I didn't expect it either. I was just in a bad mood and wanted to go for a walk to clear my head when I ran into Larvitar."
Xiao Luoxue couldn't calm her racing heart.
She had been feeling down because her Munchlax was too lazy doing nothing but eating and playing instead of training so she had decided to take a stroll nearby.
To her surprise, her luck turned around instantly. She had literally picked up a pseudo-legendary.
"It seems like next time I'm in a bad mood, I should go for a walk too," Ling Wanqiu added, looking on with envy. Finding a pseudo-legendary in the wild was rarer than winning the lottery.
"Actually, my mood isn't great either. That Nidoqueen of yours has given my Pokémon a psychological shadow. Stop letting Nidoqueen spar with me," Ling Wanqiu said with a depressed expression.
Her Dragonite couldn't beat Jiang Chen's Nidoqueen, and to her surprise, even her Garchomp had failed. Though her Garchomp managed to injure Nidoqueen, she ultimately lost the match.
"Is it not effective? Haven't your Pokémon improved their combat skills?" Jiang Chen asked.
"It's effective, and they have improved, but it's depressing to watch my Pokémon constantly get beaten up."
As she spoke, Ling Wanqiu snatched a bottle of water from Jiang Chen's hand and shot Xiao Luoxue a look.
"You're giving Jiang Chen the water you already drank from?"
"What's the big deal? When Jiang Chen and I were little, we used the same cup. I don't care," Xiao Luoxue said with a giggle.
Ling Wanqiu felt like Xiao Luoxue was intentionally trying to irritate her. It was too much first picking up a pseudo-legendary and then gloating like this. It was almost inhuman.
"Are you going to drink?"
A huffy Ling Wanqiu held the water bottle out to Jiang Chen.
"Ahem, Scyther has rested enough, hasn't it? Let's get back to it."
The look in Ling Wanqiu's eyes was becoming a bit frightening. Seeing that the situation was turning south, Jiang Chen decided that of the thirty-six stratagems, fleeing was the best choice. He turned and ran.
Seeing Jiang Chen flee, Ling Wanqiu let out a smile before giving Xiao Luoxue a provocative look.
"Garchomp, it's your turn to fight Scyther!" Jiang Chen called out to his Pokémon.
Hearing its name, Garchomp grew excited. Seeing that its opponent was Garchomp, Scyther also perked up.
When Jiang Chen had Lucario and Charizard fight Scyther earlier, they were simply no match for it.
Against them, Scyther felt no pressure. But against this Garchomp, Scyther could feel the weight of a true challenge.
A Pokémon's perception was incredibly sharp; it could clearly sense the powerful, overwhelming aura radiating from Garchomp.
"Let the battle begin!"
As Jiang Chen's voice fell, Scyther and Garchomp charged at each other simultaneously.
At this moment, Xiao Luoxue and Ling Wanqiu forgot their petty bickering and began cheering for Scyther.
Indeed, they were cheering for Scyther. Neither of them had any fondness for Jiang Chen's Garchomp and were practically dying to see it get a taste of defeat.
"Do you two really dislike my Garchomp that much?" Jiang Chen muttered, somewhat speechless.
"How could we like it? I haven't forgotten how arrogant it was when it defeated my Garchomp," Ling Wanqiu said, her face flushing with anger as she recalled their previous battle.
Xiao Luoxue felt much the same. Jiang Chen's Garchomp had a notoriously arrogant personality and had long since offended both girls.
"You might be cheering for Scyther, but it's not a given that Scyther can actually beat Garchomp."
On paper, Scyther was stronger. Scyther was at Elite Four Stage 7, while Garchomp was at Elite Four Stage 5. However, in terms of pure combat potential, Garchomp was not inferior to Scyther in the slightest.
The outcome of this battle was uncertain, and even Jiang Chen couldn't say for sure who would win. However, if Garchomp underestimated its opponent, it would definitely lose.
Garchomp was arrogant, but its arrogance was usually reserved for those weaker than itself. Facing a Pokémon that was its equal or better, Garchomp was actually quite cautious.
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