Chapter 37: Eevee Just Wants to Cry

A muscular young man wearing a short-sleeved shirt and a straw hat suddenly strode out from the nearby trees. Following closely at his heels was a Charmeleon with bright red skin; it looked disheveled and covered in dirt, clearly having been through a rough time.

"Char!"

The Charmeleon let out a low growl toward Eevee. Its sharp teeth and blade-like claws sent Eevee scrambling to hide further into N's embrace.

"Ee-vee!"

Eevee was visibly terrified. Earlier, it had been chased all over the forest by this very Charmeleon's Flamethrower. It had fled for so long that it was exhausted and starving, which was why it hadn't been able to resist the temptation of the delicious scent N emitted.

"Are you saying you found this Eevee first?"

"That's right. There should be a small scorch mark on its tail; that's from my Charmeleon's attack."

Hearing the man's words, N glanced down at the tail of the Eevee in his arms. Indeed, just as he said, there was a faint singe mark.

However, just because the other person saw it first didn't mean N was obligated to hand it over.

"I'm the one who caught this Eevee. Based on your current state, you clearly weren't able to secure it yourself."

"That..."

N's calm, steady smile left the muscular man momentarily speechless. He had indeed been chasing the Eevee for ages without success. Its speed was incredible; neither his Charmeleon nor his Butterfree could keep up with it. The pursuit had left him exhausted and bedraggled.

Still, having put so much effort into this Eevee, he wasn't going to let it go easily!

"You're a Trainer too, aren't you? Since we both want it, let's settle this the Trainer way! A one-on-one Pokémon battle, the winner gets the Eevee!"

"Hmm, that works."

A gentle smile played on N's lips; the suggestion was exactly what he was hoping for. He had been worried the man might be unreasonable and difficult to deal with, but a Pokémon battle made things simple. They would let their strength do the talking.

"My name is Takeshi! I'll be using my Charmeleon. What about you?"

"Char!"

Takeshi's Charmeleon stepped forward with a hiss, spitting a small burst of hot embers. The flame on its tail began to burn fiercely, showing its intense fighting spirit. Under the glow of the fire, its sharp claws glinted with a dangerous sheen.

[Charmeleon]

Strength: High Elite

Potential: Middle Grade

N used his Viridian Power to briefly probe the Charmeleon. A look of understanding crossed his face, followed by a subtle smile. He gestured toward the space in front of him and spoke softly.

"He's already here."

"Zua!!"

A dark violet blur flashed by, the whistling sound of a high-speed movement still echoing in the air. A small fox with black and red fur suddenly materialized.

Zorua stood beside N with a cunning, confident smirk. It began to lick its paws and groom its fur with deliberate, leisurely movements, maintaining an air of cool elegance.

"What kind of Pokémon is that?"

Takeshi clearly didn't recognize Zorua, a species native to the Unova region. From its appearance, he guessed it was a Dark or Fire-type. Regardless, it didn't matter. It was small and clearly an unevolved base form; compared to his Charmeleon, it looked weak. His Charmeleon had already won several minor tournaments!

This match was as good as won.

"Ee-vee~"

Eevee snickered inwardly. It hoped these two would beat each other senseless so it could find an opening to escape. With its Quick Attack, it could vanish in a heartbeat. Not even this human with the strange powers would be able to catch it then!

"Gurdurr, take care of this little one for a moment."

"Gur!"

Before Eevee knew it, a gray-skinned Pokémon carrying a bright red I-beam appeared next to N. It reached out and took the bewildered Eevee from N's arms.

Looking at Gurdurr's massive arms, each thicker than Eevee's entire head, the little fox's eyes filled with tears of terror.

Are you kidding me?! One punch from this guy would knock my soul right out of my body!

And Gurdurr was grinning at her.

It's too scary, stop smiling!!

The three deep scars on Gurdurr's face made it look incredibly fierce. Eevee genuinely feared that if it showed the slightest hint of misbehavior, it might be eaten alive!

"I'll take the initiative! Charmeleon, use Flamethrower!!"

"Sucker Punch."

Zap!!

The move was so fast that Takeshi didn't even see it. His Charmeleon had barely opened its mouth to gather flames when the small fox Pokémon struck.

Sharp, blood-red claws pierced Charmeleon's throat in a heartbeat. The sheer agony of the strike made it impossible for Charmeleon to maintain its fire.

"Charmeleon! Snap out of it! Use Metal Claw!"

Enduring the pain, Charmeleon gathered strength in its arms and swung its claws forward. Its sharp talons took on a metallic sheen, gleaming like six razor-sharp daggers.

"Jump and use Fury Swipes."

Zorua showed no fear toward the Charmeleon, which was several times its size. Its front paws blurred with a speed the naked eye could barely track. Its blood-red claws parried Charmeleon's attack while simultaneously leaving several bleeding gashes across the lizard's body.

This was the combat style of a Dark-type: vicious, relentless, and putting everything into every strike to cripple the foe. Cunning, agile, and devoid of mercy. For Dark-types, battle was a bloody struggle where only the strongest survived.

"Charmeleon! Counter with Flamethrower, hurry!"

Takeshi's face turned pale. In just a few short seconds, his Charmeleon had been severely injured. The pace of the battle was so fast he couldn't even process the commands. He never expected that Zorua to be this powerful. In both strength and speed, Zorua was completely dominating Charmeleon; its prowess was unnaturally high!

"Finish it with Pursuit."

N lightly touched the brim of his cap, issuing the final order.

Zorua obliged, though it showed a bit of "mercy" by symbolically slapping Charmeleon across the face with its tail instead of using its claws for a final strike. Even this light attack was the straw that broke the Camerupt's back; after the previous two hits, Charmeleon was already at its limit.