-030- The Evolution of the Merino Sheep?

"Electabuzz, defeat that Mareep first!" Tong Si shouted at Electabuzz on the battlefield.

"Bee-bee!" Sparks of lightning flickered across Electabuzz as it charged straight at Mareep.

Chu Xuanxuan hadn't expected Tong Si to actually make a move. She had planned to wait until the round of sixteen to settle the score with him. After losing to Tong Si last time, she'd been training relentlessly; Mareep had already reached level fourteen.

"Mareep, we lost last time, but this time, we'll win it back! Use Cotton Spore to restrict Electabuzz's movements!"

Chu Xuanxuan had carefully reviewed their previous match and realized Electabuzz's victory came down to its speed. She had specifically taught Mareep Cotton Spore to slow Electabuzz down.

"Baa-aa-aa..." Mareep shook off a layer of cotton, aiming to entangle the swiftly approaching Electabuzz.

"Electabuzz, use Brick Break!" Tong Si ignored the cotton and opted for a direct assault.

"Bee-bee!" Entangled in the cotton, Electabuzz's speed did decrease, but Mareep was never quick on its feet.

With a thud, Electabuzz's hand came down in a sharp chop—Brick Break landed hard on Mareep's head.

"Baa-aa-aa..." Mareep cried out in pain.

"A perfect opportunity!" At that moment, the trainer next to them spotted a chance to ambush Electabuzz and hurriedly commanded his Patrat to attack.

Patrat scurried up, intending to use Bite on Electabuzz. But as soon as it met Electabuzz’s gaze, it faltered.

A few days ago, Patrat had been beaten up by Electabuzz—twice. Now, just a look from Electabuzz was enough to terrify it.

"Bee-bee?" Electabuzz beckoned at Patrat with a curled finger.

A nervous bead of sweat trickled down Patrat’s head. Was it really supposed to attack? What was its trainer thinking, sending it to ambush the big boss Electabuzz? Never mind, better to run—there was no way to win this fight!

After an inner struggle, Patrat decided to flee.

At that moment, Mareep finally regained its feet. Shaking itself off, it fired off a Thunder Shock.

"Baa-aa-aa..." Electabuzz glanced at Mareep, then with a flash of lightning, dodged the attack with ease.

But though Electabuzz avoided it, Patrat behind him was not so lucky. Mareep's powerful Thunder Shock struck Patrat directly.

"Pat..." Patrat collapsed, a wisp of smoke curling from its mouth—forming, oddly enough, the letters "mmp."

"Patrat..." Patrat's trainer was stunned to realize his elimination came from friendly fire.

"Baa-aa-aa..." Suddenly, Mareep's body began to glow with a brilliant light.

"What?!" All the trainers present stared at Mareep.

"Is it evolving?" The crowd was in shock. They were all rookie trainers, each using Pokémon in their basic forms. Yet Chu Xuanxuan's Mareep was evolving mid-battle?

"Flaaffy!" The white light faded, revealing a pink lamb before their eyes.

"Mareep evolved into Flaaffy!" Chu Xuanxuan jumped up in excitement. She had waited so long for this moment. If only she’d had enough time, she was confident she could have trained Mareep into Flaaffy before the Rookie King Tournament. But time had been too short, so she had entered with a level fourteen Mareep.

Still, she had a feeling: by the time the tournament ended, Mareep would evolve. The free-for-all in the first round had given Mareep just enough experience to evolve into Flaaffy.

"What kind of luck is this?" Tong Si rubbed his forehead, not expecting Mareep to evolve so suddenly.

"Congratulations, Chu Xuanxuan," Tong Si said, offering his well-wishes. Though things had taken an unexpected turn, he believed the outcome of the battle would not change.

"Tong Si! My Mareep has evolved into Flaaffy—do you still think you can beat me?" Chu Xuanxuan had always wanted to win against Tong Si; this was her closest chance yet.

"Of course!" Tong Si replied confidently.

Through his scanner, Tong Si read Flaaffy's updated data.

Flaaffy
Level: 15
Ability: Static
Potential: Superior
...

From the data, besides evolution, nothing much had changed about Flaaffy. Tong Si remained calm.

His Electabuzz had also reached level fifteen during the earlier brawl. Now both Pokémon were at the same level.

Half a month ago, when Electabuzz was at a lower level than Mareep, it still managed to win. What did he have to fear now that their levels were equal?

"Flaaffy, use Power Gem!"

As Chu Xuanxuan gave the command, Tong Si blinked in surprise. Power Gem? How could Flaaffy know Power Gem already? Although it could learn the move at higher levels, this one was only level fifteen!

Then it dawned on him—Grandpa Chu must have given Chu Xuanxuan special training. Grandpa Chu had several high-level Mareep and Flaaffy, after all. As a veteran trainer, his experience was considerable.

Recovering from his brief shock, Tong Si refocused on the ongoing battle.

"Electabuzz, use Brick Break!"

Flaaffy’s Power Gem would certainly give it a boost in combat, but apart from Ground-type moves, few attacks could effectively counter Electabuzz.

On the field, sparkling gem-like rocks surrounded Electabuzz.

"Bee-bee!" With a series of clean chops, Electabuzz shattered all the rocks into fragments.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Watching Electabuzz smash through the stones, Tong Si remembered its recent grueling training. All those rocks in the courtyard had been carried back from the mountains by Electabuzz itself, one by one, for Brick Break practice. No matter how heavy, Electabuzz had shattered them all. How could ordinary Power Gem rocks pose any threat?

"Bee-bee!" Electabuzz beckoned at Flaaffy, as if provoking it.

"I never expected your Electabuzz to be so well trained!" Sweat broke out on Chu Xuanxuan’s forehead. She had witnessed every strike as Electabuzz broke through the rocks.

Power Gem had been her trump card for defeating Tong Si, but Electabuzz seemed utterly unfazed. The blow was crushing.

"Likewise." Tong Si smiled coolly. "If you've lost the will to fight, I suppose it's time for me to end this battle?"

"What?" Chu Xuanxuan looked up, confused by his words.

...(To be continued)