A Splendid Performance

“Kiris, hurry and tell Eevee to dodge!” Qi Qi shouted anxiously.

If it kept taking hits from the Electrode’s electrical attacks, Eevee would soon lose its ability to fight. Both Qi Qi and Old Man Lotus Leaf were deeply worried.

“Huh? Should it dodge?” Kiris put on a clueless expression.

“Hahaha… This snot-nosed brat is a fool! He doesn’t even know how to battle with Pokémon!” The three poachers burst into laughter at Kiris’s words.

Once again, Eevee was struck by a jolt of electricity and collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily.

“Electrode, finish Eevee off! Thunder Shock!” The poacher was ready to bring this ridiculous scene to an end.

But Kiris’s lips curled into a sly grin, and the half-conscious Eevee cracked one eye open.

As Electrode rolled slowly toward Eevee, intent on taking advantage of the situation, Eevee quietly stretched out a paw.

With a sudden smack, Eevee kicked Electrode away.

Electrode crashed into the wet mud. Lacking limbs, it was utterly helpless, unable to crawl free from the sticky earth.

“Eevee~” Eevee got up and gave itself a good shake. As the future most beautiful actress, how could she allow her fur to get dirty? With a few flicks, all the mud was flung off, though she was still breathing hard.

No matter the situation, one must never forget they’re on stage—never let any detail slip by.

—The Self-Cultivation of Actress Eevee

“What? Electrode, what are you doing?” The poacher was irritated.

Just now, Electrode had been about to bully Eevee, but as soon as it reached her, it was sent flying and ended up stuck in the mud? None of the three poachers noticed the subtlety of Eevee’s move. They simply saw her stand up, paying no attention to that sly kick.

Electrode, meanwhile, was still struggling in the mud.

“Eevee, it’s our turn now! Use Tackle!”

“Eevee!” Eevee dashed nimbly across the muddy ground.

A loud thud echoed out. A small lump seemed to rise on Eevee’s forehead—this one was real, not a part of the act. She rubbed her aching little head.

But the pain Electrode felt was ten times worse. Even a basic Tackle, thanks to Eevee’s adaptability, doubled in power.

Electrode’s vision blurred, its head spinning.

“Well done, Eevee!” Kiris quickly praised.

“Eevee?” Seeing her opponent not only embedded in the mud but sinking deeper, Eevee leapt onto Electrode and began to stomp repeatedly.

Electrode suffered bitterly, unable to retaliate.

“Damn it! What is Electrode doing?” The poachers were frustrated. How could their Pokémon lose to a mere child’s doll? And now it was stuck in the mud, unable to escape?

“You go!” The poacher ordered another Electrode to take down Eevee.

The second Electrode charged at Eevee with an excited buzz. It, too, used Tackle, and with its higher level, the force was much greater than Eevee’s.

“Eevee, dodge!” Kiris imitated the commands of a novice trainer.

Hearing Kiris tell Eevee to evade, Qi Qi and Old Man Lotus Leaf were relieved. Kiris was finally learning how to battle.

“Eevee!” Eevee leapt high, perfectly dodging the attack.

But the Electrode beneath her was not so lucky—it was hit head-on by the charging Electrode.

The two volatile Electrodes immediately started squabbling, sparks flying.

The one beneath, burning with rage, instantly used its most desperate move: Self-Destruct!

“Stop! Don’t do it!” The poacher tried to halt the attack. If Electrode exploded here, the blast radius would be huge—even their net might be caught in it.

But once an Electrode began self-destructing, what could stop it?

At the very moment the explosion was about to reach its crescendo, the glow around Electrode abruptly vanished.

“What?”

“It… it stopped?”

The three poachers were stunned. Could a self-destruct be halted halfway? Unheard of!

“What’s going on?” Qi Qi, Old Man Lotus Leaf, and the poachers were all baffled.

Only Kiris knew the truth—it all came down to those two earlier Sand Attacks.

In fact, Kiris hadn’t told Eevee to use Sand Attack just to get Electrode stuck in the mud. It was to intensify the dampness!

From the moment he arrived at the southern pond, Kiris noticed the heavy humidity; the ground was saturated.

So he had Eevee use Sand Attack twice, churning up the wet earth and drawing out the moisture below. After Eevee dug several holes, the humidity in that area became overwhelming.

With the increased dampness, moves like Self-Destruct and Explosion couldn’t be activated.

This was Kiris’s plan all along. He couldn’t afford to lose Eevee’s first battle. If the three Electrodes were driven to desperation and self-destructed, Eevee would be doomed.

But clearly, the poachers lacked the knowledge—even the effects of Damp were lost on them.

“Eevee, use Weather Ball!”

While the poachers stood dumbfounded, Kiris swiftly issued his command.

“Eevee!” Eevee was already prepared. Facing two Electrodes side by side, she unleashed her signature Weather Ball.

And it wasn’t just one.

What was Eevee best at? Creativity!

Whenever she was bored, Eevee enjoyed inventing strange and wonderful new tricks. For example… combining two Weather Balls to create an even more dazzling explosion.

Now, three Weather Balls appeared in the air, and Eevee was already forming a fourth.

“What is this?” The three poachers had no clue what Eevee was up to. Even if it was Weather Ball—how could she use four at once? Not every Pokémon could chain attacks like this.

Eevee closed her eyes, recalling the special training Electabuzz had given her recently.

“Eevee!” Four Weather Balls, perfectly fused.

The weather wasn’t sunny or rainy, but… foggy!

In thick fog, Weather Ball’s power doubled. With Eevee’s Adaptability, it increased even more.

The four fused Weather Balls struck the two Electrodes directly, igniting a spectacular display of fireworks.

“Eevee~” Eevee’s eyes sparkled. Was this really her own attack? Had she truly created something so beautiful?

With a deafening roar, the fourfold Weather Ball sent a fierce shockwave through the field, tearing through both Electrodes.

When the dust settled, the two Electrodes lay defeated in the mud, unable to fight any longer.

… (To be continued)