A Clever Victory

“Fantastic! We did it, Eevee!”
Tongsi ran over and scooped Eevee up in his arms. Despite the mud caked on Eevee’s fur, both their hearts brimmed with delight in that moment.
“Eevee!”
Eevee’s eyes shone with excitement.
So this is what a Pokémon battle feels like?
It was Eevee’s first battle, and even though it faced two opponents alone—both at least three times its level—Eevee had won! Won beautifully, at that.
[Bleep—Boop]
[Congratulations, Host, for completing the task: Have Eevee engage in a battle. Reward: Dig skill]
[New task added: Participate in a Pokémon Contest]
Hearing the system’s voice, Tongsi quickly opened the data panel.
Under [Skills], the Dig move had indeed been added.
This skill was a rare boon right now!
Although Eevee had defeated two Electrode, the battle wasn’t over yet; a level twenty-three Electrode still eyed them menacingly.
With the ground-type Dig skill, Eevee’s chances against this Electrode would increase substantially.
“System, teach Eevee the Dig skill, immediately!”
Tongsi whispered inwardly—this was an emergency, and speed was everything.
[Bleep—Boop]
[Eevee has successfully learned Dig]
Upon hearing the system’s confirmation, Tongsi scanned Eevee’s updated information with his scanning eye.
Having just defeated two Electrode, Eevee’s level must have risen considerably.
Eevee
Level: 13
Gender: Female
Abilities: Adaptability, Volt Absorb
Potential: Standard
Skills: Tackle, Tail Whip, Growl, Sand Attack, Weather Ball, Dig
…
“Wonderful!”
Tongsi was ecstatic—Eevee’s level had soared to thirteen, a leap of seven levels at once!
Truly a genius Eevee!
A level thirteen Pokémon against a level twenty-three—difficult, but with Dig, plus the advantages of weather and terrain, Tongsi felt confident.
“Damn it! This little brat isn’t as easy as we thought.”
“But don’t celebrate just yet—we still have one Electrode left.”
The three poachers were furious now.
They hadn’t imagined that two Electrode would fail to defeat a little Eevee.
It was a humiliating blow!
“Bzzzt—Bzzzt!”

The remaining Electrode was clearly larger than the previous two.
Where, exactly?
Its head, of course.
This Electrode had an unusually large head.
It was said that Electrode store their electrical energy in their heads—the balder the Electrode, the more power it stores.
Someone might ask, aren’t all Electrode bald?
Not quite.
If one looked closely, a few wisps of hair could be spotted atop Electrode’s heads, though almost imperceptibly few.
So most Electrode appear bald.
There are significant differences between Electrode, though.
The rounder the head, the more energy it stores; a flat-headed Electrode can't store much at all.
This particular Electrode had a perfectly smooth, bald head—an elite among its kind.
Through the data panel, Tongsi discovered it possessed high-quality potential as well.
As expected, the balder the Electrode, the stronger it is.
“Bzzzt—Bzzzt!”
Electrode unleashed Swift.
It had watched the previous battles and concluded one thing: don’t fight Eevee in close combat.
Eevee appeared weak, but was actually quick-witted.
Electrode decided to use ranged attacks to defeat Eevee.
“Eevee, use Dig to dodge!”
Tongsi shouted.
Swift was nearly unavoidable, but Dig could perfectly evade it.
If Eevee moved quickly enough, Electrode’s attack wouldn’t land.
“Eevee~”
Eevee’s front paws dug furiously into the earth.
The soil here was moist, making it easier to dig a pit.
As Swift hurtled toward them, Eevee had already disappeared into the hole.
“Hit that hole with Thunderbolt!”
The poacher pointed to Eevee’s burrow and ordered Electrode.
“Bzzzt—Bzzzt!”
Electrode was excited, darted to the hole, and unleashed a powerful Thunderbolt straight into the opening.
“Sigh… Shouldn’t have used Dig. Electrode can use moves against the burrow.”
The old man with the lotus leaf shook his head, troubled by the turn of events.
Only Tongsi wore a faint smile.
Had Electrode used a normal-type move against the hole, Eevee might have been struck.
But Thunderbolt?
It was the perfect tonic for Eevee!
“Zzzzz…”

Electrode’s Thunderbolt was formidable, lighting the entire hole with electric arcs.
When Electrode’s attack ceased, it wore the smug expression of a victor, ready to turn its aggression toward Tongsi.
But at that moment, the ground shook.
“Eevee!”
Eevee shot up from beneath Electrode.
A fierce tackle landed perfectly on Electrode, sending it flying to the side of the pond.
To the south, the pond faced the marshlands.
“Bzzzt…”
Electrode cried out in pain as it landed in the marshy area.
The more it struggled, the deeper it sank.
“What?”
The three poachers could hardly believe their eyes.
This little Eevee had single-handedly defeated three Electrode?
It was simply incredible!
“We won? We actually won?”
Qi Qi was so ecstatic tears nearly spilled from her eyes.
“We really did win…”
The old man with the lotus leaf sighed in awe—only moments before he’d been lamenting, and now he wore a broad smile.
“Eevee!”
“Eevee~”
Tongsi hugged Eevee as she leapt up to him, overjoyed.
“Eevee, you did it! Not only did you complete your first battle, you won it beautifully!”
Tongsi happily patted Eevee’s head.
“Eevee, Eevee~”
Eevee nuzzled Tongsi’s hand, then held up her paw, showing a number.
“I know, I’ll reward you with four cream ice creams made by Alcremie when we get home!”
Tongsi saw Eevee’s gesture and understood she was asking for her prize.
“Damn… Let’s retreat!”
The three poachers, seeing this, abandoned their Electrode and nets, ready to flee.
“Stop right there…”
At that moment, several Pokémon police officers ran over from afar.
“What! Pokémon police…”
The poachers scanned the surroundings—this was the southern pond, full of water and marshes. Escape was impossible.
The Pokémon police quickly arrested the three poachers and rescued their Electrode from the mud and marsh. Afterwards, the Electrode would likely be sent to the Pokémon Care Center for rehabilitation.
In this world, humans who break the law are sent to prison; Pokémon who’ve followed the wrong trainer or made mistakes are sent to the Pokémon Care Center.
After proper guidance, they return to the wild as free Pokémon.
… (To be continued)