SWNOVELXO Chapter 21: Chapter 21: Hardship Training
"Look at Field 7! Onix versus Lapras! Even though Lapras has a huge type advantage, at least this is finally something worth watching."
"Seriously, if it weren't free admission, who'd bother coming to watch the Baby Cup? Too bad the Lapras match is on Field 7, but at least it's still visible from here…"
In the spectator rows behind the contestants' seats, a crowd of fans started talking excitedly, all eyes turning toward Field 7.
And not just the audience. Lin Feng was watching Field 7 closely as well.
He couldn't help twitching at the corners of his mouth.
That commentator's narrative technique was so blatantly obvious.
First, he hyped up how impressive the opponent's Onix was. Then Lapras would crush it, dramatically enhancing Lapras's image in everyone's minds.
Snivy, who'd been slumped in boredom in Lin Feng's arms, suddenly perked up, eyes shining.
Of all the Pokémon here even that Torchic earlier it hadn't considered any of them true rivals.
But in Lapras, it genuinely sensed the presence of a formidable opponent.
"Don't worry, we're bound to run into it sooner or later," Lin Feng said with a smile, patting Snivy's head. He was plenty curious about that Lapras himself.
Pokémon: Lapras
Gender: Male
Ability: Water Absorb
Potential: Purple-grade
Individual Values: HP (29), Attack (20), Defense (19), Special Defense (21), Speed (18)
Level: 19
Moves: Growl, Water Gun, Sing, Mist, Life Dew, Ice Shard, Ice Beam
Profile: A Lapras burdened by the pain of suppressed energy. Because it has held back for too long, there's a risk that when it finally breaks free, its power might overflow uncontrollably.
Affection: 0 (It doesn't know you.)
Joy: 0 (Its energy is on the verge of bursting…)
Not only did it possess purple-grade potential, but its individual values in HP were excellent.
Though that profile…
Was it because Lapras had already been capable of evolving to elite level but had deliberately suppressed itself?
To be honest, forcing a Pokémon to suppress its energy was not a healthy approach.
If the buildup went on too long, it could cause physical pain for the Pokémon, and over time, might even lower its growth ceiling.
If Snivy had been experiencing a natural urge to evolve before entering this tournament, Lin Feng would've dropped out without hesitation to avoid harming it.
But Lapras's Trainer clearly didn't share that mindset.
The match on Field 7 began.
And it moved quickly.
The chubby boy munching on his bag of chips simply gave a calm command. "Water Gun."
A powerful jet of water erupted from Lapras's mouth like it had finally found an outlet, blasting forward in a surging torrent.
The arena wasn't especially large, and digging moves were banned.
Onix's enormous size became its own prison, leaving it nowhere to run.
Its Trainer hurriedly ordered it to coil its body, trying to expose only its side to minimize the damage.
But the Lapras, having finally found a release for all that pent-up power, showed no signs of stopping.
The Water Gun poured relentlessly onto Onix's rocky hide.
The type disadvantage was already severe, and the raw energy behind Lapras's attack made things even worse.
Onix's eyes soon went unfocused. Its Trainer realized they were seconds away from being completely overwhelmed and shouted a desperate order. "Onix, use Rock Throw!"
Onix, gritting its teeth through the pain, lifted its head and gathered Rock-type energy. Sharp stones shot toward Lapras at high speed.
But Lapras didn't care.
It took the hits from several Rock Throws head-on. Its Water Gun only roared more fiercely in return.
Eventually, Onix simply couldn't withstand such intense water pressure. It crashed to the ground with a heavy thud.
"Oh my goodness! A one-hit knockout! Even a brilliantly trained Onix couldn't last a single move against Lapras. And look at Lapras's Trainer so calm, as if he'd known all along how this battle would end…"
The commentator's voice rose, expertly working the crowd's emotions.
Sure enough, the entire stadium, thousands of spectators strong, immediately focused all their attention on Lapras, gasps and cries of admiration filling the air.
"That kid… Who would've thought? He doesn't look like much, but the Pokémon he's trained is this powerful."
"Unless something crazy happens, I'd bet he's the favorite for first place now."
"That Lapras is incredible!"
…
Back over in the seats for Group 9…
"He's pretty strong, huh, Snivy?" Lin Feng murmured in admiration.
That Lapras wasn't just on par with Snivy in terms of pure strength. It had another significant advantage it was right on the brink of a breakthrough, with immense energy stored up inside.
In fact, for it, unleashing that energy was practically therapeutic.
"Sni… vy…"
Snivy blinked, its eyes gleaming even brighter.
It wasn't intimidated at all.
The stronger the opponent, the more it fired up Snivy's fighting spirit.
"Oh right if you feel like evolving once we're in the ring, don't hold it back," Lin Feng reminded it gently.
With the third wave of battles concluded, the fourth wave was about to begin.
As the officials waved them forward, Lin Feng and another boy stepped toward Field 9.
"Hey, I've been watching you for a while," said the other boy, who had a buzz cut and wore a black short-sleeved shirt, his gaze sharp and defiant. "You keep holding your Snivy in your arms. Is it because Snivy has never actually fought in a real battle before?"
"Huh?"
Lin Feng blinked in surprise, glancing at his opponent.
The buzz-cut boy continued, voice full of disbelief. "Pokémon exist for battling. If you coddle yours like that, aren't you worried it'll grow spoiled and arrogant?"
He raised a Poké Ball and tapped it. A Sandshrew appeared at his side. "Look at me," he declared proudly. "I've already won nine battles with this Sandshrew. You're about to witness my tenth consecutive victory."
He puffed out his chest. "To make it stronger, and to help it overcome its weaknesses, I've run it through rainstorms, and made it swim across rivers…"
"So this match? We're definitely going to win."
"…."
Lin Feng was left speechless by the guy's monologue.
Seriously, how does overcoming Water-types have anything to do with my Grass-type Pokémon?
Besides…
Lin Feng simply didn't believe in that sort of hardship-driven training.
Pokémon: Sandshrew
Gender: Male
Ability: Sand Veil
Potential: Green-grade
Individual Values: HP (18), Attack (20), Special Attack (10), Defense (19), Special Defense (11), Speed (12)
Level: 14–16
Moves: Scratch, Defense Curl, Poison Sting, Sand Attack, Rollout, Fury Cutter
Profile: After repeated soaking in water, its scales have become slightly loosened and require urgent treatment.
Affection: 0
Joy: 25 (Still wondering how to overcome its weakness to water.)
Not to mention…
Sure, that Sandshrew might be the strongest Pokémon in Group 9 so far.
But getting Snivy to actually take it seriously might be a bit of a stretch…