The noble boy said nothing; he crossed his arms, held his head high, and walked haughtily toward the backyard, with Koharu following behind him indignantly.
The two arrived at a battleground, and the gem-encrusted Poké Ball in the noble boy's hand gleamed in the sunlight.
"Hey, country bumpkin, don't you dare cry when you lose the battle later!" the noble boy said.
"I won't cry! How annoying! Since that's how it is... then I'll send you out!" Koharu originally wanted to send out Patrat, but on second thought, she took out Heracross's Poké Ball.
The noble boy elegantly pressed the button on the Poké Ball.
Along with a flash of white light, a Lairon appeared on the battleground; its body was made of steel, it had a pair of blue eyes, and it looked very well-raised.
On Koharu's side was a Pokémon that looked like a giant rhinoceros beetle, its entire body covered in skin as hard as iron, with a thick, large horn on its forehead.
The moment it came out of the Poké Ball, it immediately looked around curiously, its large insect face looking adorable yet revealing a hint of silliness.
It's just a big bug, isn't it? A confident smile appeared on the noble boy's face. He was in no hurry to start the battle, but instead looked at his Lairon and introduced it to the country girl opposite him:
"This is a Pokémon used exclusively in His Majesty Draconis's army. You and your big bug have absolutely no chance of winning."
"Hmph! Heracross, we're being looked down upon. In that case, let's show them what we're made of!" Koharu said huffily.
"Hera?" Heracross looked around, seemingly not finding what it was looking for, and suddenly became somewhat resistant.
It didn't really want to participate in this Pokémon battle.
Seeing this, the noble boy opposite her widened his eyes and then burst out laughing:
"Oh my god, no way! As a Trainer, you can't even command your own Pokémon?"
Koharu's expression stiffened, and she then said stubbornly, "I certainly can!"
She quietly walked to Heracross's side and whispered a plea: "Please, Heracross, if you can help me win this battle, I'll go buy you two bottles of your favorite sweet honey later!"
Hearing these words, the expression on Heracross's face immediately changed.
No longer looking resistant, it looked at the Lairon opposite it, and a fire of unprecedented fighting spirit ignited in its eyes.
"Hera!"
"Phew, thank goodness." Koharu breathed a sigh of relief in her heart, then looked at the noble boy opposite her and shouted, "Heracross, let's show this guy who looks down on us what we're made of!"
"Hera!"
The battle officially began!
"Lairon, use Iron Head!" the noble boy immediately commanded.
Receiving the command, Lairon's head, which was as hard as steel, immediately charged toward the Heracross opposite it.
Facing this attack, Heracross did not panic; instead, it narrowed its eyes, which were filled with fighting spirit.
"Hera!"
Under everyone's gaze, Heracross crouched slightly and then met Lairon head-on.
It advanced instead of retreating!
With just one hit, that Lairon's body went flying backward, falling in front of the noble boy with its eyes rolled back, having directly lost its ability to battle.
A wave of shock immediately washed over the noble boy's previously confident face.
"Lairon?! How can this be?!"
Having successfully defeated its opponent, Heracross returned to Koharu.
"Yay!" Koharu was very happy. "Don't worry, Heracross, I'll go to the street and buy you two bottles of sweet honey later! No, five bottles!"
"Hera?!" Heracross's eyes lit up instantly.
Koharu then looked at the noble boy opposite her, snorted, and asked, "How's that? Doesn't feel good to be defeated by a 'country bumpkin' like me, does it?"
The noble boy's face was very unsightly, and he didn't speak.
"Hmph, looking at you, it seems you still don't know why you lost. In that case, I'll be merciful and tell you!"
"Lairon is a Steel and Rock-type Pokémon, and the move Heracross just used was the Fighting-type Close Combat. Fighting-type moves dealt to Lairon can cause four times the original damage! That's why your Lairon lost its ability to battle instantly."
Koharu was very proud; she had listened carefully in her classes at the Pokémon School!
Noble boy: "...You won."
He seemed unable to accept any of this, directly recalled Lairon into its Poké Ball, and turned to leave.
Koharu didn't care; she looked at Heracross and said to it, "Alright, I'm going to the street to buy you sweet honey now!"
"Hera~!"
The figures of the girl and Heracross gradually distanced themselves, leaving behind only the sound of their conversation.
"Also, I'll have to ask for your help with the Gym challenges later!"
"Hera!"
*
kingdom calendar year 151, mid-June.
Draconis officially implemented the Central Bank system and currency reform.
Starting today, all residents holding old currency could go to the local Unova Bank to exchange it for new currency.
As soon as these two measures were introduced, they immediately caused a huge stir in all the major cities of the Kingdom of Unova.
Initially, not many people were willing to go and exchange.
After all, in many people's eyes, compared to a piece of white paper that looked very fragile, the metal currency in their hands was the real money, the foundation for their survival in this place.
This was even more true for some families and high nobility; a single move could affect the whole body. They were already used to the original economic system, and any sudden change would inevitably have an impact on them.
The second day of the currency reform, Nimbasa City, the castle.
Alfred listened to the reports from others, then turned to look at Draconis with some concern and said:
"Your Majesty, the number of people exchanging for new currency in various places is still very limited... Do we really not need to intervene forcibly?"
To this, Draconis was not in a hurry.
He stood by the window, looking out at the prosperous Nimbasa City, and said softly, "No rush."
Meanwhile.
In Striaton City, in an ordinary farmer's household.
A woman wearing an apron full of patches looked at her husband with worry and couldn't help but ask:
"Ethan, are we really going into the city tomorrow to exchange these silver coins for those pieces of paper?"
The man called Ethan nodded firmly. "Mia, don't worry, I trust His Majesty Draconis! If it weren't for His Majesty Draconis, we would probably have lost our home because of the war by now."
"Haven't you noticed? Since His Majesty Draconis took the Throne, the lives of us Commoners and farmers have been much, much better than before. Everything His Majesty Draconis does is for our own good; he would never harm us!"
"Otherwise, he wouldn't have done so much for us. We should trust His Majesty!"
"And if anyone refuses these banknotes or damages our banknotes, I believe His Majesty will surely seek justice for us!"
Hearing her husband's words, Mia opened her mouth and thought that was true.
She said no more, only nodded, silently supporting her husband's decision.
....
Power Stones PlZZZZ
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