"He's my rival. If you can save Machamp, I'll owe you a favor too," Red said, patting his chest confidently.
"Since both of you have put it that way, I'll certainly give it my best shot," Feng Che replied with a smile. "First, let me see Machamp's medical reports."
Blue pulled a stack of papers from his bag and handed them over. Feng Che flipped through them quickly, and a conclusion formed in his mind. "Blue, have you been putting Machamp through intense muscle training lately?"
"Yes. To help it master the essence of Bullet Punch, I pushed its muscle conditioning quite hard. But I stopped two days ago when the weakness appeared," Blue nodded.
"That explains it. High-intensity training without adequate recovery causes a massive depletion of electrolytes. Based on these symptoms, Machamp is suffering from Hypokalemic Periodic Paralysis—a temporary muscle collapse. Even though the blood tests look normal now, Machamp's brain sends signals faster than its body can react. The neurons damaged by the initial paralysis haven't fully recovered yet."
Feng Che handed a slip of paper to Blue. "It's not a major issue. It just needs rest and a specific supplement of trace elements to repair those neurons. Since I have some free time, why don't you both release your teams? I'll give everyone a quick check-up."
"Thank you, Mr. Feng Che," the two boys said in unison. They glanced at each other, snorted, and looked away.
Blue released Charizard, Ninetales, Scyther, and Golduck. Red released Pikachu, Poliwrath, Ivysaur, Aerodactyl, Snorlax, and Gyarados.
Feng Che spent the next hour performing thorough examinations. "Your Pokémon are generally healthy, but their diets are a bit generic. Their skin and fur lack luster. Over time, this could hinder their growth or even degrade their potential. I've written down some custom Energy Block recipes for each of them. Use these instead of standard Pokémon food; they provide better nutrition and a higher sense of satiety."
He turned to Red. "And Red, your Snorlax is technically moderately obese. Switch his main meals to these energy blocks. They'll suppress his excessive urge to overeat by targeting the specific nutrients he's actually craving."
The Backyard
Feng Che led them to the backyard, where Blue's eyes widened. "Is that a Kleavor? That's an incredibly rare species! And a Salazzle? Wait... are those Miltank?"
"Miltank are monopolized by the Johto farms; they're almost never seen in Kanto," Blue mused. Who exactly is this guy?
In the center of the pond, a massive Magikarp leaped into the air, landing near Feng Che and splashing water over him. Feng Che patted the golden crown on its head.
"A golden Magikarp! That's rare!" Red exclaimed.
"I bought it as a giant Magikarp on a cruise," Feng Che explained. "After I returned, its old scales fell off, revealing this golden hue."
Suddenly, a brilliant white light erupted from the fish. Its body expanded violently until a massive, red Gyarados stood in its place.
The Dragon Pearl worked, Feng Che thought. The Dragon Pearl he had hidden in the Magikarp had successfully converted its standard scales into Dragon Scales, making the evolution process smooth and painless.
Pokémon: Gyarados (Shiny) Potential: Epic (Cyan) Level: 35 Ability: Moxie Skills: Dragon Dance, Hydro Pump, Flamethrower, Hurricane, Hyper Beam... Evaluation: Contains a Dragon Pearl. It possesses the terrifying power to call forth storms.
"Mr. Feng Che, I have a Gyarados too!" Red said excitedly. "Wanna have a Gyarados duel?"
"Not today. Mine just finished evolving and needs rest," Feng Che declined gracefully. "How about a different match, Red? To celebrate your Poliwrath's evolution."
Red grinned. "Be careful! My Poliwrath is much stronger than it was as a Poliwhirl!"
"A powerful opponent indeed. In that case, Ivysaur, you're up!"
Red looked at Feng Che's Ivysaur. "You have an Ivysaur too?"
"Poliwrath, Bulk Up!" Red shouted. The frog's muscles swelled.
"Ivysaur, Vine Whip!"
Sixteen vines erupted from Ivysaur's back, weaving through the air like strikes from a cobra.
"No way! Sixteen vines?!" Red gasped. "Only an adult Venusaur is supposed to handle that many! That's insane talent!"
"Poliwrath, use Ice Punch to freeze them!" Red countered.
Poliwrath managed to freeze one vine, but before it could swing again, the other fifteen wrapped around it like a net.
"Ice Beam!" Red yelled in desperation.
A freezing ray hit Ivysaur directly, encasing it in a block of ice. "Whew," Red wiped his brow. "Your Ivysaur is terrifying. If I hadn't landed that, I would've been done."
"The match isn't over yet," Feng Che smirked.
With a loud crack, the ice shattered. Ivysaur's sixteen vines braided themselves into a single, massive Wood Hammer. Poliwrath looked up to see a giant shadow looming over it. BOOM! The hammer slammed down, kicking up a massive cloud of dust.
When the dust cleared, Poliwrath was lying at the bottom of a crater, a massive bump on its head, completely unconscious.