"Mi-lo~! (Master, I'm so happy~!)"
Lopunny launched herself straight into Peter's arms and tackled him to the ground.
"Ah—Lopunny, wait! My back—my back's going to snap!"
Peter groaned dramatically.
But Lopunny didn't care in the slightest.
She pinned him down and enthusiastically licked his face in celebration.
If not for Peter hastily producing a bottle of Moomoo Milk and a handful of Pokéblocks, he might've genuinely suffocated under excessive Lopunny affection.
Crisis narrowly avoided.
…
Back in the esports training room, Peter calmly distributed the newly earned talent points to Zorua in advance.
Zorua ♀ Lv.23 (Intermediate)
Pre-allocated Talent:
Attack +30
Sp. Atk +40
Speed +40
Zorua's recent energy fluctuations had been unstable. Evolution might not be far off—better to prepare early.
At that moment, the little fox was immersed in League of Legends, playing Syndra.
And she was playing recklessly.
Tower diving.
Limit testing.
Absolutely fearless.
Why?
Because her support was Indeedee—piloting Soraka.
The scoreboard read 18–0–20.
The enemy bot lane was three levels behind.
Peter twitched.
"...AP carry Soraka support, huh? Of course that's you, Ai."
Moments later—
Zorua unleashed a perfect scatter combo.
Team wipe.
"Victory!"
[Ding!] Zorua completed Syndra Q training objective. Learned new move: Shadow Ball!
Shadow Ball
Ghost-type Special Move
Power: 80
Chance to lower opponent's Special Defense by 1 stage.
"Nice. Keep going."
Peter patted Zorua's head, then swapped Lopunny into Arboliva's seat for more training.
He brought Arboliva into the battle simulation chamber.
It was time to test something else.
"System. Match again."
[Match Found.]
Opponent: Slowbro
Difficulty: +3 Tier
Talent rewards granted regardless of outcome.
A tall, slender silhouette appeared across the field. The man adjusted his glasses thoughtfully.
"A peculiar space… appearing out of nowhere. I suppose this must be a dream."
"Go, Arboliva! Prepare for battle!"
The shadow glanced at the single Poké Ball in his hand and tossed it casually.
White light flashed.
A pink, shell-backed Pokémon materialized.
…
Slowbro Lv.60 (Pseudo-Elite Four tier)
"Slowbro… hmm. This might be a bit unfair," the man muttered.
"Let's not take this too seriously. It's just a dream, after all."
"Use Ice Beam."
"Slow…"
A frigid blue ray shot forward at terrifying speed.
Just before impact—
Red light engulfed Arboliva.
Peter recalled her.
"Hmm? Switching?" The man frowned. "Isn't this a 1v1?"
Then—
He saw something impossible.
The Poké Ball in Peter's hand began to grow.
Larger.
Larger.
Until it was half a meter wide.
It glowed brilliantly before Peter hurled it with all his strength—
It burst midair.
Arboliva reappeared—
And rapidly expanded.
Ten times.
Twenty times.
Until she towered nearly 40 meters tall, dominating half the battlefield.
Each leaf on her arms was larger than Peter himself.
Crimson and violet storm clouds swirled above her head.
The violent energy gusts whipped both trainers' clothing wildly.
"W-What kind of monster is that?!" the man exclaimed.
Peter grinned.
"This is the Galar region's special battle system—Dynamax!"
"Arboliva! Use Max Overgrowth!"
"LIVAAAA—!"
Her voice boomed like thunder.
Massive seeds condensed in her palms and fell around Slowbro.
In an instant—
Gigantic trees, mushrooms, and flowers burst upward from the ground—
Then detonated in an explosion of radiant green light.
The shockwave rippled outward.
Peter staggered back from the blast.
Fresh grass sprouted across the field.
Max Overgrowth
Grass-type Max Move
Never misses
Creates Grassy Terrain for five turns
"Slow…"
Under the glow of Grassy Terrain, Slowbro recovered slightly and stood up.
"An impressive spectacle," the man analyzed calmly. "But the level difference remains significant."
"Slowbro, Ice Beam again."
The icy ray fired straight toward Arboliva's head.
"Block it—then Max Overgrowth again!"
Peter's strategy was brutally simple.
Dynamax doubled HP.
And in reality, the sheer size advantage made attacks even less effective than in the games.
Arboliva casually raised her arm—
Ice Beam struck.
Super effective.
But she endured it.
Then more colossal seeds descended.
"Slowbro, use Protect!"
BOOOOOOM—
The second Max Overgrowth exploded.
Cracking sounds echoed—
Grassy Terrain enhanced the damage further.
And Max Moves could not be fully blocked by Protect.
The barrier shattered after only seconds.
Slowbro was blasted backward several meters.
The man narrowed his eyes.
"This kind of power… It shouldn't be sustainable."
Peter's expression flickered.
Incredible observation.
A Level 60 Slowbro.
Male trainer.
Elite Four-tier skill?
Could this be Lucian of Sinnoh? Or Will of Johto?
"Arboliva—Max Overgrowth again!"
"Slowbro—Protect into Heal Pulse!"
Simultaneous commands.
Peter attempted to capitalize on Dynamax's remaining turns.
The opponent immediately shifted to defensive stall.
Protect absorbed part of the damage.
Then multicolored healing energy enveloped Slowbro.
Its HP rapidly recovered.
Peter sighed.
The level gap was simply too wide.
And the opponent's skill execution—Substitute, Protect, Heal Pulse—flawless timing.
Red light flickered.
Arboliva shrank back to normal size.
Dynamax ended.
The man smiled faintly.
"Now… my turn."
But before he could issue the next command—
Peter raised his right hand.
"I forfeit."
"…?"
The man froze.
A question mark might as well have floated above his head.
I endured three turns of bombardment…
And you just surrender?
Is that even allowed?
Before he could protest—
System judgment activated.
The simulation dissolved.
The shadow vanished.
…
Peter exhaled slowly.
This battle had already achieved its purpose.
He had tested Dynamax's durability.
Its field control.
Its limitations.
Winning wasn't necessary.
Understanding was.
Sometimes—
Knowing when to retreat…
Was the mark of a true strategist.
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T/N:
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