"Press the advantage! Keep up the pressure with Thundershock."
Seeing that Tangela was already stuck in a paralyzed state, Owen barked the command to Magnemite.
"Kuo... yi! Yi! Yi—"
Golden arcs of electricity danced across Magnemite's grey metallic body. With a sharp crackle, a surge of lightning erupted, snaking across the field toward Tangela.
Lilu instinctively raised her right hand in tension, then swept it down with a shout: "Use Ingrain, right where you are!"
In that split second, her theoretical knowledge kicked in to guide her judgment. Since Tangela's reaction time and movement speed were crippled by paralysis, dodging the incoming Thundershock was nearly impossible.
Because Electric moves were not very effective against Tangela, Lilu opted to have her Pokémon tank the hit while rooting itself into the ground. This way, the current might be grounded into the earth, and the Ingrain move would simultaneously help recover lost stamina.
It was a solid tactical decision, but the battle-hardened Owen wouldn't give her the opening.
The paralysis made the Ingrain attempt sluggish. Taking advantage of the delay, Magnemite had already gathered its momentum and charged forward like a bullet.
Tackle!
The Thundershock hadn't done much damage, but the Tackle followed up instantly. Under the panicked gazes of Lilu and Tangela, the rooting Pokémon was slammed backward and overturned. In the next heartbeat, Magnemite unleashed another Thundershock at point-blank range.
Zzap!!
Tangela was scorched and dazed. It wobbled in a few dizzy circles before collapsing.
"I lost..." Lilu exhaled, her heart still thumping with adrenaline.
"Kuo-yi!!"
While the opponent was disappointed, Magnemite was the opposite. Having tasted victory, it flew back to Owen's side in high spirits. It emitted a tiny spark from its magnet, which Owen caught with his fingertip. The faint tingle told him just how happy the little guy was.
"Well done."
Owen smiled. For a first battle, he was more than satisfied with Magnemite's performance.
At the same time, Owen walked over to Lilu and exchanged a few friendly words. Perhaps the match had drawn some attention, because as they were chatting, another rookie trainer approached and challenged Owen.
Owen blinked, but didn't refuse. Magnemite's battle intuition had clearly improved after one fight; he needed to strike while the iron was hot. He decided to use more battles to cement those instincts!
Half an hour later.
Magnemite was panting heavily as it faced a Phanpy on the ground. A Ground-type... it made Magnemite's Electric moves completely useless. It couldn't deal any damage with its primary element.
Even with Tackle, it couldn't match Phanpy's raw power. Phanpy might be small, but it was incredibly strong, capable of carrying an adult on its back with ease. Its trunk swings were devastating; a previous collision had left Magnemite reeling.
"Using a Ground-type to challenge a Magnemite... how shameless," Owen muttered to himself.
"It's been four battles. Even with an Oran Berry to recover midway, Magnemite is inevitably getting exhausted. Let's end this."
The opposing trainer was still seriously commanding Phanpy to attack, but Owen had already decided to wrap things up. Conventional attacks weren't working. If he wanted to finish this fast, he had to use Hidden Power.
As Phanpy rolled forward again, using the counter-force to bounce into the air for a slam, Owen spoke: "Hidden Power."
"Kuo-yi!!" Magnemite's eye lit up.
Finally, the command it had been waiting for! Owen had been restricting this move to let it adapt to standard combat... but now...
Magnemite's single eye began to glow with a deep blue light. Powerful mental energy was converted into psychokinetic force, releasing the Hidden Power directly at the oncoming Phanpy.
Boom!!
Under the weight of Magnemite's Hidden Power, Phanpy was slammed back onto the arena floor. It lay on its back, little stars spinning around its head as it let out a dazed cry.
"Phan... phan..."
The sudden turn of events made Phanpy's trainer's eyes bulge. "Wha—How—?!"
"A Pokémon that knows Hidden Power—haven't seen one of those before, have you?" Owen replied with a grin. He recalled Magnemite, leaving his utterly bewildered opponent standing alone in the arena.
Owen finally understood the thrill Xu Jing felt when commanding Abra. If an opponent didn't have Eevee's reaction speed, there was simply no dodging it.
After the battles, Owen took Magnemite to the nearest Pokémon Center to recover before heading toward Renmin University
In fact, there were quite a few rookie trainers visiting the university during the winter break. Some came in groups, others with parents. Someone like Owen, walking solo... wasn't unheard of, but it was rare.
"Are those... volunteers?"
Owen reached the campus gates and looked at the young men and women who looked like student guides. He was puzzled. It was winter break, not orientation week—was it really necessary to deploy so many students to act as guides for visitors?
"Hey, student, are you here for a tour?"
Just as Owen was wondering, a senior from Renda wearing glasses walked over, looking somewhat troubled.
"Uh... yeah," Owen said, surprised. Where's the welcoming smile?
"How about I show you around?"
"Really? Thank you very much."
And so, Owen was led onto the campus by the bespectacled senior.
"Senior, can I let my Pokémon out here?" Owen asked.
"Sure, but only small Pokémon, and you have to register them first," the senior replied.
Owen nodded. This was a standard rule in many places: large or dangerous Pokémon had to stay in their balls, while small ones could stay by their trainers' sides like pets.
"Registering is such a hassle..." Owen sighed. Then he asked, "Why are you guys volunteering during winter break? Is the pay that good?"
The glasses-wearing senior glanced at Owen and explained, "Of course it is. Why else would anyone stand here instead of going home? During winter break, being a volunteer earns you a lot of Credits.
Credits are the most important resource for a Renda trainer. If you don't have enough, you can't use the school's specialized training facilities or equipment."
"I see." Owen understood now.
"I'll take you for a quick lap around the area."
"Great, thanks. But I'd like to let my Pokémon out to see the place too. Where do I register?"
"It's on the way. Follow me," the senior said dejectedly. If he hadn't lost a bet, who would want to spend their time guiding a guy?
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