In the backyard.
Murong Nan looked nervously at the battlefield, where Piplup and Chimchar were raring to go.
"Su Bai… are you sure this is okay?"
"Will they get hurt during the battle?"
Though she was an Awakened and knew she'd eventually face combat, watching her precious Pokémon fight—especially one as cute as Piplup—made her anxious. She didn't want her partner to get hurt for no reason.
Su Bai explained patiently:
"Battles between Pokémon are essential."
"They help Pokémon grow faster and gain experience."
"And don't worry about injuries."
"Pokémon have unique physical traits. They're much tougher than ordinary creatures."
"As long as you return your Pokémon to its Poké Ball in time, it'll stay stable."
"Then just bring it back to Su's Pet Shop, and I'll restore it to perfect condition."
"So win or lose, every battle is a valuable experience."
"And the first restoration is free. Even after that, treatment costs are minimal."
The Pokémon from Pokémon House leaned more toward game/anime hybrids. In the games, if a Pokémon's HP dropped to just 1, it could still fight—or be recalled safely.
But real life wasn't that kind.
In a fight against feral beasts or rogue Awakened ones, failure to monitor your Pokémon could be fatal.
The only safe zone was in official Pokémon battles. There, the losing Pokémon would enter a fainted state—not die—and could be healed by someone like Su Bai.
In other words, frequent battles helped both Trainers and Pokémon grow—and honed their bond and awareness.
Compared to Murong Nan, Liu Yunlan was far more energetic.
She was already crouched down, whispering strategies into Chimchar's ear. Chimchar nodded enthusiastically, its eyes gleaming with understanding. The two looked like they were having a perfectly fluid conversation.
Su Bai took two steps back and gave the stage to the stars of the show.
"Then let's begin our first official Trainer battle!"
With his cheerful announcement, Chimchar, ever the lively one, launched the first attack!
In the games, Pokémon stats were balanced by something called "base stats."
But in the real world?
Not so much.
Reality didn't follow turn-based combat or neat numerical balance.
A Legendary Pokémon wouldn't get one-shotted just because of a type weakness. And you wouldn't see neat, turn-by-turn fights.
Instead, speed and instinct ruled.
Chimchar, known for its swiftness, had the clear upper hand here.
With a nimble leap, it soared above Piplup's head, and a burst of flame erupted from its tail—a burning Ember attack!
The fireball struck Piplup squarely on the back, making it wince in pain.
"Pip-lup-pip!!"
Outraged, Piplup opened its beak wide and fired a pressurized Water Gun straight into the air!
Chimchar, agile as ever, twisted mid-air to dodge the incoming blast.
Su Bai nodded in approval from the sidelines.
"In games, battles are turn-based and accuracy is percentage-based."
"But reality doesn't work like that. It's not 'you hit me, then I hit you.'"
"If your Pokémon is faster, it's much harder to land a clean hit on them."
"And Chimchar's speed advantage is showing clearly here."
Still, the earlier Ember attack hadn't done much damage.
"Type matchups are key," Su Bai muttered.
On the battlefield, Chimchar tilted its head in confusion. Why hadn't its fire worked?
Liu Yunlan's voice quickly rang out:
"Chimchar, use Scratch!"
"If special attacks aren't working, go physical!"
Chimchar's eyes lit up in understanding.
It dodged another Water Gun and darted in close—landing a clean Scratch on Piplup's side!
"Pip-lup!!"
This time, the hit clearly hurt more than the earlier flame.
Murong Nan quickly responded:
"Piplup, use Pound!"
Piplup raised its little flippers and swung one forcefully—smacking Chimchar across the chest!
Chimchar staggered back, dazed.
At that very moment, Piplup opened its beak and unleashed another Water Gun at point-blank range!
Direct hit! Super effective!
The blast sent Chimchar flying across the field, landing right at Liu Yunlan's feet.
"Ah! Chimchar!"
She rushed over, her face full of distress. The flame on Chimchar's tail had dimmed significantly.
"I surrender! No more fighting!" she cried.
Tears welled in her eyes as she scooped up Chimchar.
"Su Bai, this is all your fault! Look, Chimchar's flame is going out!"
Meanwhile, on the battlefield, a victorious Piplup held its head high, radiating pride.
Murong Nan knelt to gently pat its round little head before walking over to Su Bai as well.
Su Bai chuckled at Liu Yunlan's panicked expression.
"Relax, Yunlan. Don't panic."
"Just return Chimchar to its Poké Ball."
"Piplup took some damage too—return it as well. I'll treat them both."
The two girls nodded and complied.
Su Bai took the Poké Balls and walked toward the front desk, chatting casually:
"That was a solid battle. Even with a type disadvantage, Chimchar didn't just sit there and take hits."
"That's the mark of an Awakened Trainer. Your battle sense is on another level."
"Type matchups are easy to grasp."
"Water beats Fire, like how certain elemental skills overpower others in profession battles."
"When power levels are close, Water usually wins against Fire."
"But that doesn't mean it's impossible to win against your weakness."
"A strong bond and clever tactics can always create miracles."
"After all, Pokémon are living creatures. Victory depends on how well you train and understand them."
"There are eighteen different Pokémon types. If you want to become a true Trainer, you'll need to memorize all the strengths and weaknesses."
"Luckily, your Pokédex copies contain all that data."
Honestly, the outcome was no surprise.
These Pokémon were newly hatched from their balls—no serious training yet.
Overcoming a type disadvantage in that state was nearly impossible.
Still, Chimchar's performance was more than acceptable.
As he spoke, Su Bai placed both Poké Balls into a device embedded in the Pokédex—which also doubled as a healing machine.
Dun-dun! Dun-dun-dun!
A familiar sound played—one that tugged at the heartstrings of anyone who'd played the old games.
Moments later, both Poké Balls lit up, indicating their occupants were fully restored.