Chapter 19: The First Battle

“Swablu! Dragon Pulse!”

“Chirp!”

A dragon-shaped energy surged through the air, colliding fiercely with the flames spewed from Growlithe’s mouth. The explosion nearly reached the sky, shattering flowerbeds and toppling surrounding stalls in the violent gust. Only after a long while did the smoke and blast from the Dragon Pulse and the fire dissipate completely.

It was only then that the colorful-clad boy finally realized what had happened. He collapsed to the ground, trembling, his phone shattered to pieces.

The security captain stood protectively in front of the boy, his heart filled with fear but even more with astonishment.

He gazed at the boy before him, his eyes following the source of the light—a small blue bird resembling a puff of cotton circling overhead, its chirp filled with joyful excitement.

Qian Lin turned his head irritably, looking down at the boy sprawled on the ground. “Do you know that what you just said almost got you and that creature killed? Don’t you understand that when facing an angry Pokémon, the best choice is to keep your distance?”

“Do you know that you nearly shattered the fragile hopes we’ve just started to build—to communicate with Pokémon?” Qian Lin’s tone was filled with restrained anger.

He honestly never thought such a fool existed in this world. He had always assumed such people were merely jokes in novels or anime, never imagining they truly existed.

Qian Lin really wished this guy would perish in Growlithe’s flames, but that was just a fleeting thought. No matter how foolish he was, he was still part of society. If there was a chance to save him, Qian Lin would take it.

Moreover, the security captain had instinctively shielded the boy from the attack. Even if it weren’t for the boy, it was for the captain’s sake that they had to save them both.

The boy on the ground said nothing, only staring fearfully at Growlithe. This must have shattered his entire understanding of monsters—there really were people who thought Pokémon’s fire was nothing more than harmless flames.

But Pokémon’s flamethrower was far from a simple burst of fire.

Qian Lin no longer cared about him. He turned to Growlithe. “Growlithe, calm down. We are not your enemies.”

“Woof!” Growlithe glared fiercely at the boy on the ground, a white light glowing in its mouth.

“Is that… a bite?” Qian Lin realized Growlithe was enraged by the boy. It seemed this matter couldn’t be resolved easily. “Everyone, clear the area.”

As Qian Lin’s words fell, Swablu flapped its wings and hovered in front of him, locking eyes with Growlithe in the distance.

“Chirp chirp!” ٩(๑`^´๑)۶

The security captain was clearly no ordinary man. Upon hearing Qian Lin, he didn’t hesitate to have everyone leave, leaving only the standoff between Swablu and Growlithe.

“Arf!!!” Growlithe roared angrily and charged straight at Swablu.

Growlithe’s speed was impressive. With a flash of light from its teeth, it reached Swablu in the blink of an eye, opening its mouth to bite.

“Swablu, fly up! Use Dragon Pulse!”

At Qian Lin’s command, Swablu didn’t hesitate. It flapped its wings and soared into the sky, evading Growlithe’s bite and counterattacking with a blast of Dragon Pulse. Growlithe, just landing, was caught off guard and hit squarely.

Dust billowed up, and before the smoke cleared, a stream of flames shot out from the dust, landing directly on Swablu.

“Chirp~” The flames disrupted Swablu’s balance.

“Swablu!” Qian Lin worried, but Swablu only dropped a short distance before flapping its wings again, a determined look settling on its face.

---

Seeing this, Qian Lin exhaled in relief. “Growlithe is faster than Swablu. Even if it dodges attacks in the air, any counterattack will be met with Growlithe’s retaliation.”

He didn’t want Swablu to get hurt—it was his own Pokémon, after all.

“In that case, Swablu, use Tailwind!”

“Chirp!” Swablu flapped its wings, and a gentle breeze blew from behind, lifting its body with graceful power.

Though Growlithe didn’t know what Tailwind was, it wouldn’t let the opponent strengthen so easily. It raised its head and howled toward the sky. As a beam of light rose from its body, the sunlight above seemed even brighter.

A clear sunny day! Growlithe could summon Sunny Day?

Qian Lin’s face was full of surprise, but… what was Growlithe planning with Sunny Day at a time like this? He was utterly confused by Growlithe’s strategy.

Growlithe paid no heed. With the weather now sunny, it gathered flames in its mouth and spat a fiery blast at Swablu soaring above.

Qian Lin watched carefully. “With Tailwind, Swablu’s speed doubles. Even your Overheat won’t hit Swablu!”

“Swablu, dodge! Use Dragon Dive!”

The Tailwind’s gentle gust carried Swablu’s body, making it incredibly agile. Facing the incoming flamethrower, Swablu chirped lightly, fluttered its wings, and dodged deftly. Dragon-shaped energy gathered on its body, transforming into a fierce dragon that crashed down onto Growlithe.

Boom—

Growlithe gritted its teeth and endured the blow, its eyes nearly blood-red. Swablu’s strength was impressive; even a direct Dragon Dive couldn’t defeat Growlithe. Enraged, Growlithe braced itself and began gathering fire again, opening its mouth to bite Swablu.

“Flame Fang!”

With Growlithe’s power, the sunny weather, and type advantage, this bite could very well incapacitate Swablu.

Qian Lin’s heart sank in frustration. It was a command mistake! Growlithe was deliberately playing a tactical game, using bait and sacrifice. This creature was far smarter than the foolish boy from earlier.

“Swablu, to your right!”

Right? Was that a cue to dodge right or that the attack was coming from the right?

If this were a team lacking rapport, they might freeze. But Swablu understood. Just like that time by the lake when she foolishly crawled into Qian Lin’s backpack, and he foolishly never noticed.

Not rapport—trust.

Facing the incoming Flame Fang, Swablu didn’t hesitate. It flapped its wings and veered right. It was slightly late but enough.

Flame Fang left a charred mark on Swablu’s wing, but the force of the bite knocked her away, sending her tumbling far off. Growlithe looked dazed—such a sure hit had been dodged?

Qian Lin clenched his fists and shouted, “Final strike! Dragon Pulse!”

Swablu struggled to open her eyes, Qian Lin’s words giving her strength. She opened her mouth toward the just-finished Flame Fang Growlithe, a proud smile on her cute face—“Look, this is my trainer!”

You! Did! Not!

A dragon-shaped pulse erupted from Swablu’s mouth, the powerful force crashing directly onto Growlithe. With a thunderous explosion and sweeping wind, Growlithe was blasted back, crashing hard onto the ground.

---

Growlithe was incapacitated.

As Growlithe hit the ground, Swablu also fell but fared much better, still having the strength to grin foolishly at Qian Lin.

Immediately after the battle ended, Qian Lin rushed to Swablu’s side, scooped her up, and exchanged for healing and burn ointment sprays, watching her wounds slowly mend. He sighed in relief.

Then, looking down at Swablu in his arms, he said regretfully, “I’m sorry, Swablu. I let you get hurt.”

By game standards, he hadn’t done anything wrong—Swablu only knew five moves. But in reality, it was a mistake. Real battles weren’t turn-based; Growlithe wouldn’t simply wait after using Flamethrower.

“Chirp chirp~” (❁´◡`❁)*✲ﾟ*

Swablu wasn’t angry. She happily flapped her wings, as if saying, “I won! See, I won!”

Seeing her like this, Qian Lin couldn’t help but smile and gently stroked her. “Well done, Swablu.”

“Chirp~” (ﾉ≧∀≦)ﾉ

Taking a deep breath, Qian Lin carried Swablu toward Growlithe, who was struggling to stand. But his strength was insufficient; he could only growl a warning at Qian Lin.

Qian Lin reached into his pocket and placed two Sitrus Berries in front of Growlithe, speaking softly, “Growlithe, I’m sorry. I apologize on behalf of that boy. We will never hurt you, please trust us, okay?”

After all, this was a human problem. Though Qian Lin didn’t know why Growlithe first became angry, the second time was definitely because of that foolish chatterbox.

Growlithe looked at the berries on the ground, then at Qian Lin, then finally at Swablu in his arms. His gaze shifted to the people in the distance, including the security captain.

Thinking of something, Growlithe lowered his head and whimpered, eating the berries quietly and lying still without speaking.

Qian Lin exhaled in relief, smiling as he gently petted Growlithe’s head. “Thank you for understanding, Growlithe.”

He stood and looked toward the security captain hiding in the distance, waving his hand gently. “It’s okay now. Could you please come over and help maintain order?”

Far away, the security captain looked at Qian Lin in disbelief. Hearing his words, he nodded instinctively, then turned to his equally baffled teammates. “Uh, keep the peace, and also find out when the police will arrive.”

This was beyond his control.

Elsewhere, a boy holding a phone swallowed nervously, staring dumbfounded at the video he had just recorded. Then he looked at Qian Lin with admiration. “Damn, Qian Lin is amazing! Last time he said having a partner meant safety… so that’s what he meant…”

“No way anyone’s messing with him from now on.”

This boy was one of Qian Lin’s livestream viewers and one of those who had recently tried to ambush him outside a scenic spot. Though he hadn’t managed to speak with Qian Lin due to official intervention, he wasn’t disappointed.

He had come to this cultural exhibition just to use the internet at a nearby café—after all, the central plaza was full of internet bars. Who would have thought he’d witness something like this?