Lily: [What a coincidence, I'm chatting with my son too.]
Nathan: [Really? That is a coincidence. But my daughter's kind of a dummy—like, really goofy.]
Lily: [Oh, really? What a coincidence! My son looks like a garlic turtle!]
Nathan: [Are we just roasting each other now?]
Lily: [Who's scared of who? Bring it on!]
Nathan: [I'm your dad!]
Lily: [I'm your real mom!]
The two plunged into a fierce online flame war. But eventually, Nathan closed the chat with Lily and opened another contact labeled "Aunt Gemma," sending a message.
Moments later, his phone rang.
Nathan picked it up.
"Nathan! My account's gone! How could you snitch to my mom?!" Lily's angry voice roared through the speaker the moment the call connected.
A smug smile tugged at Nathan's lips. He chuckled, "Heh, still wanna mess with me? You're too green."
"You jerk, Nathan! Just you wait—I'm screenshotting your messages and sending them to Auntie right now!" Lily huffed.
"Too late," Nathan said calmly. "I already unsent everything."
"Son of a—! You damn scoundrel!"
Clearly, Lily had realized it and couldn't help but swear before angrily hanging up.
Nathan chuckled and put away his phone. With a thought, he opened the system shop, glanced around, and began making purchases.
Naturally, he was buying TM-learning machines to help Metagross and Volcarona.
Thanks to their awakened powers, the two Pokémon had access to a broad range of moves, so Nathan didn't hesitate with the purchases.
For example, powerful Electric-type moves like Thunder and Thunderbolt were a must for Metagross to learn.
As for Volcarona, it needed to learn Flying-type moves—such as Air Slash and Hurricane.
However, moves like Wing Attack or Drill Peck were out of the question—Volcarona simply couldn't learn them. The reason was straightforward: despite being Flying-type, those moves required a specific physical structure.
It's like asking a Pokémon without fists to use Thunder Punch—not happening.
Volcarona was in that category.
…
The next day, Nathan remained at the hotel, continuing to train with his Pokémon.
Another day passed.
Only then did Nathan leave the hotel and head back to River City Gym, where he met Derek Mace once again.
"Trainer Nathan, long time no see." Derek smiled warmly as Nathan walked over.
"It has been a while," Nathan replied with a smile. "Thanks in advance for your help this time."
"No problem at all." Derek waved it off casually. "Honestly, I was getting a little bored going alone—now I'll have someone to chat with on the road."
"Oh right, Nathan—how about a battle?" he said, already holding a Poké Ball and looking eager.
Nathan couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head.
Nearby, Felix spoke up. "If you two want to battle, the arena's currently free—you can use it now."
Hearing that, Nathan thought for a moment and then nodded. "Sure, my Vibrava has been itching for a fight anyway."
"Vibrava?" Derek's eyes lit up. "The one you got as a Trial Tournament champion reward? I'm looking forward to this."
The two headed up to the top-floor battle arena.
As the gym leader, Felix served as the referee this time. Watching the younger trainers with interest, he declared the match ready to begin.
Without hesitation, Nathan drew a Poké Ball. With a flash of light, Vibrava appeared before him.
By now, the Vibrava had reached peak commander level—just a step away from entering Gym-tier strength.
Feeling its strong aura, Derek naturally didn't use his ace Pokémon. Instead, he sent out a different one.
A pink, one-meter-tall Pokémon appeared—adorably cute in appearance.
Nathan's eyes widened in surprise. "A Wigglytuff?"
Wigglytuff, a Normal/Fairy-type in the games, was classified as a Normal/Psychic-type in this world—since the Fairy type hadn't been discovered yet.
These Pokémon were known for their gentle, caring nature and were often used in medical settings to care for injured Pokémon. They were peaceful and rarely fought—resolving disputes by inflating themselves and comparing size rather than battling.
In short, both their appearance and personality made them irresistibly adorable.
Notably, wild Wigglytuffs were quite rare.
"Don't underestimate my Wigglytuff. She's stronger than she looks," Derek Mace said with a grin.
Wigglytuff gave a serious wave with her tiny hand.
"Of course I won't," Nathan chuckled. To be honest, Wigglytuff's typing actually gave her an advantage over Vibrava.
But it wasn't a big problem.
Although Wigglytuff had Fairy-type traits, it usually didn't know many Fairy-type offensive moves. At most, it might know Disarming Voice.
Also, Dragon-type moves were off the table here, since Fairy types were immune to them.
"Vibrava, ready for battle."
Taking a deep breath, Nathan's expression turned serious. "Lock on to Wigglytuff's position. Use Sand Attack, then Mud-Slap!"
Vibrava nodded and dug into the ground. A cloud of sand kicked up like smoke, flying toward Wigglytuff.
Sand showered down.
Wigglytuff, always concerned about cleanliness, looked furious and quickly tried to dodge.
But right after, a barrage of mud came flying in. One chunk hit Wigglytuff right in the face.
Now she looked absolutely furious.
"Wigglytuff, use Ice Punch!" Derek commanded.
Wigglytuff's stubby legs moved quickly—faster than expected. She charged at Vibrava with frost swirling around her right fist.
"Dodge and use Sandstorm!" Nathan called out.
With a buzz of its wings, Vibrava zipped out of range. Then, as it flapped faster and faster, dust and sand began to rise.
A Sandstorm filled the arena.
Not only did it damage Wigglytuff, but it also obscured her vision.
"A weather move, huh?" Derek frowned slightly. The sandstorm blocked their view, and combined with Vibrava's speed, it made things difficult.
"Wigglytuff, use Disarming Voice!"
Hearing the command, Wigglytuff began to sing. A strange melody echoed through the entire arena, making Vibrava wince in discomfort.
"Vibrava, don't miss this chance—Scary Face, then Dig!" Nathan shouted.
With sand already blinding her, Wigglytuff couldn't locate Vibrava.
Then, with a horrifying expression and a piercing shriek, Vibrava suddenly appeared behind her.
Startled, Wigglytuff froze in place—eyes wide and already tearing up. Before she could react, Vibrava vanished underground.
"Wigglytuff, stay calm—Stockpile!" Derek Mace urged. His Wigglytuff was great in every way… except she was a clean freak and scared of spooky things, like a nervous little girl.
Wigglytuff shook her head, trying to dispel the fear. Then, she began to puff herself up with deep breaths, growing larger and larger.
But just then—
The ground beneath her feet cracked.
Vibrava burst from below, landing a powerful hit that knocked Wigglytuff into the air. Pain showed clearly on her face.
"Wigglytuff, hang in there! Deep breath, then Body Slam!" Derek Mace quickly said.
Wigglytuff endured the pain, took a deep breath, and grew even bigger—then leapt straight at Vibrava like a mountain crashing down.
"Sand Attack, then dodge," Nathan said calmly. "Follow with Hone Claws, then end it with Dig."
With the ongoing sandstorm, plus more sand from Sand Attack, and hiding underground with Dig...
Wigglytuff—who wasn't suited for battle to begin with—couldn't locate Vibrava at all.
Not just her—any Pokémon without Ground-type abilities would struggle to track Vibrava like this.
This battle was already decided.
…
In real-life battles, you had to take advantage of the environment—including obscuring the opponent's senses.
Unlike in the games, Sandstorm didn't just trigger an animation and show damage—it actually affected visibility, making it hard for Pokémon to even keep their eyes open.
Watching the match unfold, even Nathan couldn't pinpoint Vibrava's location. But that didn't matter—he didn't need to. He just needed to know Wigglytuff's location and issue commands accordingly.
"Vibrava, let's finish this."
As Nathan's voice rang out—
Vibrava burst from the ground and landed a direct hit on Wigglytuff, sending her flying and crashing heavily to the ground.
But that strike alone wasn't quite enough to end it.
"Vibrava, Tackle!"
Nathan's voice echoed again.
Vibrava shot forward like a phantom, smashing into Wigglytuff once more.
That final full-power hit made Wigglytuff cry out in pain before fainting, completely knocked out.
The sandstorm dissipated along with the battle.
"Return, Wigglytuff," Derek said, recalling her to the Poké Ball. Then he looked at Nathan with a smile. "Impressive tactics. You never stop moving."