Pokémon Center — Evening
Back at the Pokémon Center, Peter returned to his room with Whitney.
He borrowed a laptop from Nurse Joy—he needed to properly edit the footage of his battle against Cynthia.
Whitney, meanwhile, sat quietly beside him, holding Clefairy in her arms.
Just as she had said before—although the two of them knew each other deeply, she didn't truly understand how Peter had grown during his travels.
She wanted to integrate into his world as quickly as possible.
"Binee~"
The two Teddiursa were gently placed onto Miltank's soft belly by Whitney. The bears happily wriggled around in comfort.
Zorua proudly showed off the moves it had learned to its mother.
Outside the window, Slaking, Rufflet, and Lopunny—three physical attackers—were clashing noisily in training drills, while Arboliva stood quietly like a decorative bonsai, eyes closed, sensing the flow of Grass-type energy as usual.
In the peaceful room, only the rhythmic clatter of Peter's keyboard echoed.
-----
Elsewhere — A Darkened Room
In an unknown pitch-black chamber, Pokémon Hunter J stood before a glowing screen.
"The failure to capture Suicune was my responsibility. We've already determined its general escape route. Give me more time, and I will—"
"Enough."
The man on the screen cut her off abruptly.
"I no longer require Suicune. Seek another target."
"Yes…"
J lowered her head.
"And one more thing—I warn you. During your hunts, no harm is to come to any human or Pokémon life. Otherwise…"
"N-No, I guarantee it won't happen. Please rest assured!"
Behind her visor, J's expression flickered with panic.
Clearly, this employer was someone she both feared and dared not offend.
"That's more like it. You want money. Do your job properly, and you'll be paid accordingly. Go."
The man's figure disappeared from the screen.
-----
Pokémon Center — Later
"Whew—"
Peter stretched lazily.
After more than an hour of editing, the battle video against Cynthia was finally complete.
"Peter—I'm here!" Nemona's voice rang out from outside the window.
"Give me a second!"
Peter typed rapidly, fingers dancing across the keyboard. Then—
Enter.
Upload.
[Battle Against Cynthia! Mega Evolution vs. Dynamax — Let's Be Honest, I'm Actually a Pokémon Professor]
…
Battle Field
A short while later, Peter and Whitney arrived at the battle field. Nemona was already waiting eagerly.
"I'll be the referee~" Whitney announced, holding a small flag as she carefully set up recording equipment.
Moments ago, she had decided—she would become Peter's exclusive camerawoman.
"The battle will be 3v3. Switching is allowed. Both sides will send out their first Pokémon simultaneously. Representing Goldenrod City: Peter! Representing Cabo Poco: Nemona! Battle—Begin!"
"Pawmot, take the stage!"
"Indeedee, you're up!"
"Babbo~!"
An orange-yellow, big-headed rodent appeared. Its large ears resembled a rabbit's, and faint electrical currents flickered through its fluffy fur.
Pawmot Lv. 34 (Advanced-tier)
Whitney looked down at her Pokédex in confusion.
"No data… Unable to identify… It's a Pokémon I've never seen before!"
Peter explained calmly, "That's Pawmot. An Electric/Fighting-type Pokémon. Speed is its specialty, and it stores electricity comparable to an electric vehicle."
Like Pikachu, Plusle and Minun, Pachirisu, Emolga, Dedenne—Pawmot was the "electric rodent" of Generation Nine, and Nemona's signature partner.
At this stage of the timeline, Nemona's strength hadn't yet fully blossomed.
"Indeedee, use Calm Mind!"
"Quick Attack!"
Indeedee raised both hands and closed her adorable eyes, psychic energy gathering—
But Pawmot dashed forward like a shooting star, tail streaking behind it as it rammed toward Indeedee's abdomen.
Boom—
The expected collision never happened.
Instead—
It passed right through.
"Huh?!" Nemona froze.
Then she remembered the battle footage she had studied before.
"That's… Zorua?!"
"Bingo~" Peter snapped his fingers. "Extrasensory!"
"Zorua!"
The "Indeedee" grinned mischievously and instantly transformed back into a small white fox. A beam of psychic energy slammed into Pawmot's back before it could react.
"Babbo!"
Pawmot cried out and collapsed to the ground.
Extrasensory dealt double damage due to typing, and with Calm Mind boosting Special Attack, the effective power reached a staggering level. Without a major level advantage—and lacking strong Special Defense—Pawmot couldn't withstand it.
Nemona frowned and recalled it.
"Come back, Pawmot! Floragato, battle ready!"
A pale-green feline appeared. The moment it saw Peter, its fur stiffened, dark green paw pads scraping claw marks into the ground.
Clearly, it remembered losing to him in a previous dream battle.
Floragato Lv. 29 (Intermediate-tier)
"Another Pokémon I've never seen…" Whitney murmured, snapping a few handsome close-up shots of Peter while remaining fully in her "camera mode."
"So it's this little one…" Peter nodded. Meowscarada's Dark typing meant Floragato already had access to strong Dark-type techniques—a direct threat to Zorua.
"Zorua, create distance! Calm Mind!"
"Use Taunt to interrupt it!"
Psychic energy began to shimmer around Zorua—
But Floragato made a mocking gesture, a taunting curl of its paw and a sneer.
Anger flared in the fox's chest.
Instead of continuing to set up, it fired a beam—
Extrasensory!
Nemona's eyes gleamed. "Sucker Punch!"
"Meow—!"
In a blink, Floragato vanished from sight. It dodged the psychic blast and reappeared instantly, claws slashing across Zorua's body.
Three sharp gashes appeared.
"Zorua—!"
The double damage from Dark typing made the fox cry out in pain.
"Calm down, Zorua!" Peter's voice rang out clearly.
Zorua had grown up under its mother's protection. Its battle instincts were still immature. In the past, it often relied on its Illusion ability and type advantages to win through surprise.
But Nemona—
She was a true rival.
A whetstone.
"Close in—Bite!" Nemona pressed the attack, refusing to give Zorua breathing room.
"Zorua…" The Taunt effect still lingered, its eyes burning with impulsive anger.
Peter locked eyes with it.
Floragato lunged—
Zorua lifted its paw—
"Now! Shadow Sneak!"
"Zorua!"
The fox dissolved into shadow, slipping seamlessly into Floragato's own shadow. Its claws and fangs missed completely.
Then—
A dark strike erupted from behind.
Floragato stumbled forward, off-balance.
"Good chance! Extrasensory!"
The psychic blast struck instantly.
BOOM—!
"Floragato!"
When the smoke cleared—
Floragato lay unconscious.
"Floragato is unable to battle! Please send out your next Pokémon!" Whitney announced formally, though her face glowed with pride.
"Zorua…"
The fox padded to Peter's side, rubbing gently against his pant leg.
It felt guilty.
Under Taunt's provocation, it had nearly thrown the match.
Without Peter's precise timing—
It would have lost.
But instead of criticism—
It received warmth.
"You did great, Zorua. Even under Taunt, you managed to hold yourself back and wait for the perfect moment."
"Zorua?"
The fox looked up.
Reflected in its eyes was Peter's gentle, encouraging gaze.
Its orange eyes trembled slightly.
"…Zorua."
For the first time—It truly understood what it meant to trust its Trainer.
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T/N:
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