"Pokémon battles?"
Hearing those words, Emma and the others froze on the spot.
"Yes. The charm of Pokémon isn't limited to their cute appearances or gentle personalities," Ren said calmly.
"Attributes, abilities, and moves exist largely for battle. Of course, that's a somewhat one-sided way to put it."
He paused for a moment, then continued in a softer tone.
"But to me, the greatest appeal of Pokémon lies in their will—the belief that drives them to fight with everything they have on the battlefield."
In an arena, Pokémon and Trainers fight side by side for victory and dreams. The unique allure of a battle where both sides give their all, staking everything on that moment, is intoxicating.
Of course, Emma, Jason, and Lily couldn't understand that feeling yet. Or rather, given their current understanding, it was extremely difficult for them to accept.
Even in the Pokémon world, there were plenty of laid-back Trainers who preferred peaceful lives.
Integrating Pokémon naturally into everyday life had always been Ren's goal.
Just like in that other world—humans and Pokémon living together in harmony, supporting one another—that was the ideal state.
Still, if he were honest, what Ren looked forward to the most… was Pokémon battling.
"Battling… isn't that just animal fighting?"
Emma blinked, visibly shaken by Ren's words.
Making Pokémon fight—wasn't that essentially forcing animals to battle each other? And with humans orchestrating it, no less?
Was that really acceptable?
She lowered her gaze to Squirtle, who looked harmless and adorable. She couldn't imagine Squirtle fighting at all.
It would hurt, wouldn't it?
Emma frowned unconsciously. To be honest, she felt deeply uncomfortable.
Jason and Lily felt the same. Precisely because they cared so much, they didn't want the Pokémon they loved to be hurt in any way.
After all, animal fighting had always been considered cruel and unethical.
People kept pets out of affection—not for profit, violence, or spectacle.
"I think you're worrying too much," Ren said gently, reading their expressions.
"Pokémon are incredibly resilient. As long as they aren't attacked after suffering serious injuries, their lives are never truly in danger."
Seeing the three of them remain silent, he continued patiently.
"Pokémon battles are fundamentally different from animal fighting. Traditional animal fighting is a cruel practice where humans force animals to harm each other for entertainment, completely disregarding their will."
"But Pokémon battles are different. Pokémon choose to fight because they possess an innate drive for battle. They do it for their Trainers, for honor, and to prove their own strength."
"Pokémon battles aren't about survival. They're friendly competitions. That's the most important distinction."
As he spoke, Ren gently stroked Charmander's head.
He didn't want Pokémon battles to be mistaken for cruel spectacles. The two were fundamentally different.
After hearing his explanation, Emma, Jason, and Lily finally relaxed a little.
"Boss, let's talk about this later," Lily said softly, her eyes flickering.
"I think we need some time to process all of this."
To be honest, she was actually quite curious about Pokémon battles.
But she hadn't seen one yet, and she definitely didn't want anything bad to happen to her little fire dragon.
"Of course," Ren replied with a smile and a nod.
It really was too early to discuss Pokémon battles anyway. After all, there were only three Trainers here.
Well—excluding himself.
"Boss, how do Pokémon learn new moves?" Jason asked.
"Can my Vulpix learn other moves as well?"
As he spoke, his gaze subconsciously drifted toward Diancie.
That Pokémon's move list was absurd.
"Absolutely," Ren replied without hesitation.
"Although not all of it is displayed in the Pokédex, Pokémon naturally learn new moves as they grow."
"That's why humans who partner with Pokémon are called Trainers. A Trainer's role is to nurture their Pokémon and help them grow stronger."
He explained patiently. In truth, he was already considering creating a Trainer's Beginner Manual.
People in this world knew far too little about Pokémon. He couldn't possibly explain everything from scratch to every new customer forever.
"I see… this is basically a summoned beast and its summoner," Jason muttered.
The more he thought about it, the more it resembled the summoner systems in fantasy novels.
The information overload was intense.
"If that analogy helps you understand it, that's fine," Ren said with a chuckle.
"This is incredible," Lily said, clicking her tongue.
"Boss, be honest—are you an alien?"
"These Pokémon don't look like creatures that should exist in our world at all."
She said it jokingly, but her tone carried genuine amazement.
For some reason, she found herself accepting everything surprisingly easily.
Logically speaking, encountering creatures like this should've been terrifying.
Maybe it was because Pokémon like Charmander were simply too cute and harmless.
Or maybe… she just had a very big heart.
"You really know how to joke," Ren replied with a smile.
Outwardly calm, his heart skipped a beat.
Good thing the system subtly blurred people's cognition.
Otherwise, dumping this much information into a modern, technological society would've raised suspicion a long time ago.
After all, magical creatures like Pokémon were more than enough to overturn common sense.