Pikachu, upon hearing the word "battle," was instantly wide awake.
It bounded off the grass, its tail standing straight up, and the electric sacs on its cheeks crackled with little sparks.
Here we go, here we go!
The Master had been whispering with that mushroom crab for so long and kept pointing over here—he must have been praising it!
As Pikachu thought about this, it puffed out its chest even further.
It had to give a great performance today.
It would show that inexperienced mushroom crab what real power was.
Three Quick Attacks followed by one Thunderbolt; if that mushroom crab didn't faint, then its meal today was a waste.
Pikachu walked on its short legs to the grass, clenched its paws into fists, tapped them together, and its eyes were full of fighting spirit.
Paras, seeing Pikachu's stance, felt its legs start shaking again.
That yellow guy... it looks really fierce...
Roy looked at Pikachu's serious face and almost laughed out loud.
This Pikachu, it got into character too quickly.
He hurriedly sent a message to Pikachu via Aura.
"Pikachu, today isn't about showing off your strength."
Pikachu paused and twitched its ears.
Huh?
"It's about showing off your acting skills."
Acting skills?
"See that Paras? It's too timid and needs to regain its confidence. Your mission today is—to lose to it."
Pikachu's eyes widened instantly.
Lose?
It, Pikachu, hadn't lost many times in its life!
"And you have to lose convincingly; you can't let it see that you're doing it on purpose."
The sparks on Pikachu's cheeks vanished instantly.
It tilted its head to look at Roy, its eyes filled with grievance.
"Master... are you asking me to be an actor?"
Pikachu thought about it—well, acting was also a hobby of its!
Pikachu took a deep breath and reined in all its fighting spirit.
The speed of this transformation was worthy of being called a one-second face change.
Seeing that Pikachu had switched states, Roy turned and beckoned to Paras.
"Paras, go!"
Paras swallowed hard, its four short legs trembling as it moved forward.
It looked at Pikachu, and Pikachu looked back at it.
The eyes of the two Pokémon met in the air.
One was genuinely timid.
The other was pretending to be timid.
Roy cleared his throat and shouted, "Start!"
Pikachu launched the "attack" first.
It rushed up and raised its paw, looking fierce, but in reality, when it landed, it was light as a feather, no different from a tickle.
Paras subconsciously raised its pincers to block.
Slap.
Pikachu's paw landed on Paras's pincer, making a soft sound.
Then Pikachu cried out, "Oops," and took two steps back.
Paras was stunned.
It looked down at its pincers.
"I... I blocked it?"
Pikachu was complaining wildly in its heart: Master, look, how well I'm acting! I didn't even use ten percent of my strength for that hit!
But the expression on its face was, "So amazing! This guy actually blocked my attack!"
Seeing Pikachu's shocked expression, Paras's confidence rose just a little bit.
"So... so I can actually block its attack?"
Pikachu rushed up again, this time using "Quick Attack."
It was fast, flashing right in front of Paras.
But just as it was about to collide, Pikachu secretly pulled back its strength and just lightly brushed against Paras.
Then it jumped back two steps, making "Pika Pika" sounds, with an expression on its face that read, "This guy is so strong."
Paras was completely confused.
It realized that it seemed... to really be able to keep up with this Pikachu's speed?
It had indeed seen that Quick Attack just now, and it had indeed reacted.
Although the reaction was a beat slow, it had moved.
If it were in the past, it would have already curled into a ball in fear.
Paras took a deep breath, gathered its courage, and took the initiative to rush toward Pikachu.
It raised its pincers and clamped toward Pikachu.
It used all its strength for this hit.
Pikachu pretended to be unable to dodge, letting the pincers lightly touch its shoulder.
Then, it began its performance.
"Pika—chu!!!"
It let out a miserable scream, drawing the sound out long.
Then its body began to sway from side to side, its eyes rolled back, and its tongue stuck out.
After spinning twice, it flopped onto the ground with a thud.
Belly up.
It even twitched twice.
Paras looked at Pikachu lying on the ground, completely dumbfounded.
It stood there holding its pincers, not daring to move.
"I... I won?"
"I defeated the bug killer... ?"
At this moment, Delia's Eevee, which had been watching from the side, ran over.
Eevee had thought it was very strange just now; Pikachu was usually quite capable in a fight, so why did it fall today?
It ran to Pikachu's side, tilted its head, and leaned in to look.
Pikachu had been closing its eyes to play dead, but feeling something approach, it secretly opened one eye.
Seeing it was Eevee.
Pikachu hurriedly held up a paw to its mouth.
"Shh..."
Eevee paused.
Then it understood instantly.
Oh, so it's acting!
Eevee blinked, and it immediately caught on.
It also instantly burst into acting mode, pounced on Pikachu, and began to cry "sadly."
"Vui—Vui—"
That sound, it couldn't have sounded sadder.
It was as if it were saying, "Pikachu, what's wrong with you! Don't die!"
One best actor, one drama queen, working together seamlessly.
Paras, seeing Eevee crying so sadly, was even more convinced: I really did defeat Pikachu!
"My god!"
"I'm actually this strong!"
Roy saw this scene and almost lost his composure.
These two guys, one was more capable of acting than the other.
In the distance, Kiyomi saw the moment Pikachu fell to the ground and cheered in time.
"Paras!!! You're amazing!!!"
Kiyomi shouted loudly, her voice filled with tears.
She ran toward Paras, scooped it up, and held it in her arms.
"You did it! You really did it!"
Paras was held in Kiyomi's arms, feeling the temperature of its master's body and her trembling voice.
The big stone that had been pressing down on its heart finally began to loosen.
"So... I really can battle."
"So... I'm not that weak after all."
Kiyomi hugged Paras and spun around twice, tears finally falling.
For the past few years, she had been trying to find ways to help Paras overcome its timidity, but she had never succeeded.
Sometimes she even wondered if Paras was just not cut out for battle.
But now, she saw hope.
Roy walked over, looked at Paras, and nodded.
"See that? I told you, you're a one-in-a-million genius."
Paras heard Roy's voice and looked up at him.
This human's eyes were still so firm, as if everything was within his expectations.
"That pincer strike just now, the force was sufficient, the angle was tricky, and the timing was grasped well."
Roy continued to praise.
"Pikachu has fought so many battles in the Kanto region and has never been defeated so cleanly."
Pikachu, lying on the ground playing dead, twitched the corner of its mouth at these words.
Master, if you want to praise it, praise it, don't step on my face to do it.
Don't I have any dignity?
But there was no help for it; the play had reached this point, and it had to be acted out to the end.
It continued to lie there, motionless.
Eevee was still crying "sadly" on the side, its voice almost hoarse.
Roy said again, "But just winning against one isn't enough."
Paras looked at him.
"Your strength goes beyond this. Since you're in such good shape today, it would be a shame not to fight a few more matches."
Saying that, Roy took out a Poké Ball from his waist.
With a "pop," Bulbasaur was released.
Bulbasaur landed on the grass, yawned, and looked sleepy.
It had been sleeping soundly in the Poké Ball and was a bit dazed from being called out suddenly.
Roy squatted down and whispered into Bulbasaur's ear, "Act, lose to that Paras."
Bulbasaur blinked and instantly woke up.
It looked at the Paras standing in Kiyomi's arms, then at the Pikachu lying on the ground faking a faint, and immediately understood.
Bulbasaur nodded at Paras, meaning "Come on."
Paras jumped down from Kiyomi's arms and looked at Bulbasaur, its confidence higher than before.
It had even defeated Pikachu just now; this thing with a garlic bulb on its back should be beatable, right?
It took the initiative and rushed up.
Bulbasaur began to perform.
It first lashed out with Vine Whip, looking aggressive, but in reality, when it hit Paras, it was as light as a feather.
Paras clamped the Vine Whip with its pincers and tugged.
Bulbasaur "perfectly" stumbled and lunged forward two steps.
Paras took the opportunity to rush up, and its pincers touched Bulbasaur.
Bulbasaur cried "Oops," fell to the side, belly up, tongue out, eyes rolled back.
Even faster than Pikachu's fall.
Paras looked at Bulbasaur lying on the ground, its mouth wide open.
"Won... won again?"
"This is too easy, right?"
Roy applauded on the side, "Beautiful! That pincer strike was even more powerful than the last one!"
Then he took out Wartortle's Poké Ball.
"Come on, continue! Wartortle, go!"
When Wartortle was released, it looked around in confusion.
Roy whispered another instruction, "Act, lose to it."
Wartortle looked at Bulbasaur and Pikachu, and immediately understood.
Paras's confidence was now overflowing.
Having won two matches in a row, it felt like it was full of strength.
It rushed up, pincers swinging toward Wartortle.
Wartortle began to perform.
It first pretended to block with its shell, then "was shaken" and took several steps back.
Then it pretended to use Water Gun; the splash was big, but it sprayed completely off-target and didn't hit Paras at all.
Paras took the opportunity to rush up, and its pincers knocked Wartortle on the head.
Wartortle cried "Ah," eyes rolled back, tongue out, and flopped to the ground.
Three wins in a row.
Paras stood on the grass, looking at the three Pokémon that had fallen before it, and the whole bug was floating.
"I... I'm actually this strong?"
"Defeated the bug killer Pikachu!"
"Defeated that Green monster!"
"Defeated that turtle!"
"So I've always been this strong, I just didn't know it before?"
"No, this human is right; it was because I ate that rotten grass before, so my condition wasn't good."
"Today I ate a pokéblock, my condition returned, and my strength exploded!"
The more Paras thought about it, the more excited it became.
Kiyomi saw Paras win three matches in a row, and her tears couldn't stop.
She rushed up and scooped Paras up.
"Paras! You're amazing! You're my pride!"
Paras had never felt this kind of recognition before.
So when a battle is won, the master will be this happy.
So this is what it feels like to make the master happy.
Roy watched this scene, and his heart also relaxed.
Paras's confidence was basically established.
It still needed consolidation, but his remaining Primeape, Pidgeot, Charizard, etc., were either too big or had too violent a temper! Not very suitable!
He turned his head to look at Misty.
"Misty, do you have any more Pokémon? Bring two out and let it practice."
Misty nodded.
She had been watching from the side, and although she felt Pikachu's fall was a bit fake, she understood Roy's intention.
This was to help Paras build confidence.
She took out a Poké Ball, thought about it, and let out Psyduck.
Psyduck landed on the grass, holding its head with both hands, looking completely confused.
"Quack?"
It looked around, having no memory of how it came out.
Misty squatted down and patted Psyduck's head, "Psyduck, go have a battle with that Paras. Remember, throw the match, don't actually hurt it."
Psyduck tilted its head and looked at Misty.
"Quack?"
"Throw the match? What does it mean to throw the match?"
Paras saw a Psyduck standing opposite and felt no fear at all.
After winning three matches in a row, it now felt it could beat anyone.
It took the initiative and rushed up.
Psyduck was still standing there holding its head, thinking, and didn't notice Paras rushing over at all.
Paras clamped Psyduck's tail with its pincers.
Psyduck screamed "Quack," and jumped up from the ground in pain.
"Quack, quack, quack, quack, quack!!!"
Psyduck began to shake its tail frantically, but Paras clamped on tightly and couldn't be shaken off.
Then Psyduck began to run around, dragging Paras in circles all over the grass.
As it ran, Psyduck bumped its head into a big tree nearby.
"Bang!"
The sound was quite loud.
Psyduck's eyes rolled back, and it wobbled and fell down.
Paras released its pincers, stood next to Psyduck, and panted heavily.
Won again.
Four wins in a row.
Paras looked down at its pincers, its eyes full of light.
"So... I'm this capable in a fight."
"Those Caterpie and Weedle before, it wasn't that I couldn't beat them, it was that my condition was bad!"
"Right, that's it!"
Paras had completely regained its confidence.
It raised its head, puffed out its chest, stood firmly on the grass with its four legs, and there was no more timidity or cowardice in its eyes.
Kiyomi saw Paras like this and couldn't help crying again.
She squatted down and held Paras tightly in her arms.
"Paras... you're really amazing..."
"I never thought you were weak, and I never disliked you."
"Whether you win or lose, you are my Paras."
"Even if one day you really lose and fail, I will always take care of you and always stay with you."
"You will always be my Pokémon."
As Kiyomi spoke, her voice choked up.
She buried her face in Paras's mushroom, her shoulders shaking.
Paras heard these words, and its body stiffened.
Then, its eyes also welled up.
So... the master never disliked me.
So... even if I lose, the master won't stop liking me.
It had been scaring itself all along.
Paras extended its pincers and gently touched Kiyomi's face.
It was saying: I'm sorry for making the master worry.
Kiyomi looked up at Paras and smiled through her tears.
"Don't say sorry."
"It doesn't matter if you don't want to battle in the future; if you want to battle, just say the word, and I'll go with you."
Paras shook its head vigorously.
"Pala pala!"
It wanted to say: No need, I can battle now.
Because I know that regardless of winning or losing, the master will be by my side.
Roy stood on the side, watching this scene, and the corner of his mouth curved up slightly.
Done.
Things were happy on this side, but the other side wasn't so harmonious.
Misty walked over to Psyduck, squatted down, and patted its head.
"Psyduck, that was a good performance!"
Her tone was full of surprise.
"I didn't expect it; you usually look dull and silly, but you're quite good at acting!"
"That scream when your tail was clamped just now, it sounded so real, and that move of bumping into the tree, the timing was grasped too well!"
The more Misty spoke, the more excited she became.
Psyduck lay on the ground, hearing Misty's words, and slowly opened its eyes.
It tilted its head and looked at Misty, looking confused.
"Quack?"
What acting?
What happened?
Misty thought Psyduck was being modest, smiled, and patted its head again, "Alright, alright, you don't have to act anymore, the problem is solved."
Psyduck was even more confused.
"Quack?"
Act? Act what?
Also, my butt hurts!!!