Chapter 79: The Moving Garden, Catch Cao Miaogui!

Miss Qun’s crown-like flowers emit an inspiring fragrance, and that is precisely why Cao Miaogui summoned the courage to fight.

Guang Tai thought perhaps those pollen could be made into “Courage Scent,” capable of healing psychological issues in Pokémon or even humans with low self-esteem.

But now, what he needed to do was meet Cao Miaogui’s challenge!

“Shuang Jian Shao, I rely on you.”

Guang Tai looked at Shuang Jian Shao, who responded with two soft chirps, then turned to Cao Miaogui and pointed with its ribbon toward a distant open field.

There are many precious plants here—fight on the open ground!

At the same time, Shuang Jian Shao began to ponder.

Should I release some water? Otherwise, if I strike immediately with consecutive slashes, the Bug-type moves will be super effective against Grass-type—this will end in a flash.

How will the Trainer fight?

“Iron Defense!”

Of course!

Shuang Jian Shao heard Guang Tai’s voice and instantly understood—he wanted to test Cao Miaogui’s strength, so he opened with Iron Defense to boost physical defense, and this was also a form of holding back!

But Shuang Jian Shao fully approved of this restrained battle!

Powerful Pokémon aren’t born strong—they once were weak, just like I once was, and like Bai He Gen Wa once was!

So weak Pokémon will one day grow strong—if this Cao Miaogui is willing to become a partner, Shuang Jian Shao has no objection to deliberately losing and becoming its stepping stone!

To lend strength to all Pokémon and humans who hold dreams—that is the spirit of a knight!

As for my habit of dishonorable sneak attacks and canceling consecutive slashes—that’s another matter entirely!

Cao Miaogui was highly tense; after seeing Shuang Jian Shao use Iron Defense, it thought nothing of type matchups and immediately shook its tender leaves, unleashing “Leaf Blade!”

Launching blades to slash the opponent—easy to strike vital points!

Blade-like leaves, like broken discs, struck Shuang Jian Shao’s body in a gale—but Shuang Jian Shao’s physical defense was already extremely high, and with the Evolution Stone and Iron Defense, Leaf Blade felt like a tickle!

It did not trigger the critical hit effect!

“Yowoo!”

“Little turtle, give it more!” Shuang Jian Shao’s voice was both taunt and encouragement!

Seeing Leaf Blade fail, Cao Miaogui immediately opened its mouth; as Grass energy gathered, a string of seed projectiles shot out!

“Seed Machine Gun!”

“Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap!”

Cao Miaogui attacked with all its might, while Guang Tai gave no command; Shuang Jian Shao hovered in place, enduring the assault. Grass-type moves were inherently ineffective against it, and by the time Cao Miaogui finished, panting heavily, Shuang Jian Shao showed no damage at all!

“Yowoo~” Shuang Jian Shao drifted near Cao Miaogui, who immediately backed away; Shuang Jian Shao then spoke in a teaching tone:

I am a Steel-type Pokémon—Grass-type attacks have no effect on me!

Little turtle, use Ground-type moves against me!

“Nana!”

“That’s right,” Guang Tai said. “Grass-type moves are ineffective against Steel-types—always pay attention to your opponent’s type!” Then he commanded: “Shadow Sneak!”

Shuang Jian Shao’s sword shadows stretched out; it held back its power. The moonlight was bright tonight, and two black shadows crept along the ground, crossing paths. Cao Miaogui panicked, glancing left and right, then was struck directly by the shadow on its right!

“Naa—” Cao Miaogui nearly toppled, but forced its four small feet into the ground, steadying itself and enduring the blow!

At the same time, its four feet slammed the earth, triggering a shockwave!

Ground-type move—Stomp!

Shuang Jian Shao’s eyes lit up instantly!

Oh, I recognize this move!

Isn’t this the one that Yuan Lu Sha used before? I didn’t know you could do it too!

The Stomp shockwave struck Shuang Jian Shao—highly effective! But due to its ultra-high physical defense, even super effective damage barely affected it, only lowering its speed by one stage.

“Iron Defense,” Guang Tai ordered again; Shuang Jian Shao’s blades glowed silver once more, Steel energy surged, and its physical defense rose sharply again!

But Cao Miaogui seemed to grasp the key—it suddenly had a flash of inspiration, shaking its muddy shell violently; the red, potent herbs on its back swayed and absorbed the light!

“Qun Er!” Miss Qun’s eyes brightened!

This move is…!

“Nna!”

Light erupted from Cao Miaogui’s body! Under the moonlight at night, amplified by the potent herbs, it unleashed “Solar Beam!”

A massive white beam exploded from Cao Miaogui’s head!

This was the vital move Cao Miaogui learned daily through photosynthesis—the strongest move it possessed! It had always driven off Pokémon that harassed it with this technique!

“Instant Solar Beam! Excellent!” Guang Tai was pleasantly surprised by Cao Miaogui’s fighting style—he’d suspected those potent herbs on its shell might conceal a hidden technique, but he hadn’t expected it to know Solar Beam, a Grass-type signature move!

“That’s incredibly impressive!”

Guang Tai’s praise was sincere, but Shuang Jian Shao’s special defense was very low—even with the Evolution Stone, it couldn’t rise much; if it took this Solar Beam head-on…

“Lighten Body!”

“Yowoo!” Shuang Jian Shao obeyed—its two blades instantly discarded the shield body and flew apart!

Speed increased dramatically!

Solar Beam missed!

“Naa?!” Cao Miaogui stared, dumbfounded—it had never seen a move like this, where the opponent could “disassemble”!

But the thought that Shuang Jian Shao looked clumsy retrieving its shield flashed through Cao Miaogui’s mind and was instantly banished—now it focused entirely on battle!

The moment the opponent picked up its shield was the perfect moment to attack!

Cao Miaogui absorbed light again; the potent herbs on its back leapt once more, launching another instant Solar Beam like a light cannon!

Continuous Solar Beam!

Faced with this illegal move, Guang Tai’s excitement surged; even the watching Pokémon gasped in low astonishment, and Lei Ji’s H-symbol flickered rapidly as it delivered a sharp critique of Cao Miaogui’s tactics!

Excellent! It skillfully combined plant power with its own abilities to create an extraordinary strategy!

“Lei Ji!”

The legendary giant acknowledged this little turtle; Miss Qun also found the rapid consecutive Solar Beams astonishing—she couldn’t do that herself!

And the eyes of Wei Zhi Teng E widened!

No way, buddy!

I actually thought you were weak and couldn’t fight—you’re making me look stupid!

“Lighten Body!”

Guang Tai gave the command again; Shuang Jian Shao, still without its shield, was genuinely flustered—it had never encountered such an insane barrage. One blade hastily hurled the uncollected shield away and flew off again!

Though clumsy, its speed surged again!

“Nana!” Cao Miaogui absorbed light once more!

The potent herbs leapt for the third time!

So-lar Beam!

“Nana…”

The third Solar Beam blasted out, sending Shuang Jian Shao scrambling wildly, but Cao Miaogui’s stamina was heavily drained; seeing Shuang Jian Shao’s speed, it suddenly recalled a move!

Since birth, it had carried one move naturally—like an instinct—whenever it faced terrifying Pokémon, it used this move to boost speed and escape their attacks!

“Shadow Sneak!”

As Cao Miaogui thought, Shuang Jian Shao’s attack struck suddenly—a black sword shadow slashed upward from its lower abdomen, cutting all the way to its shell!

Three potent herbs floated down from its shell—herbs drained of power—and Cao Miaogui’s muddy shell was split open, but at that moment, Cao Miaogui summoned courage and emitted a red glow!

Its body seemed to shatter; the peeling muddy shell appeared to grant it new power!

“That’s…?!” Guang Tai was genuinely astonished!

This Cao Miaogui can use “Shell Break”?

Shell Break is an inherited move—one of the most important for Cao Miaogui, Shu Lin Gui, and Tu Tai Gui!

Shell Break—shatters the shell, lowering Defense and Special Defense, but greatly boosting Attack, Special Attack, and Speed. In the anime world, Shell Break only breaks an energy barrier—Tian Tong’s Yan Dian Ju Xie once demonstrated this move.

“What an excellent Cao Miaogui!”

Guang Tai gave his evaluation—deeply satisfied with Cao Miaogui’s performance!

Extremely satisfied!

“Nanananana—!”

Cao Miaogui’s speed surged dramatically; as it ran, its body swelled, using Shell Break while also activating “Growth”—growing larger and boosting Attack and Special Attack!

Guang Tai hadn’t expected this Cao Miaogui, whom he intended to catch, was also a speed-attack type—but for Cao Miaogui, this intense battle was its very first!

It was fighting at full power for the first time!

The potent herbs on its back swayed; though three had fallen, many more remained!

Cao Miaogui absorbed light!

It became a high-speed mobile artillery platform!

“Consecutive Slashes!” Guang Tai decided to stop holding back—Cao Miaogui’s performance deserved Shuang Jian Shao’s full strength. And Shuang Jian Shao, who had been dodging Solar Beams all over the place, finally received the keyword!

“Yowoo!”

Your performance is excellent—this is the knight’s approval!

I remember now—I am a knight! My sword sheaths will not lose!

Consecutive Slashes—cancel!

The two blades discarded their shield entirely, slicing through the air with sharp hums, Bug-type energy coalescing on their edges, avoiding Solar Beam, and striking at Cao Miaogui’s front with lightning speed!

The dual blades’ rapid slashes were so fast they nearly interrupted the Bulbasaur’s gathering of light, then hammered it with high-speed strikes, inflicting massive damage!

“Naa—”

The Bulbasaur was flung back by the slashing strikes, skidding across the ground and trampling dirt and turf into trails. In panic, it immediately used Leaf Blade to counter, attempting to maneuver into a flanking position—but the dual blades’ slashes tracked like guided swords, severing and shattering every Leaf Blade, then closing in on the Bulbasaur even faster!

The day the follow-through vanishes, the knight returns!

The dual blades spiraled, striking the Bulbasaur in a “Drill Run” motion!

But the Bulbasaur blocked the blow with the edge of its shell, rolling away—but its stats rose again!

Second shell break!

“Huh? Still not down?”

Guang Tai was astonished by the Bulbasaur’s endurance. As a Stage One Pokémon, Shell Break was a powerful move—but it lowered both attacker and target’s stats. After enduring the super-effective slashing attacks, it had not only held on but triggered a second Shell Break!

Was this Bulbasaur’s extraordinary stamina due to long-term symbiosis with special plants, causing biological changes?

Guang Tai couldn’t help wondering—if this Bulbasaur evolved into Ivysaur, wouldn’t all those “shrubs” on its back turn into “Powerful Herbs”?

Powerful… Powerful Herb?

No! Guang Tai recalled the light the Bulbasaur had gathered earlier—it wasn’t Solar Beam, but “Photosynthesis”!

“Nana!”

The Bulbasaur panted heavily. Guang Tai snapped back to attention, watching the Bulbasaur stand firm despite its exhaustion—and couldn’t help but admire it.

A Bulbasaur that endured patiently, possessed extraordinary stamina, yet carried a hint of self-doubt—but fought as if it had nothing to lose.

It filled him with joy!

“It seems even your vast stamina is nearly spent. Now, the victor will be decided.”

“Will you keep fighting? You’re truly strong!”

With Guang Tai’s recognition, some shadow inside the Bulbasaur seemed to lift. For the first time, it felt truly acknowledged. It thought: I can still do more. I can show even better!

“Naa—!” The Bulbasaur absorbed light!

But this time, it wasn’t Solar Beam—it was Photosynthesis!

The Bulbasaur’s HP restored, and its physical energy slightly recovered. Simultaneously, a dense Grass-type energy surged from its body—its Ability, “Overgrow,” activated! When HP is low, the power of Grass-type moves increases by 1.5x!

It fixed its gaze on the dual blades, not missing a single movement. The dual blades, in turn, discarded their shield, their two swords spinning wildly through the air, hunting for an opening!

The Bulbasaur suddenly raised its forelimbs, then slammed them down!

Stomp! A shockwave erupted from the Bulbasaur, striking the darting dual blades and lowering their Speed by one stage. The Bulbasaur repeated the stomp, steadily reducing the dual blades’ Speed—then seized its moment and hurled a Seed!

Parasitic Seed: After implantation, it drains the opponent’s HP gradually each turn to restore the user’s HP.

One of the dual blades was struck by the Parasitic Seed. Vines sprouted from the seed, tightly wrapping around the hilt and guard—but the other blade immediately flew in, unleashing Slashes, slicing through the vines in a single strike!

But in that instant, the Bulbasaur had charged forward at full speed!

This was its final attack!

The Bulbasaur slammed headfirst into the hilt of the dual blades!

Headbutt: A powerful strike that hits the opponent, but also inflicts minor recoil damage to the user!

At the same moment, the Bulbasaur absorbed light!

A violent burst of sunlight erupted, engulfing both the dual blades and the Bulbasaur!

Solar Beam!

“Yowoo!”

The dual blades were truly hurt this time—both swords spun away, tumbling through the air before finally stabilizing. The Bulbasaur, its HP exhausted, collapsed flat onto the ground.

Bulbasaur is unable to battle!

“You fought well!”

Guang Tai walked over, a Poké Ball appearing in his hand. The Bulbasaur lacked the strength to respond—but hearing Guang Tai’s praise, it beamed with joy.

“Weak? No, not at all!”

Guang Tai picked up the Bulbasaur, his expression delighted: “Bulbasaur, you’re strong! Shell Break is an incredible move! Instant Solar Beam is amazing too! And that final Headbutt Solar Beam? Truly stunning!”

“Will you become my partner?! No—please, become my partner!” Guang Tai issued his heartfelt invitation!

“Naa,” the Bulbasaur replied, then smiled.

Was my performance… good enough?

Then I won’t be looked down on anymore!

I’m strong! So this is what it feels like to fight with everything I’ve got!

Guang Tai pulled out a Poké Ball, aimed it at the Bulbasaur, and pressed the button against its forehead. A flash of red light shot out—and the Bulbasaur was sucked inside without a single shake. Captured!

“Caught Bulbasaur!”

A Bulbasaur carrying so many herbs? That’s illegal! Guang Tai thought—what if it ever evolved into Venusaur? If I followed my plan and planted medicinal herbs on its back, it could trigger ten+ item effects per turn: Powerful Herb for instant moves, White Herb for unlimited Shell Break, Mind Herb to remove status, and when near death, it could eat a Sitrus Berry and Revival Herb, then stand right back up!

The workshop’s companion list grew!

“Then, please take care of me, Bulbasaur!”

(End of Chapter)