Chapter 103: The Vengeful Growlithe, Comfey's Aroma Therapy

"Then... 3, 2, 1, battle start!"

Surrounded by Swampert, Moltres, and the Poliwags, Luo Mu swung his right hand down fiercely.

Growlithe still chose to strike first; using a technique learned from Lycanroc, it let out a long howl to greedily secure a stat boost, then flames seeped from its mouth, instantly forming a massive fiery fang that bit straight at Poliwhirl!

The Fire-type move Fire Fang!

It wasn't that Growlithe enjoyed fighting against type advantages; first, it had only just been born and its move pool was still shallow, and second, its experience couldn't support a mere puppy memorizing the type effectiveness chart.

On the contrary, Poliwhirl knew that as a Water-type Pokémon it could resist Fire-type moves, so it immediately chose to endure this hit while counterattacking with the move Water Gun.

Seeing this, Luo Mu helplessly shook his head; sometimes cleverness backfires, for the current Growlithe was worlds apart from what it had been shortly after birth.

Growlithe rushed to Poliwhirl's side like a gust of wind; Poliwhirl immediately raised its left arm to block in front of itself, its Water Gun already charged and ready to unleash a massive blast at close range.

It had considered that it hadn't yet mastered enough close-combat moves to decide the outcome, and compared to its arm, ensuring its body remained unharmed was most important.

However, in an instant, Poliwhirl realized it was wrong.

Growlithe's Fire Fang clamped directly onto Poliwhirl's arm, sending waves of intense pain and burning sensation; if it were only this, it wouldn't matter much, but then, to Poliwhirl's shocked expression, Growlithe whipped its head, exerting an irresistible brute force that dragged Poliwhirl's arm along with its entire body, flinging it straight into the air!

This wasn't the end; Growlithe let out a loud roar, rock energy rapidly converging into several basketball-sized stones that struck Poliwhirl directly, knocking it down from mid-air.

This smooth little combo left Poliwhirl dazed; the gathered Water Gun instantly dispersed, turning into water droplets falling from the sky, and Growlithe, uncomfortable from being splashed, shook its body to dry its fur.

Meanwhile, Poliwhirl plummeted from the air, crashing heavily onto the ground, unable to get up for quite some time.

This entire combo was taught directly by Kukui's Lycanroc, catching Poliwhirl completely off guard.

In the ensuing battle, the injured Poliwhirl, its agility impaired, was even less able to match Growlithe, whose physical constitution had now caught up in every aspect.

With Growlithe now prepared against "Hypnosis," even though Poliwhirl used its trump card move "Water Pulse" to inflict some damage, it ultimately lost its ability to battle under Growlithe's reckless "Double-Edge."

Amidst the downcast Poliwags, the calm-faced Swampert, and the proudly head-high Moltres, Luo Mu hurried to the center of the battlefield, took out pre-prepared medicine, and performed simple treatment on both Pokémon.

Not entirely at ease, he checked several more times; confirming both Pokémon were fine, Luo Mu breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that taking them to find Comfey later for aroma therapy should suffice.

Luo Mu reached out with both hands, scooping up Poliwhirl and Growlithe, whose expressions differed greatly, and carried them over to where Swampert and the others were waiting to set them down.

As soon as he put Poliwhirl down, its three Poliwag minions surrounded it with worried faces, their three cries rising and falling in turns, giving the somewhat dejected Poliwhirl a headache.

But Poliwhirl understood its minions were merely concerned for it, so it could only force itself to perk up and respond to them.

Where there is sorrow, there is also joy; having achieved revenge, Growlithe was so excited its tail was wagging like a propeller, while Moltres, facing Growlithe's attempt to claim credit (Yao Gong), gave it plenty of face, directly allowing Growlithe to ride atop its somewhat rounded body, looking just like novice parents doting on their child.

After this battle, Luo Mu gained a clearer understanding of the strengths of both Growlithe and Poliwhirl.

Growlithe's talent was definitely superior to Poliwhirl's; this was something even Luo Mu, a trainer who didn't believe solely in potential, could not deny, as seen from their move learning progress: Poliwhirl was still in a state of having few moves, while Growlithe already possessed many high-power moves.

Especially with Double-Edge combined with Growlithe's confirmed Hidden Ability "Rock Head," according to game data, this directly formed a terrifying STAB move with 150 power and no recoil side effect.

Coupled with Growlithe's rapidly growing robust constitution, the gap between its and Poliwhirl's physical attributes would likely widen further in the future.

As for Poliwhirl, its cleverness was undoubtedly outstanding for a Pokémon; capable of reacting on the fly, it made training easier for its trainer, and the moves it learned offered a wide variety of effects, with Mist, Haze, Hypnosis, and others all capable of producing unexpected results.

Unfortunately, it encountered Growlithe's bull-rushing fighting style and misjudged the strength gap between itself and Growlithe, which led to its defeat.

Shortly after, Luo Mu returned home with Growlithe, whose excitement hadn't faded, and the dejected Poliwhirl.

Comfey, having completed sufficient photosynthesis, had been waiting for a long time, and sitting beside it was a Delibird whose feathers had fully regrown.

Looking weak, helpless, and pitiful, the Delibird's eyes sparkled with light the moment it saw Luo Mu, and it moved its feet, pattering toward him.

A normal Delibird might have chosen to fly over at this time, but this Delibird, saved by Luxray, evidently chose to walk due to psychological barriers; yet, the way it walked looked unmistakably like a clumsy penguin, appearing quite comical.

Luo Mu exerted all his strength to hold back his laughter.

The Delibird went straight to hug Luo Mu's right leg, looking so dependent it resembled a chick unable to leave its parents.

But Luo Mu's peculiar expression hinted that matters were not so simple.

During the previous check-up with Nurse Joy in Pingdie Town, she had specifically told him that this Delibird was not only male but also likely already an adult.

Coupled with its tail, which was significantly larger than that of an ordinary Delibird, Nurse Joy even suspected this Delibird was the leader of a certain Delibird flock.

The reason Luo Mu nearly couldn't keep a straight face was precisely this; if Nurse Joy's guess was correct, then for the Delibird, a dignified leader within its flock, to act like a chick and act spoiled at his feet after leaving its group felt incredibly incongruous no matter how one thought about it.

Taking it a step further, if the Delibird's flock minions happened to see it acting spoiled, that scene reminded Luo Mu of a short video he had scrolled through before transmigrating.

In it, a scar-faced stray cat leader, who acted spoiled and ingratiating in front of humans, was actually full of authority within the stray cat group, often bringing back abundant food and earning the admiration of its minions.

That was, until it acted spoiled, at which point the walls of the alley were lined with all its minions watching.

Having barely managed to suppress his smile, Luo Mu rubbed his eyes and said, trying to keep a normal expression: "Comfey, I'll leave the aroma therapy for these three to you later."

"Comfey~"

Comfey displayed a smile that said "leave it all to me," and leisurely led Luo Mu and the three Pokémon into the room.

This room was specially cleared out by Luo Mu; the space was relatively narrow, likely having been the old couple's storage room in the past.

Luo Mu placed a simple portable bed in the room, and together with Comfey, a crude farm hospital was thus established.

(End of Chapter)