Chapter 336: Zorua VS Dewott

Outside the tent, the biting wind and snow had calmed slightly. Shan Kui deliberately cleared a flat area in the open space, clapped her hands, and shouted, "Alright, alright, the battle arena is ready! You two each stand on one side, and I'll call the start!"

Xiao Zhao had been holding Zorua tightly, but now it gently broke free from her embrace, hopping and skipping over to Huo La's feet, rubbing its head against his pant leg, looking eager to try.

Huo La bent down and patted Zorua on the head, speaking first, his tone gentle but with a hint of seriousness: "Xiao Zhao, this time I'll use Zorua to battle you."

In his mind, Zorua's stats panel clearly appeared; such a level and attributes were just right to be Xiao Zhao's sparring partner, both helping her mesh with her Pokemon and not putting too much pressure on her:

Pokemon: Zorua

Gender: Female

Level: Lv26

Su Xing: A

Status: Healthy

Nature: Reserved

Type: Normal/Ghost

Ability: Illusion (When this Pokemon enters battle, it transforms into the appearance of the last Pokemon in the party.)

Height: 0.7m

Weight: 12.5kg

Carried Item: None

Skills: Scramble (Proficiency 25%), Hone Claws (Proficiency 31%), Taunt (Proficiency 5%), Flail (Proficiency 6%), Torment (Proficiency 21%)...

Improvement Count: 0

Zorua seemed to understand Huo La's words, chirped at him, walked with small steps to the center of the field, turned around, and looked at Xiao Zhao with lively eyes, showing no fear at all.

"Huh? You're going to let such a cute Zorua battle?" Xiao Zhao was stunned for a moment, looking at the small, soft, and adorable Zorua in the field, a flicker of pity in her eyes, and instinctively wanted to speak up to dissuade him.

"Chirp!" Zorua let out another clear cry, gently shook its head, then nodded firmly, as if telling Xiao Zhao that it was very strong, didn't need her to worry, and was ready to fight.

Seeing Zorua's determined look, Xiao Zhao smiled softly, the pity in her eyes gradually turning into seriousness, and she slowly nodded: "I understand. Zorua really wants to battle too."

She took a deep breath, raised her hand to pull out a Pokeball, her gaze firm: "The opponent is Normal and Ghost type. Dewott, you go!"

The Pokeball flashed with Red Light, and a water-blue figure landed lightly on the ground.

It was a Pokemon with fine whiskers and an oval red nose, its body covered in smooth water-blue fur, its form agile, its eyes as resolute as a steady Ninja—this was Dewott, evolved from Oshawott.

Huo La's gaze fell on Dewott, and its stats panel immediately appeared in his mind:

Pokemon: Dewott

Gender: Female

Level: Lv29

Su Xing: B

Status: Healthy

Nature: Relaxed

Type: Water

Ability: Torrent (When this Pokemon has very low HP in a critical moment, the power of Water-type moves increases.)

Height: 0.8m

Weight: 25.2kg

Carried Item: None

Skills: Tackle (Proficiency 41%), Water Gun (Proficiency 49%), Focus Energy (Proficiency 82%), Shell Blade (Proficiency 29%), Water Wave (Proficiency 32%), Freezing Wind (Proficiency 30%)...

Improvement Count: 0

Huo La nodded to himself. Zorua was Lv26, Dewott was Lv29; their levels were comparable, and the gap in strength wasn't large.

But what surprised him was that this Dewott's Focus Energy skill had a proficiency as high as 82%—it seemed Xiao Zhao wasn't as bad at battling as she claimed; she must have been training in secret and carefully raising her Pokemon.

Shan Kui, watching from the side with great interest, raised her hand and shouted, "Alright, alright! Both Pokemon have taken the field. Ready—battle, begin!"

Xiao Zhao took a deep breath, her gaze firm as she gave the first command: "I'll go first! Dewott, just like we trained in private, use Focus Energy!"

Dewott immediately understood, its eyes growing sharper, and a formidable aura slowly gathered around its body, its presence gradually rising.

"Focus Energy indeed." Huo La watched this scene, nodded to himself, and already had a countermeasure in mind, then gave a calm order to Zorua: "Zorua, use Hone Claws!"

Since Xiao Zhao chose to use Focus Energy to boost attack accuracy and power, he would have Zorua use Hone Claws to counter it, both increasing its own move power and accuracy, forming a perfect balance.

As soon as the words fell, Zorua's two front claws gleamed with a sharp edge. It lightly scraped its claws on the icy ground, the edge growing keener, and its own aura became more agile.

Xiao Zhao didn't pause at all and immediately gave another command: "Dewott, Shell Blade!"

Dewott moved swiftly, quickly grabbing the Fan Shells on either side of its legs. The Fan Shells glistened with a lustrous sheen in the sunlight. It swung the two shells, executing its unique Shanbei Shell Sword Technique with clean, crisp movements, carrying a fierce wind as it slashed rapidly toward Zorua.

Huo La's eyes sharpened, reacting quickly, and immediately countered: "Zorua, meet it head-on, use Scramble!"

Zorua chirped, nimbly leaping forward, its gleaming front claws swinging rapidly as it met Dewott's Shell Blade head-on, striking fiercely.

"Ding—clang!" The crisp sound of collision instantly rang out across the clearing. Zorua's claws and Dewott's Fan Shells clashed violently, sparks and snowflakes flying everywhere.

Although Zorua had the boost from Hone Claws, its move execution was a bit rough, and its strength was slightly lacking; while Dewott, with the boost from Focus Energy, swung its Shell Blade more steadily and powerfully, and the hardness of its Fan Shells was fully utilized.

After only a brief stalemate, Zorua gradually fell into a disadvantage. Its small frame struggled to withstand Dewott's force, and the sharpness of its front claws was suppressed by the Fan Shells, slowly dimming.

Dewott's eyes hardened. It suddenly increased its strength, pushing its two shells forward in a cross, and the fierce wind knocked Zorua's claws away.

"Chirp!" Zorua was startled, stumbling back a few steps involuntarily, leaving shallow pits in the snow beneath its feet. It barely managed to steady itself, its front claws slightly reddened, clearly having taken a light impact.

Dewott, meanwhile, stood firmly in place, its shells still gleaming with a lustrous sheen, its breathing steady, showing no sign of panic. Clearly, it had the absolute upper hand in this exchange.

"Great job, Dewott!" Xiao Zhao couldn't help but cheer softly, her eyes full of surprise, instinctively clenching her fists.

"Beautiful!" Shan Kui, watching from the side, was also beaming with excitement, clapping her hands and shouting.

Huo La looked at Zorua in the field, showing no panic on his face. Instead, he nodded gently and encouraged Zorua in a calm voice: "Zorua, steady yourself, no rush!"