Chapter 87: Defeat (2)

Green clearly PiercingSight his thoughts, watching Huo La's battle‑ready stance, suddenly smiled, flipped his hand and pulled out two Pokeballs: "Since you've switched your main, it's time for me to switch my partner as well."

"Come back, Kati Dog. Go, Vulpix!"

Between flashes of red light, the exhausted Kati Dog was pulled back into its ball, while a fluffy figure lightly landed.

It was a petite Vulpix, with reddish‑brown fur, brown pupil‑less eyes like amber, large pointed ears, and dark brown inner ears.

"Ah, such a small Vulpix! Can it stand up to Nidoqueen?" the onlooking Ash couldn't help speaking.

Lilian's eyes glittered like stars; if the Vulpix weren't on the battlefield now, she'd love to rush over and hug it, but she answered Ash: "Although Vulpix is small, its Fire‑type moves have great burst power, and its actions are more agile than Kati Dog… What you should worry about is whether Huo La's Nidoqueen can handle it?"

Huo La's gaze fell on the Vulpix, and the system panel instantly appeared:

Pokémon: Vulpix

Gender: Female

Level: Lv30

Su Xing: A

Status: Healthy

Nature: Conservative

Attribute: Fire

Ability: Flame Body (Pokémon with this ability take no damage from Fire‑type attacks; instead, their own Fire‑type move power increases.)

Height: 0.6 m

Weight: 9.5 kg

Carried Item: None

Skills: Stasis (29% proficiency), Electric Flash (47% proficiency), Clean Burn (11% proficiency), Strange Light (34% proficiency), Phosphor Fire (31% proficiency), Misfortune Strikes (49% proficiency)......

Improvement Count: 0

Huo La stared at the Vulpix data flashing on the system panel, unable to hold back his inner complaints.

Relying on the system's boost, his team's Pokémon barely alternate between Su Xing A and B, but Green's casually released "new partner" not only has Su Xing A, it even comes paired with Ghost‑type moves.

This damn thing is no "trial", it's clearly a hidden ace!

"There's no justice…" Huo La wailed in his mind, "Someone without a system can pull something out that crushes my main reserves; I can't even imagine what kind of starter Pokémon they started with."

He couldn't help glancing at Green, who was relaxed, looking more like a spectator than a competitor; that composed demeanor only made Huo La's stomach churn: the opponent he was giving his all against was just a "newcomer" used for practice?

"What a rip‑off…" Huo La ground his teeth, "This crappy system… apart from issuing 'defeated subordinates' or hellish bizarre missions, what's the use!"

While muttering, the system seemed to sense his resentment and suddenly flashed a prompt in his mind:

System Prompt: Host's current emotional fluctuation is too great; it is recommended to focus on battle to avoid affecting tactical judgment.

"Shut up!" Huo La retorted in his mind, taking a deep breath to force himself to calm down.

Complaints aside, the battle must go on—he couldn't just concede because the opponent was too strong and take the system's punitive failure reward; that would be too disgraceful.

He refocused on the Vulpix in the arena, his gaze sharpening: "Nidoqueen, obey my command!"

Green seemed to notice his emotions steadied, a faint knowing smile curling his lips, raising his hand to issue a command: "Vulpix, don't wait, use Phosphor Fire!"

"Hoo—" the Vulpix's tiny nose quivered, and it exhaled a thin wisp of flame.

Almost simultaneously, clusters of black, ghostly flames erupted on the sand beside Nidoqueen's side, gathering like festering sores and explosively lashing around Nidoqueen's body.

"Sss—!" Nidoqueen let out a painful screech, the black fire spreading along its spiky back, scorching the skin into charred marks.

"Phosphor Fire… it's black." Huo La's eyes widened slightly, his heart sinking.

He knew perfectly well that Phosphor Fire is a common ignition move for Fire‑type Pokémon, normally producing orange‑red flames, yet the Vulpix Green released emitted an otherworldly black hue.

This is far beyond what an ordinary Vulpix could achieve, indicating the youngster's uniqueness far exceeds expectations.

Green gave no explanation, simply lifted his fingertip, and commands followed: "Vulpix, Electric Flash!"

The snow‑white figure instantly became an afterimage, vanishing at the spot the moment the words left his mouth.

"Nidoqueen, Dig!" Huo La's command rang out in sync.

Nidoqueen immediately crouched, its sturdy forelimbs flailing as it dug the sand, but its speed still lagged behind Vulpix's—just as the cave opened a shallow pit, Vulpix's Electric Flash slammed into its side abdomen.

Nidoqueen's body staggered, nearly collapsing to the ground.

"Nidoqueen, use Iron Tail!" Huo La snarled another order.

"Vulpix, Misfortune Strikes!" Green's voice rang out simultaneously.

Nidoqueen violently swung its tail, whooshing through the air toward Vulpix;

while Vulpix, using the momentum of the charge, twisted its body, its six tails gathering violet energy that collided hard with the Iron Tail, the intersecting silhouettes stirring a gust of wind.

"Strange Light!" Green's command flashed like lightning.

Vulpix's body suddenly ignited with eerie orange flames, a twisted bizarre light ring rose from its core, instantly enveloping Nidoqueen.

"Nidoqueen, how are you!" Huo La's heart tightened.

Nidoqueen gave no reply, merely shaking its head and spinning in place, then suddenly let out a frantic roar toward the sky and bizarrely raised a paw, smashing it against its own leg.

"Oh no, it's in a confused state!" Huo La's expression shifted slightly, then he sighed helplessly, "Come back, Nidoqueen."

A flash of red light swept by, pulling the frantic Nidoqueen back into its Pokeball. Huo La lifted his gaze to Green and calmly said, "Brother Green, I concede this battle."

The lingering burn of Phosphor Fire combined with the confused state had completely drained Nidoqueen's power; continuing would be futile.

"Huo La concedes; in this match, Green wins!" Professor Oak's voice rang out at the right moment, with a satisfied smile.

Huo La paid no mind to the result announcement, his eyes still glued to the Vulpix on the field.

Green's tactics with this Vulpix were strikingly similar to his own favored "control + burst" style; he hadn't expected to lose today to the very strategy he knows best.

Seeing him concede, Green also raised his hand to recall the Vulpix.

Huo La couldn't help turning his head toward Xiao Gang beside him: Indeed, he still needed to go to Beauty Street, or else Xiao Gang would miss his own encounter and his Vulpix.

"My Vulpix was rescued by chance during a journey."

Just as Huo La's mind wandered, Green stepped beside him, her tone unusually explanatory: "Unlike ordinary Vulpix, it somehow is more attuned to ghost‑type energy."

"The one you saved…?" Huo La mused for a moment, then suddenly looked toward the three figures in the corner of the arena, "Did you rescue it from the Rocket Team?"

Musashi, Kojiro and Meowth were seen with their backs to them, pretending to study shells on the beach, yet their shoulders were involuntarily stiff, making the pretense especially awkward.

"Rocket Team? You know about them too?" Green was a bit surprised, then nodded, "Indeed, at that time it was locked in a special container of the Rocket Team, its condition was poor."

Huo La nodded silently—just as expected, this Vulpix was most likely a product of the Rocket Team's modification experiment; although its outward type remained unchanged, its internal energy affinity had been warped.

"Oh~ you two kids are quite impressive!" Professor Oak cheerfully walked over, patting the two on the shoulders, "Your understanding of a Pokemon's condition is deep, and your tactical sense is top‑notch; it reminds me of the days when I battled old friends in my youth…"

Professor Oak began to ramble on about the past, and Huo La and Green exchanged a glance, silently stepping back, slipping away while the old man was lost in his memories.