Chapter 34: Defeating the Panda

The two Pokémon continued to clash, a battle far beyond Qian Lin’s ability to intervene. Both were firing at full capacity, trading ultimate moves until the very ground beneath them had been churned up twice over.

Sensing that Qian Lin was no longer in immediate danger, the stream chat devolved into a peanut gallery of armchair tacticians.

[Leg sweep! Use leg sweep! Ugh, what kind of move is that?!]
[Uppercut! Yes! Hit him just like that!]
[Oh, what are you doing? Use a beam attack, fire a beam!]
[Footwork, watch the footwork! Missed! So frustrating, hehehehe.]
[The ol’ reach-around! That’s how you do it!]
[Dragon Pulse!]
[Do these two even know Dragon Pulse? Stop shouting nonsense.]
[What if they do? If a Swablu can learn it, why can’t my Ursaring?]
[Swablu evolves into a Dragon-type. Can your Ursaring even evolve?]

Qian Lin stared at the screen, his forehead throbbing with black lines as he read the advice, then looked at the Pichu beside him, who was jumping up and down with just as much fervor. He was momentarily speechless.

The Swablu, now sprayed with a healing potion, had its external wounds mostly mended. The Growlithe also had enough strength to stand, hovering near Qian Lin’s feet and watching the battle with a pensive look.

In the distance, Zhou Fuqing cowered, trembling as he watched the clash of the century.

"This is never going to end at this rate," Qian Lin muttered.

The Ursaring and Pangoro had been fighting for minutes. Both were just trading heavy hitters—Hyper Beam, Close Combat, the Elemental Punches—using whatever they had. Neither had sustained significant damage, and their stamina looked like it could hold out for quite a while longer. At this pace, who knew when a victor would emerge?

Thinking this over, Qian Lin turned to Pichu and rubbed his chin. "Pichu, does your boss, the Ursaring, know Protect?"

Pichu, who had been engrossed in the fight, was startled by the question but nodded honestly. "Chu."

"Does it know Substitute?" Qian Lin asked again.

This time, Pichu shook its head.

"How about Dazzling Gleam?"

Pichu nodded.

"Fairy-type moves do quadruple damage to a Pangoro. If we find an opening, one hit should be enough to take it out." Qian Lin’s eyes narrowed, a plan forming. "Pichu, if I offer to command the Ursaring, do you think it would agree?"

Pichu gave him a look of utter disdain.

"I’ll throw in a crate of berries," Qian Lin said, holding up a finger with a deadpan expression.

"Chu!" Pichu’s face lit up with adoration, nodding so fast it looked like a bird pecking at rice.

"You guys are way too materialistic..." This time, it was Qian Lin’s turn to look at them with disdain.

[As long as you provide the berries, forget just listening to commands—it’ll probably follow you for life.]
[A chronicle of realist Pokémon growth.]
[Good grief, is this a light novel now?]
[《Missing Book Title》]
[《Regarding the Fact That Any Sentence Becomes a Light Novel When You Add Brackets》]

Having received the answer he wanted, Qian Lin stood up, placed the Swablu beside the Growlithe, and shouted to the Ursaring in the distance, "Ursaring! I’ll give you a crate of berries if you take my orders!"

"Use Leer!"

The Ursaring was clearly startled by the sudden voice; it had been mid-swing with a Fire Punch. Hearing Qian Lin’s command, its first instinct was disdain, but in the next second, the phrase "a crate of berries" flashed through its mind.

And so, it used Leer.

Pangoro’s defense fell by one stage.

The sudden move left both the Ursaring and the Pangoro frozen in place. The Ursaring scratched the back of its head in apparent embarrassment, while the Pangoro grew even more furious.

Pangoro: "Roar! (｀⌒´メ) You looking down on me? Using such petty tricks?"

Ursaring: "Roar... φ(．．｡) It’s just... I haven’t had berries in so long, I couldn’t help myself."

"Bulk Up!" Qian Lin commanded again.

The Ursaring’s eyes hardened. Since it had decided to listen for the sake of the berries... no, since it had decided to follow Qian Lin’s lead, it was going to do it right!

*ROAR—!*

It let out a long howl toward the sky, and red light flickered over its body. The use of Bulk Up caused the Ursaring’s aura to surge instantly.

"I won’t just sit here and watch you buff up! Close Combat!"

"Protect!"

*CLANG—!*

With a sound like striking a wall, the Pangoro slammed into the barrier of Protect. The skill, which could perfectly block all attacks, held firm even against Close Combat. The massive recoil force sent the Pangoro stumbling back two steps.

"Again, Bulk Up!"

"Roar—! You annoying brat!"

The flames in the Pangoro’s eyes grew even more intense. It forced itself to stand steady, blue light radiating from its body like a dragon coiling around it, and it hurled its entire weight toward the Ursaring.

[Holy crap, Dragon Rush!]
[It can really learn Dragon-type moves?]
[Isn't Pangoro Dark and Fighting? Why can it learn Dragon Rush?]

"That’s not Dragon Rush. Although it’s a Dragon-type move, that technique... that’s Outrage!" Qian Lin watched the Ursaring, who was busy with another Bulk Up, and took a deep breath. "Two Bulk Ups, two defense boosts. Ursaring! Take the hit! Use—Dazzling Gleam!"

*BOOM—!*

The Outrage landed on the Ursaring with full force. The massive collision made even Qian Lin stagger. But in the distance, the Ursaring held the Pangoro’s arms firmly in its own. Watching the Pangoro’s eyes cloud over with confusion, a grin spread across the Ursaring’s face.

"My turn!"

A pink glow swirled, and enveloped in brilliance, the Ursaring slammed into the Pangoro. The sheer force sent the Pangoro flying dozens of meters before it crashed heavily into the ground. Just looking at the cracked earth was enough to tell how heavy that blow had been.

"Ugh..." The Pangoro lay in the crater, looking at the Ursaring in disbelief. Its gaze drifted to Qian Lin, flickering with rage and hatred, before finally settling into the spiral-eyed daze of defeat.

Pangoro is unable to battle.

"Roar—!" The Ursaring let out a thunderous roar, once again declaring its status as the king of the orchard to the surrounding area.

[6666666]
[Wait, one-shot? Then what was the point of fighting for half an hour?]
[Ursaring is the eternal god!]
[I hereby declare that from this moment on, this place shall be called Ursaring Plaza! Who agrees? Who objects?]
[I agree!]
[As expected of Qian Lin. They fought for ten minutes with no result, but the moment he took command, they won instantly. Amazing.]

In the distance, Qian Lin let out a sigh of relief. "The boost from two Bulk Ups, the quadruple effectiveness of a Fairy-type move, and the exhaustion from their previous fight—it’s only natural that a single hit would take the Pangoro out."

After finishing its roar, the Ursaring walked up to Qian Lin, looking at him with a hint of satisfaction.

It had fought the Pangoro before; their spars usually ended in a draw. They had only had one real fight in the past, which it had won, but it had been a grueling affair that left it just as battered as its opponent. It was nothing like this—a one-hit kill with the only price being taking one Outrage to the chest.

An absolute steal.

It nodded at Qian Lin with satisfaction.

Qian Lin nodded back, pulling out a healing potion and spraying it on the Ursaring. "This is a potion; it will help restore your health and stamina. I’m going to go heal the Pangoro in a bit, so I’ll need you to keep an eye on things for me."

"Roar~" The Ursaring patted its chest, signaling that it was a simple task.