Chapter 29: Branches Thorns, Dual-Wielding

The man with glasses scanned the subdued Trainers, then cleared his throat and took out his phone, waving it around.

"I currently have a list of rare Pokémon that appear in foggy weather, spread across each area. I'm sure everyone has their eye on some Pokémon, right? For just ten thousand League Points, you can accurately locate them!"

It turned out he was here to sell his data. Summer didn't want to get involved any further; he already obtained the information he needed.

"Hey, you with the Thwackey, don't you want to catch rare Pokémon?" The man with glasses stared at Summer, who was about to leave, suddenly shouting.

Summer sighed. Even though the sales pitch was going well, how could he make such a rookie mistake? As long as he kept those interested engaged, didn't he notice someone was already about to make the payment?

"No need. Besides, the weather in the Wild Area is unpredictable. Who knows if it'll change by the time we get there?" Summer replied casually, still not stopping. This guy was trying too hard to fleece everyone here; he was too greedy and too confident.

"Uh..." The man with glasses froze. He hadn't expected the other party to shoot him down.

Several Trainers who had been tempted to make a purchase thought for a moment and then returned their phones to their pockets.

"I'll take one." A bell-like voice rang out from the crowd, and a girl with azure hair raised her hand. She had fair skin, wore a beige dress, and had a bright red scarf wrapped around her.

"What? Oh, I see. Please add this account, and I'll send you the data once your transfer is complete." The man with glasses hesitated for a moment, pulled up his friend code on his phone, then looked smugly at Summer. How's that? My data still has its charm.

Summer didn't pay attention to the man. He just wanted to see who this wealthy Trainer was.

The girl quickly completed the transfer, glanced roughly at the data, then looked at the other Trainers, smiling.

"Anyone else need the data? Hmm, it's only five hundred League Points."

"Hey, what are you doing?!" The man with glasses exclaimed urgently. The girl had lowered the price of the data twentyfold, who would still buy what he had.

"What am I doing? Selling data, of course. After all, it's mine now," the girl said, looking puzzled.

This girl was playing dumb, clearly. The man with glasses was furious, but he couldn't refute her.

This girl was quite cunning, Summer thought. Cutting off someone's source of income was like killing their parents. But he had no right to criticize her. 

And there were over twenty Trainers around; nobody would refuse a price of five hundred League Points, merely the price of a single Ultra Ball. She could even make a profit.

However, Summer overlooked another advantage of the girl, which was her exquisite appearance. Adding someone's account was required for the transfer, meaning purchasing the data also included a bonus of adding a pretty girl's account.

Watching the crowd gather around the girl to make payments, the man with glasses' face twisted in agony. How many ten thousand points had just slipped away from him? His heart was bleeding.

It's all because of the guy with the Thwackey! Subconsciously avoiding the blue-haired girl, the man with glasses found trouble with Summer, whose face he vaguely remembered from his memory.

"Hey, you with the Thwackey, battle me!" The man with glasses took out a Poké Ball, glaring at Summer provocatively. "No response? Are you scared? Well, after all, you're only using such weak Pokémon."

"I accept."

As Summer's demeanor suddenly changed, the man with glasses shrank back. He began to brainstorm; what if the other party had some powerful Pokémon hidden?

"Well, come on then. Don't waste time. Send out your Thwackey, and we'll go one-on-one." His plan was to use verbal tactics to limit the opponent.

Summer didn't mind, though, as he only had Thwackey.

"Let's go, Thwackey. Show them your strength."

"Espeon, make sure you win!" The man with glasses threw out a Poké Ball, releasing his strongest Pokémon, Espeon.

Thwackey rhythmically swayed its body, assuming an attacking stance, while the ruby on Espeon's head emitted a glow, sensing its surroundings.

Seeing someone about to battle, the surrounding Trainers immediately became interested, instinctively forming a circle. As Galarians, the interest in battles and spectating was ingrained in their blood.

"Psybeam!"

"Thwackey, use Branch Poke!"

Both gave commands simultaneously. A strange light burst from the ruby on Espeon's head, shooting straight at Thwackey.

I've won! The man with glasses internally cheered. He hadn't expected such a low-level move. What was I even nervous about?

Thwackey calmly swayed its body to the side, easily dodging the strange light. It's too slow; I can even predict its trajectory easily.

Taking advantage of the opening after the opponent's move, Thwackey landed on all fours, unleashing a powerful force as it charged towards Espeon. Dirt flew up from its footfalls, and in an instant, Thwackey was in front of Espeon.

Espeon's purple pupils widened in shock. Thwackey swiftly pulled out the two wooden sticks from its head, the green glow covering the sticks. One was positioned behind its back, while the other accumulated energy as it swung back with its arm.

Knock and Spike? Isn't it supposed to be Thorns? Wait, it's not aimed at the head, but the neck?!

Espeon's strength lay in its ability to analyze its surroundings using its fur and the ruby on its head, allowing it to achieve a precognitive effect. Now, Summer's commands exceeded its predictions, throwing it off balance.

The wooden stick for the Spike attack erupted with intense momentum. Just as Espeon managed to transfer its psychic energy to its neck, Thwackey changed tactics, using the Spike attack to halt Espeon's advance.

The wooden stick pressed against Espeon's neck, unable to advance further. Thwackey then redirected its force upwards, using the stick under its chin to lift Espeon's body forcefully. The vulnerable abdomen was exposed, and the true finishing move was now revealed.

Then, Thwackey pulled out the second wooden stick from behind, shining with a green light. With a heavy strike, the glowing stick crashed onto Espeon's abdomen, the impact sending the entire Pokémon flying. It rolled several times on the ground before coming to a stop, its upturned eyes signaling to everyone that it was completely incapacitated.

"It's over." Summer looked at the man with glasses. "Thanks for the information. Now, we'll take our leave. Let's go, Thwackey."

Winning the battle cleanly, Summer left the station with Thwackey. He still had to find Milotic before the fog dissipated.

"I've never seen Branch Poke used so stylishly before."

"Darn it, he won so quickly I didn't even get to record it. If I posted it online,

 it would definitely go viral."

"Is it too late to ask for his name now?"

The surrounding Trainers engaged in heated discussion about Summer, each word stabbing at the man with glasses' heart. Next time, he would just sell online.

"Excuse me?"

A bell-like voice rang out behind Summer. He turned around to see the sly girl with blue hair.

"That battle just now was quite impressive. Hmm, if I'm not mistaken, you're also here to find Milotic, aren't you?"

(End of this chapter)