Pokémon battle for Huaxia

"Slaking is a Pokémon that hates to bother others. Although it is the most carefree Pokémon in the world, it can unleash amazing power by releasing its accumulated energy all at once. It usually lives a life of lying down. Only after all the grass around it has been eaten will it roll over and move to another place."

"The King of Taking Leave..."

Although Qiancheng had never heard of this Pokémon before, he had heard of its special reputation.

Despite having extremely high base stats, it has the unique, laziness-based trait that makes it a liability.

Most Pokémon cannot break its defense even if it lies still, but its physical attack base stat is as high as 160, far exceeding that of ordinary Pokémon.

For trainers, Slaking is a classic example of "looking strong but difficult to use".

If you want to dominate the world with its 160 physical attack, you'll have to accept the snail-paced rhythm of "hit one move, rest one move".

It tries to use its ability to perform tricks, but is limited by the hard rule that forces it to rest. But it is precisely because of this "contradiction" that it has become "one of the most unique Pokémon" in the eyes of players - after all, who can resist a lazy creature that can "be a god of war even while lying down"?

The air on the battlefield seemed to solidify into amber, sealing away both Charizard's restlessness and Slaking's languor. The golden rays of the setting sun pierced through Slaking's fluffy fur, casting dappled light on its round belly, and even its snores carried an overwhelming composure.

"Charizard, Air Cutter."

Charizard unleashed an invisible wind blade that tore through the air, grazing Slaking's belly. It didn't even flinch, its snoring remaining steady—its "Sloth" ability made it immune to status conditions like flinch and confusion while resting, rendering even the guaranteed hit of Air Slash ineffective.

The Charizard's tail flames visibly dimmed; the Stealth Rock had inflicted too much damage. It let out a low, impatient growl, its wings slapping the ground impatiently, kicking up fine dust.

"Please, King, repay my debt!"

Slaking's arm muscles suddenly bulged, his brownish-yellow hair stood on end, and his long-accumulated power gathered in his palms into a beam of white light—Repay, a normal-type physical skill whose power increases with affinity, reaching a maximum of 102.

Charizard's pupils contracted sharply, and it instinctively flapped its wings to retreat. However, although Slaking was slow, its movements were undeniably heavy—a giant fist formed of white light tore through the air and slammed solidly into Charizard's chest!

"boom--!"

The fire-breathing dragon flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing into a low shrub before coming to a stop. Blood seeped from its charred wound, and its strength was instantly depleted.

Li Fan looked at the fire-breathing dragon, its flames flickering in the wind, and his tone remained calm.

"Your trump card is nothing special."

Charizard struggled to its feet, its tail flame as faint as a candle flickering in the wind, yet it stubbornly raised its head, letting out an indomitable roar. Suddenly, the flames on Charizard's tail blazed up.

Qiancheng had always known that his Charizard had a very special ability, possessing both Blaze and Solar Power. Furthermore, when using Solar Power on a sunny day, it not only wouldn't lose stamina but would also slowly recover it.

"Charizard, unleash your full flames!"

This is Charizard's final attack, unleashing its strongest flamethrower ever, drawing upon all its power and accumulating unprecedented heat!

"True Qi Fist!"

Slaking crossed his arms and withstood Charizard's most powerful flame attack. Then, he raised one fist, charged up his strength, and used the power of that fist to meet the flame attack head-on and reach Charizard.

"Charizard, Rock Slide!"

"Slave King, Rock Slide Counterattack!"

The Rock Slide skill, which had helped Devotion and Charizard win countless times in desperate or life-or-death situations, was completely ineffective this time.

Slaking used Focus Punch to get in front of Charizard while being hit by its Flamethrower. Charizard then summoned a barrage of rocks from directly above, a move that was supposed to hit.

However, all of Pious's attacks were exactly as Li Fan had anticipated. He probably didn't know that Pious was going to use the Rock Slide skill. But knowing that Pious would counterattack when he attacked, Li Fan, who was already prepared, also commanded Slaking to use Rock Slide.

Slaking summoned another batch of rocks to the side of the rocks that Charizard had summoned, and smashed them at an even greater force, not only shattering all of Charizard's rocks, but also firmly fixing Charizard to the ground!

The air on the field seemed to have been sucked out, even the wind stopped. Charizard's tail flames swayed violently in the afterglow of its jets, but ultimately it couldn't withstand the impact of the Chi Punch, its body frozen in place as if crushed by a boulder. Slaking's massive body loomed above it, its brownish-yellow fur still smudged with pebbles and dust.

"Challenger Hanya Academy's Gu Men Qiancheng, all six of his Pokémon are unable to battle. The victor is Li Fan, the Gym Leader of Beginner City!"

"Come back, Charizard, thank you for your hard work."

He stood there devoutly, the red star medal on the left chest of his blue and white school uniform gleaming warmly in the setting sun, yet also reflecting his pale face.

He didn't speak, but simply bent down and picked up Charizard's Poké Ball, his fingertips gently tracing its surface—the warmth of his companion's last burning life still lingered there. Charizard's wounded body was slightly curled up inside the ball, its tail flames flickering within the transparent sphere like a star that refused to be extinguished.

Li Fan retrieved Slaking's Poké Ball. A flash of red light appeared, and the massive body turned into stardust and vanished.

He walked slowly to the center of the field, his square face still showing the same calm expression, but there was a hint of approval in his eyes as he looked at Qiancheng.

He placed his hand on Qiancheng's shoulder. "Don't be too disappointed, kid. I see your potential. You deserve the title of a top trainer."

Qiancheng looked up at Li Fan, finally it was over: his face was filled with resentment, his voice hoarse yet exceptionally clear.

"Thank you."

Having faced many desperate situations, Qiancheng was able to create miracles and achieve victory by relying on his talent and the bond with his Pokémon, no matter how strong the opponent was or what circumstances he faced.

But when facing Gym Leader Li Fan, all tactics, actions, and attacks were like iron fists hitting cotton. The moment Charizard lost its ability to fight, Qiancheng finally understood that Li Fan had truly only used half of his stated strength.

Becoming complacent after defeating Jiqiu once has caused them to lose sight of their original passion for their Pokémon partners. Failure is never a bad thing; the key is to learn from this failure and continue to improve.

but……

Zhengzhou Hanya College Pokémon Center

The lights in the treatment room flickered steadily in the night, and the soft white light shone evenly on each bed, illuminating the figures of the Pokémon, some sleeping peacefully and others resting.

A faint medicinal fragrance and the warmth of restorative aura filled the air, and the display screen on the wall scrolled the vital signs data of each Pokémon—HP recovery progress, status ailment removal countdown, and energy cycle stability curve.

Qianzhen stood outside the glass window of the treatment room, his palms pressed against the cold glass, his gaze fixed on the Pokémon on the hospital bed.

Charizard's body was still covered with a thin layer of healing light, and the charred crack on its chest caused by Return was slowly healing under the light. The phantom of its tail flame was much more intense than it had been inside the Poké Ball, but it was still weak.

Beside her, Xi Nao Nao lay on the soft cushion, breathing evenly, her old wounds enveloped by a light green aura of natural healing; Draco was curled up on the floating bed in the corner, surrounded by the cool fluctuations unique to Ghost-type Pokémon, repairing the shock injuries caused by Ground Dog and Snorlax.

Sceptile, Dragapult, Froakie, and Mareep are all slowly recovering from their injuries.

"Excessive physical exertion, coupled with the accumulated injuries from multiple intense attacks, will take time to recover," Ji Qiu said beside him. His voice was as calm as ever, yet it held a barely perceptible hint of concern. "Are you alright…?"

"It's my fault, my arrogance caused me to lose so badly... It's all my fault!" Qiancheng punched the soundproof glass wall, a tear glistening as it rolled down his cheeks, which were covered by his bangs.

“You…” Ji Qiu didn’t know how to comfort him.