Pokémon battle for Huaxia

Two days later, at dusk

The dormitory living room, a testament to a devout promise.

Xi Naonao has fully recovered its spirits; the fighting spirit and playfulness in its eyes have returned as well. At this moment, it is being held in Nuoyan's arms. Nuoyan holds a cherry in her left hand and shakes another one in her right, leading Xi Naonao to jump and dart around, chasing after her fingertips.

On the other side, Chuan Yun sat on the sofa with his glossy Pikachu on his lap, carefully combing the fur on its back with a small comb. Pikachu squinted comfortably, occasionally making a soft "pika pika" sound, the electric sac at the tip of its tail slightly bulging and then flattening, as if enjoying this rare massage.

The atmosphere was so relaxed, as if isolated from the outside world—yet beneath this tranquility, the devout room seemed sealed off by an invisible barrier, completely isolating him from the hustle and bustle of the outside world.

"Brother has really shut himself away like a madman these past two days." While Xi Naonao was munching on fruit, Nuoyan looked up at Qiancheng's door and gestured to Chuanyun. "It's been two days, and I've even had to bring the food in myself."

Chuan Yun stopped combing his hair and looked at the closed door. He said in a low voice, "He's got something on his mind. That incident at the Chuxin Dojo... it really affected him."

Qiancheng has been locking himself in his room for two days now, and every time he closes his eyes, he sees the scene from the Beginner's Gym battle. His Pokémon are being suppressed and defeated one by one by the opponent.

Every time he closes his eyes, that battle replays uncontrollably in his mind.

The reflection of Charizard's fading tail flame, the powerlessness of Sceptile after its Mega Evolution fades, the desperate ramming of Sizzle, the bewilderment of Dragapult being forced back by Groudon's roar... One Pokémon after another is suppressed by the opponent's rhythm and falls down, while he can only stand on the sidelines and watch their efforts be reduced to the futility of "hitting cotton with an iron fist".

Yes, he has faced countless desperate situations. No matter how strong his opponents were, he always managed to carve out a path and create miracles through his talent and the bond with his Pokémon.

But this time, facing Li Fan, all his tactics, all his actions, and all his attacks seemed to have been seen through in advance, and all his struggles were like throwing a stone into the sea.

Li Fan only used half of his strength, yet he lost convincingly—because he lost not only the game, but also his initial intentions and humility towards his teammates.

In the living room, Xi Naonao finished her fruit and hopped to Chuan Yun's feet, rubbing her head against her socks. Pikachu also jumped off the sofa and curiously sniffed at her. Nuoyan stretched and got up, walking towards Qiancheng's door and gently knocking.

"Brother, come out for some fresh air. They... really miss you."

There was no response from the door.

Nuoyan pursed her lips, turned to look at Chuanyun, and both of them had worry in their eyes.

They knew that what piety needed was not comfort, but for him to step out of the "replay of failure" that had trapped him.

Failure is not a bad thing, but the key is to learn from failure and continue to improve—and the first step is for him to open his eyes and see again the partners who have given their all for him.

Seeing that Nuoyan didn't respond to her knocking, Chuan Yun put down the comb she was holding, got up, and walked to Qiancheng's door. She gently tapped the door with her fingertips, her voice even softer than before, as if afraid of disturbing some fragile emotion—

"Qiancheng, shall we go out to eat? You haven't eaten for two days. Didn't you promise to take me to that new hot pot restaurant?"

There was still no sound from inside the door.

Nuoyan and Chuanyun exchanged a glance, both seeing worry in each other's eyes—Qiancheng hadn't left the house for the past two days, and they had been taking turns bringing him his meals, which he silently accepted, sometimes without eating a single bite. They knew that the shadow of that battle weighed heavily on his heart, and if things continued like this, his body and spirit would collapse.

Just as the two hesitated whether to knock again, something slid out from under the door—

A card, entirely black with dark gold patterns along its edges, lay quietly on the floor, like a silent crack separating the inside from the outside.

“This is… my brother’s black card.” Nuoyan was stunned, then squatted down to pick up the card.

"...What he means is," Chuan Yun said softly, his voice slightly hoarse, "is that we won't go? We'll just buy whatever we want ourselves, and stop calling him here?"

Nuoyan was also taken aback. He had a flaw: he was a spendthrift. Although his older brother had always kept him in check in this regard, and although his brother always gave Nuoyan money, he himself almost never used it. His brother always said that once desires were unleashed, they couldn't be contained.

Chuan Yun crouched down, gently patted Pikachu's head, and then glanced at Nuoyan: "Let him have some peace and quiet. That card... it's his signal to us, meaning 'Don't worry about me, you guys go on your own.'"

Nuoyan bit her lip, carefully placed the black card on the cabinet in the entryway, and whispered.

"But he hasn't eaten for two days..."

“He will eat.” Chuan Yun stood up, his tone calm but with an undeniable certainty. “He will come out when he has figured it out. If we disturb him now, it will only make him more resistant.”

Chuan Yun turned around and picked up his small bag. "Let's go, Nuoyan, let's go eat hot pot."

"Um…"

At ten o'clock at night, the streetlights of Hanya College cast long shadows in the late autumn night. The dormitory corridors were so quiet that only the sound of the wind and a few footsteps could be heard. Nuoyan helped Chuanyun, whose eyes were red and swollen from crying, back to the dormitory entrance. Both of them carried a chill—not only from the cold of the night, but also from the fear and anger that had been suppressed all the way.

Back in the dorm, Chuan Yun collapsed onto the sofa as soon as she entered, tears streaming down her face: "It's my fault... Pikachu... Waaah."

Nuoyan hugged her, his eyes also reddening, but he still forced himself to say, "Brother will definitely help us find it, he'll definitely have a way..."

Just then, the door to Qianxin's room clicked open.

"What happened?" Qiancheng had dark circles under his eyes, but he still went up to ask with concern when he saw Chuanyun crying.

Nuoyan looked up and saw him come out. As if she had found her pillar of support, she hurriedly recounted everything that had happened that evening. When she spoke of Pikachu being forcibly taken away, Chuanyun's tears welled up again, and she choked out the rest.

"They...they robbed me right there in the street, I couldn't stop them..."

The incident occurred in the evening. After leaving the hot pot restaurant, Chuan Yun, thinking of buying some berries for Pikachu, turned into a quiet alley near the commercial street.

As soon as she stopped, two strange men rushed up and snatched the Pikachu from her hand without saying a word, giving her no chance to resist.

Pikachu, being naturally timid, was so frightened that it emitted an electric shock, causing Chuan Yun and the stranger to release their grip. The stranger's accomplice then threw an insulated, transparent sphere and snatched Pikachu away, disappearing into the crowd in the blink of an eye.

Chuan Yun chased after them for a few steps, but was roughly shoved away. His knee hit the curb, and he was in so much pain that he couldn't stand. He could only watch helplessly as they disappeared around the neon-lit street corner.

After listening, Qiancheng remained silent for two seconds, his eyes turning icy. He turned and walked to the table, casually holding two of his Poké Balls in his right hand.

Nuoyan was stunned and couldn't help but ask.

"Brother...where are you going?"

He looked up, his tone calm to an almost cold degree.

"Go and get Pikachu back for her."

"Qiancheng, we already filed a report. You won't find anyone even if you go now. It's too dangerous!" Chuan Yun also stopped him from leaving.

Qiancheng paused for a moment. "Don't worry, whether it's stealing or robbing, I'll find a way to bring Pikachu back to you."