Chapter 12: A Temporary Assignment, Advancing Toward the Okimoku Research Institute

“Kirlia, use Magical Leaf!”

A glowing green leaf of magic formed in Kirlia’s hand, continuously flying toward the Sandshrew.

Seeing this, Xiaoming flicked his whip with a sharp snap. Hearing the crack, the Sandshrew swiftly dug its claws into the earth and burrowed underground, narrowly avoiding the attack.

With its target gone, Kirlia stood cautiously, watching the ground beneath its feet.

After a moment, a hole suddenly appeared beside it. Without warning, the Sandshrew burst out from the tunnel and charged straight at Kirlia.

Fortunately, Kirlia was alert. The instant the earth split open, it teleported away, evading the attack.

“Do you think the attack ends here?” Xiaoming whipped again, shouting, “Sandshrew, use our secret move! Earthquake Strike!”

The Sandshrew leapt high into the air, its body glowing with a fierce, soil-yellow light. Head down, right claw raised, it spun rapidly as it plunged toward the ground.

In the next second, with a tremendous cracking sound, the battlefield shattered into countless pieces centered around the Sandshrew’s claws.

The fissures resembled deep chasms, spreading rapidly across the terrain with terrifying vibrations.

Earthquake Strike, one of the physical ultimate moves of the Ground-type, is deadly. Anyone who falls into the resulting cracks suffers crushing damage severe enough to bring any Pokémon close to defeat.

“Kirlia! Dodge quickly!” Xia You shouted.

Kirlia teleported a dozen times in rapid succession—disappearing and reappearing—searching frantically for a safe foothold. Only after exhausting much of its energy did it finally manage to escape the tremors and take refuge in a safe corner.

“What!?”

This caught Xiaoming completely off guard.

Though Earthquake Strike has a low hit rate, it is a massive area attack. Before, Xiaoming had used it many times and never seen a Pokémon evade it—except for those that can fly.

Over there, seeing the Earthquake Strike end with Kirlia unharmed, Xia You breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

Thankfully, he had the foresight not to send out Bulbasaur or Squirtle to fight—given their slow speed, they would have been rendered useless against such a devastating move.

After expending such tremendous energy, the Sandshrew was also affected by the aftershocks, temporarily slowed. Seeing this, Xia You decisively commanded, “Kirlia, use Magical Leaf attack!”

Kirlia raised both hands, and before the Sandshrew could react, magical leaves swirled like a tempest, sweeping toward it.

Grass beats Ground—this was highly effective!

The Sandshrew swayed and wobbled, but finally couldn’t hold on any longer. Its eyes rolled back, and it collapsed to the ground.

“Sandshrew!!”

Xiaoming rushed over and cradled its Pokémon in his arms. Even now, he couldn’t believe he had lost!

He had been on a ninety-two match winning streak. Just eight more wins and he could leave here to challenge the Gym!

Damn it...

Seeing his victory, Xia You applauded, “That was a wonderful match. Your Sandshrew is truly strong—the toughest opponent I’ve faced on my journey so far!”

Putting Sandshrew back into its Poké Ball, Xiaoming fell silent. When he stood again, the confidence on his face was gone.

“I lost! A Sandshrew that can beat me really caught me by surprise,” Xiaoming sighed deeply but quickly regained composure. “Still, I won’t give up on my dream. From today on, I’ll start over and defend this Gym again until I reach a hundred consecutive wins. After that, I’ll find you and challenge you once more!”

“I look forward to that day,” Xia You said sincerely, extending his right hand. “It’s because of strong opponents like you that I keep improving and moving forward!”

After parting ways with Xiaoming, Xia You planned to head to Deepgray City to continue challenging the Deepgray Gym. But a call from Professor Sakuragi summoned him back to Fallen Leaf City.

At the Sakuragi Research Institute, the professor looked apologetic. “I’m sorry to call you back all the way from so far away. There’s an urgent matter that really needs your help.”

“Don’t worry, Professor. Just tell me what you need,” Xia You replied casually. “Besides, I was nearby Fallen Leaf City anyway, so there’s no need to apologize.”

At that moment, Kikuna stepped forward and handed Xia You a small box.

“What’s this?” Xia You asked.

Professor Sakuragi explained, “Inside is a prototype of a precision instrument. Since it’s still under development, it’s a scientific secret and can’t be sent by courier. Also, because our work keeps us here, we can’t deliver it ourselves. We need someone we trust to bring it to Professor Okido at the Okido Research Institute.”

Xia You nodded solemnly.

“I understand. As a special research investigator for the Sakuragi Institute, I will deliver it safely to Professor Okido!”

...

Leaving Fallen Leaf City, Xia You hurried along, bypassing the famed Evergreen Forest. By nightfall, he had arrived in Evergreen City.

Since it was late, he planned to rest overnight at the local Pokémon Center and set off for Pallet Town the next day.

Before entering the Center, he stopped at a nearby store to buy some canned food and a few Poké Balls—just in case.

While paying, he received a call from Xiaochun.

“Hey, Xiaochun. What’s up?” he answered.

On the other end, Xiaochun said, “You texted this morning saying you’d return to Fallen Leaf City, right? I wanted to see Kirlia’s new appearance. It must look even more beautiful now.”

“Ah, sorry about that,” Xia You glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. “But after arriving at the research institute this morning, I left immediately. I’m already here in Evergreen City.”

“Evergreen City?” Xiaochun was surprised. “How did you get there so quickly?”

“I had urgent business and had to visit Professor Okido’s institute. Anyway, I’ve got things to do and it’s late, so you should get some rest.”

After hanging up, just as Xia You was about to leave the store, an employee called out.

“Excuse me, young man, please wait.”

Xia You looked at him curiously. “Yes? Is there something wrong?”

The clerk took a package from behind the counter.

“Sorry, I overheard your conversation. Are you going to the Okido Research Institute in Pallet Town?”

Seeing Xia You nod, the clerk smiled brightly. “That’s great! This package was ordered by Professor Okido a few days ago, but we’ve been too busy to deliver it. Could you help by taking it along with you?”