"Frozen Beam!"
"Meow!"
The angry Delcatty let out a sharp howl, with ice-blue lightning flashing from its mouth, shooting straight at Mawile.
Mawile, however, was already prepared, quickly using Electromagnetic Levitation to avoid the attack.
"Chase it!"
Shunsuke's voice prompted Delcatty to constantly adjust the direction of its Frozen Beam. The ice-blue lightning descended, then moved upward, but never managed to touch the nimble Mawile, only forming a spectacular large ice flower in vain.
"Use the ice flower as a stepping board! Rush!"
Baimu shouted, waving his hand.
A stepping board?
Shunsuke froze for a moment, then saw Mawile float to the front of the ice flower, and kick it forcefully with its right foot!
Bam!
The ice flower suddenly shattered into countless icy fragments, and Mawile, leveraging the momentum, turned into a black shadow, moving so swiftly that both Shunsuke and Delcatty couldn't discern its position.
"Awakened Power!"
He hurriedly shouted, as Delcatty lowered its body, surrounded by numerous fist-sized orbs of light.
But in the next instant, Shunsuke felt a sudden brightness before his eyes, followed by a blur. The swift wind roared in his ears, and the sound of a thud came from behind.
He turned his head and saw his Delcatty struggling to stand up, covered in dust not far away.
It had been knocked away so easily.
What terrifying power!
Shunsuke looked at Mawile, full of amazement; the more subtle things demonstrated the strength of a Pokémon.
"Meow!" Delcatty let out a low moan, not minding its dusty and aching body, and ran back into the field.
Although it was hit by the rush head-on, it still barely had the ability to continue fighting.
However.
"That's enough."
Baimu raised his hand, promptly calling for a stop.
They were planning to capture a leader Azumarill and head into Petalburg Forest towards the next city. Over-exerting the Pokémon's energy wouldn't be good.
After all, it's not like a game where you can just visit a Pokémon Center to quickly restore health.
"Alright."
Seeing that Delcatty wasn't in great condition and had lost its primary Transformation Techniques in a taunt state, leaving it unlikely to win against Mawile, Shunsuke gave up.
The two Trainers lowered their guard, and the two Pokémon, sensing the change in atmosphere, also relaxed.
"Great job, Mawile."
Baimu patted Mawile's head, and though it turned its head in refusal, a smug smile appeared on its face.
"Chido!"
Indeed, I am the best!
"Return to the Pokeball and take a rest." He recalled Mawile.
In the distance.
Delcatty spun its body like a top, flinging dust everywhere, causing Shunsuke to cough repeatedly. But even so, it still had a lot of dirty dust remaining on its body.
This put the cleanliness-loving Pokémon in a bad mood.
"The brush is in the car, I'll go get it." Shunsuke told Delcatty to wait, but Baimu came forward and said, "I have one here, I'll lend it to you."
As a not-so-professional Pokémon Breeder, grooming tools like brushes are something he naturally keeps on hand.
"Thank you!"
Shunsuke reached out to take it, but then reconsidered and looked at Baimu and the brush in his hand, releasing his grip, "Why don't... you do it?"
"How could I refuse?"
Baimu smiled, squatting next to Delcatty. Facing its cautious expression, he waggled the brush, "Would you like my help?"
"...Meow?"
Delcatty glanced at Shunsuke, who looked a bit helpless, and upon receiving his nod, nodded slightly.
Baimu then began grooming its fur.
To become an excellent Pokémon Breeder, one must have plenty of interactions with all sorts of Pokémon.
This was the wisdom imparted to Baimu by Teacher Xiaogang.
Thus, as a half-student of his, he never misses any opportunity to interact with Pokémon. As for petting a cat... this was just incidental.
Really just incidental.
The dust was gradually brushed away, and Delcatty's shiny fur returned.
Baimu even applied some leave-in brightening and smoothing oil, causing Delcatty's fur to flutter wave-like as a gentle breeze passed through it.
Shunsuke was astonished.
"How are you so skilled at this!"
"It's a hobby; I hope to become a qualified Pokémon Breeder." He chuckled, feeling a weight settle on his leg, and looked down to see Delcatty comfortably kneading it.
It also unconsciously let out a low purring sound.
"Sure enough, furry creatures are adorable regardless of gender."
Baimu mused, glancing seemingly unintentionally at Delcatty's rear.
No bells there.
As expected of the wondrous creature, many of whose species are egg-laying.
"Meow?"
Noticing an intense gaze at its rear, Delcatty cautiously lifted its head. Seeing nothing, it continued kneading.
——
Parting formally with Shunsuke.
The latter seemed to assume he had a fondness for Delcatty, advising him to raise a Skitty that evolves to Delcatty.
But Baimu really just wanted a taste of it.
Leaving Petalburg City.
The next stop, Petalburg Forest, lay just ahead.
"Today we're officially camping outside, aren't you excited?"
He rubbed Deino's cheek.
"Moow~"
Deino let out a soft call in response, feeling a bit regretful that it couldn't nibble on the Trainer's hand while walking, but the stroll together was quite delightful.
"You're getting too close. Perhaps... let's try the vest and leash?"
Baimu gently nudged Deino to move a bit farther away, but as a "blind dragon," Deino felt very lonely if it couldn't sense the Trainer's presence closely.
It always loved nibbling hands, wanting to keep the Trainer's scent with it at all times.
But undoubtedly, this wasn't a convenient way to keep pace.
So Baimu purchased a vest-style leash, trying to assist Deino in moving alongside him by pulling, helping the dragon sense his presence——
The idea was good.
Practically, it was challenging.
Deino wasn't the type of dragon that loved sudden bursts like a husky; at most, it was more demanding when gnawing on wood. Even with a leash on, it still wanted to stick close to the Trainer.
"...No choice, you're quite stubborn."
Baimu said helplessly. If Deino weren't so big, he would have preferred to carry it like he did with the Galarian Corsola.
But now it was already 1.2 meters tall! The abundant nutrition made it grow too fast!
"Moow~"
Deino rubbed against Baimu's pants, then suddenly let out a raspy cry.
Baimu tugged on the leash slightly, and Deino quieted down immediately.
They walked on for five minutes.
"Moow!"
The leash tugged.
Another five minutes.
"Moow!"
"What have I done to deserve this?" Baimu's mouth twitched, resigning to accommodate the little fellow.
At such a young age, it's normal for it to need the Trainer's love and care.