At this moment, the super-evolved Scizor not only had its base stats increased by a hundred, reaching six hundred, but its level had also jumped up by five, now at level 57.
The opposing Venusaur was stunned. Having seen much of the world, it had encountered the rare Scizor in the forest before. But how could this Scizor evolve again? Was it just old age making it dizzy and seeing things? Shaking its head, it realized the evolution was real—not a trick of the eyes. It stared in amazement at Wen Qi and this new Pokémon.
It wanted to ask something, but Wen Qi felt his stamina rapidly draining. If he waited any longer, he wouldn’t be able to hold on. So Wen Qi said directly, "Let’s battle first. We can talk about everything later."
With Wen Qi’s command, the super-evolved Scizor shot forward like an arrow from a bowstring. "Scizor, use Quick Attack!" Wen Qi shouted. Scizor transformed into a bolt of lightning, charging at Venusaur with incredible speed. Venusaur reacted swiftly, whipping out several tough vines that clashed with the oncoming Scizor, producing a dull thud.
"Again, use Aerial Ace!" Wen Qi’s eyes were fixed on the battlefield. Scizor made a mid-air turn, flapped its wings, and circled behind Venusaur at lightning speed, striking hard with its pincers. Sensing the attack from behind, Venusaur spun around and fired a green energy ball from its mouth—its move, Energy Ball. Aerial Ace and Energy Ball collided fiercely mid-air, unleashing a powerful energy wave.
After Scizor landed, Wen Qi immediately called out, "Use X-Scissor!" Scizor’s pincers crossed and slashed at Venusaur with a sharp, cutting wind. Venusaur showed no fear; the flower on its back burst open, sending countless petals flying in a Petal Dance that intertwined and clashed with X-Scissor, kicking up dust and debris.
"Scizor, use Swords Dance to boost your attack!" Wen Qi knew he couldn’t drag the fight out and needed to gain an advantage quickly. Scizor rapidly swung its pincers, its aura steadily rising. Seeing this, Venusaur understood it couldn’t let Scizor keep powering up and immediately unleashed Solar Beam. A scorching beam shot from its mouth, straight at Scizor.
"Dodge it!" Wen Qi yelled. Scizor flashed to the side, narrowly evading the attack. But Venusaur followed up with Sleep Powder, spreading a pink mist. Wen Qi’s heart tightened. "Scizor, use U-turn to break out!" Scizor obeyed, swiftly dashing out of the Sleep Powder’s range, then instantly turned back to strike at Venusaur.
"Use Brick Break!" Wen Qi commanded. Scizor raised its pincer high and slammed it down on Venusaur with immense force. Venusaur used Protect to block the hit, but it felt the pressure and began to consider revealing a bit more of its strength. It unleashed Leaf Storm, a whirlwind of sharp leaves sweeping toward Scizor. Scizor struggled under the barrage of leaves but fought on tenaciously. Wen Qi ordered again, "Use Bug Bite!" Scizor charged in and clamped its pincer onto Venusaur.
Venusaur winced in pain and let out an angry roar. Its body glowed brightly as it used Giga Drain, a powerful suction draining Scizor’s stamina. The battle grew fiercer, both sides giving their all. Scizor followed up with Fury Cutter, while Venusaur recovered some energy with Synthesis before firing another Energy Ball.
As time ticked by, Scizor’s stamina waned, and its movements slowed. Finally, under another relentless assault from Venusaur, Scizor collapsed to the ground. Venusaur, now visibly tired, had still secured victory. Scizor fell in battle, losing its super-evolved power.
Wen Qi felt utterly exhausted; the few minutes of combat had nearly drained him. Without his intermediate-level Aura of Serenity, he might not have been able to stand. He realized that the cost of super-evolution was far greater than he’d anticipated. Even with his psychic abilities and Aura of Serenity, he still struggled. He guessed that others might find it even more taxing.
But his guess wasn’t entirely accurate. Super-evolution did consume a lot of stamina, but not every time. Only the first evolution required activating the genes, which used more energy. Once the initial evolution was complete, subsequent ones demanded far less. A normal young adult could sustain super-evolution for about ten minutes, enough for a battle. Wen Qi would soon adapt, likely maintaining it for at least half an hour—far longer than today’s few minutes.
If not for Scizor’s super-evolution, it might not have withstood a single blow from its opponent. Though Wen Qi didn’t know Scizor’s exact combat strength, the victorious Venusaur could clearly tell him that Scizor’s super-evolved power was close to the quasi-champion level. Venusaur, though not fully recovered and still injured, wasn’t someone a quasi-champion-level opponent could easily beat. Despite the effort in the fight, Venusaur was very satisfied with Wen Qi and Scizor’s performance.
Venusaur noticed that Wen Qi was still young, likely under twenty, yet already possessed such a powerful Pokémon. This showed Wen Qi was no ordinary person. Entrusting its little grandson to him felt reassuring. It believed Wen Qi would take good care of the child.
While Venusaur pondered, Wen Qi, though low on energy, quickly ordered Turtwig to heal Scizor. Fortunately, Venusaur had held back during the battle; Scizor was unconscious but only lightly injured, having collapsed from exhaustion. Turtwig swiftly used Grassy Terrain to help heal the wounded Scizor. Feeling unwell, Wen Qi slowly moved into the Grassy Terrain, using its restorative power to recover his own stamina.
As Wen Qi and Scizor received treatment, Venusaur noticed that Turtwig’s Grassy Terrain was different—it contained life energy, something its own Grassy Terrain lacked. This made Venusaur realize that any Pokémon tied to Wen Qi was extraordinary. Still, Venusaur found this pleasing, as its little grandson was also special. It seemed this truly was fate’s arrangement.