As soon as Wang Qi entered, he noticed the Growlithe beside Wen Qi. The Growlithe was extremely excited—Wen Qi had just told him that if the upcoming battle was suitable, he would need to step in too. Fire-type Pokémon were naturally combative, and though Growlithe was usually gentle, it had been a long time since its last fight. The chance to battle today thrilled it.
Just then, the electronic referee announced the start of the match, signaling both sides to prepare. When the referee declared the battle had begun, both trainers released their Pokémon simultaneously. Wen Qi sent out his Rhyhorn, while Wang Qi deployed a Phanpy.
Wen Qi inspected the opponent's Phanpy: yellow aptitude, level 13, with ordinary moves and skills—only Roll was proficient, while the rest were at a beginner level. Although Wen Qi's Rhyhorn was only about a month old and a level lower, it completely outclassed the Phanpy in both aptitude and moves.
Wang Qi struck first. "Phanpy, use Roll to close in on Rhyhorn, then hit it with Tackle!" he shouted. The Phanpy quickly curled into a ball and began rolling, gaining speed with each rotation. Without hesitation, Wen Qi instructed his Rhyhorn, "Use Stomp."
Rhyhorn stomped the ground repeatedly, sending a shockwave of energy radiating outward. This instantly interrupted Phanpy's Roll, nullifying its momentum and leaving it bewildered—its attack broken, unsure what to do next. It was still some distance from Rhyhorn, making Tackle seem impractical. Wang Qi hadn't expected his attack to be thwarted so easily and panicked. This move usually worked flawlessly in training, but not this time.
Wen Qi didn't give him time to recover. "Use Take Down," he commanded. The massive Rhyhorn, like a moving mountain, charged swiftly toward Phanpy. Seeing no way to dodge, Wang Qi said, "Phanpy, don't be afraid! Use Tackle too!" Mustering its courage, the tiny Phanpy charged at Rhyhorn. Wen Qi almost couldn't bear to watch—Phanpy was only half a meter tall, colliding with Rhyhorn's one-meter frame. He could already imagine the outcome.
The two clashed with a loud thud and a cry of pain, kicking up a cloud of dust that obscured the field from both trainers. But Wen Qi trusted his Rhyhorn, and his keen ears told him the scream hadn't come from it—it was the opponent's. As the smoke cleared, Rhyhorn stood firm in the arena, while Phanpy lay unconscious on the ground, clearly defeated. The electronic referee checked Phanpy and declared it unable to battle, awarding the win to Rhyhorn.
Rhyhorn was overjoyed—winning its first fight was great for building confidence in a young Pokémon. Losing its debut could easily shake its self-assurance. Wang Qi, seeing his fallen Phanpy, recalled it with its Poké Ball. Despite his usual boastfulness, he cared for his Pokémon and didn't blame Phanpy for the loss.
The referee prompted Wang Qi to quickly send out his next Pokémon. He pulled out another Poké Ball and released a Pidgeotto. Wen Qi noted it was level 20 with yellow aptitude. Fortunately, his Rhyhorn was a Ground/Rock type, giving it a type advantage over the Flying-type Pidgeotto. Though the opponent was higher-level and could fly, Rhyhorn wasn't afraid. Seeing its eager stance, Wen Qi decided not to switch it out.
This time, Wen Qi attacked first. "Rhyhorn, use Rock Tomb on Pidgeotto," he ordered. Numerous rocks flew toward the bird, which had been agilely weaving through the air. Now it was in danger—one wrong move and it could crash into a rock, and with Pidgeotto's frail defenses, even a non-fatal hit would hurt. Luckily, Wang Qi often trained in dense forests, honing its evasive skills, and it dodged nimbly. Wen Qi noticed Rhyhorn was a bit dull—its Rock Tomb was too predictable, letting Pidgeotto find a pattern and evade. Still, that was fine; the move was meant to slow Pidgeotto down. Otherwise, the bulky, slow Rhyhorn risked being kited and worn down.
Just then, Wang Qi called out, "Pidgeotto, use Gust now, then Double Team to confuse it!" Wen Qi saw Pidgeotto whip up a gust to attack Rhyhorn while creating afterimages to mess with its vision. He knew this was trouble—Rhyhorn's simple mind couldn't tell which was real. Reluctantly, he decided to bend the rules a little.
Wang Qi, seeing Rhyhorn frozen in place, was sure it couldn't distinguish the real Pidgeotto. "Quick Attack to close in, then Steel Wing!" he commanded. But as he gave the order, Wen Qi shouted to his Rhyhorn, "Use Rock Blast on the second Pidgeotto to your left!" Rhyhorn's greatest strength was its obedience—it did exactly as told. It launched a barrage of hard rocks at that Pidgeotto. Wang Qi realized the danger and tried to call Pidgeotto back, but it had grown overconfident, thinking Rhyhorn couldn't find it. Caught off guard, it was struck by the rocks, cried out, and fell from the air onto the field, motionless.
The electronic referee checked and declared Pidgeotto unable to battle, with Rhyhorn victorious again. Wang Qi recalled his Pidgeotto, feeling frustrated—two of his Pokémon had lost to one, and both were higher-level than Rhyhorn. Still, his ace hadn't been used yet; he was sure he could turn things around. The referee prompted him to release his next Pokémon.
Wang Qi solemnly took out a Luxury Ball—a single one costing fifty thousand. He only used such balls for his starter Pokémon. Opening it, a Wartortle appeared on the battlefield.