"Bellsprout, how about a battle?" Nathan asked with a smile, pulling a berry out of his backpack. "Win this, and it's yours. What do you say?"
The berry he held was a Pecha Berry—one of the favorites among most Pokémon.
The moment Bellsprout saw the berry, it nodded and accepted the challenge, then immediately took a battle stance.
Whoosh.
A sharp sound split the air.
To Nathan's surprise, Bellsprout struck first, lashing out with a Vine Whip.
Remaining calm, Nathan issued a command. "Pancham, dodge and use Leer, then follow up with Tackle!"
"Panchaaa!"
With a cry, Pancham nimbly sidestepped the Vine Whip and glared fiercely at Bellsprout. Despite being a panda, Pancham's serious expression made its Leer particularly intimidating—so much so that Bellsprout froze in place, overwhelmed by fear.
Still following orders, Pancham sprang forward with both legs and slammed into Bellsprout.
Thud!
Bellsprout was sent flying, landing hard in the distance.
This Bellsprout appeared to be a beginner-level Pokémon, likely just one level above Pancham. After being knocked away, it quickly scrambled back to its feet, shaking its head and letting out a cry.
"Don't give it a chance. Tackle again!" Nathan ordered calmly.
"Pancha!"
Pancham responded without hesitation and launched another Tackle.
Bellsprout was knocked down once again.
Pancham may be small, but it packed serious power—enough to knock over a concrete pole. After taking back-to-back hits, Bellsprout couldn't get back up and lost its ability to fight.
[Your Pokémon 'Pancham' has won the battle! Gained 75 EXP. Level up: Lv.6!]
The battle ended.
Pancham turned to Nathan, arms crossed, wearing a smug and proud expression.
"Well done." Nathan didn't hold back on praise, patting Pancham on the head. Then, he walked over to Bellsprout and sprayed healing mist on its injuries. Bellsprout stirred and slowly woke up.
"Sorry for hurting you. Here—this is yours." Nathan's voice carried a hint of guilt as he offered the berry.
"Bell!"
Bellsprout nuzzled Nathan's chest, eyes half-closed, happily took the berry, then turned and walked away. Clearly, it didn't mind the injuries.
Watching Bellsprout's retreating figure, Nathan shook his head and stood back up. He returned to Pancham's side with a smile. "Alright, let's wait for our next challenger. After today, I'll be putting together a training plan for you. It'll be tough—don't let me down."
"Pancha!" Pancham cried out confidently, completely unfazed.
Nathan could easily read the little panda's meaning.
'Tough? Piece of cake. A strong Pokémon like me isn't afraid of hard work.'
Nathan chuckled and pulled out a bottle of Moomoo Milk to help Pancham recover. It was purchased from the system shop for 300 Pokécoins per bottle.
And one bottle only held enough for a single gulp.
When Nathan only had Volcarona, he'd buy two or three bottles per day. Now with Pancham added to the mix, that number would likely double.
Once Pancham evolved into Pangoro, with its massive size, a single bottle wouldn't even be enough to wet its tongue. He'd probably need over a dozen bottles a day just to keep up.
That's the thing about being a Trainer—it costs a lot of money.
…
"Pancham, Leer and follow up with Tackle!"
Deep in the forest, battles were still underway.
Though night was already falling, Pancham continued to respond swiftly under Nathan's command, showing zero hesitation.
First came Leer.
Then, taking advantage of the opponent's fear, Pancham delivered a full-power Tackle.
A wild Rattata was knocked out cold on the spot.
[Your Pokémon 'Pancham' has won the battle! Gained 91 EXP. Level up: Lv.12!]
"Nicely done." Nathan praised Pancham as soon as the battle ended.
"Pancha!" Pancham crossed its arms and squinted with pride, clearly pleased with the compliment.
Nathan handed over a Pokéblock as a reward. As Pancham munched on it happily, Nathan checked the time—already evening.
Time to head home.
After treating the fainted Rattata's wounds, Nathan and Pancham returned home.
His parents were still busy working at their shop and hadn't returned yet.
Nathan ran a hot bath for Pancham to help the little guy relax after a day of fighting, carefully tending to any minor injuries at the same time.
By the time everything was done, it was already 8:00 PM.
"Phew."
Wiping sweat from his forehead, Nathan took a quick shower himself. Then, sitting on the bed with Pancham in his arms and a notebook in hand, he said seriously, "Pancham, starting tomorrow, we begin training. You need to take it seriously—this is all for the upcoming Trial Tournament."
"Pancha." Pancham patted its chest confidently, looking full of spirit—winning that tournament would be a piece of cake.
Seeing this, Nathan chuckled. Confidence was good, but hopefully the little guy wouldn't give up halfway through.
As for Pancham's training plan, Nathan had decided to focus on defense and speed. While Pancham was currently small and fast, it would eventually evolve into the towering Pangoro—over two meters tall. Its speed would naturally decline, so it made sense to start training early in these two areas.
That said, training wouldn't be easy.
Nathan's goal was to teach Pancham two techniques: Tekkai (Iron Body) and Soru (Shave).
Yes, those are from the One Piece anime.
It might sound crazy, but it was entirely possible—Nathan had already tested it. In the past, he had successfully trained Volcarona to learn one of the Rokushiki (Six Powers) used by the Marines: Soru, Tekkai, Geppo, Rankyaku, Shigan, or Kami-e.
It had worked.
And that gave him the confidence that Pancham could do the same.
The only question was whether Pancham could push himself hard enough.
In the Six Powers, Tekkai was a technique that allowed the user to harden their body like iron to boost defense. Soru was a high-speed movement technique that used rapid footwork to generate explosive speed, allowing the user to vanish from sight—faster and more powerful than Quick Attack, and perfectly compatible with Pancham's other moves.
Nathan had already drafted a detailed training plan.
Tekkai's principle was to increase blood flow and muscle contraction, making the whole body tighten and harden like steel.
Soru required one to stomp the ground rapidly dozens of times in an instant to generate a burst of reactive force that launched the user at incredible speeds.
As he thought it through, Nathan jotted notes into his notebook.
Warm orange light filled the room.
At some point, the little guy had fallen sound asleep. A bubble formed at its nose, its limbs spread wide in a '大' shape, completely passed out.
Nathan didn't disturb him. He gently tucked Pancham in and continued refining the training plan.
A while later, Nathan grabbed a bite to eat, then finally closed his notebook, yawned, turned off the light, and went to bed around 1:00 AM.
…
In the blink of an eye, nearly half a month had passed.
Throughout this time, Nathan had stuck to Pancham's training schedule without a single day off—not even when it rained.
Initially, Pancham protested. But seeing Nathan working just as hard every day, he eventually gritted his teeth and pushed through the grind.
After each day's training, Nathan would spend 2,000 Pokécoins to buy special bath materials from the system shop to help Pancham recover and relieve any strain or lingering internal injuries.
It was exhausting—but the results were undeniable.
One morning, at 8:00 AM.
Pokémon Center.
Standing before the receptionist, Nathan smiled and said, "Hello. I'd like to apply to become a registered Pokémon Trainer."