5 PM.
Baimu finished learning Dragon Dive.
He looked at the Pokeball of Deino, with a somewhat complicated expression.
Is there really such a big gap between Pokémon? He initially planned to teach Aggron first, and then have Aggron help Deino in return.
Yet, Deino accompanied the wild Aggron in practicing Dragon Dive time and again, and within just a few hours, it had already progressed to the point where it could gather Dragon Attribute Energy at its head.
Only one step away from a full release.
Although it does have an advantage as a Dragon Attribute Pokémon in learning Dragon Attribute moves, it shouldn't be this fast, right?
Previously, when learning moves, it didn't progress this quickly. How did it suddenly catch up?
It's puzzling.
Evidently, even classmates like Aggron felt a bit unbalanced with this transfer student, and as a trainer, Baimu felt a little envious of its talent—such a young dragon—
But in the end, Deino is his kid, so those thoughts quickly disappeared.
The sky hadn't darkened yet.
The beach was already bustling with noise, various stages and fireworks cannons were being set up, a large array of grills was neatly arranged, and fresh ingredients were being transported to the beach in batches.
There were even many vendors setting up their stalls.
But most of all, there were tourists who came for the beach bonfire party, standing in groups by the beach, eagerly waiting to enter and enjoy it hugely.
"Hey! I've been watching you for a long time! Let's have a Pokémon battle!"
"I'd love that!"
These kinds of conversations often happen among trainers with time to spare.
Baimu was no exception, as he engaged in a battle with a girl who appeared a bit nervous but still mustered the courage to challenge him.
From her use of Combusken, she was likely a trainer who hadn't been traveling for long.
Against such a trainer, Baimu didn't think of using Aggron to bully her.
"Dragon's Pulse!"
Deino gathered a mass of indigo flames in its mouth and fiercely spewed it out, turning it into a snarling energy dragon lunging at Combusken!
The newly learned move just fit the occasion.
"Evade it!"
The girl urgently commanded, prompting Combusken to swiftly dodge to the side, narrowly avoiding the Dragon Flame, "Rush in with Double Kick!"
"Maw!"
Adjusting its posture, Combusken swiftly charged toward Deino.
But as it approached, the aura of the Fire-type Pokémon was immediately detected by Deino, "Mawl!"
"Power of the Earth!"
With Baimu's timely command, Deino's claws stomped the ground heavily, and the land in front of it suddenly glowed with yellow light.
"Quick, dodge it!" the girl shouted nervously.
Unfortunately, the sprinting Combusken failed to stop in time, as if rushing into the attack willingly, standing right on top of that heated yellow glow.
The next moment.
Boom!
Vast Ground Attribute Energy burst forth, erupting into flames and smoke, blasting Combusken into the air!
As the smoke cleared, it fell to the ground, spinning on a single paw, displaying swirly eyes.
"Combusken!"
The girl hurried to cradle Combusken.
Luckily, Deino had intentionally held back when striking, so when the trainer gave it a shake, the unconscious Combusken woke up, looking at the girl a bit apologetically, "Mawo~"
"It's okay, you've done very well."
The girl shook her head.
On the other side.
Baimu was enduring licks from Deino, who was overly excited upon realizing its victory, "Alright, alright, no need to get so excited, I know you're awesome, that's enough now."
He picked it up and approached the girl, "Is Combusken okay?"
"It's fine."
The girl and Combusken stood up together, with a few singe marks on its feathers but otherwise in decent condition, she admired, "Your Deino is amazing, we're not opponents at all."
"It's just accumulated experience, you can do it too."
The two shook hands, marking the end of this beachside battle.
The crowd watching immediately issued challenges to both of them after the battle. The girl accepted because she had other Pokémon to join, but Baimu refused.
"Sorry, I need to use the restroom."
The excited trainers had to give up.
——
After attending to his biological needs.
Baimu wiped his hands with a tissue while watching the distant crowded beach.
With so many people, how many will participate in the Pokémon Exchange Festival?
Maybe he might find a Pokémon he likes at the exchange... but he had no individual to trade, which was quite frustrating.
If only...
"If only I could snag all the Pokémon."
Huh?
Baimu was taken aback, then turned towards a small grove nearby. What he heard wasn't his inner voice coming out, but someone else's voice.
He quietly crept over and peeked through the bushes, finding two people dressed in sailor shirts and ragged shorts, wearing black bandanas with a skull-like emblem.
...Watercraft Team?
This villain organization wasn't disbanded yet.
In the animation plot, the Watercraft and Magma Teams had awakened Kyogre and Groudon, causing a feud between them, but with Lance and Ash Ketchum's intervention, the long-standing rivalry between the two organizations was resolved.
Both leaders should have been arrested, so why weren't they disbanded, and instead engaging in petty theft like Rocket Team?
Baimu listened quietly, activating his phone's recording feature, only to discover these two were actually not Watercraft Team members, but some petty thieves trying to exploit the Watercraft Team's name for wrongdoing.
They acted because of rumors about the Watercraft Team doing something on Martial Arts Island.
And decided to take advantage of that.
Their method to deceive Pokémon was very basic, reminiscent of a switch machine once used by James and other villains, swapping empty Pokeballs with those containing Pokémon.
This trick could only fool kids, right?
Baimu smirked, turning off his phone's recording and releasing Chansey.
Bang!
The sound of the Pokeball opening made the two men quickly turn around, "Who's there!"
"Who's there?"
"Red Scarf, use Sing."
Baimu waved his hand, and Chansey released hypnotic sound waves in those crooks' shocked gaze, "La la la~ La la li~"
Unprepared, they instantly fell into a slumber.
"Planning behind the restrooms and not even leaving a Pokémon to guard. The plan's just as brainless..." He picked the two up like chicks and sighed, "Let's take you to have a nice chat with Miss Jun Sha, gentlemen."
He hadn't expected that just as he was about to leave.
Two more people in Watercraft Team uniforms, accompanied by Mightyena, appeared before him.
Baimu quickly dropped the two and shouted, "Telekinesis—"
"Wait! Wait!"
The two Watercraft Team members raised their hands and shouted, but Chansey was much faster, lifting them and the lunging Mightyena into the air.
"You've got it wrong. We're here to catch the thieves. Although we look similar, we're not with them!" one of them explained with a wrinkled brow yet in a nice tone.
Hearing this, Baimu relaxed his expression, "You're the real ones?"