Meeting gift.
Poliwhirl scratched its head.
Aren't we in a battle?
I've never seen anything like this before.
It glanced at the harmless Togepi obediently retreating to the side, listening to the audience's jeers about the consequences if it dared to move first.
In the end, Poliwhirl couldn't resist the allure of the gift in front of it.
After a moment's thought, it reached for the box.
On the opposite side, Natsuhiko also showed a thoughtful expression.
How powerful could Togepi's gift technique be?
He was a bit curious about that too.
As Poliwhirl slowly opened the box, a hint of slyness flashed in Togepi's eyes as it looked down at its tiny paws.
Boom!!!
A sudden loud bang, right at the moment Poliwhirl opened the box.
Huge flames surged from the explosion.
The audience, who had been jeering about Togepi's cuteness and harmlessness just moments ago, fell silent.
Amid the rising dust, Poliwhirl's battered figure was blown backward.
It fell heavily to the ground, its eyes taking on a pattern similar to the one on its chest.
Unable to fight.
Poliwhirl's luck seemed to be quite bad.
It triggered the lowest probability of the gift technique, resulting in destructive power comparable to ultimate techniques of various attributes.
The technique compendium records a power of 120 points.
With no defenses and at such close range, just one hit was enough to make it lose the ability to fight.
No one expected a small gift to have such destructive power.
When everyone looked at Togepi, they saw it frozen in place, only reacting after a long pause, toddling towards Natsuhiko.
Was it really a coincidence?
Or just luck?
It must be Poliwhirl's bad luck.
This cute Togepi surely had no ill intentions.
The referee, after a moment of shock, awkwardly announced, "The winner is Togepi!"
"Togepi——"
Togepi curled up in Natsuhiko's arms, sneakily lifting its head, blinking, with none of the fear from before.
Natsuhiko gave a subtle smile.
This was the tactic he and Togepi devised yesterday — no matter who the opponent was, start with a coquettish move followed by a gift. Regardless of the outcome, at least they seized the initiative.
In hindsight, Togepi's acting skill was exemplary.
The opponent hadn't been too wary of it.
One battle won.
Win one more, and they'd qualify for a lottery draw.
Poliwhirl's trainer dejectedly recalled Poliwhirl, wanting to say something but drowned out by the cheering crowd.
Quickly.
Natsuhiko's second opponent appeared before him.
A cute girl with twin braids in a pink dress, seemingly quite young.
Her youthful and vibrant appearance caught a lot of attention.
Clearly, this girl had also won a match; only one of them could get the lottery chance.
"Please send out your Pokémon," the referee said, raising a flag.
The girl wore a confident smile, having seen the earlier match between Togepi and Poliwhirl.
To her, Togepi was feigning weakness. However, luck wasn't on Poliwhirl's side, getting the lowest probability outcome.
She was different.
With preparations made, why not just refuse Togepi's gift?
She tossed out a Pokeball.
In a flash of red light, appeared a Vulpix.
Resembling a fox with reddish-brown soft fur, brown, pupil-less, amber-like eyes, large pointed ears, and its most distinctive feature — six curled orange tails.
"Vulpix——"
"This Vulpix is so cute too——"
"..."
Vulpix sat elegantly grooming its fur, drawing many eyes from the stands.
For a moment, the audience was divided over whether Togepi or Vulpix was cuter.
"Don't let down your guard just because the opponent is cute."
Natsuhiko gently reminded Togepi near its ear before placing it on the ground.
The previous opponent had relaxed after seeing Togepi's cute and harmless appearance, so Natsuhiko reminded Togepi not to repeat Poliwhirl's mistake.
Based on observations of Vulpix's fur color and spirit, he judged that this Vulpix might be stronger than the previous Poliwhirl.
But those words seemed to have a different flavor in Togepi's ears.
"Togepi?!"
It's cute?
Togepi lifted its head, seeing Natsuhiko staring at Vulpix, pondering how to achieve victory more effectively.
"Togepi!"
Puffing its cheeks, its gaze shifted as if it became a different individual.
It's cute?!
Natsuhiko looked surprised at Togepi, sensing its current state clearly.
It seemed like he'd never seen Togepi so determined before…
Wasn't it always playful and quirky?
After a thought, he shook his head.
This was good too.
As a Pokémon, Togepi lacked a bit of a competitive spirit, perhaps why it managed well in the perilous underground tunnels.
But now, even that competitive spirit was filled in.
That was a good thing.
Vulpix noticed Togepi's hostile gaze and dropped its laid-back demeanor, standing up with a serious attitude.
"Battle start!"
As the referee's flag dropped, signaling the start of the match.
"Vulpix, Flame Vortex." The girl issued the command promptly, not giving Togepi a chance to act coquettish.
Suddenly, Vulpix's orange fur shone brighter, spewing a spiral of flames from its mouth.
"Togepi, Water Fluctuation."
"Togepi!"
The adorably fierce Togepi raised its hands, a deep-blue water orb gathering at its chest, meeting Vulpix's flames head-on.
Ssss——
The hot flames clashed with the water, hissing as it extinguished, creating thick steam.
In the next moment.
Vulpix dived into the mist, concealing its figure.
Natsuhiko frowned, seeing Togepi at a speed disadvantage.
"Dawn."
Togepi's entire body emitted a radiant light, resonating with the sunlight above, drawing it upon itself to restore its energy.
Foom——
Vulpix's figure flickered, emerging from the mist, its surprise strike cloaked in dense black energy hit Togepi.
But the light surrounding Togepi rapidly absorbed into its form, instantly compensating for the damage caused by the surprise strike thanks to Dawn's recovery.
Thud.
Togepi landed on its feet, eyes filled with resentment.
That hurt, it thought.
"Waving Finger." Seeing the opponent out of the mist, Natsuhiko calmly instructed.
"Togepi!"
Togepi's eyes glinted, its arms glowing lightly as it began to sway.
It had waited long for this technique.
Waving Finger completed.
Togepi's feet suddenly summoned a surge of water, lifting it atop a wave while it charged toward Vulpix.
Surfing!
Vulpix, just landing, saw the oncoming surge of water, momentarily panicked.
But quickly, its body lit with green light, forming a protective shield, defending against the Surfing attack.
Togepi, bypassing Vulpix, saw Surfing failed to take effect, puffed its cheeks, and shook its finger again.
Simultaneously, its eyes turned black, instinctively using the Trick technique.
Soon after.
Togepi slowly lifted its foot, stomping heavily on the ground.
Rumble——
A straight ripple of tremors, originating from Togepi's foot, quickly rushed towards the Vulpix, just finished defending and catching a breath.
Bang!
Power of Earth hit Vulpix squarely, launching it several meters before it fell heavily to the ground.
Vulpix's trainer stood dumbfounded at Togepi's fierce appearance.
So, Waving Finger is a targeted technique?