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"Chikorita, are you alright!?"
Seeing Chikorita take such heavy damage, Casey's face turned pale, filled with concern.
Even though it had only been two or three days since she started her journey with her Pokémon, Casey had already formed a deep bond with it.
During this time, they had been battling wild Pokémon non-stop, winning one victory after another. Until now, Chikorita had never suffered such a serious defeat.
"Hang in there! Use Growl!"
Chikorita shook its head, clearing the dizziness, and let out a cute cry.
As a basic move, Growl was something many Pokémon could learn.
While it didn't have direct offensive power, it lowered the opponent's Attack stat, making it a useful tool in battle.
Since the sound travelled straight into Dratini's ears, there was no way for it to resist the effects.
Even though Dratini looked the same on the outside, Kai knew that its Attack power had been slightly reduced.
Still, he remained unfazed.
From what he had seen so far, Chikorita wasn't very strong yet.
It only knew a few basic moves, mostly alternating between Tackle and Razor Leaf.
Meanwhile, Dratini was far superior in both stats and move variety.
"Even if our Attack is lowered, it doesn't matter. Dratini, use Dragon Rage!"
Upon hearing Kai's command, Dratini's energy surged.
A second later, a powerful energy blast erupted from its mouth.
BOOM!
The shockwave slammed directly into Chikorita, sending it flying backwards.
There was no time to dodge Chikorita was hit head-on.
After taking two consecutive heavy attacks, its HP had dropped to zero.
It lay motionless on the ground, completely knocked out.
Even though this was Kai's first time battling with Dratini, they had been training under him for quite some time.
So, while both Pokémon were technically in their early stages, Dratini had far more battle experience, making its victory inevitable.
Sabrina cast a glance at Chikorita before announcing calmly:
"Chikorita is unable to battle. Dratini wins."
"Chikorita!!"
Casey immediately rushed over, kneeling down and carefully cradling her Pokémon in her arms.
Fortunately, she was only unconscious and had no serious injuries.
She let out a relieved sigh before looking up at Kai, a hint of disappointment in her voice.
"…I lost."
Honestly, after watching Kai's Indigo League battles, Casey knew he had many powerful Pokémon.
For him to choose Dratini in this battle was already a sign of mercy.
But even so, she had lost so easily showing just how massive the gap between them truly was.
Kai offered a reassuring smile.
"You did well. Even though you lost, Chikorita still has a lot of potential. I'm sure that before long, it'll grow into a strong Pokémon!"
Casey took a deep breath.
Maybe because of her naturally optimistic personality, she quickly bounced back from the loss.
"You're right! Chikorita will definitely get stronger!"
She returned it to its Poké Ball, then glanced at Dratini with awe and admiration.
"But wow… your Dratini is amazing! My Chikorita didn't stand a chance!"
Kai gently petted Dratini's forehead, rewarding it for a battle well done.
Then, he chuckled and said,
"Don't worry about it. Your journey has only just begun. I'm sure you'll catch plenty of rare and powerful Pokémon too."
To his surprise, Casey hesitated slightly.
"Well… I only want to catch Pokémon with yellow and black stripes like Pikachu, Beedrill, and Electabuzz. That's my dream team!"
Hearing this, Sabrina finally raised an eyebrow.
"…Why are you so obsessed with striped Pokémon?"
Casey grinned proudly and puffed out her chest.
"Because my whole family are HUGE fans of the Electabuzz baseball team! And since Electabuzz is yellow, I figured I should train a whole team of striped Pokémon!"
Kai blinked.
He glanced at Casey's outfit, which was also covered in yellow and black stripes.
Then, he shook his head.
"…Wow. That's some next-level sports fan dedication."
—Later, on the road to Violet City—
After saying goodbye to Casey, Kai and Sabrina continued their journey westward.
Along the way, they passed through the Ilex Forest and Donphan Valley.
Finally, by noon the next day, they arrived in Violet City.
Violet City, A Town Steeped in History
Violet City was built along a riverbend, with rolling hills rising in the background.
Despite being fairly large, many parts of the city were covered in dense forests, creating a lush, natural environment.
Even inside the city, wild Pokémon could occasionally be spotted wandering through the trees.
Clearly, this was another city where humans and Pokémon lived in harmony.
Since this was their first time here, Kai opened up his navigation app.
Through the map's description, he learned more about Violet City's key locations:
Pokémon Trainer School – A place where young Trainers studied and trained, hoping to one day become Pokémon Masters.
The Sprout Tower – A famous landmark in the northern part of the city, where monks practised Pokémon training techniques. Most tourists would visit it at least once.
Violet Gym – The official Pokémon League Gym specializing in Flying-type Pokémon. The Gym Leader was Falkner, and defeating him would earn Trainers the Zephyr Badge.
Following the map's guidance, they walked through the city's wide streets.
Eventually, they arrived at their destination...
Violet Gym.
Kai looked up and saw an unusual building in front of him.
The Gym was designed as a 10-story high tower, spiralling upward with countless windows dotting its pale purple exterior.
And, fitting for a Flying-type Gym, the battlefield itself was located at the very top of the tower!
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