The battle lasted only a few minutes.

Gary owned a Squirtle.

Squirtle was a petite, light-blue Pokémon resembling a turtle, featuring an aerodynamic and grooved shell that facilitated swift movement through water and provided defense in combat. Squirtle shielded its body by a shell adorned with openings, allowing its limbs, tail, and head to protrude. Despite its turtle-like nature, Squirtle stood on two legs.

Meanwhile, Reto owned Petilil.

When students learned of that fact, they whispered among themselves as always.

Petilil, a plant Pokémon resembling a bulb, featured a light green body with a round shape. Its head bore three oblong leaves indicating its health, while its crescent-shaped face sported elongated oval brown eyes. With a green "bib" on its neck and stubby arms and legs. The bitter leaves on its head possess revitalizing effects and are sought after by the elderly.

Yep, this Pokémon.

To say the least, it shocked everyone.

Reto's Petilil faced off against Gary's Squirtle.

Logically speaking, Petilil boasted higher ground. Squirtle stood no chance.

And yet...

Reto shouted, "Petilil, start with Magical Leaf!"

The Petilil took off, its leaves glowing, and released a torrent of leaves toward Squirtle. The leaves flew at a dizzying speed.

Gary smirked confidently and commanded his Squirtle, "Heh, Squirtle, use Protect!" The water Pokémon did so, successfully defending against the oncoming attack.

Another rich dude. Well, Gary should be rich to begin with.

Reto growled, "Damn it! Squirtle's shell is too hard! Petilil, wear him down with Mega Drain!" he exclaimed, hoping to drain Squirtle's strength.

Petilil shot out a beam of green energy. The beam traveled straight towards Squirtle.

The draining energy struck the Water-type Pokémon, sapping away at its health.

"Like I'm gonna let you do that!” Gary retorted with a smirk. He did not panic. Instead, he commanded, “Squirtle, intercept it with Water Gun and get close!"

Squirtle unleashed a powerful stream of water. The water attack sent Petilil back, knocking away its attack and closing in on it.

Thinking quickly, Reto shouted, "Petilil, use Stun Spore!"

I suppose it was a good move. It could immobilize Squirtle, and that was exactly what Reto aimed to do to turn the tide in his favor. But Gary only chuckled mockingly in response.

"On a scale of one to ten, I give you five for that. Squirtle! Blow that pesky spore away with Rapid Spin and use Water Gun while you're inside!" Gary commanded confidently.

Squirtle withdrew in its shell and spun rapidly, creating a swirl of air around it. it dispersed the spores, and followed up with another blast of water.

Reto's eyes widened in shock. "What!? No!" he exclaimed, realizing his strategy had failed. He desperately tried to come up with a new plan as Gary taunted him.

"This makes me bored! Squirtle, use Water Gun again to send this pathetic excuse for a seed away!" Gary sneered, reveling in his apparent victory. Reto couldn't afford to give up from his expression.

I wondered why.

"Hang on, Petilil! Use Magical Leaf once more!" Reto called out.

Petilil obeyed its trainer and attacked with Magical Leaf once more. The leaves surrounded Squirtle before slamming down into Squirtle.

"You fool! Squirtle, hit that damn weed with Mirror Coat!" Gary commanded confidently.

This move shocked me.

An egg move.

Squirtle executed it flawlessly. The water Pokémon raised a glowing hand and created a forcefield, reflecting the Magical Leaf, and closing in on Petilil with an extra powerful burst.

Desperation filled Reto's voice as he shouted, "No! Petilil, quick, use Mega Drain!" he shouted.

He wanted his Pokémon to regain some health, but he couldn't make it possible now.

It was too late.

"Squirtle, charge through Mega Drain!" Gary ordered, seizing the opportunity to deal a devastating blow. Squirtle powered through the draining attack, crashing into Petilil before Reto could react.

"No, Petilil, dodge!" Reto cried out, but his plea fell on deaf ears.

"Too late you slacker! Squirtle! finish this with Tackle!"

Squirtle headbutted Petilil, knocking it out with a single hit.

Squirtle's Tackle connected with Petilil, sending it sprawling to the ground.

Reto's face paled as he realized the battle was over. "Use Mega Drain once more!" he desperately commanded, but it was futile.

Petilil had been hit one time too many, and it fainted, succumbing to Squirtle's relentless onslaught.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

And it was all over.

Defeated, Reto withdrew his fainted Petilil, knowing that he would have to come up with a better strategy if he wanted to defeat Gary in their next encounter.

Frayne announced the result.

"Petilil can't battle! Squirtle wins!"

Cheers made the crowd go wild.

I was shocked; the matchup between Petilil and Squirtle was bad. Squirtle and Petilil were both Pokémon with different types and abilities. Squirtle, a Water-type Pokémon, had a disadvantage against Petilil, a Grass-type Pokémon. In terms of type matchups, Grass-type moves are typically strong against Water-type Pokémon, which means Petilil's Grass-type moves had an advantage over Squirtle.

And yet... Petilil lost.

This only cemented in my brain that Gary was not an idiot. Reto needed to work more.

I had one question in my mind, though. Reto had a Petilil, to begin with. The Academy wouldn't give that out as a starter. My case differed a bit as Castor somehow had a hand behind my Cyndaquil.

So, how did he get it?

When Reto came back, looking dejected, I patted him on the shoulder and said, "You did great, dude."

"Yeah, sure..." he replied.

"Um, hey, Reto; I have a question," I continued.

"Go on, shoot," he responded.

"Where did you get that Petilil from?" I inquired.

"I had it for a while, why?" Reto asked.

"No, nothing," I quickly replied.

“Yeah, well, my clan provided me with it…” Reto sounded strange at the mention of this clan.

I didn’t ask further.

This little exchange between us confirmed a few things.

Reto belonged to a clan. I needed to gather more information about the clans.

And yes, these so-called rich kids should be affiliated with the clans since one clan implied the existence of others.

"Alright, everyone, that's it for today. You performed great! I recorded and observed your battles personally, so expect pointers when we get back to the class," Frayne announced.

That was good.

"For now, go to the Pokémon Center in the Academy and get your Pokémon healed, and then come back to the class," he continued.

After that, everyone dispersed, and I headed to the Pokémon Center with Reto.

I couldn't ask more questions regarding the clans. Not that I would; it would be too suspicious on my part since I believed that the knowledge on clans should be rather public. At least the general information. I knew what I'd be doing today until Frayne gave me 'pointers'. I would look through my watch, more specifically, the internet of this world, to search for any information I could get. I had to admit, it was quite stupid of me not to do this sooner, but who could blame me? I was not coping with the situation well. Heck, I believed it to be a dream for so long!

I had so many questions I wanted answers to.

And it was time to get those answers.

----------------------------------------

"CyndaKiu!"

Cyndaquil hopped on my shoulder after it got healed.

I patted it as a greeting. "Hey there, buddy. Feeling better now?"

It nodded, and snuggled, rubbing its cheek with mine.

"Well, that's good." I chuckled.

…

In the classroom, I found myself staring at Frayne as he meticulously pointed out the mistakes of each battle, one by one, to every student.

I watched him analyze the strategies and tactics employed by trainers, dissecting their flaws and offering insightful suggestions for improvement.

"Okay, onto the next battle," Frayne said, his voice steady as he clicked on the next video.

The battle unfolded before us, displaying Green's Bulbasaur facing off against my Cyndaquil.

“I'll start with Green,” he began, his tone focused. “Cyndaquil, being a Fire type, naturally resists Grass type moves. However, you didn't employ Tackle at all. Instead, you made a calculated move by using Leech Seed when Cyndaquil appeared fatigued. It was a clever choice, as it likely would have evaded the attack if used right away. Speaking of dodging, anyone would think your Bulbasaur knew Ingrain, it basically planted itself and flowered.”

Green's gaze dropped, a hint of a cough escaping her lips.

Wait, Ingrain?

‘Hmm. I need to up my observation.’

"Yes, professor," Green murmured, “It does know Ingrain.”

Was she trying to hide it? Why? Nonetheless, it would inevitably be revealed.

The stifled snickers of the students echoed through the classroom as Frayne let out a weary sigh.

“Following up two Smokescreens with a Razor Leaf, hmm? You’re lucky it hit. Next lesson, I want a rhetoric about move accuracy from you in front of the class. Got it?”

Green nodded obediently, affirming his understanding of the professor's words, “Yes, professor.”

The attention then shifted to me, as Frayne directed his gaze my way. His voice held a hint of disappointment as he began to dissect my battle strategy.

“Now Ian, opening with Ember to apply early damage on Bulbasaur was a clever move, to put stress on Bulbasaur. However, following it up with smokescreen was not so good. It proved to be less favorable. If you had opted for two consecutive Smokescreens instead, Bulbasaur would have encountered considerable difficulty in landing its attacks on Cyndaquil. Now why did you only use Ember for offensive maneuver and disregard the use of Tackle?"

I answered simply, “It's super effective.”

"Yes, but using the same move repeatedly in quick succession strained your Cyndaquil, thereby leaving it vulnerable to the effects of Leech Seed and nullifying the advantages of smokescreen," Frayne explained.

“Oh…”

That was a valid point, I acknowledged. I mentally noted this observation, preparing to improve my tactics in future battles.

"Now, let's address your most significant blunder: Leer followed by Ember. Leer functions by reducing the opponent's physical defense, while Ember is classified as a special attack. The only noteworthy outcome of using Leer was Green's panic, and I cannot commend you for that.

“Even if you find studying other Pokémon's moves and their properties to be bothersome, I expect you to at least familiarize yourself with your own Pokémon's capabilities. The panic induced in Green and the subsequent triggering of Cyndaquil's Blaze ability were the sole factors that secured your victory in this match. Otherwise, your loss was inevitable. In our next lesson, I want you to deliver a speech on the properties of various moves and how they interact with one another. Remember this." Frayne asserted, leaving no room for ambiguity.

“Yes, professor.”

After the class ended, I returned to my room in the dorm. The events of the day had left me with a lot to think about. As I lay down on my bed, I couldn't resist replaying the battles in my mind.

Frayne's pointers proved valuable as they highlighted the flaws in my strategy and compelled me to reflect on my approach to battles. I came to the realization that I needed to diversify my moveset and carefully consider the synergies between different moves. Creating effective strategies relied heavily on understanding the properties and interactions of moves. Frayne's assignment, which required me to deliver a speech on this topic, posed a challenge that I fully intended to confront.

Apart from this, I realized that there was a stark contrast between playing the games or having knowledge of Pokémon and engaging in a real battle.

“Well, for now, let’s just sleep.”

I closed my eyes with that. I knew I needed to learn about Clans as well as other stuff, but that could wait.