The Ursaring was level 33, making it a formidable opponent not to be underestimated.
On Leon's side, his highest level Pokémon was Scyther at level 28. While levels didn't completely determine a Pokémon's combat ability, a full 5 level gap wasn't something that could be easily overcome. Therefore, thorough preparations were necessary before the battle.
"I can't rely on the players for this. Uncle Walter and Beedrill need to stay and guard the territory. Looks like I'll have to handle this myself."
Leon felt somewhat helpless. He hadn't summoned the players long enough for them to grow strong yet. For now, he still had to deal with things personally.
"It'll be better once the players get stronger," Leon consoled himself. "First, let's do a draw. Maybe I'll get something useful."
He had received three draw chances as an achievement reward earlier but hadn't used them yet.
"No rituals this time. I believe in my luck. Just draw!" Leon declared confidently.
[Congratulations! You have obtained: Poké Ball ×3, Poké Ball ×3, Poké Ball ×3]
"???"
"Are my eyes playing tricks on me?"
Leon rubbed his eyes and looked again, but the text on the panel remained unchanged.
Staring at the nine Poké Balls in his inventory, Leon decided that from now on, he should pray to Arceus before drawing. His own luck was completely unreliable!
"Still, getting Poké Balls isn't bad. They might come in handy against the Ursaring."
Leon recalled the scene earlier when he helped Aron escape. He could use Poké Balls to disrupt Ursaring's attacks.
Just as he was still thinking of ways to deal with Ursaring, Aron came running in.
"Aron, Aron!" It gestured excitedly at Leon.
"You want to join the battle too?"
"Aron!" Aron nodded vigorously.
It was already deeply grateful to Leon for taking it in. Upon hearing that Leon was going to fight Ursaring, it immediately came to volunteer.
"You're still young. Wait—what? You're level 18?"
Leon had never checked Aron's level before, assuming it had just hatched recently. But it turned out to be level 18.
Aron's appearance was truly deceptive. Most Pokémon would have evolved twice by level 18, but it was still in its basic form.
"Looks can be deceiving. Alright, you can come with us. We'll fight together."
"Aron!"
Aron cheered excitedly. It had always loved adventure and battle, which was why it had sneaked out in the first place.
Back in its herd, it often roughhoused with its peers, which was how it reached such a high level. But those little scuffles weren't real battles. It longed for a proper fight.
"Rest well. Once you've fully recovered by tomorrow, we'll take on Ursaring."
Though Leon wanted to deal with Ursaring immediately to complete the side quest, Scyther had been hit by a flying rock earlier and needed time to recover. They would have to wait until tomorrow.
Satisfied, Aron left, only for Bounsweet to hop in next, the Grassy Gem still balanced on its head.
"Bou!"
"No!"
Before Bounsweet could even speak, Leon shut it down.
He knew this little one also wanted to fight.
"This is a battle between level 20 and 30 powerhouses. What can you, a level 8, even do? You want Ursaring to gobble you up in one bite?"
"Bou!" (＞﹏＜)
"Don't give me that pouty face. Besides, you barely know any moves. How are you supposed to fight? If you had even one usable move, I'd consider bringing you."
"Bou?" (Really?)
Leon hesitated for a moment. Did this little one have some hidden talent?
But then he reconsidered. What could a level 8 Bounsweet possibly know? Rapid Spin? What good would that do?
The only use would be making it easier for Ursaring to eat it. The bear would chomp down, and Bounsweet would Rapid Spin, shedding its skin right into Ursaring's mouth.
No matter how he looked at it, Leon couldn't imagine Bounsweet having any useful moves. So he confirmed,
"Really. If you know even one useful move, I'll bring you."
"Bou bou!"
Bounsweet grinned confidently, then closed its eyes and began gathering energy. The Grassy Gem on its head glowed faintly.
At first, Leon thought it was just putting on an act. But as time passed, tiny blades of grass sprouted around Bounsweet.
"This can't be..."
Leon reached out to touch the grass, sensing a peculiar energy within.
"It really is Grassy Terrain!"
Leon stared in shock at the panting Bounsweet.
Grassy Terrain was an incredibly useful move. It boosted Grass type moves and restored the HP of Pokémon standing on it.
Unlike in the games, there was no turn limit in reality. As long as the user had the stamina and energy, the terrain could be maintained indefinitely.
The move was undeniably useful—but how had Bounsweet learned it?
Then Leon noticed the Grassy Gem on Bounsweet's head.
Was it because of this?
In the games, Grassy Gem only boosted the power of one Grass type move. It didn't say anything about teaching moves.
It seemed these in game items had additional effects in reality.
"Bou bou!"
Thrilled at successfully using Grassy Terrain, Bounsweet looked at Leon proudly, its expression screaming, "Praise me!"
"That move takes way too long to activate. And with so few blades of grass, the healing effect is practically negligible."
Bounsweet immediately puffed its cheeks in frustration. How dare he dismiss the move it worked so hard to learn!
"But! I have to admit the move is useful. You can join the battle. But you stay in the back and follow my orders."
"Bou!" Bounsweet's mood instantly brightened as it leaped toward Leon.
Leon caught it and gently stroked its sepals.
Truthfully, he had just been teasing Bounsweet. Inside, he was proud of it.
Learning Grassy Terrain at level 8, even with the Grassy Gem's help, was impressive. It proved Bounsweet had remarkable talent.
And it had worked so hard to learn the move just to help him. He couldn't ignore that sincerity.
"With this, we'll have three fighters tomorrow: Scyther at level 28, Aron at 18, and Bounsweet at 8."
"Scyther is our main attacker. Aron can harass the enemy, and Bounsweet provides support from the rear. Combined with my items, we should stand a chance against that Ursaring."
Leon mentally compared their strengths, estimating about a 70% chance of victory. Even if they lost, they could definitely escape.
This put his mind at ease, but he still prepared multiple contingency plans. Unlike the players, he didn't have the luxury of respawning.
While Leon finalized his preparations, the players had already completed their daily tasks and logged off early.
They couldn't wait to ask Leaf what it felt like to die in the game—and what the penalty system was like.
(End of Chapter)