Chapter 132: I Want to Experience the Same Pain as You

Jiang Hai and Yang Fu exchanged glances. Seeing that Tang Yi was serious, they finally relayed the latest instructions to their Pokémon.

No more holding back.

Pikachu flicked her yellow ears and chuckled. "Your trainer is really tough on you, isn't he? Two-on-one, and he's ordered us to attack at full power. You'd better be careful!"

Cottonee, who had a good relationship with Ralts, checked in as well: "Ralts, we won't hold back anymore. Are you ready?"

"It's fine. Come."

"Thunder Shock!"

"Razor Leaf!"

They stuck to the same two moves. While they were going all out, for the sake of the training, Pikachu refrained from using physical moves like Quick Attack, and Cottonee avoided control moves like Sleep Powder.

However, once they stopped restraining their power, the intensity of the drill spiked immediately. The yellow electricity crackled faster, and the number of razor-sharp leaves flying through the air more than doubled.

Ralts still managed to block them with a strained Psychic barrier. The back-and-forth in her final match during the second round of selection had, to some extent, improved her ability to handle pressure.

Pikachu looked surprised and joked, "Hey, you're making us look a bit incompetent here. We really won't hold back this time!"

In truth, both sides had been pulling their punches during the previous round. After all, they weren't mortal enemies, and the girls usually got along well, so they naturally looked out for each other. But Pikachu and Cottonee had their pride; being blocked so easily in a two-on-one match was embarrassing.

This time, Pikachu and Cottonee were completely serious.

Ralts' mental strength was superior, and relying on her faster execution of Psychic, she managed to block the leaves and electricity again. But the pressure on her was immense. The exchange lasted less than a minute, but several attacks had already landed. None hit vital spots—just arms or legs—but the sight of those jagged wounds made one wince in pain.

Everyone could see that if this continued, Ralts would collapse soon—unless she could learn to use Light Screen and Reflect to block energy and physical attacks respectively.

That was, after all, the goal of the training.

Five minutes later, the session was temporarily paused. Li Yaowen noticed that Ralts was reaching her limit. He shook his head and said to Tang Yi, "Take a break and treat Ralts first."

With Li Yaowen supervising, he ensured they stopped just in time before Ralts was overwhelmed. Tang Yi didn't wait for a second prompt; he grabbed a Super Potion spray and jogged over.

Ralts was stubborn. Perhaps because others were watching, she didn't want to show any weakness. She forced a smile and said, "I-it's actually fine. I can hold on a bit longer. I feel like I'm just on the verge of mastering the trick to Light Screen."

"Stop talking. Let me spray some medicine on you." Tang Yi didn't skimp on the expensive medicine, evenly coating the wounds on Ralts' arms and legs. Fortunately, none were deep. After the spray, the stinging pain eased significantly, and Ralts' expression relaxed.

"Rest for a while," Li Yaowen ordered, noting that all the Pokémon needed to recover their stamina. Tang Yi didn't show too much concern, lest it make the subsequent training difficult; after all, Zhang Chen and the others were here to help, and he didn't want to add to their mental burden.

During the break, Tang Yi suddenly said to Jiang Hai's Pikachu, "Pikachu, could you do me a favor?"

Pikachu grinned. "You want me to hold back later, right? I know, I was a bit impulsive just now, I shouldn't have..."

"No. Could you use Thunder Shock on me once?"

Pikachu jumped in shock. "Are you crazy? Using moves on a human is against the rules!"

"It's fine. It's just us here, and Thunder Shock is a low-power move. It won't be a big deal."

Jiang Hai also found this strange. "What are you doing? We're just trainers; isn't it enough to watch from the sidelines?"

Tang Yi shook his head, his tone serious. "No, I want to know how much it hurts to be hit by Thunder Shock. As a human, I can't fight alongside Ralts, but as her trainer, I at least want to know how hard she is working."

His words left everyone and the Pokémon stunned. Li Yaowen had a retort on the tip of his tongue but swallowed it after a moment of hesitation. Jiang Hai, as a trainer, remained rational and didn't quite approve.

But after a long silence, Pikachu impatiently waved her hand. "Whatever, I don't care anymore."

As she passed by Tang Yi, Pikachu casually unleashed a Thunder Shock. She had dialed the power down to the absolute minimum, yet the moment it touched him, Tang Yi couldn't control the violent spasms that racked his body for a good while.

That was truly numbing!

"Pikachu!" Jiang Hai's tone wasn't particularly stern.

"Oops, I accidentally used a bit too much. Don't worry, he'll be fine." Pikachu glanced at Tang Yi, her eyes showing a hint of genuine admiration.

Cottonee walked over with a smile. "So, do you need me to let you taste my Razor Leaf too?"

"Go ahead."

Yang Fu knew he couldn't stop it now and sighed, "Be careful."

Cottonee summoned a single leaf and flicked her finger. It grazed Tang Yi's right arm, drawing blood within seconds. The wound was shallow, but it carried the sharp, searing pain of a blade.

"You—you idiot!" Ralts wanted to scold him.

"So this is the pain you've been enduring during training? Is it very hard?" Tang Yi said softly.

"I-it's actually okay. Our physiology as Pokémon is different from you humans," Ralts said, hanging her head. "Are you all right?"

The girl hesitated for a moment, then reached out and gently touched the cut made by the leaf, her eyes filled with heartache.

"I can't stand on the field with you, so I suddenly wanted to know how much it hurts when you get injured in matches. It might be stupid, but let's do our best together!"

"Yeah, let's do our best! I will definitely master Light Screen and Reflect!" Ralts was suddenly filled with fighting spirit. She pulled away from Tang Yi's hand and looked at Pikachu and Cottonee. "I'm rested. Let's continue!"

The two girls looked at each other, stunned by the sudden display of affection they hadn't expected. Although they thought Tang Yi's actions were foolish and unnecessary—perhaps even a bit performative for Ralts—they couldn't help but think that if their own trainers did the same, they would be deeply moved.

Thinking this, they suddenly felt a pang of envy toward Ralts.