Pai Pa, called by Luo Mu, shivered, looking left and right, unsure how he had been discovered, but Luo Mu's gaze was clearly fixed on his temporary hiding place.
Hesitantly, Pai Pa still moved towards Luo Mu and Nemo with a conflicted expression.
Seeing his appearance, Luo Mu knew he was still agonizing over the previous events and couldn't help but inwardly grumble, "What a difficult kid."
Nemo, on the other hand, was a stark contrast to Pai Pa. After observing Pai Pa for a moment, she immediately remembered who he was and energetically waved to the approaching Pai Pa, saying, "Isn't this Pai Pa from Class G?"
"You are..." Called by name, Pai Pa looked up and stared at Nemo for a long time before uncertainly asking, "Nemo from Class A?"
Nemo put her hands on her hips and said, "Didn't we used to take a few classes together? You've forgotten so quickly?"
Pai Pa retorted, "No... It would be strange if I recognized you at first glance with such a big change!"
Pai Pa remembered that before the holidays, Nemo had given him the impression of a cute girl from the next class with twin pigtails. Compared to the energetic girl she was now, who, aside from her consistently fair skin, exuded a sparkling aura from head to toe, the difference was like night and day.
How to put it, it was like suddenly maturing from a childish kid.
Nemo pouted and whispered, "But the teacher recognized me at first glance."
"Did you just say something?" Pai Pa pricked up his ears, as if he hadn't quite heard Nemo's barely audible muttering.
At this moment, a pair of hands rested on each of their shoulders. Luo Mu looked at the empty battle arena next to the training ground and said, "Aren't we going to battle? There's a spot right there."
Luo Mu stood on the left side of the arena and called out to Nemo on the other side, "The battle rules are a one-on-one single battle until a clear winner, no problem?"
Nemo nodded heavily, "No problem!"
Pai Pa, standing in the middle, looked a bit dispirited.
Not only because Luo Mu treated him as if nothing had happened, making his long-standing dilemma seem foolish by comparison, but also because of his current task...
Pai Pa grumbled, "It's just a spar, does it matter if there's a referee or not?"
"The sense of ceremony is also important," Luo Mu called out to Pai Pa, then looked at Nemo and said, "Is battling my Growlithe okay?"
Hearing Luo Mu call him, the Growlithe, who had been lazily lying on the ground, sprang up and ran onto the arena in a few steps.
"Is this... a Growlithe?" Nemo blinked, feeling that this Growlithe was very different from her impression, but that didn't stop her from excitedly sending out Pawmi to confront Growlithe.
Luo Mu spread his hands and said, "You go first."
Nemo nodded, her heart rate gradually quickening. Surprisingly, she wasn't nervous at all; only a surge of powerful excitement welled up in her heart.
Her gaze sharpened, Nemo waved her hand and commanded, "Thunder Shock!"
Pawmi closed its eyes, straining its entire body. The electric sacs on its cheeks first flashed with a few weak sparks, and a few seconds later, a thin stream of golden-yellow electricity burst forth.
Not only the nearly three to four seconds of wind-up, but also its closed eyes, all indicated that Nemo and it were still complete novices.
Luo Mu, without changing his expression, uttered two words: "Dodge it."
Growlithe moved its paws, slightly tilting its body, easily dodging the somewhat inaccurate Thunder Shock.
If it weren't for the inherent speed of electricity, this Thunder Shock would have been no different from slow motion for Growlithe.
Missing its attack, Nemo was not discouraged. She immediately commanded Pawmi to use Quick Attack, charging towards Growlithe, enveloped in white light.
"Endure it, Howl," Luo Mu said.
As a Rock-type Pokémon, Growlithe had more than enough resistance to withstand Pawmi's attack.
Pawmi crashed head-on into Growlithe's mane, which contained igneous rock components, pushing Growlithe back half a meter.
Growlithe ignored Pawmi's attack, a glint flashing in its eyes hidden beneath its fur. It raised its head and howled towards the sky.
The next moment, a faint red glow of ability enhancement enveloped Growlithe. Facing Pawmi, who was charging again, Growlithe gathered its strength and headbutted it!
"Paw!"
Pawmi felt a dull pain from the point of impact, then was directly sent flying by Growlithe's headbutt, its body uncontrollably flying backward.
Pawmi fell to the ground, its once sleek orange fur covered in a good deal of dust, looking somewhat disheveled.
"Pawmi!" Nemo gasped with worried surprise. Pawmi struggled to its feet, defiantly calling out to Nemo a few times, seemingly telling her not to worry and that it still had the strength to battle.
Nemo seemed naturally suited for battle. After nodding heavily, her face filled with determination, she loudly declared, "We must prove our strength to the teacher! Use Sonic Punch on Growlithe!"
Nemo remembered that when her father gave her Pawmi, he had specifically emphasized Pawmi's special qualities.
Its ability is Iron Fist, which can increase the power of punching moves. At the same time, Pawmi learned Sonic Punch after hatching from its Pokémon Egg. The combination of the two can be called Nemo and Pawmi's strongest attack method.
Pawmi struggled to stand on its hind legs, its adorable eyes becoming sharp. Its paw-padded hands clenched into fists, and white light immediately enveloped its fists.
Pawmi charged forward a few times, reaching Growlithe. Its fists, accompanied by gusts of wind, quickly swung to attack Growlithe!
Growlithe endured the rapid punches from Pawmi. Even with its excellent body hardness, it now felt the pain from the super effective attacks.
Luo Mu's eyes lit up slightly. In his battle with Nemo, he had been in a state of countering every move. His goal was also to see how much combat power Nemo and Pawmi could display.
The conclusion was very pleasing. Although their command and awareness were still very immature, Luo Mu could already see the talent they possessed.
With the conclusion drawn, there was no need to hold back anymore.
Among the moves Growlithe currently possessed, there were two that could counter Pawmi.
The Egg Move Double-Edge and the naturally learned move Flame Wheel.
Considering Growlithe had only been born three days ago, Double-Edge would not only place a heavy burden on its body but also easily cause Pawmi to fall into a severely injured state. Luo Mu quickly made a decision and said, "Growlithe, counter with Flame Wheel!"
Enduring Pawmi's attack, Growlithe quickly curled its body into a wheel shape, and flames naturally covered its entire body.
Pawmi involuntarily stopped its attack, burned by the flames. At this moment, Growlithe's Flame Wheel also finished charging, and the high-speed spinning Flame Wheel directly sent Pawmi flying!
