Chapter 77

With great interest, Venti installed and loaded "Pokemon Auto Chess."

"The graphics and models are really impressive, as if the real world has been miniaturized on the screen."

Since it was an internal closed beta test, there wasn't a public matchmaking system yet, so in his first game, all his opponents were computer-controlled players.

Ding!

A lineup of chess pieces appeared on the screen: four one-cost cards and one two-cost card.

Having no experience with handheld games, much less auto-chess mechanics, Venti hadn't quite grasped the meaning behind the bonds between chess pieces or the lineup formations. Then, the war drums sounded.

The countdown to the appearance of wild monsters in the first round began.

With only 1 Mora Coin, he quickly bought a one-cost card and placed it on the board.

It was a Geodude!

The wild monsters began attacking the Geodude.

Venti, slightly nervous, watched as Geodude activated its skill, flinging a rock from a distance to instantly defeat one of the wild monsters, then charging bravely into the group.

Half health… low health…

"Victory!"

The sound of a trumpet signaled his win.

Venti sighed in relief. Before he could celebrate, the chess lineup for the second round refreshed, revealing a beam of light surrounding a second Geodude.

Additionally, the lineup now included Caterpie (1-cost), Weedle (1-cost), Gastly (2-cost), and Charmander (3-cost). Finally, with 30 seconds to strategize, Venti carefully examined the "bonds" that each Pokémon had.

Caterpie's Bond: Swarm and Quick Growth.

Weedle shared the same bonds.

Gastly's Bond: Levitate and Mischief.

"With the Swarm Bond, you can summon a random Bug-type chess piece after an ally Bug-type is defeated?"

Venti didn't quite understand the higher-level strategy of the Bug lineup yet.

"Quick Growth is more straightforward. With two different Bug-types on the board, two one-star cards can upgrade to two-star cards."

With 3 Mora Coins this round, Venti bought both Caterpie and Weedle, then leveled up his population.

He placed both Bug-types on the board, and upon refreshing, saw another Caterpie in the shop.

He bought it for 1 Mora and added it to the field.

Ding!

There were now two Caterpie and one Weedle on the field.

In a normal setup, it would require three identical Pokémon to evolve.

But with the Quick Growth Bond…

An evolution light enveloped Caterpie, and the piece evolved into Metapod!

However, the combat power of the "two-star card" Metapod was actually less than that of the one-cost, one-star Geodude.

In his first match against human and machine players, Venti was defeated.

He scratched his head, slightly confused.

"I get it! That's why Quick Growth is necessary."

"If Bug-type pieces didn't have that trait and couldn't be upgraded to a three-star form, they'd be practically useless!"

Curious, Venti began focusing directly on the Bug-type lineup.

Refresh! Refresh!

Ding! After four or five rounds, Metapod evolved into a three-star Butterfree.

In the round after its evolution, Venti's team, now with three pieces, finally won a match against a 5-piece lineup, the top computer-controlled player with maximum economy and HP.

It was a bloody battle!

"Gust, Supersonic, Stun Spore… it has three skills, which is amazing!"

But…

Venti's triumphant smile quickly faded.

Butterfree only led him to two victories before, in the eleventh round, a computer opponent brought in a two-star Charmeleon with fire-based moves.

Venti watched as the opponent's Charmeleon easily dispatched Butterfree with its Fire Spin skill, leaving it with barely a sliver of health.

"Hold on! Taking out a two-star with a three-star Pokémon in seconds? Even as a three-cost card, that's too much damage!"

Venti's trainer lost over ten points of health, leaving him at the bottom of the eight players.

With little health, no population advantage, and low economy, it became a last stand. 

Just before being eliminated in eighth place, Venti finally understood why Charmeleon's damage was so high.

"Fire counters Bug-types… so that's why the damage was so intense…"

Looking at the darkened game screen, Venti muttered to himself.

"Seems like there's a lot to this game!"

"It's not just about bonds and lineups—you have to consider type matchups too!"

Initially just playing casually, Venti's emerald eyes now took on a glint of determination.

In the same camp, Zhongli observed his Kubfu training independently, then turned his attention to the game screen on his Pokédex and clicked Start.

Which game was this? He had forgotten.

The learning curve for Zhongli was similar to Venti's. In his first game, he placed eighth, and in his second, he began to figure out lineups and bond combinations, but his rank only improved slightly.

Then came the third game, the fourth, and the fifth.

Before he knew it, the whole morning had flown by in cheerful gaming.

Boom—

On the screen, the earth trembled.

Zhongli watched as his 8-population Rock-type lineup was defeated by the computer's 8-population Water-type lineup, his expression growing slightly dark.

His three-star Onix, with its towering presence, was his main unit.

But the opponent's three-star Blastoise, the final form of the Water-type, unleashed a Hydro Pump that wiped out his Onix in an instant.

"Rock and Ground are both countered by Water," he murmured, shaking his head, a mixture of regret and amusement.

"If only my main unit were a three-star Rock-type Tyranitar with a five-cost orange card, the results might have been different."

In that game, he achieved fourth place and began mastering the gameplay of "Pokemon Auto Chess."

"Lineups and bonds let players quickly understand the various traits of Pokémon types," he reflected.

"And as formations take shape, the type matchups help players grasp the importance of type effectiveness in competitive battles."

"And the piece evolutions teach players about Pokémon skills and power at different stages."

Moved by the game's depth, Zhongli couldn't resist sending a private message to Takumi.

"Educational and entertaining."

"I would like to call you the father of Pokémon."

Meanwhile, Takumi had picked up little Klee from solitary confinement at the Mondstadt Knights' headquarters.

After Klee promised Jean she wouldn't cause trouble, Jean agreed to let her visit Liyue with Takumi for a while.

"Klee, I'll install a game for you."

"What kind of game?"

Klee's eyes sparkled with excitement at the mention of a game.

"A fun one that's even captivated two gods."

A few minutes later, little Klee was frowning at the game on her Pokédex, absorbed in concentration.

Takumi chuckled quietly, amused by her intense focus.

Sometimes raising kids is so simple, he thought.

Keeping Klee confined to a classroom would be too risky; it would only lead to an inevitable explosion.

Instead, why not let her use her natural strength and start her journey as a Pokémon trainer now?

"With Klee's innate talents and long lifespan, once she becomes a leader in Mondstadt, she might even reach the highest ranks one day…"