Chapter 99 – A Gentle and Caring Female Machop? Time to Settle the Score!

"Wow! So this is what a real battle looks like!"

Zhou Xiaofei was beyond excited—it was his first time witnessing a true battle.

And not just any battle—it was a double battle between both Pokémon and Awakened Fighters!

His wide, innocent eyes sparkled with admiration. If he could, he'd have charged into the ring alongside his Magikarp right then and there.

Su Bai reached out and ruffled the boy's hair, smiling. Initially, he'd planned to leave Zhou Xiaofei behind to man the front desk at the Pokémon Center.

But in the end, he decided: everyone needed to be there to experience this.

Business could wait.

Su Bai had been trying to gently guide the kid onto the path of becoming a Trainer. Zhou Xiaofei's love for Pokémon ran deep—he'd even once asked whether Magikarp might get lonely sitting inside the Pokédex for so long.

That kind of empathy—that heart—was what made someone a true Trainer.

Only those who genuinely cherish their partners can work miracles.

As for his Pokémon being just a Magikarp…

Well, who's to say that Magikarp won't become a mighty Gyarados someday?

On the Battlefield

After that initial clash, Pawniard had clearly taken a hit.

Pei Jingguo, of course, knew full well: his Dark/Steel-type Pawniard was at an overwhelming disadvantage against a Fighting-type like Machop.

Unlike Xiao Zhang, who could focus entirely on attacking, Pei had to split his attention—he needed to command his Pokémon.

"Pawniard, avoid using Dark-type moves. Use Scary Face to slow it down and dodge its attacks!"

His voice reached Pawniard' ears clearly.

The Pokémon's aura changed instantly—intimidating and ghostly.

A chilling aura wrapped around Machop like a cursed veil. Her movements, already not the fastest, suddenly grew sluggish.

That gave Pawniard just enough time to strike back.

A wide swing of Fury Cutter landed straight on Machop's side!

"Not this again!" Xiao Zhang's face darkened.

He had learned all too well about Fury Cutter and its compounding effect in the days after his last loss. Every consecutive hit with Fury Cutter increased its power.

He'd been foolish to go head-to-head with Pawniard before—letting the move stack until it shattered his gloves.

"Chop! Machop!"

But Machop noticed his brief distraction and gave a fierce wave of her arm, puffing hot air from her nostrils.

Diancie translated cheerfully, hovering nearby:

"Wow! Machop just said, 'This little scratch is nothing!'"

"She's such a tough lady—truly a strong and fearless warrior!"

"She says: 'Don't worry about me, Trainer. You fight your fight, and I'll handle mine!'"

The audience blinked.

Did she just say lady?

Xiao Zhang paused mid-command, then chuckled. That fiery confidence brought him back to focus.

His role wasn't to micromanage Machop—she already had the type advantage.

What he needed to do… was keep Pei Jingguo too busy to give any commands!

He launched forward like a storm of fists, battering Pei from every angle, silencing his ability to direct Pawniard.

One half of the arena was a furious blur of sword and fist.

The other half? A cunning chess match between Pokémon.

The crowd went wild at the dazzling spectacle!

Back at Su Bai's group, though, silence fell like a heavy fog.

Wang Tao rubbed his ears in disbelief.

"Did I hear that right…? Did Diancie just call Machop a lady?"

"…She's female?!"

All eyes widened.

Liu Yunlan stared, dazed. "She's… a girl? Wow. Pokémon really are incredible creatures."

"…Well, I guess they have to have males and females to reproduce," she muttered, before wincing. "Still… it's kinda hard to look at."

"If that's true… then that day Machop comforted Xiao Zhang—it was like a mom soothing her kid?" someone added in a shocked whisper.

"Only Xiao Zhang could end up with a Pokémon like that…"

Even Murong Nan couldn't resist chiming in:

"And the scary part is… she's got such a tough personality."

Su Bai's lips twitched.

When Xiao Zhang caught Machop, he really hadn't checked the gender.

He now pulled out his Pokédex, aiming it toward the Machop who was currently locked in combat with Pawniard.

There it was.

A small, unmistakable pink female symbol.

Su Bai fell into deep thought.

A female Machop… huh?

True, Pokémon weren't humans. Their standards for gender traits were different.

Most male and female Pokémon didn't even look that different.

But in Machop's case…

Wasn't this like a male Gardevoir situation?

Especially once she evolved into Machamp…

The image was just too much to process.

Thankfully, she wasn't a shiny—a shiny female Machamp? That would've been… unsettling.

Still, no one could deny her power.

As a species, Machop was born to battle. Trained to challenge Hariyama in underground arenas, she was built for tenacity.

Sure, Pawniard had been trained harder—but not harder than a fully grown Hariyama.

If she wasn't afraid of them, why would she be afraid of Pawniard?

"Chop! Chop!"

With perfect timing, Machop absorbed another hit from Fury Cutter—

Then swept out a low kick!

The move wasn't particularly powerful, but in this moment, it landed perfectly.

Pawniard, not exactly built for speed, still had some advantage over Machop. But it wasn't enough to dodge everything.

After several careful evasions, Machop's sweeping kick finally connected!

Wham!

Pawniard staggered, visibly shaken.

Fighting-type vs. Dark/Steel-type?

4x damage.

Even a single clean hit could inflict serious harm.

"Pawniard! Focus on evasion! Build up Fury Cutter again!" Pei Jingguo barked, sensing the tide shifting.

Despite being under attack, Pei Jingguo still managed to shout commands—clearly, he was still slightly ahead of Xiao Zhang in skill.

"You bastard, still splitting your focus?!"

Xiao Zhang's temper snapped. Was he being looked down on?

His fists glowed gold as he roared with rage and struck forward with full force!

As a Qi Wielder, Xiao Zhang's punch carried almost everything he had left.

If it hit, he was confident it would shut Pei Jingguo up.

But then—

Pei Jingguo's lips curled into a smirk.

"Got you."

In the blink of an eye, his sword arched like a leaping antelope, narrowly dodging the punch and countering with a brutal strike of his own!

But almost simultaneously, on the Pokémon side of the battlefield—

A decisive moment had arrived.

Facing Pawniard' strongest iteration of Fury Cutter, Machop suddenly stood firm—refusing to dodge.

She took the hit head-on, even letting out a rare cry of pain.

But in the same moment—she grabbed Pawniard retreating limbs with both hands!

BOOM!

With a twist of her waist, she executed a flawless Seismic Toss—slamming Pawniard straight into the ground!

The sound of shattering metal echoed across the arena.

The bladed segments of Pawniard armor cracked, one after another—until its whole body dissolved into a flash of light and was recalled into its Poké Ball at Pei Jingguo's waist.

Pei had sensed danger—and wisely chose to withdraw Pawniard.

But it was too late.

A Seismic Toss—a guaranteed hit—landed cleanly.

And just like that, in a flash of gold and steel…

Both battles reached their climax—at the exact same moment.