NOVEL WEB Chapter 49: Chapter 49: Facing Machop
Arriving at the arena, Maki advanced to the Poké Ball level of battles after his Charmander passed the "Beginner" level previously. However, this change was more nominal than anything else.
The ranking system, from Poké Ball to Great Ball and beyond, relies on a point-based system called Battle Points (BP). Each victory earns a point, while each loss deducts one. Progressing from Poké Ball level to Great Ball level only requires twenty points. In other words, Maki needed to win just 19 more battles to rank up.
Sounds easy?
Not really.
Matches are typically against trainers with similar points, meaning their strength is evenly matched. Even the strongest trainers can't guarantee consistent victories, as battles often depend on type advantages or strategies.
For instance, Maki's Charmander primarily relied on Fire-type moves and the Dark-type Crunch. If they encountered a trainer with a Marill, its Water-type moves would hit Charmander hard while resisting both Fire and Dark attacks. Charmander might have no choice but to rely on its claws to scrape out a win.
"I'd like to enter a battle… huh? Nurse Joy?"
Maki approached the front desk to present his trainer ID but found himself greeted by none other than Nurse Joy!
"Well, we're short-staffed here, and the Pokémon Center wasn't too busy, so I came over to help," Nurse Joy replied with a sweet smile.
Maki didn't recognize her as the Nurse Joy from Saffron City's Pokémon Center. After all, the Joy family members looked almost identical. Unlike Brock, Maki didn't have the skills to distinguish one from another.
"Oh, I see. That's very kind of you, Nurse Joy."
"It's not too bad," Nurse Joy replied, scanning Maki's ID. She handed it back with a gentle reminder: "Your assigned battle location is Arena 9 in Zone B of the Poké Ball level. Please arrive within 10 minutes, or it will be counted as a forfeit, and you'll be banned from battling for a week. Repeated forfeits will result in a one-month ban. Please keep this in mind."
With his ID card returned, Maki headed deeper into the arena.
The facility was less of a single building and more of a sprawling complex, vast enough that walking from the front to the back would take over half an hour. Fortunately, the advanced technology of the Pokémon world provided teleportation devices installed throughout the arena for short-distance travel.
These devices, though expensive, made navigation between distant areas within the arena much easier. Maki and his Charmander stepped onto one of the teleportation pads, which reminded him of similar devices used in Team Rocket's hideouts. Those were far more complex, often lacking clear markers and designed to confuse intruders.
The teleportation experience was akin to a Psychic-type Pokémon's Teleport move. Maki suspected the technology was based on the same principles. However, the devices consumed immense amounts of electricity, a drawback that even the Pokémon League struggled to offset.
Maki arrived at Zone B and approached Arena 9, an open-air stage with twelve battlefields in the center, surrounded by spectator seats.
Since battles in the Poké Ball level were typically one-on-one, matches ended quickly. Assigning individual arenas for each battle would be inefficient and unprofitable. After all, the League needed to recoup the astronomical costs of maintaining facilities, from teleportation devices to field repairs.
At Arena 9, Maki faced his opponent—a young man noticeably older than himself, dressed in plain clothes. Judging by his appearance, the man likely came from a modest background rather than being associated with the League's elite, like Lance.
The young man seemed nervous, likely battling on such a stage for the first time. After presenting their IDs to the referee for verification, Maki attempted a friendly nod, but his opponent was too tense to notice.
"The battle will be one-on-one. Switching Pokémon is not allowed. The match ends when one Pokémon is unable to battle. Any questions?" the referee asked.
"No issues here," Maki replied.
"N-no problem," the young man stammered.
Maki sent out his Charmander, while his opponent released a Machop.
The Machop, however, looked unremarkable—its muscles underdeveloped, and its spirit seemed lacking.
"Machop, do your best!" the trainer encouraged in a quiet voice.
"Machop!" it responded with a nod.
This Machop didn't appear to be trained for battles. Instead, it seemed more like a helper in physical tasks, a common role for Fighting-type Pokémon. Many moving companies, for example, employed Pokémon like Machoke and Passimian for their incredible strength.
Of course, such companies had to ensure their Vigoroth didn't evolve into Slaking—an evolutionary pitfall that could significantly impact productivity.
Despite his opponent's inexperience, Maki didn't plan to hold back. Many trainers had their reasons to battle, and Maki's goal was clear: to give his best in every fight.
-----------------------
Want to read ahead of schedule?
Join here for advance chapters: PATREON.COM / PRIMALDEMON