To Su Feng's surprise, the Eevee Boy's Eevee had lost to Yao Tian's Combee. "I'm sorry, Mr. Su," the boy said, cradling his Eeève. "I couldn't bear to see Bubby get hurt anymore, so I forfeited…"
Su Feng smiled warmly. "No need to apologize. If anything, I should apologize for not considering your feelings. There's nothing wrong with disliking battles—being a kind Trainer matters most."
The boy's eyes lit up with gratitude.
Turning to Xiao Da, Su Feng raised an eyebrow. "How'd you lose?" Xiao Da sighed as Xiao Die triumphantly flashed a peace sign.
"Everything was fine at first," Xiao Da explained, "but Xiao Die landed Sing twice in a row. My Tandemaus slept through the second half of the battle."
"Luck's part of skill!" Xiao Die chirped.
[LOL! Told you cats beat mice!]
[Nah, this had nothing to do with species!]
[Look—Skitty and Tandemaus are playing now! Adorable!]
Indeed, the "cat" and "mice" frolicked together, oblivious to their battle rivalry. Su Feng chuckled—despite their appearances, both shared the same Egg Group and could theoretically breed (if Tandemaus had genders).
Clearing his throat, Su Feng shifted to a key lesson. "Jin lost because he forgot Fire-types can't be burned. Xiao Die won by exploiting sleep. Let's break down status conditions."
"Eight status effects exist: Poison, Badly Poisoned, Sleep, Drowsy, Paralysis, Burn, Freeze, and Frostbite.
Burn halves Attack.
Frostbite halves Special Attack.
Paralysis halves Speed.
Freeze and Sleep immobilize targets.
Sleep allows niche moves like Sleep Talk or Snore.
Poison deals fixed damage per turn; Badly Poisoned escalates over time.
Drowsy boosts incoming damage but transitions to Sleep next turn—rarely exploitable."
Xiao Da handed him water as he paused. "Statuses matter beyond battles. Wild Pokémon can inflict them too. Imagine hiking with a poisoned partner—deadly without antidotes."
He recalled his childhood trauma: a Weedle poisoning his starter, which died steps from a Pokémon Center. "Always carry Full Heals. But right now, antidotes are luxury items—overpriced due to scarcity."
His gaze turned ambitious. "The world needs Pokémon Centers—places staffed by healers like Chansey and human nurses. But first, we need a tech empire rivaling Silph Co. or Devon Corp. No more playing hero—I'll build the system!"
[Live Chat Reactions]
[Bro's drooling over corporate domination!]
[Future CEO Su Feng!]
[Priorities: 1) Save Pokémon, 2) Rule the world.]
"Ahem." Xiao Die poked him. "You're… uh, leaking."
Su Feng wiped his chin, regaining composure. "Right! If your Pokémon suffers severe status effects, seek human hospitals as a last resort. Their methods aren't perfect, but better than nothing. Mild poison can be metabolized, but Badly Poisoned? Don't gamble."