Chapter 120: If You Have Not Endured Another’s Suffering, Do Not Urge Them to Be Kind.

Bianca looked at the menacing Pinsir before her and couldn't help but shiver. She reached for a Poké Ball at her waist and shouted, "Come on out! Foongus!"

A Foongus popped out in response, but the moment it emerged and caught sight of the Pinsir, it shuddered as well. Heavens above, this was an Elite-level Pinsir, while Foongus was merely a novice-level Pokémon. Yet, Foongus did not retreat; it stared intently at the Pinsir, bracing itself for battle.

Bianca glanced anxiously at the girl cowering by the tree behind her before turning back to glare resolutely at the Pinsir. It was clearly out of her league. She could only pray that Chen Ou would arrive soon.

But he didn't.

The Pinsir looked at the little mushroom, the girl who had appeared out of nowhere, and the tiny monkey on her head with a look of utter confusion. It had been rudely awakened by the girl hiding near the tree, and it had intended to teach her a lesson—whether she survived that lesson was entirely her own business. But then this other girl with two buns in her hair and a strange little monkey on her head had appeared, screaming, and released a mushroom that was now preparing to fight? What was this? A suicide mission? The Pinsir hesitated to strike, both puzzled by the girl's actions and wary of a potential trap.

Truth be told, Bianca was panicking. Where was Chen Ou? Had he fallen and knocked himself out? She was terrified, but thankfully, the Pinsir showed no immediate intention of attacking, perhaps wary of something. She forced herself to maintain a brave front, hiding her internal turmoil to buy time for Chen Ou to arrive.

As the human and the bug stood in a silent standoff, the Chimchar on Bianca’s head opened its eyes. Its originally brownish-black irises had turned a piercing crimson. It glanced at the Pinsir, then quietly closed its eyes again, as if it had never opened them at all.

Chen Ou remained nowhere to be seen.

Finally, the Pinsir’s patience wore thin. It began to scrape its feet against the ground, its massive pincers clattering open and shut. Realizing the situation was dire, Bianca knew she couldn't stall any longer. In such moments, the best defense was a strong offense.

"Foongus, Stun Spore!"

Bianca issued the order decisively. She didn't opt for an attack—given Foongus’s strength, it was doubtful it could deal significant damage to a Pinsir anyway—but Stun Spore was different. No one dared to take that head-on; they would almost always try to dodge or blow it away.

As the order was given, Foongus released a cloud of yellow powder. Lacking a move to blow it away, the Pinsir chose to dodge. Bianca had anticipated this, immediately following up with, "Use Astonish!"

Foongus lowered its head, the pattern on its cap instantly contorting into a ghastly face as a surge of Ghost-type energy was unleashed toward the Pinsir. As luck would have it, the Pinsir flinched, stepping back in terror. Seizing the moment, Bianca commanded another Stun Spore. Caught off guard, the Pinsir failed to dodge, and the yellow powder enveloped it.

The Pinsir felt a jolt of paralysis, its knees buckling as it collapsed to the ground.

"Pinsir!"

"Foongus, use Poison Powder!" Seeing the Pinsir grounded, Bianca seized the opportunity. Foongus obeyed, scattering a cloud of purple dust. Unable to dodge, the Pinsir was forced to inhale the toxic powder, and a sickly purple hue began to spread across its body. It was poisoned.

Bianca pumped her fist in excitement.

Hidden in the shadows, Rotom was stunned. Chen Ou had always preferred to charge head-on, partly because Fire-type Pokémon had fewer status-inducing moves, but mostly because he knew his own luck. Have you ever seen someone use Stun Spore only for it to fail to paralyze the opponent for the entire battle? Chen Ou had—he was that unlucky guy. He had once stolen some Vileplume powder to taunt a Nidoking, only for it to fail repeatedly until he beat the Nidoking into submission himself. The next day, when he goaded Red into trying the same thing, the Nidoking hadn't stood a chance. Chen Ou’s face had been darker than a Coalossal, and Green had teased him about it for an entire month. After that, he had adopted the habit of charging in head-first—a strategy that served him well for life.

What Rotom had just seen from Bianca’s commands was not just similar to Red’s style; it was identical.

*Talk about beginner's luck!*

Rotom decided to show the recorded footage to Chen Ou later; it wasn't that cruel, after all.

Even so, Bianca was still in a bind. Foongus’s only attack move was Absorb, which wouldn't do much damage even with the poison. And the paralysis was beginning to wear off. Bianca was lucky, but the second wave of Stun Spore didn't take effect immediately. The Pinsir spotted the opening and lunged toward Bianca with a Bug Bite. This unscrupulous Pinsir had no intention of a fair fight; it was going straight for the trainer!

"Chen Ou!!!!" Bianca didn't scream; she just roared.

"Waaaah!"

The Chimchar that had been perched on Bianca’s head instantly leaped into action. It manifested a flaming staff from the fire in its hands and brought it down hard on the Pinsir’s head.

"Pinsir!"

The Pinsir howled as it was knocked to the ground. The Chimchar leaped down, delivering a jumping strike with its staff, landing another heavy blow on the Pinsir’s head. Already weakened by the poison, the Pinsir was knocked unconscious by the two strikes.

The Chimchar stood its ground, its staff pointing at the earth, surrounded by flickering crimson flames, its red eyes burning with fighting spirit.

If Chen Ou had been there, he definitely would have given a thumbs up. That was exactly his style!