Pokémon from Galar

She couldn't find an opportunity to attack at all. It was as if no matter when she attacked, her opponent would neutralize or even counterattack. There was no flaw in her sword dance. At least for Ichi-chan's current level, this sword dance was indeed flawless, and she couldn't find an opportunity to attack.

Seeing Farfetch'd finish his sword dance and become even more imposing, Ichigo had to be on high alert and maintain self-control over his moves, making the battle quite difficult.

I-chan lowered her body slightly, her eyes fixed on Farfetch'd, then suddenly exerted force in her limbs.

A flash of lightning!

call out--!

This time, it wasn't just a single flash of lightning. The lesson from before had taught Ichijou a clear lesson: the speed of a flash of lightning was too fast for the opponent's sword to keep up with, so she couldn't continue to act recklessly.

Iron Tail!

Farfetch'd knew its opponent wasn't stupid and wouldn't continue with its lightning-fast counterattack. It was one last, high-energy exchange, and that was it.

In another exchange, Farfetch'd didn't think its opponent would be foolish enough to take another sword strike. However, this time, Ichigo seized the initiative. Whether it was a lightning bolt that charged in or a sudden iron tail attack, Ichigo maintained control.

The leek duck isn't stupid; it knows it has to be on guard when necessary. So it stepped back, held the leek horizontally in front of it, and adopted a defensive posture.

bang——

I-chan's iron tail draped over Farfetch'd's green onion, making a dull sound. A protective light barrier appeared centered on the green onion, perfectly blocking I-chan's attack once again.

Ichigo wasn't surprised at all; she had already prepared a change of tactics. She twisted her body again, and in the instant she retreated, another Umbreon suddenly appeared, centered on Ichigo.

Furthermore, without giving Farfetch'd any time to guess or react, both Ichigos attacked simultaneously, their two iron tails slashing towards Farfetch'd's location in completely opposite directions once again.

This is Ichigo's open scheme. Farfetch'd has not yet shown any skills that deal area damage. It's a choice between two options. There's only one sword, so let's see how Farfetch'd decides.

Upon seeing this, Farfetch'd made a quick judgment. He couldn't accurately identify which was the Stand and which was the original, but it didn't matter. It didn't matter which one he guessed correctly!

In fact, if you guess wrong, it could be an opportunity for you!

So, in the eyes of the onlookers, Farfetch'd seemed to act without thinking, casually choosing the Iron Tail on its left, raising its leek with renewed ferocity, gathering Bug-type energy once more, and swinging it at an angle.

bang——

tear-

"Gah—!"

The moment Farfetch'd and Iron Tail collided, the Stand turned into smoke and shattered completely, while the real Iron Tail struck Farfetch'd squarely in the back.

Even though the green onion duck was mentally prepared, it still almost fell to the ground. However, the opportunity arose in that instant.

Farfetch'd, pivoting on its right foot in a posture that seemed to have completely abandoned its balance, gripped its sword tightly and spun around with all its might. The pain in its back transformed into power in that instant, and astonishing Fighting-type energy surged wildly from its body.

Farfetch'd, about to fall to the ground, smiled at Ichigo, who was still above it, despite the pain, and then swung the leek, which contained far more Fighting-type energy than before.

boom--!

The suddenly intensified sword strike landed squarely on Ichigo, who was caught off guard, sending her flying. Farfetch'd, due to losing his balance and the recoil, also crashed to the ground and rolled away like a muffled gourd.

And the change occurred in that very instant.

Farfetch'd gripped its green onion tightly, refusing to let go. The massive Fighting-type energy that had exploded between them, though mostly consumed by Ichigo, was still a significant blow to Farfetch'd, who was already physically weak.

That aftershock almost became the last straw that broke the camel's back.

"Gah—(cough cough—)"

Having taken a solid hit from Iron Tail, Farfetch'd felt like it could barely stand. Its back was burning with pain, and aside from still being able to grip its sword tightly, its legs were trembling and struggling, and all the muscles in its body seemed to have lost control.

But the battle wasn't over yet. Farfetch'd knew it was no match for Umbreon. If its opponent hadn't deliberately held back and sealed most of its moves, it might not have had a chance at all.

Even so, so far only that one move, Double Payback, has likely been effective enough. Farfetch'd is certain his opponent can still continue...

So I have to keep going!

Clutching tightly the leek that had been with him since birth, Farfetch'd's eyes were resolute, his fighting spirit undiminished, as he stared at Umbreon, which had risen again and was walking towards him.

The Fighting-type energy that should have dissipated suddenly surged out of Farfetch'd's body for some reason, engulfing it and rushing towards the leek in its hand. Farfetch'd's body also suddenly began to emit a dazzling white light.

The transformation has begun.

P.S.: I originally wanted to write Farfetch'd as something exciting and cool... like someone breaking through in dire straits, but... how should I put it, just thinking about Farfetch'd's duck appearance makes me feel really out of place.

I had some fragments of thoughts in my mind, I wanted to write them down but felt ashamed and unable to control them... and so it turned out like this.

Then there's Farfetch'd's evolution condition: the final move, Double Up, counts as one, Quick Attack counts as one, and previous moves count as one.

That's about it... I originally wanted to write one more trick, but I was afraid I'd write something too cringeworthy, so I gave up (='ω｀=)

Chapter Sixty-Two: The Sword and Shield of the Onion Ranger

Farfetch'd has evolved.

When Yuri saw Farfetch'd's body enveloped in white light, she excitedly jumped up and hugged Mari.

"Yay! It really evolved! Marie-chan, Marie-chan! Look, look!"

"...I know, stop shaking."

Feeling uncomfortable from Yuri pulling her clothes, Mari reached out and pressed her hand against Yuri's face, pushing her away.

Marnie was genuinely curious, or rather, very interested, about Farfetch'd's evolution, since its evolutionary path had always been a subject of much debate and no definitive conclusion. Even witnessing it firsthand wouldn't provide a definitive answer.

However, it was definitely worth it to be able to see it.

The glow of evolution faded quickly, and Farfetch'd's evolved form was revealed to everyone.

Farfetch'd, no, it should be called Farfetch'd Soldier now. Mary took two steps forward and sized up Farfetch'd's appearance.

The biggest changes are in the fur color and the green onion. The brown fur has turned into an almost pure white body. The size has not changed much, but the green onion has undergone a very noticeable change.

Originally, it was supposed to be just a large leek, but after evolving, it was inexplicably cut in half from the top and transformed into a sword and shield. The darker leafy part at the front unfolded to form the shape of a shield.

The lower half, due to its diagonal cut, resembles a rather long rapier.

What's intriguing is... below the hilt of the sword, there's a structure that looks a lot like garlic. Mary is very curious and wonders if this part can be removed, if it can be eaten, and if it can grow back after being eaten.

Perhaps sensing Mary's gaze, Onion Soldier stood up, sword and shield in hand, and fearlessly looked up to meet Mary's eyes.

"Would you like to rest at my camp for a while? You don't seem to be feeling well right now."

"Gah-"

Before he could even utter a word of refusal, Onion Yuhei's speech was interrupted by I-chan, who walked over from the side.

"Ee~ (Come here, at least I'm the one who inflicted those injuries on you.)"

After all, evolution is just a change from an individual, and no matter how amazing it is, it is impossible to achieve the strange phenomenon that even wounds heal after evolution.

So don't be fooled by the fact that Onion Soldier looks energetic now; it's just an illusion caused by his sudden surge in power.

"Uh... (Alright then, thank you all.)"

Onion Soldier wasn't being pretentious. He actually had a pretty good impression of I-chan earlier, and the wound on his back was still hurting, so it would be good for him to have a suitable place to rest.

After the battle, Balu's sparring plan was ruined, but he didn't mind at the moment and happily followed along as they flew towards Mary's camp.

As for Yuri,

They've already started circling around the Onion Warrior, and are especially interested in the pair of swords and shields, following beside him as if they want to touch them but dare not.

Back at camp, Mary took out two bottles of good healing medicine from her backpack, then waved to I-chan and Onion Ranger.

"Come here, let me apply some medicine to your wounds."

Without Mary even needing to urge her, Yi-chan walked over and lay down as soon as Mary sat down, resting her head on Mary's exposed thigh and taking a nap with her eyes half-closed.

Onion Soldier hesitated for a moment, but finally followed and placed his sword and shield beside him. He then squatted down next to Mary, too embarrassed to rest his head on her like Ichigo did.

"Gah... (Thank you for your help, human...)"

"It's alright, it's nothing."

As Mary answered, she skillfully treated the wounds on the two Pokémon.

Yuri cautiously approached Onion Soldier, poked the tuft of feathers on his head, and only spoke after Onion Soldier looked over:

"Um...may I take a look at your sword and shield?"

"..."

Cong Youbing remained silent for a moment, then finally nodded, indicating his trust.

"Hehe~ Thanks!"

Yuri smiled upon receiving approval, and reached out to grasp the hilt of the leek sword. The thick hilt looked particularly mismatched against Yuri's soft little hands.

"Um--!"

Yuri crouched down, trying to lift the seemingly lightweight sword, but even with her face turning red, she couldn't manage it.

The sword tip remained dangling on the ground, showing no sign of moving.

"Ha...ha...why? Is it so heavy?!"

Yuri, who had just managed to drag the greatsword along, let go and fell to the ground, making a sound like a piece of trash.

Yuri's reaction surprised Mari as well. Although an ordinary girl's strength is not usually that great, it was still so difficult for her to even drag it. This sword, which evolved from a green onion, might actually be quite powerful.

After applying medicine to the two Pokémon's injuries, Marilyn held Illya on her lap and began her usual massage, saying to Sirfairy beside her:

"Wait a moment. Your injury is quite serious. We'll massage you after the medicine has helped you recover. Rest for a while now."

"Gah... (I understand.)"

Onion Soldier nodded, then turned his attention back to Yuri, who was still fiddling with her weapon.

This time, Yuri abandoned the enormous sword and focused her attention on the shield, which looked much smaller. Because the shield was made of leek leaves, it looked very thin, but it was quite sturdy. Yuri reached out and tapped it, but only heard a dull thud.

Yuri gripped the shield again with both hands, and using her legs to lift it, she finally managed to raise it. Unfortunately, judging from her appearance, she could only carry it for a few steps.

Expecting her to do anything while holding up the shield is probably hopeless.

Onion Soldier didn't seem to mind much; instead, he observed Yuri's movements with great interest and gradually relaxed as well.

……

After massaging Ichigo, the external injuries of Onion Soldier were almost invisible. Mary estimated that the internal injuries should also be almost healed. After all, it was a good medicine bought from the Friendship Store, and its therapeutic effect was no joke.

So Mary reached out and patted Cong Youbing's back to make him turn his gaze towards her, and then patted his now-empty thigh.

"Come on, lie down here."

"..."