Bang! Snap! La—!!!
The ground beneath Allen and Blazeblade cracked and splintered, a network of fractures spreading across more than ten meters as chunks of earth lifted with the force of the impact.
"Guuh!" Allen gritted his teeth as the tremor knocked him off balance. He dropped to one knee, bracing himself with both palms against the trembling forest floor. No damage—yet the aftershock alone was enough to rattle his bones.
His eyes darted to Blazeblade. Her health bar remained full. The Protect had worked. She'd blocked the attack. But the violent clash still sent a deep rumble through the woods.
If she'd tried to counter, or worse, if he had chosen to dodge instead of defend, they might not have made it.
"Gaaah!!!"
Having been repelled, the Fearow flapped its powerful wings and rocketed backward, putting a wide berth between itself and Blazeblade.
In a flash, it hovered dozens of meters away.
"Blazeblade! Use Sacred Sword!"
Allen's command rang out.
Boom—!!!
Blazeblade surged forward, her boots crashing against the dirt. With a single leap, she closed the distance, her twin swords radiating heat and ethereal energy as they carved through the air toward the airborne predator.
Allen instinctively stepped back, creating space to avoid getting caught in the upcoming clash. But Fearow wasn't finished. It flared its wings and dove like a meteor, spinning in midair as it transformed into a glinting silver drill.
Its Drill Run clashed mid-arc with Blazeblade's sacred strike.
She raised her blades again, crossing them to defend, but she couldn't cast Protect and attack at the same time. Worse, Protect couldn't be used reliably in succession. Too risky. Too soon.
Fearow struck her directly.
Her health bar dropped.
Sixty percent.
"Urgh!"
Allen let out a gasp as pain shot through his chest. He staggered, clutching his side, his face contorted in shock.
In this world, a Trainer's bond with their Pokémon creates a physical link. Damage they suffer will also reflect onto you,] the god's voice calmly explained in his head.
[But full synchronization boosts your physical capabilities—and more importantly, your synergy. Your decisions in battle improve by about 10%.]
[Of course, full sync only works if your bond with the Pokémon is strong.]
"Wait—synchronization? What is thatcshit?"
[Pokémon, obviously. Though we took some liberties. Knowledge from any part of the Pokémon franchise—games, shows, manga—may apply.]
[And you were right. Fearow's just spamming Drill Run with no actual battle tactics. It's all brute force.]
So Allen had been right to use game logic. He'd calculated potential damage earlier using the standard Pokémon formula: if a level 60 Fearow used a maxed-out Drill Run on a similarly leveled Blazeblade with full HP and max defense, it should land at about 50% damage.
And that's exactly what happened. Well, nearly—Blazeblade only dropped to 60%. That meant Fearow hadn't fully trained its attack. It was a wild Pokémon relying on instinct rather than discipline.
Game-based tactics could work here. This wasn't a pure anime or comic world—stat optimization mattered.
Even the item Blazeblade carried, her Focus Sash, ensured she'd survive a fatal blow with 1 HP. Allen hadn't seen it activate yet, which meant they still had an edge.
And now that Fearow had stopped spinning…
Bang—!
Blazeblade struck back.
Her swords carved a glowing cross into Fearow's chest. Flames flared at the wound, and shimmering embers trailed behind the bird as it tumbled backward.
Particles of light drifted from the burn and funneled toward Blazeblade, restoring her HP bit by bit.
Sacred Sword wasn't just powerful—it was regenerative. A portion of the inflicted damage healed her in return. Allen clenched a fist. That was the turnaround they needed.
"Snrrrgh…" Blazeblade let out a low snarl.
Fractures ran across her armor. Flames burst through the cracks, surging around her body.
Her Weak Armor ability had triggered.
Her defense fell, but her speed soared.
Now she was faster than Fearow.
The next strike would decide it.
Fearow shrieked, recovering in the air. It flapped upward, preparing another strike. Its health was under 20%.
Allen didn't wait.
"Blazeblade! One more Sacred Sword!"
Both Pokémon charged.
Fearow spun into another Drill Run, talons pointed like a missile.
Blazeblade mirrored the motion, spinning midair with both swords extended. Her flames turned into a searing blue vortex.
They collided.
Blazeblade's spiral pierced straight through Fearow's chest, the air erupting into sparks as both landed with a thunderous crash.
Blazeblade dropped to one knee.
Fearow exploded into a burst of feathers, embers, and smoke—its form disintegrating in midair.
[…Isn't this version of Pokémon kind of brutal?] Allen stared at the charred feathers drifting from the sky. The smell of scorched feathers lingered in the air. "Did it just… die?"
[Pokémon don't usually die,] the god replied. [Not really. Fearow will reconstitute in its nest. Give it a few days of rest. Or a trip to the Pokémon Center.]
[In this world, "death" in battle just means a brief regression. Pokémon shrink into their spiritual core and recover. This allows them to rejoin the cycle of rebirth. It's… poetic.]
"...Still kind of intense for Route 1," Allen muttered, watching a single feather flutter past.
Then a thought struck him.
"Blazeblade. Scan the area. Look for a nearby wild Pokémon. Use Sacred Sword. We need healing."
Her eyes flashed. She said nothing.
[…Allen. Be human.]
He sighed. "Fine. Just a joke. Sort of."
The fight with Fearow had drained her significantly. But she'd survived. And better yet, they'd fought in sync.
[Reminder: You haven't officially caught Blazeblade yet,] the god said. [No Poké Ball. No official registration.]
"Right. Time to fix that."
Even if she had been created from his own soul, even if they were bonded on a level no average Trainer could understand, she still needed a Poké Ball. Not for control—for tradition.
For trust.
In the Pokémon world, the Poké Ball wasn't just a container. It was a pact. A space the Pokémon accepted as their own—a dormitory, a sanctuary.
It symbolized the choice to walk the journey together.
Blazeblade stood silently, waiting.
Allen reached into his satchel, pulling out the single Poké Ball he'd been awarded from his system achievement earlier.
"Let's make it official," he said softly.
He tossed the ball. It clicked once, opened, and pulled her in as light.
No struggle.
The ball wiggled.
Ding.
Captured.
Blazeblade was now, truly, his partner.
***
Advance chapters on patreon.com/IzzyTL