Pokemon: I'm a Farmer

Milotic and the Sharpedo leader didn't chat for long. They quickly returned to their respective sides.

Soon after, Milotic called out to Lapras, who promptly swam forward from the rear. From the other side, a fierce-looking Sharpedo emerged.

Seeing this, Rex realized that both sides intended to conduct a one-on-one duel before the battle began, with Lapras serving as the vanguard and engaging in combat with the opposing Sharpedo.

Both sides seemed accustomed to this type of fight, cheering for their respective fighters. Rex figured that these battles had been happening for some time, which also explained Lapras' significant change in demeanor.

If Lapras had only been fighting with Milotic and Gyarados, who were on friendly terms, there wouldn't have been any sense of real danger, more like playful sparring. While this would still improve Lapras' strength, it wouldn't have led to such a drastic change in its external demeanor.

It was only after numerous life-and-death battles with Sharpedo that Lapras could have shifted its mentality and become a true warrior.

As Rex got lost in thought, the battle between Lapras and the Sharpedo began.

The fact that this Sharpedo was chosen to fight by the Sharpedo leader proved it was no ordinary member of its species. Covered in water currents, it sped toward Lapras at incredible speed, using Aqua Jet.

However, water-type moves had no effect on Lapras, whose Water Absorb ability rendered such attacks useless. Sharpedo's real goal was to close the distance.

Indeed, as soon as Sharpedo reached Lapras, it shattered the water currents and used Crunch, aiming directly for Lapras' neck. If it landed the bite, Lapras would undoubtedly suffer significant damage.

But Sharpedo underestimated Lapras' power. After many battles, Lapras had gained extensive combat experience. Before Sharpedo could bite, Lapras formed an Ice Shard and hurled it, sending Sharpedo flying, effortlessly deflecting the attack.

Immediately after, Lapras fired an Ice Beam from its mouth, hitting the mid-air Sharpedo before it could fall back into the water. In an instant, the Sharpedo was encased in thick ice, resembling a small iceberg.

Sharpedo may still have had some fight left in it, but trapped inside the thick ice, it couldn't break free. In essence, the battle was already over.

The Sharpedo leader understood this and sprayed a hot stream of water from its mouth. As soon as the hot water made contact with the iceberg, the ice rapidly melted, and soon the trapped Sharpedo broke free.

Rex, observing this, recognized the move as Scald, a water-type attack that incorporates some fire energy. Very few water-type Pokémon can master this skill, highlighting the Sharpedo leader's extraordinary abilities.

The freed Sharpedo didn't resume its attack on Lapras. It merely glared fiercely at it before returning to its side, clearly acknowledging its defeat.

With the first battle won, the Pokémon on Milotic's side cheered joyously. The Magikarp even celebrated by using Splash, leaping excitedly on the water's surface.

Before long, another Sharpedo swam forward, this time with one eye already blinded. However, its remaining eye was sharp and menacing, sending chills down the spines of the Pokémon it faced.

This one-eyed Sharpedo had considerable battle experience. It first used Agility to boost its speed. Even though Lapras managed to hit it with Ice Shard again, the Sharpedo quickly adjusted its posture and dodged the Ice Beam with its newfound speed.

Then, it dove underwater, emerging from Lapras' blind spot, and sank its fangs into Lapras' neck. Lapras let out a cry of pain from the bite.

But after so many battles, Lapras had become much tougher. It quickly shook its neck, flinging the Sharpedo away, then charged up a Hyper Beam in its mouth and fired it, hitting the one-eyed Sharpedo squarely, rendering it unable to continue fighting.

Although the one-eyed Sharpedo was defeated, it left a deep bite mark on Lapras' neck, reducing its stamina significantly.

Thankfully, Lapras knew how to use Recover. It gathered Life Dew and applied it to the wound, quickly healing the deep bite.

The Sharpedo leader didn't seem too concerned about its side's losses. Instead, it continued sending more Sharpedo to fight Lapras.

By the time Lapras defeated the fourth Sharpedo, its strength was nearly depleted, and its body was covered in wounds. In the recent battles, it hadn't had the time to heal itself properly. Even though it had used Aqua Ring earlier, it could only prevent its injuries from worsening.

Lapras, barely able to summon its Life Dew to heal some of its injuries, knew it could no longer continue fighting. It didn't force itself and returned to Milotic's side with a proud demeanor, victorious but exhausted.

From a distance on the beach, Rex had witnessed the entire battle. He couldn't help but acknowledge how much Lapras' strength had improved. In the past, it would have consumed most of its energy just to defeat the first Sharpedo, while also sustaining severe injuries.

Rex stared thoughtfully in the direction of the Sharpedo leader. It was clear that the Sharpedo leader had been using these battles to train its underlings. Otherwise, given the Sharpedo clan's collective strength, even with Milotic, Gyarados, and Lapras' combined power, they wouldn't have been able to fend off the Sharpedo for long. The other water Pokémon likely would have fled in panic after just one aggressive charge from the Sharpedo.

Rex's only concern now was what would happen once the Sharpedo leader decided to stop the training exercises. At that point, Milotic and its group wouldn't be able to protect the weaker water-type Pokémon from the Sharpedo's jaws on their own.

Of course, Rex wasn't closely acquainted with the other water Pokémon, so their fate depended on their own luck. He just didn't want Milotic and its companions to get hurt because of this conflict.

For now, the two sides were following certain rules, so Rex couldn't intervene randomly. Doing so might complicate matters further. Everything would depend on how Milotic and Gyarados handled the situation.

If Milotic and Gyarados could defeat the Sharpedo leader, the Sharpedo clan might retreat. After all, the ocean was vast, and there was no reason for the Sharpedo to keep clashing with Milotic's group.

(End of chapter)