"You guys seriously have too much free time," Genshin Su Mo commented dryly, sweeping his eyes over the chaotic scene.
"Care to join us?" the Fairy Tail Su Mo—currently in a Meowth form—waved a paw at him invitingly.
"...Too childish," Genshin Su Mo rejected immediately with a shake of his head. "We're not kids anymore. I'm not playing this stupid game."
Someone as mature and dependable as him would never waste time on such a thing. Transforming into Pokémon? What's the big deal? He could go home and play around on his own if he really wanted.
Just as he finished this thought, the Danmachi Su Mo—currently a Squirtle—grinned at him and suddenly blasted a Water Gun straight at his chest.
"Squirtle, squirtle!"
The little turtle Pokémon beamed smugly while Pikachu on the side cheered him on with a joyful "Pika Pika!", clearly impressed.
"...You guys..." Genshin Su Mo looked down at the wet stain spreading across his shirt. It didn't really hurt, but the disrespect? That was another matter entirely.
"Three days without a beating and you're already climbing the walls," he growled.
His expression darkened, and in a flash of magical light, he transformed—not into the familiar Pikachu, but its evolved, more powerful form: Raichu.
"Rai-chu!"
Cracking his knuckles and wearing a sinister grin, Raichu began to approach Squirtle with menacing steps. Electricity trumps water—he'd like to see how the little turtle would fight back.
"Squirtle squirtle!" cried the Danmachi Su Mo indignantly. —"Using type advantage? That's dishonorable!"
But Raichu wasn't interested in hearing complaints. "Raichuuu—!" he growled. Translated: "Squirtle? Oh, I'm coming for you, Squirtle. You think you're brave? Let's test that!"
And so, Raichu began chasing Squirtle all around the space, sparking a new round of chaos. Steam, water, and static flew everywhere.
Despite the type disadvantage, Squirtle refused to back down or switch forms. Instead, he evolved mid-battle into Blastoise, hoping to overturn the elemental odds with raw firepower. Unfortunately, type weakness still proved a major hurdle. Soon enough, Genshin Su Mo's Raichu had Blastoise defeated and stood triumphantly on his shell, surveying the battlefield like a victor.
Then, he locked eyes on the real instigator—the mischievous Pikachu that had been laughing earlier.
Raichu leapt off Blastoise's shell, clearly preparing to settle the score next.
But the Fairy Tail Su Mo wasn't about to make the same mistake. In a burst of light, he didn't just evolve—he went big.
A massive, rock-like Onix loomed into view, its sheer size dwarfing Raichu. Being a Ground-type, Onix was completely immune to Electric attacks. Now it was his turn to grin.
Raichu's smug expression froze. Not one to be outdone, Genshin Su Mo immediately attempted another transformation—this time, into a Water-type to counter Onix.
The glow of the magic circle returned, and the others watched expectantly... only to see a Magikarp flopping uselessly on the ground.
It flailed around with a "Splash!"—a move so weak it didn't even deal damage.
"..."
The Onix stared at the Magikarp in stunned silence.
Was... was this a surrender?
The light returned once again as Magikarp transformed back into Su Mo. Genshin Su Mo scratched his head, a bit embarrassed. "Oops, wrong one."
This time, he got it right. The familiar glow of evolution returned, and emerging from it was the terrifying, serpentine Gyarados—a Water/Flying-type powerhouse.
With its elemental advantage and sheer size, Gyarados was more than a match for Onix. Immune to Ground-type moves and dishing out powerful Water-type attacks, it was clear the tides had turned.
Just like a scene straight out of Journey to the West, it became a shapeshifting brawl—Gyarados versus Onix, testing out moves, counters, and tricks in rapid succession.
Watching the madness unfold, Meowth (Fairy Tail Su Mo) couldn't help but comment, "He said it was childish, and now he's going all in."
Danmachi Su Mo, who had already reverted to his human form after the earlier beatdown, nodded in agreement. "Classic case of saying one thing and doing another."
They sat back to watch the chaos... until the next blast of energy hit them, dragging them into the fight too.
…
…
The impromptu morning brawl turned into a full-scale Pokémon war. None of the Su Mos ended up as the clear victor. They all had access to the same forms and knowledge, and none of the Pokémon attacks were strong enough to seriously harm them anyway.
Everything was done in good fun, a game more than a battle.
When it was over, Genshin Su Mo used a bit of Warm Wind magic to dry his clothes and briefly caught up on what the newest member had experienced so far.
Then, he quietly left the Mist Space and returned to his own world.
Back in the world of Teyvat.
After returning from the Mist Realm, Su Mo opened his eyes and immediately heard the soft breathing beside him. Lumine was still asleep. Her sleeping posture wasn't too wild—she didn't toss and turn much, nor did she hog the blanket. But perhaps because Su Mo's body was warm, she had instinctively snuggled closer to him during the night. Of course, she only got as far as the little floating Paimon lying between them. She bumped into Paimon and stopped, ending up just a breath away from Su Mo.
If Su Mo turned his head slightly, he could see Lumine's peaceful, defenseless sleeping face. Unfortunately, with Paimon lodged between them, there was no way she'd ended up in his arms. Su Mo frowned slightly at that thought. It suddenly occurred to him that Paimon was kind of... in the way.
Maybe I should toss her into a soup pot...
Just as that wicked idea flashed through his mind, Paimon, still asleep, furrowed her brow as if sensing the malice directed at her. She curled up unconsciously and snuggled even closer to Su Mo for warmth.
"Fine, I'll let you off this time."
Su Mo chuckled softly, watching her dazed little face. He decided to be merciful—for now. Gently pushing off the blanket, he got up and headed off to wash up.
When he returned, Lumine had woken up. She sat on the bed, still groggy, rubbing her eyes. When she saw Su Mo, she greeted him with a sleepy smile. "Good morning."
"Morning," Su Mo replied, nodding. Then he casually said, "I think I've awakened some new powers."
"Hm-mm," Lumine nodded absentmindedly, still waking up. Then a few seconds later, her eyes flew wide open.
"Wait—what? You awakened again?"
It had only been a day! How could he already have gained new powers? Compared to her own strength, which she only accessed after connecting with the Statues of The Seven, Su Mo's progress felt outrageously fast. Lumine couldn't help but feel that the gap between people might be even wider than the gap between a human and a Hilichurl.