No Starter Pokemon Would Go Near Me For 2 Years, Not Knowing I Could Use Their Moves Myself

Summary

Su Yuan has spent two years unable to get a starter Pokémon. The reason is stranger than bad luck: after growing up beside his father’s Incineroar, he began copying its moves and abilities—including Intimidate. Pokémon sense that intimidating aura and flee from him.

His extensive battle knowledge hasn’t helped his reputation, either. As the streamer Teacher Liu Yu, he’s famous for bizarrely unlucky losses and his boast, “The formula for victory has been written,” which his chat quotes whenever a match goes wrong.

A Partner at Last

Everything changes when Su Yuan meets a shiny Fomantis with Contrary, an ability that turns stat drops into boosts. His Intimidate makes the little Grass-type stronger instead of scaring it away. When a wild Onix attacks, Su Yuan slaps it with Fake Out—hurting his own hand in the process—and Fomantis bravely joins the fight.

After Onix eventually burrows away, Fomantis agrees to become his partner by gently wiping the mud off his face. Su Yuan then realizes he left all his Poké Balls at home and has to sprint to the station with Fomantis riding on his shoulder.

At the station, he reunites with his childhood friend Dawn, who has arrived with a proud, independent Piplup. Su Yuan’s first battle with Dawn becomes a clash between two Pokémon with hidden abilities: Fomantis’s Contrary and Piplup’s Defiant. He accidentally wins with Leaf Storm after Dawn thinks he’s about to call Razor Leaf.

While training Fomantis, Su Yuan discovers he can perform Pokémon moves himself—including Synthesis and Leaf Blade—and starts teaching his partner by demonstrating the moves firsthand. His Pokémon keep reacting as if they’re wondering which one of them is supposed to be the trainer.

Tournament Battles

Su Yuan and Dawn enter a beginner tournament. Fomantis impresses the crowd with its strength, while Su Yuan’s clever tactics—and occasional theatrical acting—draw attention. When an opponent accuses him of cheating after losing, the referee tears into the accuser and clears Su Yuan, pointing out that Fomantis simply used a Lum Berry.

Su Yuan’s online audience also gets a glimpse of his happier life with Dawn, prompting chat to erupt when they hear a girl in the background. He tries to deny that a dating-sim promise is relevant and switches to Mario Kart, where his luck predictably fails him.

His tournament run includes a victory over a status-focused Fennekin trainer. Su Yuan hides Fomantis’s Contrary ability, lets his opponent assume it has Leaf Guard, and uses Sunny Day to make that false impression convincing. Smoke from burning leaves conceals Fomantis’s Sweet Scent, which steadily lowers the opponent’s evasion. The strategy pays off, and Fomantis wins with a decisive Slash.

Later, in a semi-final against a Magnemite, Fomantis evolves mid-match into a beautiful shiny Lurantis. The judges allow Su Yuan to continue by switching to his second Pokémon, a shy shiny Ralts gifted by his parents. Ralts proves unexpectedly formidable, carrying Su Yuan through the final with teleportation, clones, confusion, hypnosis, and plenty of evasive trickery. His famous victory boast finally comes true.

Online Battles and Training

Su Yuan’s online battles make waves beyond the tournament. He defeats Galar Gym Leader Raihan by turning Raihan’s Tailwind against him with a clever priority Trick Room setup. Raihan takes the loss in good humor and wants to learn the trick—then promptly tests it against Leon and loses again.

Su Yuan later faces Leon himself online. A tense match comes down to Su Yuan’s Chansey enduring a string of Air Slash flinches before finally defeating Leon’s Charizard. His chat celebrates, then settles on a more accurate title for him: not the “unlucky egg,” but the unlucky trainer who somehow wins anyway.

His toxic Venusaur strategies—Leech Seed, Toxic, Protect, and Substitute—also inspire horrified admiration and plenty of accusations of “dirty tactics.”

Ralts grows more confident, evolves into Kirlia, and learns to fight with a support-heavy style. Su Yuan trains under Psychic Gym Leader Ning Shuang while also sparring at the Rock Gym. He learns that being a strong trainer involves more than winning: he helps Lily, who has been afraid of Pokémon since an attack, regain her confidence and try commanding battles herself.

His friends and Pokémon also provide plenty of comedy, from Ralts fainting from shyness after Fomantis hugs it to Piplup insisting it’s independent while Dawn scoops it up anyway.

Gym Badge and New Teammate

Su Yuan eventually earns his first Gym Badge at the Rock Gym. He defeats Gym Leader Su Zhengfeng with a combination of Sunny Day, Solar Beam, Leaf Storm, and careful switching, then receives a Superpower TM particularly suited to Lurantis’s Contrary ability.

The badge officially gives him room to register a third Pokémon: the injured Scorbunny he befriended at his old school. Scorbunny, which has the Libero ability, eagerly joins the team—and immediately starts kicking Piplup in the backside.

Looking Ahead

The story closes with Su Yuan preparing for a high-school league, juggling his Gym training, streaming career, three Pokémon, and dwindling savings. His luck is still questionable, and his tactics are still “dirty.” Champion Cynthia has also publicly said her Garchomp would be happy to welcome him in Sinnoh—which Su Yuan takes as a strong reason not to go back.

Characters

• Su Yuan / Teacher Liu Yu — Reincarnated battle expert who can copy Pokémon moves and abilities.
• Dawn — Su Yuan’s childhood friend and Piplup’s trainer.
• Fomantis / Lurantis — Su Yuan’s shiny Contrary partner.
• Ralts / Kirlia — Su Yuan’s shy shiny Psychic-type partner, later a clever support battler.
• Scorbunny — A Galar starter with Libero who joins Su Yuan after he earns a Gym Badge.
• Lily — Kukui’s assistant, who gradually overcomes her fear of Pokémon.
• Professor Kukui — Pokémon move researcher and powerful trainer.
• Ning Shuang — Psychic Gym Leader and Su Yuan’s mentor.
• Ning Zhu — Ning Shuang’s younger sister, a quick-thinking battler.
• Su Zhengfeng — Rock Gym Leader and Su Yuan’s first Gym opponent.
• Raihan — Galar’s Dragon Gym Leader, who battles Su Yuan online.
• Leon — Galar’s Champion and Su Yuan’s high-profile online opponent.