"Okay." The receptionist had never encountered a challenger who suddenly gave up before, but her strong mental resilience allowed her to understand.
The Karate Master was furious, blaming that chatty Psychic for his bad luck in landing on the Ghost-type. How could he have possibly drawn the Ghost-type otherwise?
Damn it! This is so unfair!
"Hah~ Just admit your own bad luck. How can you blame me?" The Psychic spread his hands, feigning innocence, while silently cursing the Karate Master to land on the Dark-type.
What a joke! The Karate Master must be out of his mind. Doesn't he know that I am a noble Psychic, one in a thousand? I am the chosen one!
"A brute who only relies on brute force—let me show you what true luck is."
And then…
"This doesn't make sense! There's no way I could've drawn the Dark-type!"
The Psychic's eyes widened in disbelief, his face turning ashen, as the spinning wheel's pointer landed squarely on the black Dark-type section.
"I seriously doubt this spinning wheel is fair!" The Psychic voiced his suspicions.
"Mr. Psychic, I understand your frustration, but you were the one who pressed the button."
"Would you still like to start the battle?" The receptionist maintained her sweet smile, her expression unwavering.
After two months of experience, she had seen all kinds of challengers. She'd even witnessed someone faint from anger during a battle. Compared to that, this minor complaint was nothing.
"Hmph, only a fool would fight against a Dark-type."
The Psychic's face contorted, but in the end, he scoffed dismissively. What self-respecting Psychic-type Trainer would want to battle against a Dark-type lineup?
"Hahaha! That's hilarious!" The Karate Master laughed openly, clutching his stomach.
"Right back at you," the Psychic retorted with a cold smile.
"…"
Seeing that two of the four challengers had already dropped out before the battle even began, the older woman wondered if it was time to leave. The bird keeper beside her was equally baffled by their companions' behavior.
"Are you guys here to clown around?"
Suddenly, a mocking voice came from behind them—it was Gary, his expression filled with arrogance.
Who is this guy? He's so arrogant! The Karate Master and the others looked annoyed.
Gary paid no attention to their glares and calmly approached the spinning wheel machine, exuding a boss-like aura.
"Mr. Gary, are you here to challenge the Gym today as well?"
The receptionist's gaze was a bit unusual. She couldn't believe he dared to return. She still remembered how devastated Gary looked after Blue was defeated by Darkrai last time.
"Where I fall is where I'll get back up. That's the Oak family's creed! Today, I will definitely win the Rota Badge!" Gary confidently flicked his hair, speaking calmly.
Of course, only Gary knew if that was truly the Oak family's creed.
"Gary, you're so cool~!"
"Gary, you're amazing!"
Gary's cheerleader girlfriends excitedly waved their arms.
"Tch~ This guy is so annoying!"
"Usually, the more arrogant they are, the harder they fall!"
The Karate Master and the Psychic whispered to each other.
"Well then, please proceed." The receptionist nearly lost her composure but maintained her professionalism, gesturing for Gary to go ahead.
Gary's expression turned serious as he pressed the button.
As long as it's not Ghost-type! Ghost-type Pokémon are rare, and even fewer Trainers specialize in them.
Gary didn't have much experience battling Ghost-type Pokémon, so it would be troublesome if he landed on that type.
But…
"Congratulations, Mr. Gary. You landed on the Ghost-type. I'll go get the Gym Leader."
The receptionist's sweet smile remained as she turned to walk toward the backyard.
Gary's expression grew serious, and he wanted to cut off his hand. How could he land on that one-third chance?
But it was fine! Gary steadied himself—after all, it was just the Ghost-type. This time, he would definitely win!
Third time's the charm—he had already lost twice, so it had to work this time!
Before long, Dylan, dressed in his usual black attire, arrived. When he saw Gary, he immediately smiled brightly.
"Mr. Gary, it's been a while. I've missed you."
Dylan greeted Gary like an old friend, smiling warmly.
He had a strong impression of Gary, not just because of his memories from the anime in his previous life, but because Gary was his first challenger!
Seeing Dylan's enthusiastic demeanor, Gary's eyelid twitched. Something felt off.
Indeed, something was off. Dylan had never been this friendly before—something was definitely up.
"I was visiting other regions for a few days. I didn't expect to run into you as soon as I got back. It seems we're quite fated," Dylan said with a sigh.
"Heh heh heh… Maybe." Gary chuckled dryly.
No, I don't want this fate at all. I just want your Gym Badge.
Gary discreetly rolled his eyes. If we're really so fated, why don't you change the type to Dark or Poison?
After some polite exchanges, the two entered the battle arena.
"We now begin the battle for the Ghost-type Rota Badge. The challenger is Gary from Pallet Town."
"The battle rules are 2v2. The Gym Leader will go first and cannot switch Pokémon. The winner is the first to defeat both of the opponent's Pokémon."
The referee announced the battle rules.
While everyone was focused on the arena, a brown-haired girl wearing a black fitted top and navy blue denim shorts walked into the Gym, curiously glancing around.
"If my opponent is you, Mr. Gary, I suppose I don't need to introduce myself."
"Today, I will be battling you with Ghost-type Pokémon."
Dylan elegantly adjusted his collar, smiling at Gary across the battlefield.
"Mr. Gary, do you know about Ghost-types? They often lurk in unknown forests, castles, and graveyards, silently bringing surprises to people."
"They love to play tricks, and their mysterious powers make them formidable!"
"So, Mr. Gary, please experience the fear that comes from Ghost-types."
Dylan enlarged the Poké Ball at his fingertips and threw it with a flick of his wrist.
"Misdreavus, prepare for battle!"
With an eerie, ethereal wail, a dark green Pokémon floated before Dylan, its mouth curved into an innocent smile as it stared at Gary. It looked quite cute.
But Gary wasn't fooled—this was Dylan's Pokémon, after all.
"Ninetales! It's up to you!"
After careful consideration, Gary sent out the Pokémon he had meticulously chosen.
With a flash of white light, a magnificent golden fox landed gracefully in front of Gary.
Its fur was a pale yellow, its scarlet eyes piercing, its body well-proportioned with an air of nobility and elegance, and its nine fox tails were exceptionally beautiful.
This was the Ninetales that had evolved from Vulpix!
"Wow~ What a gorgeous fox."
At some point, Lillie had also arrived at the audience area, her eyes sparkling as she admired the Ninetales on the field.
So beautiful!
'Beep~ Ninetales, Fire-type, the Fox Pokémon
Ability: Flash Fire
Moves: Quick Attack, Flamethrower, Confuse Ray, Fire Spin, Safeguard, Will-O-Wisp, Extrasensory, Nasty Plot, Roar (Inherited)
Description: Intelligent and vengeful, it is said that anyone who touches its tails will be cursed for a thousand years.'
This guy's strength seems to have improved a lot, huh?
Looking at the information on Ninetales, the receptionist was quite surprised. She actually remembered very clearly.
When Gary first came to challenge the gym, his strength was pretty average, and his arrogance was off-putting.
But after two months, this guy's strength had indeed improved a lot.
"Why bring Ninetales to challenge the Rota Gym?" The karate master and his group were also watching the match, and the karate master was a bit puzzled.
This annoying kid shouldn't be challenging for the first time, right? Ninetales, a Fire-type, doesn't have an advantage over Poison or Dark-types.
"I don't know, maybe he has his own reasons," the woman shrugged. Compared to Ninetales, she was more curious about the gym leader Dylan's Pokémon. After all, the Ghost-type team was only introduced in the 'new version' today.
'Beep~ Misdreavus, Ghost and Night-Scream Pokémon
Ability: Levitate
Moves: Pain Split, Psybeam, Hex, Mean Look, Confuse Ray, Destiny Bond, Curse, Protect…'
Those moves…
The woman's eyelids twitched.
"Challenger goes first."
Dylan raised an eyebrow as he looked at Ninetales and gestured for Gary to start.
"Then I won't be polite!" Gary had no intention of holding back.
"Gym Leader Dylan, let me show you the results of my efforts to defeat you! I'm a Trainer who survived through Blue's intense training!"
When Gary thought about the days of brutal training with Blue, he felt a bit nauseous.
But there was no doubt, the training was effective. Not only did Gary's Pokémon learn many new moves from Blue's Pokémon, but Gary's own battle awareness had also improved significantly.
"Ninetales! Safeguard!"
When challenging the Rota Gym, guarding against status conditions is necessary—this was hard-earned experience for Gary.
Ninetales howled, and mysterious waves continually merged into its body.
The Normal-type move Safeguard would protect Ninetales from status conditions, including confusion and sleep.
"Not bad." Dylan nodded in satisfaction, seeing this. Gary finally understood this.
Dylan indeed liked to use various status conditions to weaken his opponents. After all, status conditions were simple and effective, often having miraculous effects.
"Mean Look." Dylan smiled and gave the command without attacking immediately.
Misdreavus's eyes glowed with black light, and a dark shadow quietly appeared under Ninetales, locking it in place.
Safeguard couldn't prevent the trapping effect of Mean Look.
"Ninetales, Flamethrower!"
Gary wasn't too concerned. Mean Look was annoying, but as long as he could defeat Misdreavus, it would be fine!
"Dodge, then use Curse," Dylan smiled calmly.
"What?"
Gary frowned. Starting with Curse? But it wouldn't work, right? The Ghost-type Curse shouldn't affect Ninetales, given that it's under Safeguard.
Ninetales shot a stream of intense flames toward the floating Misdreavus.
A Fire-type Flamethrower!
But such a straightforward attack was hard to hit Misdreavus, who easily evaded it and then glowed with eerie energy. An ancient, decayed nail appeared before Misdreavus, slowly piercing into its own body. Misdreavus showed a painful expression as if enduring great agony.
The Ghost-type move Curse! It sacrifices a large amount of its own HP to put the opponent in a cursed state, where the opponent loses HP periodically—far worse than being poisoned!
The decayed nail completely entered Misdreavus's body, and a gray aura shot toward Ninetales at high speed.
Ninetales didn't even have time to react before the gray aura reached it, but the mysterious waves on its body blocked the curse.
"?" Seeing this, Gary was puzzled and looked at Dylan.
Did Dylan forget that Safeguard can block the curse? That can't be right.
"Mr. Gary, are you confused?"
"Yes, in my eyes, Gym Leader Dylan, you're not the kind of third-rate Trainer who forgets the effects of moves." Gary couldn't understand.
"Don't worry, Mr. Gary, you'll understand soon." Dylan chuckled.
"I'm showing you the full process."
"The full process?"
Gary was taken aback.
"Misdreavus, Pain Split."
Misdreavus chanted softly, its eyes glowing with eerie blue light.
Gary's pupils contracted!
The Normal-type move Pain Split adds the user's HP to the opponent's HP and then divides it equally between them.
This is indeed friendly... Friendly, my foot!
My Ninetales was at full health, and your Misdreavus was already half dead from using Curse. You're outright robbing Ninetales of its HP!!
Is this a Ghost-type? This is outright robbery!!
Only now did Gary understand what Dylan meant by the full process.
Lock them in with Mean Look, Curse yourself to curse them, then rob their HP with Pain Split, and finally, just wait for the curse to slowly drain them.
Alright, alright, alright!
If I hadn't been smart enough to start with Safeguard, I'd already be waiting to die, wouldn't I?
(End of the chapter)
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