Gary quickly figured out the strategy, and his expression grew quite serious.
Two beams of white light flew out from Misdreavus and Ninetales, merging in mid-air before equally splitting and returning to both Pokémon.
Pain Split was complete.
Misdreavus let out a satisfied chirp, visibly looking much better, but Ninetales, on the other hand, seemed to be much weaker.
Being forced to share pain with Misdreavus had drained a lot of Ninetales' stamina.
"This... hiss~ that's really vicious!"
The spectators, including the woman, were all tongue-tied. Anyone who wasn't prepared or didn't know what to expect would likely be tricked by Misdreavus.
"It really is unorthodox! Thank goodness my grandmother is getting married this afternoon, otherwise, I'd be the one in that battle."
The karate master felt fortunate. His Machoke didn't have any mysterious protection; if he had to face off against Dylan's Ghost-type Pokémon...
The karate master could feel his anger boiling over just thinking about it, but watching the battle from a bystander's perspective felt much more satisfying—he even wanted to laugh.
However, as soon as he finished speaking, he noticed everyone around him was looking at him.
"What's wrong?" The karate master was a bit puzzled by the way they were staring at him.
On the battlefield:
"Ninetales, use Psychic!"
Gary's face wasn't looking good. Being taken advantage of by Misdreavus like that had put him in a bad mood.
A blue light flashed in Ninetales' eyes, and an invisible psychic force surged towards Misdreavus.
The Psychic-type move, Psychic.
Psychic-type moves don't have an advantage over Ghost-types. After all, Misdreavus isn't like Gengar, which also carries a Poison-type. If it were possible, Gary would prefer Ninetales to attack with its Fire-type moves, but hitting Misdreavus with fire was too difficult.
Psychic, being a formless attack, was actually easier to land—or so it seemed.
"Leave your spot," Dylan said with a smile in his eyes.
"Use Curse again."
Misdreavus immediately slid backward, and the ominous ancient nail appeared before it once more.
Ding~ ding~
"Yao~"
The eerie sound of the decayed nail driving into Misdreavus's body echoed in everyone's ears. Misdreavus's expression was a mix of pain and unsettling pleasure, emitting a ghostly cry.
This bizarre scene and the morbid cry left the spectators feeling uneasy, even a bit horrified.
"Ninetales! Use Flamethrower to sweep it!" Gary unhesitatingly ordered Ninetales to use Flamethrower.
Ninetales gathered a dense flame in its mouth, shooting a hot stream of fire toward the floating Misdreavus.
But Misdreavus had already completed the Curse, and the gray aura quickly shot towards Ninetales, only to be blocked by Ninetales' Safeguard.
After using Curse for the second time, it was obvious that Misdreavus's energy was now very weak. If it hadn't been for the Pain Split sharing Ninetales' stamina, this second Curse would have knocked Misdreavus out of the battle.
However, despite its poor condition, Misdreavus's eyes were still gleaming with excitement, almost as if it were enjoying itself.
As Flamethrower closed in, Misdreavus let out a sharp, eerie laugh, gracefully dodging the continuous stream of flames.
Crazy! Why are you laughing so happily? Is there something wrong with you? Is your Trainer forcing you to hurt yourself? And yet you're acting as if you're on some kind of high?
Misdreavus's taunting cries were making Gary more and more frustrated, but he couldn't think of a solution at the moment.
"No, this Misdreavus is very agile, clearly trained specifically for evasion. It's going to be hard for Ninetales to hit it from the ground."
The woman tried to put herself in Gary's shoes, and her expression had already turned extremely grim.
"That's why having a Pokémon that can fly is so important. If Ninetales could fly, Misdreavus wouldn't be able to act so recklessly," said the Bird Keeper matter-of-factly.
"Do you have a way to deal with Misdreavus's tactics?" the Psychic sneered at the Bird Keeper.
"Not at the moment," the Bird Keeper shrugged.
The Psychic rolled his eyes. "Then what's the point of saying all that?"
"Pain Split."
On the battlefield, Dylan had already issued another order.
Misdreavus continued to retreat, its eyes glowing with a strange light. Once again, two white orbs emerged from both Misdreavus and Ninetales, merging in mid-air.
It was clear that Misdreavus's orb was only the size of a thumb, while Ninetales's orb was still as large as a fist.
The two orbs fused together, then evenly split and returned to Misdreavus and Ninetales.
"Woo..."
An empty, fatigued feeling instantly filled Ninetales, making its legs nearly give out.
On the other hand, Misdreavus instantly recovered, becoming even more energetic, its cries more powerful!
Damn!!
Gary was starting to lose his cool. How can it be so disgusting? Are you just messing around doing sit-ups? One moment you're weak, and the next you're fine?
But my Ninetales hasn't even been attacked, and it's already close to fainting!
Gary's expression turned as dark as could be. In his previous two challenges against Dylan, his Pokémon at least managed to land some attacks, but this time, Misdreavus hadn't used a single offensive move!
Yet somehow, his Ninetales was already in terrible shape. Sure, Misdreavus was also in poor condition, but it's not the same!
Misdreavus was weakened by self-inflicted damage, but Ninetales wasn't!
"Is this how brother usually deals with challengers?"
Lillie's delicate face looked very strange as she asked the receptionist and Selene, who were watching intently.
Although she had seen Dylan battle Zinnia back in Meteor Village and knew that Dylan's battles were all about tactics and strategy...
Did Ghost-type battles really have to be so... underhanded?
Lillie couldn't shake the feeling that the young challenger was probably cursing her brother in his mind right now—his face had turned completely dark!
"Emmm… I think so," the receptionist pondered for a moment, tilting her head before confirming.
Lillie: (—)
My brother must have his reasons for doing this!
Lillie thought to herself, convinced that her brother, who was usually so warm and sunny, must be using this battle style to better temper the challengers!
Meanwhile, on the battlefield:
"Ninetales! Quick Attack," Gary gritted his teeth and commanded Ninetales.
He had to take a risk, and with Safeguard's effect about to wear off, Dylan surely wouldn't let Ninetales use it so easily again.
Ninetales sprang forward, its limbs moving in unison as white light flashed from behind it, leaping quickly towards the airborne Misdreavus.
The Normal-type move Quick Attack—it was a priority move!
Even though Normal-type moves don't affect Ghost-types, Gary was just using Quick Attack to boost Ninetales's speed.
"So, you finally couldn't hold back," Dylan chuckled softly.
"But wanting to get close now, Mr. Gary, it's already a bit too late."
"Misdreavus, Hex."
Misdreavus slid backward, while above it, a purplish-red energy condensed into a massive, eerie eyeball shape.
One after another, ghostly purple rings shot out, aiming at the charging Ninetales.
The Ghost-type move Hex!
Although Ninetales wasn't in a status condition, which would double Hex's power, the move itself was still decently powerful—especially since Hex launches multiple attacks.
With the speed boost from Quick Attack, Ninetales moved swiftly, dodging the oncoming rings of Hex by tilting its head and twisting its body, but ultimately, Ninetales couldn't fly.
Boom~!
The final hex aura found its mark, and Ninetales couldn't evade it, resulting in a direct hit on its body.
Ninetales let out a cry of pain, and Gary's expression changed slightly.
"Shadow Ball."
A ghostly black ball of shadow energy formed in front of Misdreavus and shot directly toward the falling Ninetales.
Boom!
The Shadow Ball struck Ninetales perfectly, slamming it heavily into the ground. When the dust cleared, Ninetales had lost its ability to fight.
"Ninetales is unable to battle. Misdreavus is the winner," the referee announced.
"Yay~!"
Seeing this, the three young girls were visibly delighted.
Gary's cheerleading squad exchanged silent glances. They weren't as downcast as before—getting used to something is a frightening thing.
Yes, they were already accustomed to Gary hitting a wall here.
"Mr. Gary, you acted impulsively in the end. If you had the courage to go all in, why didn't you try to get close to Misdreavus from the start?"
Dylan shook his head in disappointment as he looked at Gary.
Actually, Gary had a chance to defeat Misdreavus with Ninetales. This Ninetales had more raw power than Misdreavus and didn't need to worry about status conditions due to its safeguard.
But Gary played it safe and chose a ranged attack from the beginning. However, trying to hit a flying Misdreavus with ranged attacks is easier said than done.
If he had used Quick Attack to close the distance from the start, attacking Misdreavus up close would have been a better strategy than staying on the ground, waiting for Misdreavus to strike.
"In battle, a trainer must make crucial decisions; this is very important."
"..." Gary's face showed a hint of discomfort, but he did realize his mistake.
"Gym Leader Dylan, I made a mistake just now, but this time, I definitely won't!"
Recalling Ninetales, Gary spoke with determination.
It's okay! He still has a chance! Misdreavus is already on its last legs. What else can it do? As long as it doesn't use Pain Split again, it'll be fine!
"I'm looking forward to your performance, Mr. Gary."
Dylan smiled and gestured for Gary to send out his next Pokémon. He indeed had high expectations for Gary.
This was Gary's third challenge, but there was no doubt that each time, Gary showed significant improvement.
Although there were still some shortcomings, in Dylan's eyes, these minor flaws did not overshadow the progress Gary had made.
This was all thanks to him! Dylan felt a sense of accomplishment. After all, it was his guidance that helped Gary improve so much! He was truly a successful Gym Leader!
Yes, that must be it.
"Alakazam! Use Psybeam!"
After some thought, Gary decisively threw the Poké Ball and immediately gave a command.
If the attack is fast enough, Misdreavus won't have a chance to use Pain Split! Take it out in one go!
Dylan's expression turned strange at this.
A flash of white light, and the Alakazam Gary used last time reappeared. Its eyes glowed blue, and a colorful beam quickly shot toward Misdreavus.
An offensive Psybeam!
"Mr. Gary, do you really not understand Ghost-type Pokémon?"
"???"
Gary was taken aback. What does that mean? Dylan sighed helplessly. Was he blinded by the imminent victory? Since the opponent is a Ghost-type, shouldn't you at least be wary of that one move?
"Destiny Bond."
Misdreavus, who had been retreating to dodge Psybeam, suddenly had its eyes light up with a dark glow, locking onto Alakazam.
"Wait! Alakazam, don't!"
Gary's expression changed dramatically. The Ghost-type move Destiny Bond, in simple terms, is an extreme one-for-one move.
Moreover, Destiny Bond cannot be blocked by moves like Magic Coat or Safeguard.
But it was too late. As Misdreavus stopped dodging, the psychic wave of Psybeam directly hit Misdreavus. Misdreavus let out a cry as it was blasted away and hit the ground.
Misdreavus was unable to battle.
This was the first time Gary had defeated one of Dylan's Pokémon, but he couldn't be happy.
Because soon after, a grey aura of death swiftly shot out from Misdreavus's body and entered Alakazam, causing Alakazam, who was in perfect condition, to weaken, its eyes going blank, and it collapsed with swirls in its eyes.
Destiny Bond succeeded, taking Alakazam down with Misdreavus, both falling into a peaceful sleep.
"Misdreavus and Alakazam are both unable to battle. Since challenger Gary's two Pokémon are unable to continue, the match is awarded to Gym Leader Dylan."
The referee announced the result of the battle.
"Ghost-types are so strong~," Lillie exclaimed as she watched the two unconscious Pokémon on the field, her gaze lingering on Misdreavus, marveling from the bottom of her heart.
This Pokémon, which even looks a bit cute, is incredibly powerful!
"Right? I think so too. I've decided that I also want to catch a Ghost-type Pokémon!" Selene's eyes sparkled. Misdreavus's performance in this battle had completely opened her eyes.
And even in a very weak state, it could still go for a one-for-one! So cool!
"Selene, you haven't even finished training your Dark-type team yet."
"Oh, come on, it's fine. I'm not like the Gym Leader, who can train one or two main teams for each type. I don't have that capability. I'm planning to take the best tactics from the Gym Leader's arsenal and build the most annoying team!" Selene said, full of determination.
"Annoying?"
"Pfft, no, no, no, I meant perfect. You heard wrong."
Meanwhile, on the field, Gary was dumbfounded. Where did his big, strong Alakazam go?
This... sucks!
How could there be such an annoying move like Destiny Bond!
Gary's mind was in a daze again, looking at the fainted Alakazam and feeling dizzy.
His third challenge at the Rota Gym... had ended in another loss...
Ugh, this is the third time already!!
(End of this chapter)
Note: Go check my new work "Pokemon: Detective"