"Only the strength I can show…"
Reggie looked at the Poké Ball in his hand with a hint of confusion. He couldn't understand this.
He was a generally skilled challenger, having traveled through several regions before deciding to challenge the Indigo Plateau Conference.
Reggie himself was a candidate for the Champion position, but he could never find his true battle spirit.
So, he challenged Brandon, but Brandon's strength was far beyond his imagination. Reggie couldn't even win a single match and suffered a crushing defeat.
Brandon's words after the battle threw Reggie into complete confusion.
Reggie tightly gripped his Poké Ball and pressed his lips together. He needed a decision.
"Now we will begin the gym battle for the Rota Badge. The challenger is Reggie from the Sinnoh region."
"The battle will be 3-on-3. The gym leader cannot switch Pokémon, and the match ends when one side's three Pokémon are all unable to battle."
"Begin!"
After the referee announced the rules, he slowly left the battlefield, leaving Dylan and Reggie standing opposite each other.
At this moment, no one noticed a tall figure slowly walking in through the gym entrance. A black cloak fluttered behind him as he sat in the stands, calmly watching the two about to begin their battle.
"Mr. Reggie, I can feel that you should be a mature trainer."
"But please allow me to introduce myself."
Dylan loosened his collar and smiled at Reggie.
Reggie remained silent.
"My name is Dylan, and I am the owner of this Rota Gym. I am a multi-type trainer."
Dylan raised his arm, the Poké Ball in his palm slowly enlarging.
"But today, I will use a Poison-type lineup to battle you. You should have faced Poison-type trainers before."
"So, please experience firsthand how my Poison-type Pokémon differ from other Poison-type trainers."
"My first Pokémon will be this one."
Dylan threw the Poké Ball in his hand.
"Salazzle!"
A flash of white light revealed a tall, enchanting black lizard with an eerie and malevolent aura, standing in front of Dylan, slowly raising its upper body to stare at Reggie.
It was Salazzle, the evolution of Salandit.
Reggie was not just some weakling; he was quite skilled. Although he was crushed by Brandon, Brandon was a special case. He was the Pyramid King who had captured the legendary Pokémon Regirock! While Brandon might not be as strong as regional champions, he was definitely at a champion level.
'Beep~ Salazzle, Poison/Fire-type, Toxic Lizard Pokémon.
Ability: Corrosion
Moves: Fire Lash, Dragon Pulse, Venoshock, Toxic, Nasty Plot, Flamethrower, Sludge Wave, Swagger, Fake Out…
It's said that during fights between Salazzle, the one with more male Salandit followers is the winner.'
Paul, sitting in the stands, opened his Pokédex and silently read Salazzle's information. He was also a new trainer this year.
He had specifically followed Reggie to Kanto to watch his brother's battle, but what he saw was his brother Reggie being completely crushed, leading to Reggie's 'depression.'
Since that incident, Paul, who was already quite reserved, became even more silent.
"Salazzle, huh?"
Reggie forced his attention back to the battle and, after a moment's thought, threw out his first Pokémon.
Reggie wasn't familiar with Alolan Pokémon like Salazzle, but he knew its typing. And since it was a Poison-type…
"Drapion! Come out and battle!"
Reggie's voice was cold as he released his first Pokémon.
A strong Drapion landed heavily in front of Reggie, waving its pincers in a show of force against Salazzle.
Salazzle narrowed its long eyes, staring intently at Drapion.
"Hey, it's a Drapion!" The receptionist was surprised to see Drapion.
"Well, they are from Sinnoh after all, but this Drapion…" Selene carefully observed Reggie's Drapion.
"It's not as big as the gym leader's, and it doesn't have the same aura."
Selene made her assessment. Reggie's Drapion seemed to be of standard size, standing about 1.3 meters tall and 3 meters long, but Dylan's Drapion was clearly better developed.
While size doesn't always determine strength, larger Pokémon generally indicate good development and strength.
Paul, sitting not far from the two girls, overheard their conversation and his eyes flickered slightly.
On the battlefield.
"Drapion, use Earthquake!" Reggie ordered coldly.
Drapion roared, raising its pincers to use Earthquake.
Salazzle, being Poison/Fire-type, was four times weak to Ground!
"Fake Out!"
But Salazzle's eyes flashed with black light, moving like a phantom and striking Drapion with incredible speed!
Normal-type Fake Out!
Bang~!
Salazzle's claws slammed into Drapion's head, causing it to grunt and take two steps back, raising its pincers to shield its face.
It flinched! Because of the flinch, Drapion couldn't use Earthquake.
Reggie frowned, but there was nothing he could do. Fake Out's power isn't high, but it's a priority move that only works when first used, giving it an extremely high priority.
"Toxic!" Dylan's lips curled into a slight smile.
"What?"
Reggie was stunned, then his expression changed.
Salazzle opened its mouth and shot a glob of dark purple poison towards Drapion. Drapion, having just recovered from the flinch and being large, couldn't dodge.
The toxic sludge hit Drapion's face directly, causing it to roar in anger.
But in the next moment, the toxic sludge seeped into Drapion's body.
Seconds later, eerie, dark purple light began to emanate from Drapion's body, causing sinister poison spots to appear on its skin.
Drapion doubled over in pain, the intense agony of the toxic effect evident.
"Corrosion ability, huh?" Reggie was an experienced trainer and had heard of the Corrosion ability, which allows Poison-type moves to affect Steel and Poison-type Pokémon. However, this was his first encounter with it.
This was going to be tough…
Reggie frowned deeply at his poisoned Drapion.
"Drapion, use Rock Slide!"
But Reggie quickly calmed down. Even though Drapion was poisoned, it could still fight. The initial damage from Toxic wasn't too high, so Drapion could continue battling.
Hearing Reggie's command, Drapion endured the discomfort and its pincers glowed as it summoned rocks to hurl at Salazzle.
Rock-type Rock Slide! Also effective against Salazzle.
"Dodge," Dylan ordered casually.
Salazzle, supporting itself with one claw, elegantly and swiftly dodged the incoming rocks with ease.
Salazzle prided itself on its special attack and agility!
Such straightforward Rock Slides wouldn't hit Dylan's Salazzle even if attempted ten times.
"Flamethrower!"
Swiftly moving to Drapion's side, Salazzle gathered a bright red flame in its mouth and unleashed a fierce stream of fire.
Boom!
The Flamethrower hit Drapion directly, exploding in a burst of flames and heat.
"Gym leader brother, you're amazing!"
Seeing Dylan gaining the upper hand, the receptionist cheered excitedly.
"Indeed~" Selene's sweet face was full of pride and joy, smiling brightly. This was her teacher, after all! Paul remained stoic, lost in thought.
"Earthquake!!"
Reggie's tone was already tinged with frustration.
Drapion tried to use Earthquake again, but at that moment, dark purple light flashed over its body again, causing it to groan in pain.
The second wave of Toxic!
Reggie's expression turned grim; this was not good.
"Another Flamethrower."
Dylan remained calm and composed.
Salazzle, without moving, unleashed another scorching stream of flames.
Boom! The Flamethrower exploded on Drapion, causing it to roar in pain. The air was filled with heat waves.
Reggie's eyes darkened. He couldn't believe one of his main Pokémon, Drapion, was being defeated like this!
And now, with the second wave of Toxic, the damage would increase each turn. Drapion was already in bad shape and couldn't continue fighting.
"Return. You've let me down."
Reggie recalled Drapion, speaking coldly to its Poké Ball. He never 'spared' his 'praise' for losing Pokémon.
Dylan raised an eyebrow.
Compared to the original Paul's classic 'Return, you useless thing,' Dylan thought Reggie was quite restrained.
"Staraptor!"
Reggie threw out his second Poké Ball.
A handsome bird Pokémon took to the skies, the Normal/Flying-type Staraptor.
Had Drapion not been poisoned, it wouldn't have fallen into such a disadvantage so quickly. But now with Staraptor, it wouldn't be so easy for the gym leader to poison it.
"Staraptor! Use Aerial Ace!"
Reggie decisively launched an attack, confident in Staraptor's agility.
Staraptor executed a swift aerial maneuver, diving rapidly towards Salazzle.
But…
"Swagger."
Salazzle stood up on its hind legs, striking a pose with an evil smirk, eyes narrowing.
Normal-type Swagger!
"Staraptor!" Reggie's face fell.
A mysterious wave spread out as Staraptor's Aerial Ace hit Salazzle, knocking it back with a pained cry. Staraptor landed gracefully, its eyes shimmering with black and white light.
It was confused!
Reggie's face turned ashen. What kind of luck was this?
He had high expectations for this Pokémon, but now…
His beloved Staraptor had become confused from Swagger. What were the chances?
Dylan's face remained serene as he gave a new command.
"Sludge Wave."
Indeed, it is not easy for the poison to hit the flying and agile Staraptor, but wouldn't it be enough as long as the conditions are created?
As for the issue of how the bluffing allowed Staraptor to increase his physical attack by two levels...
Funny, not to mention that Staraptor is still confused; even if it weren't, could it even hit Salazzle, who was intentionally dodging and defending?
Salazzle's long, narrow mouth almost reached the corner of its eye, looking extremely sinister.
A puddle of dark purple poison was spat out by Salazzle, shooting straight at the wobbling Staraptor.
"Staraptor! Dodge it quickly!"
Reggie immediately shouted.
But to Reggie's dismay, Staraptor was still wobbling, not hearing his command at all.
Under Reggie's ashen face, the toxic attack successfully hit Staraptor, poisoning it.
Already confused and now poisoned too, this...
How can this be fought?!!!
Reggie felt his vision blur and his head spin; he even started doubting his life.
How could challenging a gym be this difficult? Was he really this weak?
Reggie's face turned pale as he dejectedly looked at the ground, his mind completely muddled.
Dylan looked at Reggie, who was hanging his head, feeling dejected, and couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
It seemed he had made the challenger shut down. How was he supposed to handle this situation? No one ever taught him that...
(End of Chapter)