Chapter 130: Chapter 131: Gengar
Although she technically defeated Ceruledge, Erika couldn't be happy. It was a two-for-one trade!
And Jumpluff, who had been in perfect condition, was taken down—it was a major loss.
"Dylan is truly a master…" Flint, who had been silent for a long time in the audience, finally sighed, full of genuine admiration.
"Dylan completely grasped Erika's psychology. He predicted that Erika would be cautious of Destiny Bond, so he gambled that she wouldn't dare to let Jumpluff attack Ceruledge with the first Solar Beam."
It was a wild gamble! And he hit the mark.
A trainer with this kind of gambler's mentality, combined with Destiny Bond, was too formidable when it worked.
Destiny Bond might be a buggy move, but making it work against an excellent trainer who was on guard wasn't easy. Yet based on what just happened, Dylan was a master at it!
"The title of 'The Wicked Ghost' really suits him," Flint added, still in awe, admitting his own inferiority.
No wonder people online referred to the Roto Gym as "The Wicked Ghost Gym." Even an experienced gym leader like Erika had fallen for Dylan's tricks.
Let alone regular challengers.
"Compared to Dylan, those challengers are just out of their league."
"Exactly. Many of them try to mimic Dylan's tactics, but imitation only gets them so far. To truly master it, they'd have to put in a lot of effort. And let's not forget, Dylan's mind and his nerves of steel are something ordinary people can't replicate."
Flint and the others continued discussing.
On the battlefield...
Erika had already regained her composure. Although she was at a disadvantage, it wasn't a big deal; after all, this was just a friendly spar.
"It seems Miss Erika has recovered. Now, for my second Pokémon—it's this one."
Sensing the shift in Erika's emotions, Dylan praised her and casually tossed out his second Pokéball.
"Gengar! Prepare for battle!"
A flash of light revealed a shadow on the ground in front of Dylan, and from that shadow leaped a gray-black Gengar. It grinned wickedly with its orange-yellow eyes, full of malice, glaring at Erika.
It was none other than Gengar, a Ghost/Poison-type Pokémon!
"A Gengar? But this color..."
Erika instantly recognized the Pokémon. After all, Gengar was one of the most famous Ghost-types in the Kanto region.
Gengar was also the signature Pokémon of Agatha, one of the Elite Four, known to everyone.
'Beep~ Gengar, Ghost/Poison-type, the Shadow Pokémon.
Ability: Cursed Body
Moves: Shadow Ball, Hypnosis, Dream Eater, Destiny Bond, Perish Song, Hex, Mean Look, Pain Split...
Description: On a full moon night, if your shadow moves on its own and grins at you, it's definitely Gengar's doing.'
This Gengar was strong.
Looking at the data of Dylan's shiny Gengar, Daisy was already beginning to worry about Erika.
"Mr. Dylan?"
Erika had seen Gengar many times before, but this one was clearly different. The color was off!
Gengar was usually a deep purple with blood-red eyes, but Dylan's Gengar was gray-black.
"Yes, this one's shiny," Dylan smiled, introducing it.
This was the shiny Gengar that evolved from the shiny Gastly given to him by none other than Proton!
"So that's it. Mr. Dylan, you're really lucky," Erika sighed. Shiny Pokémon were incredibly rare, and Gengar was a strong Pokémon in its own right.
"I'm grateful for the support of two friends. Without them, I wouldn't have this shiny Gengar."
Dylan also sighed, his words filled with gratitude toward those two friends.
Ah yes, he had to thank Proton and Archer—they were truly incredible!
Erika was curious. Who were these two friends of Dylan's, gifting him a shiny Gengar? That was beyond generous!
Gengar was already a powerful Pokémon, and as a Ghost-type, it was rare. But a shiny Gengar? That level of rarity was even higher than pseudo-legendary Pokémon.
After all, shiny Pokémon were something you could only come across by chance. They were genuinely rare, even the Pokémon League would have trouble finding one.
"Gym Leader Erika, you'd better be careful. My Gengar is much harder to deal with than Ceruledge," Dylan kindly warned Erika, smiling.
Compared to Ceruledge, Gengar was much more troublesome.
While Ceruledge was more suited to direct combat, Gengar excelled not only in battle strength but also in its vast array of tricky tactics.
"Kehehahaha~"
Gengar grinned menacingly, its mouth seeming larger than its body.
"I understand." Erika's eyes grew serious.
"Vileplume!"
After a moment of thought, Erika sent out her Vileplume.
Gengar was a Poison-type, and Dylan was famous for his expertise with Poison-types. Erika knew she had to be cautious.
Vileplume, being a Grass/Poison-type, wouldn't be affected by poison.
"A wise choice," Dylan nodded in approval.
"As usual, Gym Leader Erika, you may take the first move." Dylan maintained his gentlemanly demeanor, and as the challenger, Erika was entitled to the first attack.
"Vileplume, use Weather Ball!"
Erika wasted no time. Although Vileplume was immune to poison, its matchup against Gengar was still poor.
Both of Vileplume's Grass and Poison moves were ineffective against Gengar, and it didn't have many other options.
Luckily, it was still sunny, which activated Vileplume's Chlorophyll ability, and Weather Ball became a Fire-type move.
With a low growl, Vileplume summoned a ball of light, which quickly condensed sunlight into a Weather Ball that shot toward Gengar at high speed.
In the bright sunlight, Weather Ball became a Fire-type move, and its power doubled!
"Dodge and get close," Dylan said with a faint smile.
Gengar grinned and slowly sank into the shadow on the ground, easily dodging the Weather Ball. The black shadow then slid swiftly toward Vileplume.
Gengar possessed a shadow-based ability similar to Darkrai's, an innate talent of the Gengar line.
"Vileplume, use Dazzling Gleam!" Erika immediately commanded Vileplume upon seeing this.
Vileplume's body glowed with pink light, sending out beams of Dazzling Gleam in all directions.
Fairy-type Dazzling Gleam! Though not very effective against Gengar, it forced it out of its shadow form.
The beams struck the ground, and Gengar, unable to approach, reappeared and floated back up.
"Mean Look." Gengar's eyes glowed with an eerie black light, and Vileplume's shadow was cast over with a layer of darkness.
Vileplume couldn't be withdrawn anymore.
"Vileplume, use Sweet Scent."
Erika furrowed her brow. Mean Look was one of Dylan's commonly used moves. She had paid particular attention to this while studying the Roto Gym.
The large red flower on Vileplume's head released a pink mist, spreading toward Gengar.
"Curse." Dylan's smile grew wider. Did Erika think that stopping Gengar from getting close was enough? Too naive.
He could have Gengar attack with special moves, but Dylan didn't prefer that in a gym battle. After all, the point of a gym battle was to let the challenger enjoy the experience, right?
The plump purple figure—wait, no, it should be the plump gray Gengar—let out a sinister laugh as its body rose, and a decaying nail, exuding a foreboding aura, appeared in front of Gengar.
A Ghost-type Curse!
Ding~ Ding~ Ding~ The ancient cursed nail hammered into Gengar's body one strike at a time. Gengar's face contorted with pain, letting out cries of agony, but within the cries was an eerie sense of enjoyment.
Daisy and her two sisters, hearing this, crossed their arms as goosebumps covered their skin. "Is this Gengar an Masochist?" they wondered. "Why does it enjoy self-inflicted pain from the curse?"
A sweet fragrance drifted in, and Gengar inhaled deeply. Its expression twisted, a mix of pain and pleasure—a truly disturbing and terrifying sight.
"Weather Ball!"
Vileplume let out a low growl, and a fiery Weather Ball formed, shooting toward Gengar at high speed.
Boom! The Weather Ball struck Gengar, and flames erupted. Gengar was pushed back, but since the Fire-type Weather Ball wasn't super effective, Gengar could withstand it, even in its weakened state.
However, Gengar's energy noticeably weakened further. The self-inflicted damage from the Curse was taking a toll.
But the curse had already been cast. The gray aura flashed like lightning and struck Vileplume.
A sharp pain surged through Vileplume, and a chilling gray-black glow enveloped its body, causing it to bend over in agony. The Ghost-type Curse had taken hold.
"Pain Split," Dylan said, his smile eerily similar to Gengar's.
Gengar's mouth stretched into a wide grin as white light surrounded it.
The Normal-type move Pain Split! It combines the HP of both Pokémon, splitting it evenly between them.
"Vileplume!" Erika's expression shifted dramatically.
Vileplume's body glowed with the same white light. Two energy orbs floated from Vileplume and Gengar, merging in mid-air, then splitting evenly before returning to their respective Pokémon.
"Kehehe~"
Gengar raised its head in satisfaction as its injuries healed noticeably, but Vileplume was left significantly weakened.
Erika's face darkened. Pain Split only resulted in Vileplume sharing Gengar's pain!
How disgusting! Gengar was clearly a strong special attacker, so why was Dylan using it like this?
Stay calm, Erika, you need to stay calm! She glanced up. The sunny weather was still lingering, but it wouldn't last long.
"Vileplume, use Moonlight!" Erika commanded.
Vileplume, now weakened by Pain Split, needed to recover quickly.
And the Fairy-type Moonlight would do the trick, especially under the sunny sky, where its healing effect was greatly enhanced.
"Gengar, use Encore," Dylan said with a soft chuckle.
"???" Erika stared at Dylan, her eyes wide with disbelief.
Is he even human?
"Kehehe~"
Gengar howled wildly, its short arms clapping toward Vileplume, releasing a mysterious pulse.
Vileplume, about to use Moonlight, was instead compelled to fire another Weather Ball.
The Fire-type Weather Ball shot toward the plump gray Gengar. Despite the lingering sweet scent, Gengar barely dodged the attack.
Erika fell silent.
Once the Weather Ball ended, the gray aura once again enveloped Vileplume. The Ghost-type Curse continued to ravage Vileplume's body, causing it to groan in pain.
"Hypnosis."
Dylan smiled faintly.
Gengar's plump body flew quickly toward Vileplume, getting right in its face. Vileplume looked up, locking eyes with Gengar.
Mysterious waves of Hypnosis rippled out, and Vileplume's eyes grew heavy, its head drooping as it fell into a deep sleep.
With a thud, Vileplume collapsed to the ground, fast asleep under the effects of the Psychic-type move Hypnosis.
Erika remained silent.
"Dream Eater."
Gengar hovered before the sleeping Vileplume, laughing sinisterly as a blue light gleamed in its eyes. A ghostly apparition of Gengar shot out, passing through Vileplume's body.
The Psychic-type move Dream Eater!
The attack hit perfectly, and even though Vileplume was asleep, its body trembled with pain, its expression twisted in agony.
The shadowy Gengar figure returned to its original body. Gengar tilted its head back, relishing the meal, its health recovering significantly. Dream Eater is a move that restores the user's HP.
The classic Hypnosis + Dream Eater combo.
Vileplume, having its dreams devoured, now had swirly eyes and was completely unable to battle.
Ever since Gengar used Encore, Erika had been silent, staring at her fainted Vileplume for quite some time. Her delicate fists clenched and unclenched, finally letting out a soft, resigned smile.
Recalling her defeated Vileplume, Erika looked at Dylan. After a moment of thought, she finally spoke, cautiously.
"Mr. Dylan, I have to ask... do you always treat your challengers like this? Have they ever... um, hit you?"
Erika really wanted to know—had Dylan ever been attacked in real life for treating challengers this way?
Dylan: ???
(End of chapter)
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