Capítulo 3: Strategy and battles
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"Are you saying that the Johto Gym Leader, Clair Chevalier, is here in Sinnoh?"
"Yes."
"And she wants a battle?"
"Yes," the messenger repeated.
"When will it be?"
"When you lose the tournament, if you lose. It will be the next day, in a standard battle arena, right here in this stadium."
I knew my statements about the champions wouldn't go unpunished, but I didn't expect it to happen so quickly.
I was in the room that the League had given me for entering this tournament. They had moved me to a larger room after I made it to the final 32.
Anyway, this is my chance to make a name for myself. If I don't accept, I'll just look like a braggart.
"Tell her I accept any challenge."
"Then my job is done. Have a nice day and good luck."
"Likewise."
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Getting Pokémon in this world was hard. I had to sell a newly discovered Mega Stone to catch a Riolu and an Eevee, both of which were difficult to find and highly sought after by humans.
As always, praise be to the power of money.
Yes, I sold a Kangaskhanite.
No, it wasn't foolish. I was never going to have a Kangaskhan.
I have Mega Stones for every Pokémon that evolves with one.
When I realized I was in a world where Fairy-type was still a theory, the first thing I did was search for Diantha's Gardevoir on the Pokenet.
Mega Gardevoir didn't exist. Diantha didn't use Mega Stones.
So I searched for "Heracross evolution, Glalie, Charizard."
They didn't exist.
So the first thing I did on my journey was head to Hoenn (where the meteorite that created the Mega Stones landed) with my Shuckle and visit every jewelry store looking for that evolutionary mineral.
I still haven't sold all the stones because I fear being robbed. First, I need to train my Pokémon and gain fame so that people think twice before stealing from a known figure.
At the moment, my seven Pokémon are Shuckle (who sets traps), Murkrow (who sabotages the enemy), Vaporeon (wear-down strategy), Glalie (suicidal strategy with Explosion), Chansey (support, heals the team), Gliscor (wear-down strategy), and Lucario (heavy hitter).
Ah, yes, I also got an Evolutionary Mineral for Chansey. The Evolutionary Mineral acts as a booster. If a Pokémon that can still evolve holds it, it increases its Defense and Special Defense by 50%.
I explained this to Chansey, and she agreed, so she won't evolve. Plus, Chansey eats less than Blissey, so she's more economical.
I worry so much about money because maintaining a Pokémon is also hard and, in most cases, expensive.
For me, the Pokémon that requires the most maintenance is Glalie.
Glalie needs to eat a lot of meat, preferably frozen, and requires tons of creams to protect it from the heat. I wouldn't have been able to afford this Pokémon if I hadn't sold the Mega Stone.
So yes, you can't become the best Pokémon trainer without money. You need rich people backing you.
Teams like Edric's, with a Drapion and a Rhydon, cost more than a kidney and an arm.
Another option for me would be to gain the support of a famous researcher like Samuel Oak or, in my region (Sinnoh), Rowan.
My other Pokémon (Vaporeon, Murkrow, Lucario, Chansey, Gliscor, and Shuckle) cost half compared to Glalie.
My loyal Shuckle only eats berries and ferments them in its shell, so it practically costs nothing.
But starting with a Shuckle was hell, so let's not talk about that.
In conclusion, being a trainer is not only a risk for your life; it's also a huge money drain if you don't become competent at it.
I released the three Pokémon I would use today.
"Shuckle, Glalie, Lucario."
Then I released my other four Pokémon.
"Murkrow, Vaporeon, Gliscor, Chansey."
"Okay, listen up, tomorrow's lineup will be Shuckle, Lucario, and Glalie, with Shuckle starting. Glalie, are you ready in case you need to do that?"
"GLALIE!"
This decision sparked complaints, especially from Murkrow, who still hadn't participated.
"Calm down, everyone. We're only fighting NPCs now, but soon we'll face our first real challenge."
At some point, I'll face Dawn or Barry.
And in five days, it'll be the finals, and on the sixth, I'll face Clair.
I was eager to take them on, tired of battling background characters. With Dawn and Barry being main characters, I think Clair will be a secondary character, worthy challenges.
Besides, I might also face Aaron and his bug-type Pokémon.
"Murkrow, Chansey, I plan to win this without you."
Upon hearing this, Murkrow exploded in anger and lunged at my head, pecking at it.
"Murkrow, ow, ow, ow, let me explain!"
I managed to grab him and explained.
"We're only seven, and Clair, the woman we're facing, will know everything about us if I use you. I have to win the League using only five Pokémon."
Chansey smiled. She wasn't as passionate about battles as my other Pokémon.
On the other hand, Murkrow was still angry.
"You'll shine. You just have to wait. That will be the moment when you reveal all your moves with your Prankster ability."
"Murr?"
"Especially Perish Song."
"Crow."
Murkrow was a special case, abandoned by its trainer.
Its trainer had made it swallow an Everstone, and you can imagine the rest.
With the crow calmed down, I began training with my Pokémon.
"Okay, time to train. The battle is in three hours!"
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, LET'S GO TO THE SECOND ROUND WITH THE 32 REMAINING PARTICIPANTS! ON ONE SIDE, WE HAVE A VETERAN OF THREE LEAGUES AND A GROUND/ROCK TYPE SPECIALIST, ALEXANDER FROM HOENN! Beatriz, any comments?"
"Yes, Manolo. His standout Pokémon are Onix, Rhydon, Armaldo, two Golem, and his ace Pokémon, Donphan, with 18 wins and 2 losses."
"ON THE OTHER SIDE, WE HAVE COUTE, A COMPLETE UNKNOWN UNTIL RECENTLY, NATIVE OF SINNOH, A GENERALIST TRAINER WHO ELIMINATED ONE OF THE FAVORITES IN THE LAST ROUND WITH HIS GLISCOR."
"Yes, his Pokémon include a Vaporeon with 6 wins and 0 losses, a Shuckle with 0 wins and 0 losses, a Gliscor with 1 win and 0 losses, and a Murkrow that hasn't debuted yet."
"AND THESE ARE OUR PARTICIPANTS! THIS TIME, THE BATTLEFIELD WILL BE AN ICE FIELD, AND IT WILL BE A 3 VS 3 BATTLE. AFTER THIS, THE BATTLES WILL BE 6 VS 6. LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!"
A platform rose from the ground. It was the ice battlefield.
I waited for the referee to introduce us and signal the start.
"Begin!"
"Shuckle." "Rhydon."
The first moments of the battle were nothing special. Shuckle used Sticky Web and Stealth Rock as usual, while Rhydon used Drill Run.
Shuckle shuddered in pain.
My Shuckle didn't know Dig or any Ground-type moves, so I ordered it to use Infestation as usual.
Once Shuckle hit the move, I returned it to its Pokéball and sent out Glalie, who was met by Rhydon with Rock Wrecker.
"Ice Beam."
"Destroy it with Megahorn!"
Hmm, Megahorn, if I'm not mistaken, that's around level 50. Not bad.
It was clear that Glalie was at least level 60, as Rhydon ended up frozen.
Rhydon was frozen and couldn't move.
"Finish it with Shadow Ball."
Shadow Ball hit Rhydon, knocking it out.
"K.O.! COUTE USED THE SAME STRATEGY WITH SHUCKLE AGAIN! NOW ALEXANDER IS AT A DISADVANTAGE 3-2 WITH STEALTH ROCK AND STICKY WEB ON THE FIELD."
"Okay, show your superiority, go Donphan!" Alexander sent out his ace.
Donphan's aura turned blue for a moment, showing that it had received a speed debuff, and then some rocks hit the ground-type elephant.
"Begin!"
"Giga Impact."
"Stop it with Ice Beam, then Blizzard."
The attacks clashed—Ice Beam against Giga Impact, and the latter was gaining ground.
But Glalie used Blizzard when Donphan was only three meters away, freezing it.
"Donphan cannot continue! Glalie wins, 3-1! Alexander has only one Pokémon left."
"Return, Donphan. You did well. It all depends on Armaldo now."
"THE ACE OF ALEXANDER SUFFERS A CRUSHING DEFEAT! COULD THIS BE THE END FOR HIM?"
"Go, Armaldo."
"Armaldo, get closer with Rock Wrecker."
Rock Wrecker is a Rock-type move, strong against Ice, would probably knock my Glalie out in one
hit...
"Glalie, it's your moment," I said.
Armaldo approached the Ice-type, and...
BOOM.
Glalie used Explosion.
The audience fell silent.
??? What happened? Why aren't they clapping?
"Umm... both Pokémon are out. It's 2-0."
"Boo!"
"I regret betting on you!"
"Damn it!"
Okay, I get it now. Explosion isn't well-regarded.
People want to see a battle, not an explosion.
I left the stadium amid more boos.
Well, they'll get over it.
Once again, reporters approached me.
"Mr. Coute, don't you think what you did with your Pokémon was cruel?"
???
We were in a battle, not playing chess.
"No, I call it strategic play."
The reporters asked me more questions, but a voice drowned them out, and this time it wasn't a reporter.
"So, strategic play, huh?"
The reporters stepped aside as they realized who the woman was.
Clair, the Dragon-type Gym Leader.
"Leader Clair." One reporter recognized her, but she ignored him.
Clair walked up to me, standing right in front of me.
"Tell me, Coute, do you have any respect for Pokémon battles?"
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Status de energia semanal
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