บท 93: Chapter 93: This is Fraud
"Gary, your brother... doesn't seem particularly strong either. It looks like Sableye hasn't taken any damage at all," Selene said, batting her big eyes and smiling sweetly at Gary from a distance.
She couldn't help it; these two brothers had such an arrogant attitude when they arrived. Anyway, she was just a receptionist, so it didn't hurt to tease them a little.
Gary felt the temperature rising in his face, feeling rather flustered.
Bro! My dear bro! You've got to hold on!
However, there was no need to elaborate on the battle that followed. In its burned and confused state, Rhyperior couldn't do anything.
Although two instances of Swagger had raised Rhyperior's Physical Attack, to be honest, even maxing it out wouldn't have made a difference.
Because it never even got a chance to use it.
With the third Energy Ball hitting its mark, Rhyperior finally crashed to the ground with a loud thud, while Sableye remained completely unscathed.
"Rhyperior is unable to battle. Sableye wins," the referee announced the result of the battle.
Blue recalled Rhyperior with a scowl. He wasn't upset about Rhyperior's defeat; he could only say the opponent's tactics were too dirty!
"Heh~ I admit, I underestimated you just now. You do have some skill."
Blue quickly regained his composure, pulled out a second Poké Ball, and lifted his chin arrogantly as his tone turned haughty once again.
"But, Gym Leader Dylan, I want you to know that these little tricks will only work once. The same tactic won't work on me twice!"
Such confidence and arrogance!
"Oh? It seems Mr. Blue has come up with a countermeasure," Dylan raised an eyebrow, smiling faintly.
"Hmph~ Just you watch!"
Blue stylishly threw his second Poké Ball with a backhanded flick.
"Arcanine! Go!"
The Poké Ball opened, and a magnificent canine Pokémon leaped out in front of Blue, standing tall and gazing proudly at Sableye.
Standing over two meters tall, it resembled a large dog with fluffy, flaxen fur covering its face and neck, and tiger-like black and orange stripes across its body. It looked majestic.
This was Arcanine, the evolved form of Growlithe!
"A very well-trained Arcanine," Dylan remarked, glancing at the Pokémon. It had to be said, Arcanine was indeed an extremely handsome Pokémon with a high charisma. Just from its shiny coat and spirited demeanor, it was evident that Blue's Arcanine had been raised perfectly. If entered in a Pokémon Contest, it would likely score highly just by standing there.
Blue's ability to train Pokémon was truly top-notch.
"Of course!" Blue boasted, crossing his arms. It was a talent he was particularly proud of.
"Beep~ Arcanine, Fire-type, Legendary Pokémon.
Ability: Intimidate
Moves: Extreme Speed, Flamethrower, Flare Blitz, Roar, Crunch, Play Rough, Outrage (Egg Move), Dig...
Description: A beautiful Pokémon that has captivated many hearts since ancient times. It can run as gracefully as if it were flying."
"This Arcanine is strong, too."
Looking at the Pokédex entry, Selene's eyes sparkled. Although he was arrogant, this Blue was definitely the strongest challenger they'd seen so far.
But Gym Leader Dylan surely has this under control!
"Mr. Blue, Arcanine can't avoid Sableye's status moves," Dylan pointed out thoughtfully, smiling at Blue.
Arcanine couldn't avoid the confusion caused by Flatter, but being a Fire-type, it was immune to burns.
"There's no need to avoid it," Blue lifted his head, grinning confidently.
"I see."
Dylan chuckled softly. So, Blue intended to use Extreme Speed to dodge Sableye's status moves boosted by Prankster. However, Extreme Speed wouldn't affect Sableye.
Arcanine growled, releasing an invisible aura of intimidation. Sableye's body glowed white as its Attack stat was lowered by one stage due to the Intimidate ability.
"Sableye, use Swagger!"
"Extreme Speed!"
As expected, Blue used Extreme Speed.
Sableye began clapping and bouncing around. A mysterious aura quickly enveloped Arcanine, but a white light shone from behind Arcanine, and it vanished instantly.
The priority move Extreme Speed! One of the highest priority moves!
Even with the Prankster ability, hitting an Arcanine in Extreme Speed mode was nearly impossible.
With Extreme Speed active, Arcanine's fur rippled gracefully, its running posture exuding unmatched elegance. In the blink of an eye, it was behind Sableye.
"Play Rough!"
"Mean Look."
Almost simultaneously, Blue and Dylan issued commands.
Normal-type Extreme Speed was ineffective against Sableye, so Blue could only use Extreme Speed to dodge Sableye's status moves and get close enough to attack.
A pink glow covered Arcanine's claws and fangs as it lunged at the nearby Sableye.
Sableye's eyes gleamed with black light, casting a shadow over Arcanine's shadow, preventing it from being recalled.
However, the Fairy-type move Play Rough landed squarely on Sableye, causing it to cry out in pain before being knocked back.
Play Rough is super effective against Sableye! This Play Rough dealt a lot of damage.
"Darn, it can't be recalled again."
Blue frowned slightly. With Mean Look in play, Arcanine couldn't be switched out, but for now, his priority was to defeat Sableye.
"Flamethrower!"
Strike while the iron is hot. Sableye had just been hit by Play Rough and hadn't recovered yet, making it easy to hit with a follow-up Flamethrower.
Flames gathered in Arcanine's mouth as a fierce pillar of fire shot toward Sableye.
"Detect it," Dylan glanced at Sableye. It would indeed be hard for Sableye, still trying to get up, to avoid the attack.
Sableye's eyes sparkled as it made a bizarre sideways move, precisely dodging the Flamethrower.
Detect, a move similar to Protect, guarantees evasion.
"It's pointless. A futile struggle," Blue scoffed.
Arcanine used Extreme Speed again. Its movements were so fast they were almost impossible to see, incredibly swift.
Under Extreme Speed, Arcanine once again positioned itself at Sableye's rear flank.
"Disable."
At that moment, Sableye's eyes glowed eerily again, and a mysterious aura quickly spread toward Arcanine. Arcanine twisted its body in discomfort.
Disable, a Normal-type move! It prevents the opponent from using the same move consecutively and temporarily seals the last used move.
And Arcanine had just used Extreme Speed!
"Arcanine, use Play Rough!" Blue frowned even more deeply and quickly commanded Arcanine.
Ignoring the eerie discomfort, Arcanine lunged at Sableye, its claws and fangs glowing with pink light as it attacked Sableye repeatedly.
Sableye groaned in pain, and by the time Arcanine finished its Play Rough attack, Sableye was already lying on the ground, unable to continue.
Sableye couldn't withstand the second super effective Play Rough attack.
"Sableye is unable to battle. Arcanine wins," the referee announced the battle's outcome.
"Well done, take a good rest," Dylan said as he recalled Sableye, offering some comfort. While it was unfortunate Sableye couldn't endure the second Play Rough, there was nothing more to be done.
Blue's Arcanine was clearly at a higher level than Sableye, and Sableye's defense was only average.
This was also a limitation for a Gym Leader. If Dylan could freely switch Pokémon, he certainly wouldn't have had Sableye face off against Arcanine.
"Did you see that? I knew Blue would win!" Gary immediately 'came to life' in the audience, speaking proudly to Selene and the receptionist.
"Tch, Sableye also defeated Rhyperior," Selene grumbled unhappily.
"That's only because Blue didn't know Dylan's tactics at first. Do you even understand how valuable an Arcanine with Extreme Speed is?" Gary retorted, not caring at all. With how sneaky Dylan's team was, falling to a surprise tactic was normal.
But with Blue's ability to adapt and his strength, there's no doubt he'll beat Dylan! Arcanine is amazing!
How could there be a Pokémon as handsome and strong as Arcanine?
Classified as a Legendary Pokémon, Arcanine really has that kind of power!
"Just watch, Blue won't lose a single match next! Arcanine will take down four in a row!" Gary declared confidently.
"But, Mr. Gary..." Selene thought for a moment, exchanged a glance with the receptionist, and they both saw the odd expression in each other's eyes.
"?"
"Does your brother know you hype him up like this all the time?" the receptionist asked curiously.
"??"
Gary was annoyed. What do they mean by saying he hypes up Blue? It seems these two women still don't understand reality. His brother Blue is unbeatable!
On the battlefield.
"Incineroar."
Dylan threw out Incineroar's Poké Ball again.
Incineroar returned to the field and snarled viciously at Arcanine. Arcanine wasn't intimidated at all, responding with a low, authoritative growl at Incineroar.
Intimidate!
Both Incineroar and Arcanine's physical attack stats dropped by one stage.
"Next, it's going to use Fake Out. Damn, Extreme Speed is sealed by Disable." Blue frowned.
"Fake Out."
As expected, Incineroar turned into a red blur and charged right up to Arcanine, slashing the air with its claws.
Bang!
Incineroar's attack landed a solid hit on Arcanine, causing it to stagger back a few steps and flinch.
"Parting Shot."
Incineroar unleashed a flurry of insults at Arcanine. Visibly, Arcanine bared its fangs, glaring angrily at Incineroar.
After finishing its verbal taunt, Incineroar grinned and returned to its Poké Ball as a flash of white light.
The white glow faded from Arcanine's body, reducing both its Attack and Special Attack by one stage.
Blue's eye twitched. He suddenly realized that this tactic was incredibly dirty!
Incineroar comes out with Intimidate, uses Fake Out to deal a bit of free damage without getting hurt, then uses Parting Shot to switch out, replacing itself. It then uses Fake Out again and, with its Prankster ability, traps the opposing Pokémon with Mean Look, preventing it from being recalled.
If Dylan didn't limit the normal exchange of Pokémon, how could he even fight?
Blue's gaze became odd as he looked at Dylan. Noticing Blue's stare, Dylan gave him a warm and friendly smile.
"Drapion, get ready for battle."
With a quick toss, Dylan released his third Poké Ball. The fierce and intimidating Drapion landed heavily in front of Dylan, swinging its pincers as it roared at Arcanine.
"Wow~ It's the Gym Leader's Drapion!"
Selene's eyes lit up. This was one of her Gym Leader's main Pokémon! Plus, she had watched the video of Dylan's battle against Red.
Drapion's fierce performance made Selene like it a lot. She had even decided that she would catch a Drapion for herself someday!
Standing next to her, Gary took out his Pokédex and looked up Drapion's moves. A sense of unease suddenly crept into his heart.
"Drapion, a Poison and Dark-type."
Blue analyzed Drapion, recalling its types from memory.
This is the mark of a skilled Trainer!
Arcanine growled authoritatively at Drapion. Intimidate activated, causing Drapion to glow briefly as its Attack stat dropped by one stage.
"Arcanine, use Flamethrower," Blue decided to play it safe since Extreme Speed was sealed.
Arcanine gathered intense flames in its mouth and shot a blazing stream of fire toward Drapion.
"Drapion, use Toxic Spikes," Dylan said gently.
"??!" Blue's pupils suddenly shrank.
Drapion's pincers came together, forming a dark purple energy sphere that it hurled into the air.
Toxic Spikes, a Poison-type move!
Flamethrower hit Drapion head-on, causing it to let out a low roar of pain, flames scattering everywhere. Despite this, Drapion's fierce eyes stayed locked on Arcanine.
Being a Poison-type, Drapion could withstand the Flamethrower.
In the air, the Toxic Spikes burst apart with a pop, scattering sinister-looking purple fluids that eventually soaked into the battlefield.
The whole field glowed with an eerie deep purple light for a moment before returning to normal.
Blue's face turned dark with anger. The irritating move, Toxic Spikes, had slowly spread throughout the Kanto region.
He could deal with the Toxic Spikes, but the problem was that Arcanine couldn't be recalled! His Arcanine couldn't counter the Toxic Spikes!
"Didn't you say you were using a Dark-type team?"
Blue questioned Dylan. Wasn't it supposed to be a Dark-type team? What's with the Toxic Spikes?
Weren't you going to show me the strength and wild nature of Dark-type Pokémon? You're a Gym Leader; how can you lie?
Damn it, this is fraud, you scoundrel!
Dylan was taken aback by the question, then looked at Blue with a half-smile.
"Mr. Blue, you're quite funny. Just tell me, does Drapion have a Dark type or not?"
End of Chapter
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