บท 105: Seriously, You Should Be Called ‘Vortex Haunter’ from Now On! (BONUS)
Bonus for 1200 powerstones. I'm going to stop doing each 100 powerstones indefinitely, I'm tired.
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"Let's go, Sandslash!"
"Kucha!"
Taking a deep breath, Roxanne threw her last Poké Ball. A Pokémon with a tawny body covered in sharp spines and a fierce gaze appeared on the field.
Sandslash, the Ground-type Mouse Pokémon.
Just as Johan expected.
Upon seeing the Pokémon, Johan mentally noted this with a bit of relief—thankfully, it wasn't Excadrill. Excadrill, with its Ground and Steel types, would have been a much harder challenge.
"Sandslash? Isn't that the Gym Leader's Pokémon?"
"This match is really worth it! It's been so long since I've seen a battle like this…"
The audience's excitement rose as they watched the battle unfold.
Seeing Sandslash on the field, some of Rustboro Gym's regulars couldn't help but chime in.
Ordinarily, they'd never get the chance to see the Gym Leader's main Pokémon in action.
As soon as Sandslash took the field, part of the swirling sandstorm began to wrap around its body.
Sand Rush ability!
[Sand Rush: Pokémon with this ability have double speed during a sandstorm]
The battle continued.
"Sandslash, remember, don't look Haunter in the eyes—start moving!"
Roxanne reminded it carefully.
Don't look Haunter in the eyes?
Johan's expression turned slightly amused, but he said nothing further.
Sandslash began running swiftly around the field, which had now been layered with thick yellow sand. As it ran, it dragged its claws through the sandy terrain, kicking up even more dust.
"Swords Dance!"
"Kucha!"
As it moved, Sandslash's gaze sharpened, a light white aura gathering around it, forming phantom swords that circled it with a metallic clanging sound.
Roxanne's plan was clear: to strengthen Sandslash with Swords Dance, then use its boosted Sand Rush speed under the sandstorm to deal with Haunter as quickly as possible.
"Time isn't on Roxanne's side. She still has to take on two other Pokémon, and the sandstorm won't last forever…"
"Still, judging by the setup, her Probopass probably had an item like the Smooth Rock to extend the sandstorm."
Seeing Sandslash's data in his Pokédex, Johan made his own counterplay.
"Haunter, Toxic."
A sticky, toxic liquid quickly formed and began oozing from Haunter.
"Dig, dodge it!"
Sandslash vanished from sight in a burst of earth and stone, leaving a dark hole behind and a trail of upturned dirt.
Johan smirked.
"Aim for where the ground is raised."
"Ka-kah~~"
Haunter grinned, lobbing Toxic at the path.
The deep purple liquid quickly spread out, covering nearly half the field and even seeping underground.
Soon, little bubbles of purple began popping up in various places, creating a swampy field of poison.
The crowd gasped collectively at the sight.
"Whoa—this is Toxic?"
"That looks like it could be a poison trap!"
Haunter cackled gleefully at the stunned onlookers.
"Please, I slurp Toxic Orbs like candy! Johan calls it my 'divine tongue'!"
Boom!
Suddenly, the ground beneath Haunter erupted. Sandslash, its body already tinged with a purple hue, shot out, its eyes fierce and claws coated with a spiraling dark mist.
Shadow Claw!
"Protect."
Johan and Haunter were ready.
A green barrier appeared just as Haunter raised its hands.
Crack—
Sandslash's attack shattered Protect with ease.
"Sandslash, Rock Tomb, then hit it with Shadow Claw again!"
Roxanne clenched her fists tightly as she gave the command.
With the boost from Swords Dance, and Dark-type Shadow Claw's high critical hit rate, if Sandslash hit Haunter, it could very well be a one-hit knockout!
Though its first attempt failed, Sandslash pressed its claws into the ground, summoning chains of rocks of various sizes.
"Substitute."
Bzzzz—
Haunter's body shivered slightly as the rocky chains passed right through it.
Using Substitute to dodge?
Inevitably, Sandslash's claws struck the Substitute!
"I remember him now! He's that Johan guy who used 'Substitute Toxic Protect' to beat the 'Dragon Master' Lance!"
Witnessing this, one spectator, who had felt Johan seemed familiar, finally recognized him.
"No wonder he looked familiar—was he setting up the 'Substitute Toxic Protect' strategy all along?"
"No wonder Roxanne is playing so cautiously…"
"Wait! Since when could 'Substitute' counterattack?!"
The action on the field moved too fast to follow.
Suddenly, someone realized that as Sandslash hit the Substitute, it also got punched back by it!
What's going on?
Johan himself looked momentarily puzzled.
But when he saw that Haunter's Pokédex entry now listed Night Shade as a move, he understood.
Did it just learn a new move mid-battle?
Did Haunter just embed Night Shade into its Substitute?
No way.
Did it just pull off Shadow Clone Jutsu?!
Although things hadn't gone entirely as expected, Johan wasn't about to let an opening like this slip by when Sandslash was forced to fall back.
"Haunter, Shadow Ball!"
"Ka-kah!!"
Haunter, clearly in high spirits, summoned a shadowy black orb between its hands.
But this time, the Shadow Ball took a bit longer to form, and its size was noticeably bigger.
Roxanne's eyes widened as she called out, "Sandslash, dig quickly!"
Just recovering from its unexpected hit by the Substitute, Sandslash glanced up to see the enormous Shadow Ball Haunter was charging, and it gulped audibly.
It immediately started digging.
However…
With a triumphant "Ka-kah," Haunter launched the Shadow Ball—which was now at least three times larger than usual—down toward Sandslash.
Boom!!
The ground shook, leaving a crater and scattering debris in every direction.
From the audience came a wave of surprised shouts.
"That's a Shadow Ball?!"
"That's a supercharged Shadow Ball!"
"I expected 'Substitute Toxic Protect' to be the main strategy, but who knew… there were even bigger surprises!"
"…"
Johan's eye twitched slightly.
Shadow Clone Jutsu?
A mega-sized Shadow Ball?
Not to mention Haunter Transformation…
"You know what, Haunter? You should be called 'Vortex Haunter' from now on."
In the corner of the stands, both Cynthia and Diantha looked stunned.
Layering Ghost-type energy from Shadow Claw onto Shadow Ball?
After a moment, Diantha pursed her lips. "On our way home, Gardevoir told me that after training with Haunter, she'd sensed something terrifying within its potential. She 'foresaw' a vision of Haunter dancing with a monstrous dragon…"
Cynthia nodded, recovering from her surprise.
"I remember Johan mentioning that Haunter had slept for a thousand years before becoming his Pokémon…"
Indeed, all living beings seem to cross paths with other lives, creating bonds that give rise to the most unpredictable outcomes.
However…
Haunter might have immense potential, but it's only with trust and understanding that such potential can be fully realized.
Cynthia thought back to the warmth she had seen in Johan's home when she visited.
Johan's bond with Haunter was as deep as her own with Garchomp.
Strength and levels are just a Pokémon's baseline. Their bond with their trainer determines their true potential. When trainer and Pokémon work as one, they're capable of incredible feats.
She, too, often achieved the unexpected alongside her Garchomp.
Reflecting on this, she nodded again.
"It's no wonder Garchomp and Lucario don't feel uncomfortable around Haunter."
Especially Lucario, who usually kept to itself.
Maybe it had sensed something through its mastery of Aura.
"S-Sandslash is unable to battle! The winner is… Challenger Johan!!"
The referee, snapping out of his daze, raised both flags and announced the result.
Roxanne exhaled a long sigh of relief, feeling a surprising weight lift from her shoulders.
With a complex expression, she looked at Johan.
This was… the power of Mr. Johan.
Roxanne gathered herself and walked over to Johan.
"Ka-kah, ka-kah~~ヾ(▼▼;)"
Haunter was waving at the audience with a smug grin.
"How are we supposed to re-challenge the Gym now with that kind of showboating?" Johan whispered sternly.
"Ka… Ka-kah! Σ(дlll)"
Oh, right!
Haunter suddenly froze as realization hit.
Roxanne, who was just about to present the Gym Badge, overheard Johan's remark.
Roxanne: "…"
Her earlier frustration at losing vanished instantly.
"Congratulations, Mr. Johan," she said with a sly tone.
Johan cleared his throat, looking slightly embarrassed.
"Ahem, well… actually, you did great, Roxanne."
It was true.
Realizing Haunter's strength, she had strategically used Probopass as a decoy to set up a new plan, combining that with her powerful Sandslash. Her tactical approach had been flawless.
However, Sandslash wasn't her own Pokémon, so there was a slight
lag in her commands.
Roxanne bowed respectfully.
"Thank you. Sir, here is the Stone Badge, along with the Rock Tomb and Dig TMs."
I'll need to work harder from here. Our tactical gap is still too wide.
As Johan accepted the badge, he felt a bit emotional.
Was this his first badge?
Had he begun the path to the "Ever Grande Conference"?
And he'd scored two free TMs, too, which saved a decent amount of money.
Haunter, grinning ear to ear as it held the TMs, skipped along with Johan as they left the Gym.
Even though it couldn't use either move, that didn't stop it from feeling like it had just hit the jackpot.
"Congratulations, Johan!"
Outside the Gym, Cynthia and Diantha were already waiting.
"Um… Haunter…"
Diantha looked over at Haunter, her expression bemused.
"Haunter… why are you glowing?"
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