Pokemon: Gym Leader

"As the junior, I'll let Senior Brandon attack first~"

Dylan stood tall, gracefully gesturing for Brandon to make the first move.

"Huh?"

Wait, isn't that what I was going to say?

Brandon was momentarily stunned. He had been thinking, "As the senior, I should let the junior attack first," but...

"Roar~!"

Salamence's dragon roar erupted, creating a powerful sonic wave.

Intimidate!

The invisible pressure spread, and Dusknoir's body emitted a faint white light as its physical attack was reduced by one stage.

"Dusknoir, use Mean Look."

Brandon's expression was somewhat strange as he gave the first command, feeling like something was off.

Wait, Dylan was the one who challenged him! Dylan was supposed to be the challenger, but now with that remark, why did it feel like Brandon had become the challenger?

Hmm... must be an illusion.

Dusknoir's large single eye gleamed with a sinister light, using the very same Mean Look move Dylan often liked, which locked the opponent's Pokémon in battle, preventing it from being recalled.

"Dragon Rush."

Dylan's smile remained unchanged.

Roar~!

Salamence flapped its crimson wings, soaring high into the sky as pure dragon energy rapidly condensed around it, transforming in an instant into a ferocious dragon. The overwhelming killing intent surged from its form.

Dragon-type move: Dragon Rush!

The roar of the evil dragon echoed as it swooped down with terrifying force. The overwhelming killing intent caused Brandon's eyes to narrow.

What a powerful Dragon Rush!

Brandon's expression grew serious. Dragon Rush was a move that used its overwhelming presence to intimidate its opponent while ramming them, but this was the first time Brandon had experienced a Dragon Rush with such incredible force.

This was on a completely different level from the Salamence used by Reggie!

"Dusknoir!"

As the dragon descended, Dusknoir's single eye gleamed with black light, and Salamence's shadow was covered by a layer of gray.

Mean Look was completed, but this also meant Dusknoir had no time to evade or defend against the Dragon Rush!

Boom!!

The evil dragon crashed into Dusknoir with immense force. Dusknoir felt a terrifying power strike it, its body wracked with pain as it was slammed to the ground by Salamence, kicking up a dense cloud of dust.

The entire battlefield trembled.

"Such a powerful Dragon Rush!" Anabel was in shock.

"This..." Carsey's sunglasses slipped down his face.

"My brother's Salamence is amazing! It's almost as strong as Miss Zinnia's!"

Lillie was overwhelmed with excitement, barely able to contain herself.

"It's probably not quite as strong. Zinnia's..."

Thinking about Zinnia's Mega Evolved Salamence, Ilene still felt that Dylan's Salamence was not on the same level, but she had to admit that Dylan's Salamence had a much more wild and savage aura than Zinnia's.

How had Dylan trained it? And in the peaceful environment of the Rota Gym's courtyard, how had he managed to cultivate such a fierce temperament in his Pokémon? Did they get into heated sparring matches with each other?

"Who's Zinnia?" Both Anabel and Carsey were curious and confused. They had never heard of her before.

But from what Dylan's sister and Ilene said, Zinnia's Salamence was on par with or even stronger than Dylan's? How could such a powerful Trainer be unknown?

"Zinnia is Dylan's childhood friend, a Champion-level Trainer specializing in Dragon-types. Her ace is Salamence."

Ilene, noticing their confusion, smiled gently as she explained.

A Champion-level Dragon-type Trainer...

Carsey's eyelid twitched uncontrollably. He wasn't stupid. This also meant that Dylan's starting Pokémon, Salamence, was also Champion-level?!?

He suddenly had a bad feeling—maybe suggesting this match between Dylan and Brandon wasn't the best idea.

But Brandon was a seasoned Champion-level Trainer, so he should win... right?

Yeah, no need to worry. This was Brandon, after all! The man who had captured both Regirock and Registeel!

He'd definitely win!

Back on the battlefield...

"Salamence!"

Through the dust, a pair of blood-red wings emerged as Salamence slowly took to the sky again.

"Dusknoir, don't let it escape so easily! Use Will-O-Wisp!" Brandon's expression was solemn as he issued the order.

Though that Dragon Rush had been incredibly powerful and hit perfectly, his Dusknoir had high defense, and Dragon-type moves didn't have an advantage against Ghost-types.

Dusknoir, still on the ground, blinked its large single eye, and several blue flames flickered in front of it.

Fire-type move: Will-O-Wisp!

The ghostly blue flames floated toward Salamence. If they could burn Salamence, not only would it suffer from the burn damage, but more importantly, its physical attack power would be weakened.

"You're overthinking this, Senior Brandon." Dylan chuckled.

"Hydro Pump, fire back!"

Salamence roared once more, gathering blue water energy in its mouth before launching a massive torrent of water.

Water-type move: Hydro Pump!

The Will-O-Wisps were extinguished by the powerful water blast, and the Hydro Pump continued its trajectory, slamming into Dusknoir on the ground.

The newly-risen Dusknoir was drenched by the Hydro Pump, the intense impact almost knocking it back to the ground, and Dusknoir let out a low groan of pain.

"Hydro Pump's damage isn't low either. This Salamence is too aggressive." Brandon frowned. His Dusknoir had excellent defense.

But from Dusknoir's reaction, it was clear the Hydro Pump had hurt it. This Salamence had not only immense physical power but impressive special attack strength too.

However...

"Dylan, your Salamence is indeed strong, but Pokémon battles aren't just about brute force," Brandon crossed his arms and spoke slowly.

"Oh?" Dylan raised an eyebrow.

"Today, let me teach you a lesson! My Dusknoir isn't a Pokémon meant for direct combat!"

"Dusknoir! Use Pain Split!"

A faint smile appeared on Brandon's usually stern face. Dusknoir wasn't great in direct combat, but as a Ghost-type, Brandon believed it didn't need to be!

Dusknoir's large eye once again gleamed with an eerie light.

Normal-type move: Pain Split!

Dylan's expression turned strange. Mean Look, Pain Split... was Brandon planning to follow up with Curse next?

"Salamence, use Substitute."

"What?"

Brandon's expression shifted slightly.

The light on Salamence flickered, and a phantom image of Salamence gradually separated from its body. The phantom solidified in place, flapping its wings, while the real Salamence disappeared behind its Substitute. (A quick explanation: in this setting, the Substitute is more like a controlled puppet. It can't act as naturally or fluidly as the real body, otherwise, this move would be too overpowered.)

But Brandon knew well that things had already changed.

Substitute: It uses its own stamina to create a decoy, hiding the real body.

The Substitute can take hits on behalf of the real body, including moves like Pain Split!

The white glow on Dusknoir's body gradually faded. Pain Split had no effect on the Substitute, so the move naturally failed.

"You're quick to react, Dylan~"

Brandon frowned even deeper. Pain Split was a rarely used move, and even fewer people knew how to counter it effectively.

But Dylan reacted so swiftly, immediately using Substitute to avoid Pain Split.

"As it happens, I'm quite familiar with how Pain Split works," Dylan replied with a 'shy' smile.

"Isn't that a coincidence?" Ilene said, smiling brightly.

Lillie: (ˇ▽ˇ)

"Dylan, your knowledge of Pokémon moves is impressive!" Anabel couldn't help but exclaim.

No, no, it's simply because Dylan is an expert in Ghost-types, and he uses Pain Split all the time! So, of course, Dylan knew exactly how to counter such an annoying move.

Carsey was mentally ranting, "Mr. Brandon, you're up against a true Ghost-type specialist here!"

"Are you planning to switch Pokémon?"

At that moment, Brandon was contemplating whether to switch out Dusknoir. Will-O-Wisp had been neutralized by Salamence's Hydro Pump, and Pain Split was countered by Substitute. The situation was tough.

"Well then, if you're not going to attack, I will."

Seeing that Brandon had no intention to attack, Dylan didn't hesitate any longer.

"Salamence, Crunch!" Dylan decisively ordered.

In truth, sending Salamence to close in on Dusknoir wasn't the best option, as Dusknoir could use Will-O-Wisp. From a distance, Hydro Pump could easily extinguish the flames.

However, fighting up close risked getting burned by Will-O-Wisp. Still, Salamence's Special Attack wasn't low, and Dylan's Salamence was versatile in both physical and special attacks.

And Crunch, being super effective against Dusknoir, could defeat it quickly.

"Curse!"

But Brandon didn't choose Will-O-Wisp, instead opting for Curse.

He needed to weaken this Salamence; its power was overwhelming. Brandon was well aware of this.

As expected, it was Curse. Dylan raised an eyebrow, but he wasn't surprised. There wasn't much he could do to counter it.

Curse couldn't be blocked by Protect, and even Substitute couldn't shield against it. But it didn't matter—he just needed to take down Dusknoir.

The real Salamence emerged, its wings beating as it rapidly closed in on Dusknoir. In front of Dusknoir, a decayed, ancient nail materialized, slowly driving itself into its body.

Salamence reached Dusknoir, its massive jaws revealing dark fangs, viciously clamping down on Dusknoir's head.

Crunch!

The move struck directly, and Dusknoir writhed in pain. The super-effective Crunch hurt terribly, and the nail of Curse was slowly being driven deeper into Dusknoir's body, intensifying the agony.

Once the nail was fully embedded, Dusknoir's body went limp, and it lost the ability to battle.

A gray mist seeped into Salamence, causing a dull light to flare up on its body. The first wave of Curse's effects had begun.

Salamence growled in pain; the Curse's damage was far stronger than poison or similar effects.

"Dusknoir is unable to battle. Salamence is the winner!" Anabel announced the result of the battle.

"Oh wow, Salamence is cursed now. Dylan will have to recall it," Carsey teased.

"Yes, it's a shame about the Substitute," Lillie said with a bit of regret. After watching the battle for so long, she had become quite knowledgeable about these matches.

Once a Pokémon is recalled, the Substitute disappears as well.

"There's no choice. Otherwise, Salamence won't last long," Ilene shook her head.

"How annoying."

Seeing Salamence in pain, Dylan couldn't help but feel a bit of disgust—disgust towards Brandon's battle style.

Originally, Salamence with its Substitute still had excellent combat ability.

But now that it was cursed, he had to recall Salamence. Otherwise, the curse's effects were too severe.

And even though Dusknoir hadn't actually landed any direct hits on Salamence, Salamence had still lost a considerable amount of stamina!

To avoid Pain Split, Dylan had to make Salamence use Substitute, which consumed stamina. Add to that the first wave of Curse damage...

In truth, Salamence had lost a lot of stamina. This was the strange nature of Ghost-type Pokémon!

Ghost-types are really tricky! Under normal circumstances, Salamence could have easily overpowered Dusknoir.

So Dylan really wanted to say, "Can't we just have a proper fight with my Salamence? I hate when people use Ghost-types!"

These kinds of trainers really lack the spirit of true battling!

(End of Chapter)