Pokemon: With Title System

Chapter 136 – A Little Luck Doesn't Count as Cheating

Victreebel reacted swiftly to the incoming Shadow Claw.

Whoosh!

Its whip-like vines shot out, intercepting Shadow Claw in midair.

However, Shadow Claw was at a disadvantage, having already been weakened by Razor Leaf.

"Gengar, use Confuse Ray!"

"Gaaass~!"

Gengar hovered in the air, controlling Shadow Claw with one hand while releasing a dazzling beam of eerie light with the other.

The multicolored glow pulsed toward Victreebel, its hypnotic hues enough to induce dizziness.

Erika's eyes sharpened. "Victreebel, shield your eyes with your leaves—don't look!"

It was the best option available.

Though this would limit its vision and put it at a disadvantage, being confused would be far worse—it would completely lose control of the battle.

"A decisive choice…"

Asahi praised her words, but his actions were ruthless.

"Gengar, don't waste this chance!"

"Gaaass~!"

Gengar grinned, forming a Shadow Ball between its hands and launching it at the blinded Victreebel.

Seeing the ominous sphere hurtling toward her Pokémon, Erika felt pressured—Asahi's attacks were relentless, seamlessly chaining together without giving her room to breathe.

"Victreebel, Protect!"

The massive leaves crossed in front of it, summoning a protective barrier.

The Shadow Ball clashed against the shield, causing a violent explosion.

[Good, Protect has been used up.]

Asahi smirked and signaled Gengar to attack again.

Taking advantage of the smoke, Gengar dove in, and soon, the sounds of battle erupted from within the haze.

Erika couldn't see what was happening inside the smoke and hesitated to give commands, fearing she might issue the wrong order and hinder Victreebel instead.

"Victreebel, clear the smoke quickly!"

She attempted to have Victreebel disperse the artificial smoke.

But Asahi wouldn't give her that chance. "Don't let it clear the smoke—use Hypnosis now!"

Disaster never comes alone.

Hearing Asahi's command, Erika felt her heart sink.

Sure enough—

A few seconds later, Gengar emerged from the smoke, panting slightly, with some minor corrosion marks on its body.

Gengar reappeared with a victorious grin, spinning in circles in the air.

The lingering smoke slowly dissipated.

Victreebel lay curled up in a deep crater, its body surrounded by its own expelled stomach acid.

Clearly, without Erika's command, Victreebel had panicked and used a Poison-type move.

But using a Poison-type move against Gengar, which had quadruple resistance to Poison? The outcome was obvious.

Erika hadn't expected her first battle to end this way.

If it weren't for Gengar's Smokescreen, her Victreebel wouldn't have lost so helplessly.

She hadn't even had the chance to use Stun Spore...

So frustrating!

Still, she was well aware that Pokémon battles were all about results.

A loss was a loss.

Without dwelling on the previous battle, she recalled Victreebel and praised, "Commissioner Asahi made perfect use of the battlefield environment. I am not as skilled."

As she spoke, she looked at Asahi with a hint of curiosity.

They had both been affected by the smoke, yet Asahi could effortlessly see through it. Could this be one of his special abilities?

Of course, Asahi wasn't going to explain his ability mid-battle. He simply smiled. "Not at all, just a small trick."

"Miss Erika's Victreebel was quite strong as well."

---

On the sidelines, Green watched the two exchange pleasantries and curled her lips.

Praising each other was just a post-battle formality—the Gym assessment was far from over.

Erika smiled. "Commissioner Asahi, you should be careful from now on..."

As she spoke, she retrieved another arrow from a maid beside her.

Drawing her bow, she aimed at Gengar in the sky and abruptly released the arrow.

Whoosh—!

The arrow shot straight toward Gengar, startling it. Gengar hurriedly dodged, then glared at Erika in dissatisfaction.

You wicked woman! You actually tried to shoot me!

There was clearly some personal resentment behind that shot.

Ignoring Gengar's look of discontent, Erika kept her eyes fixed on the battlefield, maintaining a gentle smile.

It was evident that her previous gracefulness was just a facade—deep down, she was cunning.

With a pop, a Poké Ball burst open.

A Pokémon with a light-yellow body, leaf-like ears and tail tipped in vibrant green, appeared on the field with an energetic cry.

"Leafeon?" Green was surprised.

This was the first time she had seen a Gym Trainer using a Pokémon that wasn't commonly found in Kanto during an assessment.

Hearing the name "Leafeon," the Eevee napping in Asahi's arms perked up immediately. Leafeon? What Leafeon?

It quickly locked its gaze onto the elegant Leafeon on the field.

"Bui!"

Eevee raised a paw and greeted Leafeon.

Leafeon tilted its head at the greeting before turning its full attention to Gengar.

Having watched from inside its Poké Ball as Gengar defeated Vileplume, Leafeon's gaze was sharp.

It flicked its tail.

Gengar wasn't sure if it was just its imagination, but Leafeon's tail seemed to shimmer with a blade-like sharpness.

---

"The second round of the Gym Challenge, 3v3 format, officially begins!"

The nearly invisible referee swung his flag.

As the match started, Leafeon didn't attack right away. Instead, it lifted its head as a glow emanated from its body.

Sunlight streamed through the greenhouse's glass ceiling, responding to Leafeon. In an instant, the entire battlefield was bathed in intense sunlight, filling the air with a sweltering heat.

"Kukuku!"

Gengar raised its stubby arms in front of itself. Though the sunlight didn't harm it, it instinctively disliked it.

On the sidelines, Green was puzzled. "Why didn't Victreebel use Sunny Day when it came out earlier? Did it not know the move?"

Erika stiffened slightly upon hearing this.

Of course Victreebel knew Sunny Day.

She had just... underestimated her opponent.

At the start of the match, she hadn't thought to use Sunny Day. Later, when she wanted to, Asahi's relentless attacks left her no room to set it up.

Shoving her frustration aside, Erika refocused on the battlefield.

Basking in the sunlight, Leafeon naturally began photosynthesizing, releasing a refreshing aroma that filled the arena.

Gengar sniffed the air, its face instantly tensing in alarm as it held its breath.

From experience, it knew that anything that smelled this good had to be a trap!

Clever as always, I see through your scheme!

Watching Gengar act all smug, Asahi covered his face. "No need to hold your breath. Leafeon doesn't have Sweet Scent."

Gengar froze.

...Oh?

Erika, amused by Gengar's antics, chuckled lightly. Asahi's Gengar was quite interesting.

But she hadn't forgotten—this was still a battle.

Without waiting for Erika's command, Leafeon suddenly dashed forward like a flash of pale yellow lightning, appearing right in front of Gengar.

Gengar was startled and instinctively slashed with Shadow Claw.

Leafeon's body swayed, evading the attack before whipping its tail, sending a flurry of razor-sharp leaves slicing toward Gengar.

Just as Gengar panicked, Asahi's voice reached its ears.

"Fly up!"

Hearing Asahi's command, Gengar immediately found its composure and floated upward. Leafeon's Razor Leaf struck where Gengar had been, kicking up a cloud of dust.

But this time, Leafeon had learned from Victreebel's mistake and didn't let itself get caught in the smoke.

Looking up at the floating Gengar, Leafeon flicked its tail again, sending another wave of leaves.

But this time, the leaves were enveloped in a soft green glow—Magical Leaf.

"To ensure accuracy, it's using a Special Attack move instead of its stronger Physical moves?" Asahi analyzed. "Gengar, use Dark Pulse!"

"Kukuku!"

Gengar cackled as an ominous black aura spread from its body.

The approaching Magical Leaf shimmered for a moment before disintegrating, the leaves losing momentum and fluttering to the ground.

The black aura didn't stop there—it surged toward Leafeon.

Leafeon was preparing another attack but froze as Dark Pulse struck, a flash of fear appearing in its eyes.

Erika's expression tensed.

Not good, Leafeon flinched...

She wasn't sure if Asahi was just lucky or if her own luck was terrible.

But either way, worrying about it now wouldn't change anything.

"Snap out of it, Leafeon!" she called out.

Her encouragement worked—Leafeon shook off the fear, determined not to let Erika down.

But Gengar was already preparing a Shadow Ball.

From above, Gengar let out a sinister chuckle and hurled the Shadow Ball downward.

Whoosh!

A surge of eerie energy shot toward Leafeon.

This time, Erika didn't use Protect. Unlike the sluggish Victreebel, Leafeon had a better option.

"Dig!"

On command, Leafeon quickly burrowed into the ground, disappearing in an instant.

The Shadow Ball struck, kicking up another cloud of smoke.

Gengar hovered in place, unsure of what to do—it couldn't Dig. It wasn't about to squeeze into that hole... it was way too round for that.

Asahi gestured for Gengar to stay calm while he used Aura to locate Leafeon underground.

He soon pinpointed Leafeon's exact location—it wasn't planning to resurface anytime soon.

Looking at Erika's subtle smirk, Asahi knew she was trying to avoid repeating Victreebel's mistakes.

But she doesn't know I can track Leafeon underground!

Gengar kept a wary eye on the battlefield while the harsh sunlight made it uncomfortably warm.

At that moment, Asahi gave his command.

"Gengar, 3 o'clock direction, 30 meters—Shadow Ball!"

Erika's heart suddenly sank.

Wait... can Asahi actually track Leafeon underground?

That's ridiculous...

Gengar didn't question Asahi's instructions. Trusting his command, it fired a Shadow Ball at the designated spot.

Boom!

A muffled cry came from beneath the ground.

It was Leafeon!

Asahi had really hit it.

There were no rules against using special abilities in battles, but... this felt so unfair!

Especially since she didn't have any special abilities herself—Erika was fuming.

But Asahi wasn't satisfied.

"That was off-target?" he muttered.

Gengar had aimed for 30 meters but somehow ended up hitting closer to 35.

A direct hit would have ended the battle, but now Leafeon was alert, and such an opportunity wouldn't come easily again.

As expected, Leafeon kept moving underground, forcing Asahi to sigh and command Gengar into a game of whack-a-mole.

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