NOVEL NEXT Chapter 9: The Gym Leader Won't Be Hit by the Same Move Twice
Huge release today !
12 chapters dropping in 12 hours!
Enjoy
----
"Well, well! A little something I haven't seen before wants to challenge me?"
Chuck's eyes lit up, and he felt excited.
"A Trainer's challenge is one thing, but a Pokémon challenging me alone is a first. I guess I'll humor you."
"It's all yours! Hitmonchan!"
Not being quite sure of the strength of this new Eevee variant, Chuck thought for a moment before sending out the Hitmonchan, who, like his Machoke before, was a secondary member of his team.
"Mach Punch!"
Hitmonchan threw a punch almost the moment he landed, creating a strong gust that whooshed past the spectators' ears.
The punch connected precisely with Umbreon's cheek.
However, even so, it didn't knock Umbreon back.
A slight smirk appeared on Umbreon's face as it turned and revealed a rather malicious grin to Hitmonchan.
"Ha-hee!"
With a twist of its neck, a dark spiral wave of energy shot towards Hitmonchan from almost point-blank range.
Dark Pulse!
Hitmonchan crossed his arms in an "X" formation, sustaining some scratches to his body but nothing major.
Chuck blinked in surprise, "A new type of ultimate move, but it doesn't seem very effective against Fighting-types, hmm… I should take note of this and tell Professor Oak later."
He had been on good terms with Professor Oak's deceased son and kept in touch with the legendary researcher.
Professor Oak even mentioned wanting to send his grandson for training with Chuck once he got a bit older.
Umbreon took a few quick steps back.
Thinking to itself, this guy's strength isn't as overwhelming as that purple giant rat from last night, but it surprisingly hurts when he hits me.
Is this what they call "type advantage"?
If that's the case...
With that thought, Umbreon raised its right claw slightly, digging its claws into the sandy ground.
Wham!
Immediately after, Umbreon swung its right paw, spraying sand toward Hitmonchan.
Using the move "Sand Attack" to interfere with the opponent's vision, thus lowering accuracy!
Hitmonchan instinctively raised his gloved arms to shield himself from the sand.
Umbreon's eyes hardened as it shone with a bright light, dashing forward in an instant towards Hitmonchan.
Quick Attack!
"Hitmonchan, left upper Flame Punch!"
With his vision briefly obstructed, he still had his Trainer guiding him from behind.
A skilled Trainer working in tandem with a skilled Pokémon can achieve an effect greater than the sum of their parts.
The main reason many Pokémon don't listen is simply that they feel their Trainer's commands are lacking compared to their own instincts.
With his vision compromised, Hitmonchan wasted no time.
His right fist ignited in flames, striking at a 45-degree angle toward the approaching Umbreon.
"You've got some strength, but without a Trainer, it's tough to unleash your full potential."
As Chuck said this, Umbreon was less than five centimeters away from Hitmonchan's Flame Punch.
In that instant, Umbreon suddenly raised its head and unleashed a Dark Pulse toward the ceiling.
"What!?"
Chuck and Will looked on in shock.
Using the recoil from the Dark Pulse, Umbreon twisted back mid-air.
Making Hitmonchan's Flame Punch miss.
That wasn't all.
With a loud rumble, the ceiling of the gym was breached, creating a sizeable hole.
Countless stones fell, landing on Hitmonchan's head.
"Protect!"
Chuck shouted.
Hitmonchan raised his arms high, simulating a salute.
A light blue energy burst forth, forming a semi-transparent dome around him.
The falling stones hit with little impact, barely causing the shield to waver.
A skill from the game, Protect.
Though not as effective in real life, a Gym Leader's Pokémon could easily withstand such falling debris.
"Hey! It's coming for you!"
Will yelled.
Looking up,Chuck saw that Umbreon had landed back on its feet.
Hitmonchan's arms bulged as they flexed, looking almost cute, resembling clawed beast paws as they lunged forward.
Surprise Attack!
"Bullet Punch!"
As a priority move, Bullet Punch was launched once more.
Had it been any other time, this attack would have surely outpaced Umbreon.
But since Hitmonchan had just used "Protect," it was a beat too late this time around.
The two Pokémon collided!
Umbreon felt as if it had struck something as hard as steel, and it was unable to advance.
"The way you used the recoil from that dark attack to dodge Hitmonchan's Flame Punch was impressive! Did you come up with that yourself, or was it your Trainer's idea?"
Chuck laughed, hands on his hips, "But still, you're a bit too predictable. Better call for your Trainer to challenge me. Just relying on yourself won't get you past my Hitmonchan."
Umbreon's eyes narrowed.
I'm doing this to grow stronger, to keep pace with my Trainer!
Once more, a faint white glow emanated from the dark mane of Umbreon.
Again, Quick Attack!
"Wood Dada—We have that too, Bullet Punch!"
Hitmonchan's fists glimmered with a silvery sheen, resembling a metallic surface, as he took light butterfly steps to approach the charging Umbreon, and then...
He struck at the perfect moment!
Umbreon swiftly turned its head and opened its mouth.
Dark Pulse!
Using Dark Pulse's recoil to propel itself in mid-air.
"Hitmonchan, lower right!"
But this time, Chuck noticed Umbreon's trajectory.
Hitmonchan immediately changed tactics.
Bringing down a brutal uppercut!
It successfully hit!
"This move is entertaining, but in front of a Gym Leader, the same move can't work twice."
Chuck instructed:
"Just look at where your mouth is pointing, and I can tell where you're moving… Huh?"
Suddenly sensing something was off, Chuck looked closely.
He noticed that both of Umbreon's front paws and one of its hind legs were on the ground.
But the other hind leg was planted firmly against Hitmonchan's fist!
He could feel that little arm had gained considerable muscular strength.
When did it use a power-up skill?
In the next instant, Umbreon executed a soaring side swipe, leveraging its shiny silver-glowing tail, swinging it hard against Hitmonchan's head.
Boom!
Hitmonchan was sent flying into the wall, creating a substantial dent.
"Hitmonchan, are you okay?"
Chuck called, turning to see.
"Chah-bee!"
Emerging from the dust, Hitmonchan stood up and acknowledged its Trainer.
Fortunately, that move hadn't hurt much at all.
"Just now… was that a Steel-type move? Did it learn from Hitmonchan's Bullet Punch after just watching it a few times?"
Just like the newly categorized Dark-type, Steel was also recently added to the Pokémon League's textbooks.
Thus, Chuck had no idea how to name that move from Umbreon.
Thud!
Umbreon stumbled and fell to its paws on the ground.
I've reached my limit…
"Bu-yi~"
Leaving a profound gaze behind, Umbreon leaped into the stands, then jumped to a nearby window.
Looking down at the spectators for a moment, it immediately leaped out.
My Trainer is probably returning soon, I can't stick around here any longer.
----
Patreon.(com)/Cmooi
40 chapters available