"Sanji! Use Seismic Toss!"
Boom!!!
A dull, painful impact rang out as an oddly shaped Pokémon—its head resembling a trumpet-flower—was kicked straight into the air by Sanji.
Inside Celadon Gym.
After clearing the gym maze and defeating all the Gym Trainers, Red nodded with a faint smile, satisfaction evident in his eyes.
Perhaps it was because the opponents were immobile, untouchable virtual figures,or perhaps because the battle targets were Pokémon rather than beautiful women…
Even Red hadn't expected that in a gym made up entirely of beautiful women, Sanji would only spend a total of five minutes being infatuated before fully returning to battle mode.
...
...
"Weepinbell! Quick, use Vine Whip to dodge!"
Facing Sanji's scorching assault, Gym Leader Erika—who now possessed normal intelligence within the battle field—desperately issued commands, trying to salvage the situation.
Her voluptuous figure still looked graceful and captivating even when wrapped in a traditional kimono.
Unfortunately, it was already too late.
Under the effect of Seismic Toss, her Weepinbell instantly entered a stiffened state, completely unable to respond to its Trainer's orders.
Tap tap tap tap—
Rapid footsteps echoed across the battlefield.
Sanji's figure flashed forward, turning into a streak of black lightning as he chased down Weepinbell midair at astonishing speed.
"It's over!"
With a cigarette clenched between his teeth, Sanji flashed a cool smile, his eyes sharp.
The next instant, raging flames suddenly ignited around his raised leg.
"Skewer · Vegetable Salad!!!"
Seismic Toss + Ember's super-effective damage + Sanji's years of grueling leg training…
A terrifying blow slammed directly into Weepinbell's body.
In an instant, a circular shockwave of compressed air exploded outward, carrying scorching heat in all directions!
Boom!!!
Unlucky enough to be inflicted with burn, Weepinbell turned into a blazing meteor, crashing straight into the ground.
"Wee…"
After letting out one final cry of pain, Weepinbell completely lost the ability to fight, its eyes rolling back as it fainted.
"Thank you for your hard work, Weepinbell."
Seeing this, Erika immediately recalled it into its Poké Ball. She then looked at Sanji, who had defeated two of her Pokémon in succession.
"It seems I underestimated you!"
A calm, crystalline smile surfaced on her gentle face.
Despite being a Grass-type Gym Leader, at that moment Red could clearly see blazing fighting spirit burning in her eyes.
Erika took out her final Poké Ball, a mature smile curling at the corner of her lips.
"Next, let my ace face you!"
"Go—Vileplume!"
A red flash of light burst forth as a Pokémon with enormous petals atop its head and an indigo body appeared on the battlefield.
The moment it entered the arena, Vileplume let out a fierce cry at Sanji, overflowing with fighting intent.
"Quite aggressive~!"
"Well then, Sanji—can you still keep going?"
Red grinned as he asked.
"Absolutely no problem!"
Sanji laughed excitedly as blazing flames erupted from both of his feet.
This was something he had learned over the past few days from Zoro—
How to apply energy-type Pokémon moves in combat!
Just as Zoro could merge Thunderbolt into his sword techniques, Sanji had accomplished the same by integrating Ember into his legs.
And this gave him a tremendous advantage when dealing with Grass-type Pokémon.
Every single one of his basic attacks landed as super-effective damage against Grass types, with a very high chance of inflicting burn.
It was precisely because of this that Sanji had swept through the Celadon Gym's Trainers without obstacle—and even successfully leveled up!
However…
"Be careful. That Pokémon has already undergone its second evolution—it's nothing like the Grass-types you fought earlier!"
Even though Sanji was brimming with confidence, as a Trainer, Red still felt compelled to remind him.
At the same level, evolved Pokémon were far stronger than their pre-evolved forms.
…Of course, certain Trainers' Pokémon were exceptions.
"I know!"
Sanji nodded seriously in response.
He wasn't the type to get arrogant.
Still, for some reason, every time he fought using Ember-enhanced kicks, he could feel a strange throbbing deep within his body.
Because he had escaped the Vinsmoke Family at a very young age, Sanji wasn't aware that this sensation was a sign of his hidden power beginning to awaken.
Although true awakening was still far off, it was more than enough to prove one thing—
Sanji's future was bright.
The battle erupted instantly!
Flames blazing beneath his feet, Sanji dashed forward. Though he still hadn't mastered Shave, his speed was already far beyond what it used to be!
In the blink of an eye, he was right beside Vileplume.
He opened with a flaming flying kick.
But Erika had already grown familiar with Sanji's fighting style and naturally wouldn't remain passive.
She flicked her sleeve and commanded firmly:
"Vileplume, use Toxic!"
"Vii~!"
Facing Sanji's blazing kick, Erika chose not to evade at all—instead, she had Vileplume counter head-on!
In the next instant, thick purple liquid burst forth from the flower atop Vileplume's head.
Toxic—a move that inflicts badly poisoned, dealing escalating damage far greater than normal poison.
And when used by Poison-type Pokémon, it has 100% accuracy!
Vileplume just happened to be a dual Grass/Poison-type Pokémon.
Splat!
The viscous purple liquid splashed directly across Sanji's face.
Before he could react, piercing pain shot through his body like needles.
But he still completed the kick!
Boom!
Under tremendous force, Vileplume was sent flying backward.
The next moment, Sanji's body suddenly staggered, and he dropped to one knee.
"Sanji, are you okay?!"
Red asked anxiously.
Sanji slowly stood back up, his body now faintly tinged with deepening shades of purple.
At this moment, Erika smiled calmly.
"Hehe. Bad poison is far more dangerous than normal poison."
"Your Pokémon won't be able to hold out for long."
"The battle isn't over yet!"
As if enraged, Red shouted loudly:
"Don't give up, Sanji!"
As he spoke, Red reached into his backpack and quickly pulled out a bottle of Antidote, throwing it toward Sanji.
During Trainer battles, although Trainers couldn't fight personally, they were allowed to use various battle and recovery items on their Pokémon.
This was a rule permitted by the system!
"Sanji—drink it!"
"Cure the badly poisoned status!"
However…
"Hah! You think I'll let you get your way?!"
Erika had already anticipated this move.
After all, which Trainer didn't carry a few medicines in their bag?
She extended a slender finger and gave an order:
"Don't let them succeed—Vileplume, use Petal Dance!"
"Vii~!"
Although it had been hit by a flaming kick, Vileplume's sturdy body had taken little actual damage.
It lowered its head, aiming the flower toward the Antidote midair.
In the next instant, countless pink petals shot out like blades, shattering the Antidote in the air.
"It's useless! I won't allow you to use Antidote on your Pokémon!"
Erika giggled softly, clearly confident.
But what she didn't expect was—
The shattering of the Antidote didn't bring disappointment to the opposing Trainer.
Instead, a crafty smile appeared on Red's face.
"Oh? Is that so?"
Red lifted his gaze and issued a rapid command:
"Sanji—use Facade!!!"
"What?!"
Erika's expression instantly changed.
Sanji moved at once.
Although bad poison constantly eroded his body, Sanji wasn't going down that easily!
"AAAH—!!!"
He let out a thunderous roar.
Under the stimulation of pain, his speed instead surged even higher!
Catching Vileplume in the brief stiff moment caused by Petal Dance, Sanji streaked forward like black lightning, appearing right in front of it.
Brilliant light flared beneath his foot, followed by roaring flames.
Although Facade was a Normal-type move, it fit Sanji perfectly—becoming the final move in his arsenal alongside Ember, Seismic Toss, and Brick Break.
BOOM!!!
Under the effects of bad poison, Facade unleashed an unprecedented flying kick, launching Vileplume violently into the gym wall.
If the gym weren't an indestructible structure, Red was certain—
That single kick would have sent Vileplume flying straight out of the street!
"Despicable!"
Erika cried out sharply.
But she knew—
The battle was already over.
Strike while the enemy is weakened.
Red immediately issued another command:
"Sanji—one more Facade!"
"Finish it!"
"Sorry about this, lovely Ms. Erika!"
Fwoosh!
Raging flames burst forth beneath Sanji's feet once more, pushing his speed even higher.
Before Vileplume could slide down from the wall, Sanji leapt into the air, locking onto it mid-fall.
Then—
"Searing Roast · Rose Pastry!!!"
Surging flames erupted, blooming outward like a blazing rose.
Unluckily for Vileplume, it was afflicted with burn by Ember this time.
Combined with the earlier hits and two perfectly landed Facades—
Even a Grass-type Pokémon famed for vitality could no longer endure it.
Its eyes rolled back as it lost all consciousness.
At the same time, two notifications flashed before Red's eyes:
[Vinsmoke Sanji defeated Gym Leader Erika's Vileplume. EXP +868]
[Command complete. Evaluation: Excellent]
[Bonus reward obtained: EXP +434]
Holy light shimmered around Sanji's body.
Not long ago, he had just reached Level 31—but with the massive influx of experience, Sanji leveled up once again.
(End of Chapter)