Chapter 99 Pinning the Pokémon to the Ground, Eat! Poison! Spike!
"I thought I could really catch Pin Missile with my bare hands, but it seems I was overthinking it."
"Catch Pin Missile with bare hands? And at that speed? That's impossible! That Machamp is already incredibly fast."
"What 'Kart King'? I don't think he's anything special."
"Exactly..."
The spectators outside the arena were questioning the "Kart King" theory.
Whose Machamp would use Brick Break to directly counter Pin Missile at this moment?
At least in all the matches they had watched, no trainer had ever allowed their Pokémon to make such an incredible command.
Xiuzhi inside the arena paid no attention to the commotion outside; his gaze was fixed on the Toxapex.
He had tried this method of defending against attacks many times, and each time it had been quite effective. Why did it fail this time? There was only one possibility: that strange-looking Pokémon possessed great strength, at least that seemed to be the case.
No wonder it could defeat Champion Steven head-on; it truly had real skill.
"Machunky! You can't even handle this much pain?"
"We've traveled far with grand dreams, all to become stronger."
"Use Thunder Punch!"
Xiu Zhi roared at Machamp, his heart filled with a desire not to lose this match.
The Macha Gym's fame was rising, and for a trainer like Xiu Zhi, who was struggling, it was an opportunity—a chance to boost his reputation. At least Xiu Zhi didn't want to lose this match.
"Machunky~"
Machamp endured the pain, a hint of anger on his face.
Shaking off the spikes, he charged forward, powerful arcs of electricity crackling in all four arms.
Thunder Punch, an Electric-type move.
"That's a good idea."
Bai Yu had guessed Xiu Zhi's plan.
The idea was good, but trying to defeat his Toxapex in this way
was a bit naive.
"Awesome!"
As the saying goes, Awesome perfectly counters any Fighting-type Pokémon.
Fighting-type Pokémon mostly rely on close combat to gain an offensive advantage.
There aren't many Fighting-type Special Attack moves; in Bai Yu's memory, the only one used most often was Aura Sphere.
Lucario unleashed a move using Aura.
A purple light surged from Toxapex, transforming into a small barrier that surrounded it.
Machamp simultaneously swung its four arms forward, creating what appeared to be a weak barrier that withstood the lightning punches unleashed.
Even with all four arms firing lightning punches, the barrier remained unbroken.
A stream of purple light seeped into Machamp's body through the barrier. Machamp tried to create distance for a second attack, but suddenly a deep purple poisonous light erupted from its body, penetrating rapidly.
Machamp's face contorted in agony; the poison was spreading faster than expected.
"Poisoned… How could my Machamp be poisoned?"
Shuji's eyes widened; he had no idea what was happening.
He didn't even recognize Toxapex, let alone the Fortify move.
Shuji had participated in the Indigo League and recognized the move as Protect.
But could Protect be poisonous?
"It seems that exercise accelerates the effects of poisoning."
Bai Yu's mind conjured up images of the monstrous strength charging forward and unleashing a barrage of attacks.
The poisoning process was quite different from that in the game; continuous attacks only deepened the effects of the poison, and if the poison was highly potent, the onset of symptoms would be even faster.
"Poison Juggler."
Toxapex extended a tentacle and thrust it forward.
Machamp didn't immediately create distance and was already poisoned.
It had no time to react and could only watch helplessly as the poisonous sting pierced its own waist. Poison Juggler,
a Poison-type move.
Thrusting forward with a poisonous tentacle, it has a certain probability of poisoning the opponent.
Machamp let out a painful howl, its entire body collapsing to the ground, convulsing, its vision blurring, and it instantly lost its ability to battle.
"Machamp! My Machamp!"
Xiuzhi rushed onto the field, running to his Machamp's side.
Machamp's face was purple; the signs of poisoning were already quite severe. Xiuzhi took out his antidote and sprayed it on the poisoned area. Seeing Machamp's complexion improve, he finally felt relieved.
Even his main Pokémon had been beaten like this; Xiuzhi had little desire to battle anymore.
He took out his Poké Ball and recalled Machamp, looking at Bai Yu. "I lost. As expected of a Gym Leader who can defeat a Champion, your strength is indeed formidable."
"Unfortunately, my Machamp is very weak in poison resistance. It seems I need to do targeted training on poison resistance in the future."
"Thank you for your guidance, Gym Leader. I'll take you under my wing."
After saying this, Xiu Zhi turned and left.
A bead of sweat dripped from his forehead. He really hadn't expected this Gym to be so strong.
Fortunately, he had said some nice things, so he wouldn't be embarrassed by being listed in the Pokédex. That Pokémon he had never seen before actually used poison, and it was the kind that used poison secretly.
Xiu Zhi hadn't even seen Toxapex use poison. By the time he realized it, his Machamp was already quite heavily poisoned, swaying left and right like a drunkard.
"That's incredible! The Gym Leader used Protect just now, right? I saw a thin barrier block Machamp's Thunder Punch."
"I don't know either, I've never seen that Pokémon before."
"Yeah... really strong! No wonder he can defeat a Champion, he's incredibly powerful."
"I've never seen a Trainer like this at the Indigo League."
"Yeah, I've seen the Pokédex entries for various regional leagues, and honestly, those Champion Trainers aren't as strong as this Gym Leader."
"You haven't told me yet, what was that Pokémon?"
"That Pokémon is Toxapex, its move is Fortify, which has a similar effect to Protect. It can block one attack of similar strength, and if the opponent uses a contact attack, it will poison them."
Kukui, who had somehow ended up sitting in the audience,
was the future founder of the Alola League and also a research doctor in the Alola region.
After his previous defeat, he had brought his long-dormant Toxapex Pokémon with him, and he found it incredibly useful.
Especially the Fortress, it's practically the father of all contact moves.
"Holy crap! Such an overpowered move?!"
"So, you can't fight that Toxapex in close combat?"
"..."
The audience erupted in noise after hearing about the Fortress's usefulness.
Some challengers were eager to try it out; knowing the Pokémon's strength naturally attracted more challengers.
"Any more challengers?"
Bai Yu was about to ask the audience
when a boy in shorts approached from a distance.
"Hehe~ I'm Zhen from Viridian City. I also want to challenge this gym leader!"
Zhen touched his nose; he already knew Toxapex's weakness.
He refused to believe he couldn't beat the gym leader in front of him.
"Okay..."
Bai Yu nodded, gesturing to the referee.
The match resumed immediately.
A-Zhen, from Viridian City, had lived in Viridian Forest since childhood, using only Bug-type Pokémon. He even had the good fortune to catch a Scyther, a rare breed in the Kanto region.
Of course, this time he wasn't using Scyther, but Butterfree.
Knowing the purpose of a Pokémon's Fortress, who would be foolish enough to use Scyther in close combat?
The idea was nice, but reality…
"Hahaha…"
"This isn't a Pokémon battle at all."
"I'm not playing anymore, I'm never being a trainer again."
The short-short-wearing boy, A-Zhen, was flushed; no one knew what he had experienced in this match.
Closing his eyes, the previous match would replay in his mind.
It was terrifying; was this really a Pokémon battle?
"This challenger is still in the match,"
Bai Yu said gently, but to A-Zhen, it sounded like a voice from hell.
He took out his Poké Ball, recalled the tormented Butterfree, and fled the gym like a greased rag doll.
On the way out, he almost fell to the ground. Bai Yu even suspected that even if the opponent broke his leg, he would still be able to run like the wind.
"This is terrifying. Butterfree can fly, yet it was tortured like this."
"Poison Spikes... a flying Pokémon can't eat Poison Spikes. This is the first time I've ever seen someone pin a Butterfree to the ground and make it eat Poison Spikes."
"The Butterfree didn't leave the ground at all during the entire match, except for the very beginning when it could fly. It was held tightly by the tentacles."
"If I were to go on the field, I'd probably break down even faster than that guy. It's just too tragic."
"Yeah... no wonder it's the Gym Leader who defeated the Champion! It's too strong. Trainers like me should just leave as soon as possible."
"Yes, yes, yes..." "
..."
Many trainers in the audience didn't want to go on the field to face that Toxapex.
Toxapex was just too strong. It used all its Poison-type moves perfectly.
Pokémon that weren't strong enough could only take a beating in front of Toxapex. Throughout the entire match, no one had been able to force Bai Yu to use a second Pokémon.
Instead of watching the spectacle here, it's more practical to spar at the Pokémon Center.
At least you won't lose so badly, and you won't experience a one-sided massacre.
"Toxapex, can it be used like this?"
"I need to write this down. I wonder what Toxapex's ability is."
"Irony, Soft, or maybe Hidden?"
Kukui kept writing down Toxapex's information. He wasn't just collecting Bai Yu's strength data; he
also needed to use this information to improve his own Toxapex's strength, so that his Toxapex could develop along Bai Yu's path in the future.
What he lacked now was information on Bai Yu's Toxapex's abilities.
Irony ability: When attacking a poisoned target, the released move can hit a vital point, triggering higher damage.
Soft ability: Toxapex cannot fall into paralysis. This ability, when transferred to a paralyzed Pokémon, will instantly remove the paralysis.
Regenerator ability: When switching Toxapex, it recovers the damage Toxapex has taken. Each switch replenishes Toxapex's stamina loss.
"Any new challengers?"
Bai Yu smiled, looking towards the audience.
The previously packed stands were nearly emptied after just a few matches.
Some trainers wanted to stay and try their luck, since Bai Yu's first Pokémon had been Toxapex from start to finish, and he hadn't seen a second Pokémon since the gym opened.
They tried to take down Toxapex with a series of battles, but Toxapex used Recover during the match, recovering all its previous damage.
Standing on the field at full strength, what was the point of fighting? It would be better to go to the Pokémon Center for a duel.
The trainers in the stands, seeing that familiar smile, swallowed hard and left the gym en masse, leaving the once bustling gym deserted.
"In reality, Pokémon don't level up quickly," Bai Yu said, reaching out to touch Toxapex. Even so, prolonged battles could improve Toxapex's combat skills.
At least in terms of poison, it had become incredibly proficient, even able to secretly change its moves to use deadly poison when using Poison Jab, achieving a surprise effect.
After all, it's impossible to distinguish between a poisoned state and a mildly poisoned state at first; you can only judge by time. By the time the opponent realizes their Pokémon is severely poisoned, it's already too late to save it.
"Gym Leader Baiyu, I'm back again."
Kukui walked down from the audience seats, a smile on his face.
He also wanted to ask about the training of Toxapex.
Baiyu's Toxapex was at the Overlord level, so its size couldn't be raised to be that large. He could only learn about daily training and diet to improve Toxapex's strength.
"Mr. Kukui, do you want to fight another Gym battle?"
Baiyu also remembered that Kukui had said he wanted to come and challenge him again.
Unexpectedly, only half a week had passed, and this guy was back again.
He arrived much faster than Gary.
Since Gary lost to him for the second time, he didn't know where he went to train.
He didn't know if his Pokémon had been raised to Elite Four.
Even with Shinji accompanying him, with their combined talent, they could probably only barely raise one of their main Pokémon to Elite Four by the Indigo League.
They weren't monsters like Crimson or Blue-Green, capable of boosting their Pokémon in a short time.
"I just wanted to ask Gym Leader Baiyu about some things concerning Toxapex,"
Kukui said, pointing at Toxapex with a smile.
He didn't want to cause trouble; he still hadn't recovered from that match.
Everyone knew about Butterfree taking a hit from Poison Spikes. His Magneton had also taken a hit from Spikes, though not as badly as Butterfree.
It was pinned to the ground and forced to eat Poison Spikes.
At least it was knocked down by a rockfall and fell to the ground to eat Spikes.
"Hmm?" Baiyu looked at Toxapex, seemingly remembering something.
Kukui aspires to become a research doctor in the Alola League, so it's normal for him to want to study the native Pokémon; no research doctor would miss such an opportunity,
especially one of Totem-level Pokémon.
Totem-level Pokémon are few and far between in the entire Kanto region. The most representative is undoubtedly the Onix on the mountain behind Professor Oak's lab—that Onix is definitely a Totem-level Pokémon.
The Dragonite that appeared at Bill's Lighthouse in the anime, as well as the giant Alakazam, Gengar, and Jigglypuff trio released by Ash and his friends, also fall into the Totem-level category.
They are simply much larger than Totem-level Pokémon, even bordering on legendary status.
However, Ash and his friends have already left Bill's Lighthouse.
Finding and catching that giant Dragonite will be much more difficult than expected.
Moreover, its sheer size will make participating in Pokémon battles far more troublesome than anticipated.
Its size is at least equivalent to a Pokémon in its Dynamax form.
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(End of Chapter)