Chapter 113 Provocation Targeting the Nail-Stabbing Trainer, the Elite Four's Tactical Understanding!
Bai Yu raised an eyebrow, a few thoughts swirling within him.
If it were a gym battle, some tactics would be unnecessary.
After all, gym battles restrict the Pokémon used by both sides. As a renowned Elite Four trainer in the Hoenn region, Bai Yu naturally couldn't be careless. His previous strategy of holding back could be toned down.
Going all out would suffice. Since his match with Red, the challengers Bai Yu had faced weren't particularly strong, unlike those high-ranking Team Rocket executives.
Then again, Steven had already suffered a setback. As one of the Hoenn Elite Four, and Steven's subordinate, he had to learn his lesson.
After all, they came from the same region; the former had experienced that kind of battle, so how could the latter not suffer a setback?
Steven wouldn't just tell him about that match, would he?
Bai Yu thought about it; given Steven's personality, the possibility of him telling was far greater than not telling.
However…
he didn't believe that Huayue could carry a clearing move with her, as there were very few Dark-type Pokémon capable of clearing the field.
It was also possible that Daigo, with his big mouth, had given Huayue a clearing move specifically for clearing entry points; after all, he had learned his lesson once and, as the champion, didn't want his subordinate to suffer the same fate.
"Have you thought it through? Accept my challenge."
Huayue had absolute confidence in herself.
She didn't believe that the Hoenn champion could lose to this little Gym Leader.
She was about the same age as Furu, and in recent years, only a trainer like Furu had emerged in the Hoenn region. She didn't believe that this little Gym Leader from Kanto could be stronger than Furu.
Furu was the newly appointed Elite Four member of the Hoenn League, specializing in Ghost-type Pokémon and possessing the ability to communicate with Ghost-type Pokémon. It was with this power that she defeated Huayue despite the type disadvantage.
Huayue was also trying to relax, and Daigo had mentioned Bai Yu to her.
They said Bai Yu was incredibly strong, and if it weren't for Fu Rong's appearance, he would definitely be one of the Hoenn Elite Four.
He could even threaten the position of the former Elite Four member
, Genji. Hua Yue, unconvinced, came all the way from the Hoenn region to challenge Bai Yu.
He refused to believe that a mere Gym Leader could be stronger than him and challenge the former Elite Four member.
"Gym battle, or team battle?"
Gym battles have their own rules, and team battles have theirs.
In a gym battle, Bai Yu, as the Gym Leader, couldn't change his Pokémon.
In a team battle, he could freely change his Pokémon, allowing for more precise tactical execution. Of course, in a formal team battle, recalling a Pokémon the instant a move is used
is illegal, and there are many other restrictive rules. Regular matches don't have so many rules; normal moves and tactics are used.
"This kind of arena, you can even hold a team battle?"
Hua Yue glanced at the surrounding arena; it was far too rudimentary.
There wasn't even a facility for changing arenas. What kind of team battle could be held in such a place?
As for the referee next to him, he looked rather dim-witted and probably didn't even understand the rules of team battles. It was better to have a friendly spar rather than torture yourself.
"The arena is rudimentary; there's nothing I can do about it,"
Bai Yu shrugged. The Kanto League arena was like this all along.
Only some wealthy gyms had facilities like changing arenas or one-click arenas.
"Three against three, a regular spar."
"The rules are simple: the match ends when all the Pokémon on one side are unable to battle."
"I don't care about your gym badge!"
Hua Yue said, turning and walking towards her battle position.
Gym battle? That's ridiculous. Winning a gym battle would be shameful.
A regular sparring match would be much better, without rules.
That would be more interesting, and you could see the guy's true strength.
"Regular sparring,"
Bai Yu raised an eyebrow, taking out a Poké Ball from his system space.
He was waiting for Hua Yue's words; if it were a gym battle, Bai Yu didn't want to use a Reacher.
The inability to switch Pokémon was the biggest limitation for a Reacher.
"Who's that trainer? He looks so arrogant, with a tuft of hair on his head." A boy in shorts looked puzzled.
"Watch your mouth! That's one of the Hoenn Elite Four. A true Elite Four trainer!" The older man next to him quickly covered the boy's mouth.
The other guy was an Elite Four member, even if not from Kanto, teaching them ordinary trainers a lesson was a piece of cake. He was a challenger, after all.
They were just there to watch the show; they couldn't say anything sarcastic.
"Elite Four member Flora, known as the Dark-type Elite Four member, is represented by Absol, which is also known as the Disaster Beast, a Pokémon that brings calamity."
"So, that Elite Four member named Flora is very strong?"
"Of course! The Hoenn League Elite Four are no different in status from the Kanto Elite Four; they're all top-tier fighters in the Hoenn region."
"So, the Gym Leader is going to lose today?"
"It's hard to say. The Gym Leader previously defeated Champion Steven and was ordered to destroy Team Rocket's base. In my opinion, the Gym Leader is stronger."
"Right, right, right! The Gym Leader is a legendary trainer who punched Steven and kicked Lance, how could he… Waaah…"
One of the boys hadn't finished speaking when the older man next to him pressed him down again.
This guy has no sense of propriety; he can say anything, like punching Steven and kicking Lance.
Luckily, neither of them were in the gym. If they knew someone was commenting on them like that, they'd probably fight him to the death—that's a Champion! The league's top fighter, a figure revered by every region.
"Ahem, this kid's been drinking too much and spouting nonsense. I'll drag him out right now," the uncle said with a forced smile.
The others only glanced at the boastful boy and didn't take it to heart.
The boy had a point; as trainers from the Kanto League, they naturally didn't want to see their league's Gym Leader lose to someone from another region.
On the field.
"No matter what kind of trainer he is, I will defeat him! I'm going to become the next Hoenn League Champion, I absolutely cannot lose!"
Hua Yue's face was filled with confidence.
Becoming a Champion-level trainer was extremely rare among trainers; he had no intention of losing here. His last loss to Fu Rong was just a moment of carelessness.
This time, he wouldn't lose.
"..."
"Daigo said you're very strong, second only to him even in the Hoenn region, surpassing the Hoenn Elite Four. Such high praise! I've been an Elite Four member for so many years, and I've never heard of anything like it."
"Come on, let me show you the true abyss, the darkness slumbering deep within your heart, which will completely devour and crush you! Become my stepping stone on my path to becoming a Champion!"
Huayue took out a Poké Ball and threw it forward.
A flash of white light, and a gray canine Pokémon appeared on the field, its red eyes filled with intense malice.
"A Dark-type Pokémon." Sabrina frowned.
Dark-type Pokémon were the last thing she wanted to encounter; the malice emanating from the depths of their souls disgusted her.
Looking at the Mightyena on the field, Bai Yu wasn't surprised.
He had already battled Huayue's main Pokémon once.
No matter what Huayue fielded, he would send it into battle.
"Toxapex. This match still depends on your performance."
Bai Yu threw out the Poké Ball in his hand.
A flash of white light appeared, and a domed tent covered in spikes appeared on the field. It was huge, even larger than a Great Hound.
"That Pokémon... is it Toxapex from Alola?"
As an Elite Four member, he had some knowledge of Pokémon appearing in other regions.
The Toxapex before her was one she'd encountered during her vacation in Alola.
It wasn't even half the size of this Toxapex; could it be a Totem-level Pokémon?!
Mightyena roared the moment Toxapex appeared.
Its Intimidate ability.
A white light appeared on Toxapex's body; when the light dissipated, its Attack rank dropped by one level.
"Toxapex, Toxic Spikes!"
Without hesitation, Bai Yu gave the command the moment he threw the Poké Ball.
This wasn't a formal match; there weren't many rules, and Bai Yu wouldn't waste the opportunity to throw spikes.
Toxapex swayed, its tentacles emitting deep purple light that transformed into tiny, prismatic spikes that scattered and embedded themselves in the ground.
Using Toxic Spikes initially was to prevent the inability to set up the field later in the battle.
"Hmph! Dirty tactics! Mightyena, Taunt!"
Hua Yue had assumed this Toxapex was particularly strong.
Throwing Toxic Spikes the moment they met—only Poison-type trainers would use such dirty tactics.
Using Taunt perfectly limits Toxapex's constant use of disgusting moves.
Mightyena spewed profanities at the opponent, and the previously calm Toxapex was affected, the toxins on its body spreading and becoming increasingly vibrant in color.
The insults were so vulgar that even Toxapex couldn't bear the humiliation.
Taunt: Puts the opponent into a Taunted state, preventing them from using any status moves for three to four turns.
"As expected, it knows Taunt. It wouldn't make sense for a Dark-type Pokémon not to use Taunt."
Bai Yu didn't think much of it and took out a Poké Ball to recall Toxapex.
Switching Pokémon directly is the best way to break the Taunt state.
Anyway, there's still Toxic Spikes on the field; he only needs to use their effect slightly to make the match more interesting.
"Switching Pokémon? Pretty quick reaction."
Hua Yue was stunned; he hadn't expected Bai Yu to be so decisive.
The match had just started, and he'd only thrown a Toxic Spike before switching Pokémon.
What would his next Pokémon be?
"Go up and have some fun, Aggron."
With the provocation, Toxapex can't play much of a role.
In this match, with such an opponent, Bai Yu believes Aggron won't let it go.
"Roar~"
Aggron let out a low growl at Mightyena as soon as it appeared, its eyes filled with fighting spirit. It had long wanted to come out of its Poké Ball and fight.
Last time, after being scolded by Bai Yu, Aggron had suppressed its fighting desire and stayed in its Poké Ball, watching the match. Hearing its name, it let out an excited roar as soon as it appeared.
"Aggron!"
Hua Yue's mind flashed to Steven's Aggron.
There are even Hoenn Pokémon in the Kanto region, how annoying.
"Mightyena, attack."
Hua Yue always sees Aggron whenever she faces Steven.
A strange black light flashed in Mightyena's eyes. Its body sank, and it rushed forward, launching the first attack with great speed and explosive power.
"Iron Tail."
Aggron's tail emitted a silvery-white gleam, its eyes fixed on the approaching black shadow.
The surprise attack was a preemptive strike, unleashing astonishing speed to catch the opponent off guard and close the distance.
Mightyena's physical attack potential far exceeded its special attack potential; getting closer to Aggron would create more opportunities for attack.
In the surprise attack, Mightyena appeared before Aggron, its mouth wide open, revealing its fangs, which gleamed with black light, and lunged fiercely at Aggron.
Aggron swung its Iron Tail, forcing Mightyena back a few steps. Its wolfish eyes remained fixed on Aggron's movements, waiting for its chance to strike.
Bai Yu was taken aback. The Mightyena before him was exceptionally well-trained, far superior to any Pokémon trained by Team Rocket's senior officers.
Indeed, reality was more interesting than the characters in the games, at least this Mightyena was.
"Bluff!"
The Great Hound bristled, emitting a menacing growl.
A Normal-type bluff.
It enrages the opponent, causing confusion and making them unresponsive, boosting their attack.
Aggron's claws flashed with a silvery-white light. Before Bai Yu could even give a command, Aggron launched its attack, already trapped in a state of confusion.
A Steel-type Metal Claw.
Aggron swung fiercely towards the Great Hound. The Great Hound leaped high, attempting to dodge the attack, its claws leaving a scratch mark on the ground.
*Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle.
* "Fire Fang!"
In mid-air, the Great Hound opened its jaws, revealing its fangs, which flamed. Using the momentum of its descent, the Great Hound charged at Aggron.
"Wake up! Aggron!"
Bai Yu's tone hardened. The biggest difference between the confused state in reality and in games is that Pokémon can be interfered with by their trainers, forcibly breaking free from the state.
The stronger the Aggron, the less impact it has on the Confusion status.
"Roar~"
Aggron's eyes regained some luster. It raised its head to look at the Mightyena attacking from the sky, its claws slashing upwards.
The Metal Claw collided with the Fire Fang in mid-air, the explosion echoing throughout the gym. The two opposing forces created a gust of wind.
A hint of seriousness appeared on Hanatsuki's face. He hadn't expected the bluff he'd used in that situation to have such a weak effect on Aggron. It had
even inadvertently boosted the opponent's Attack stat.
If the Confusion effect had lasted longer, the Mightyena could have inflicted considerable damage, completely compensating for Aggron's Attack stat boost.
"Roar~"
Aggron roared angrily, dissatisfied with being trapped in the Confusion status.
On the other side, a scratch mark could be seen on the Mightyena; in the previous clash, the Mightyena was clearly no match for Aggron.
The Attack stat boost from the bluff had changed the course of the previous match.
It's still the third update, so I'm writing a bit slowly...
Dark-type Pokémon almost always use Taunt.
As long as there's no restriction on switching Pokémon, no move like Black Eye, and no Pokémon-catching abilities like Magnetism, Stealth Pokémon are more likely to switch when Taunted.
Regarding moves like Swagger and Scary Face, let's talk about Swagger first. Against powerful Pokémon, the confusion effect is definitely weaker; you can't want legendary Pokémon to be confused or afraid.
The same goes for Scary Face; its intimidation effect decreases against Pokémon of similar strength.
You can think about this in real life and put yourselves in the game's context; not all moves can achieve 100% effectiveness.
Loving the book so far! Check out 30+ advanced chapters on Patreon
[email protected]/Horizons685
(End of Chapter)