Another Toxapex! How can it be so disgusting!
"Gary, what's up? Want to have another tense and exciting gym battle?"
Bai Yu raised an eyebrow, his gaze lingering on Gary, then noticing Shinji beside him.
How did these two rivals of Ash end up together?
Shinji mentioned in the anime that he had traveled to Kanto, Hoenn, and other regions, and his biggest dream seemed to be defeating Brandon from the Battle Frontier.
There is a fundamental difference between Brandon in the special episode and Brandon in the anime. In the anime,
Brandon is further down the storyline and has already mastered the power of the three legendary Regiments, while in the special episode, Brandon only captured the three legendary Regiments and took on the mission of the Battle Frontier after things calmed down.
"This young master has already collected eight gym badges. I came to see how you've been doing lately, Bai Yu."
Gary's previous arrogant face was completely gone.
Gary and Blue are different; their experiences are fundamentally different.
Of course, Blue's experiences are far more complex than Gary's, and his ultimate achievements will be greater.
Blue, following the normal storyline, experienced a complete change in his understanding of Pokémon after his defeat at the Indigo League, and then lost to Ash in the Johto League.
This also changed his trainer career, transforming him into a Pokémon professor like his grandfather, researching various Pokémon and helping his grandfather complete the Pokédex.
"Blue, weren't you itching for a challenge?"
Shinji raised an eyebrow. This guy didn't say that in the audience.
He was practically sick of hearing it; every day he talked about how he would defeat White Feather.
But now, in the gym, he was backing down.
"Ahem, I was just using a metaphor—a metaphor, you know?"
Blue coughed lightly, still unsure.
He had lost those two matches too badly and didn't want to embarrass himself further.
His Pokémon team wasn't perfect; he was missing some important members. He would challenge this small gym after the Indigo League ended.
"I don't know, Gary, what are you here to see?"
"Study my strength, or do you want to see my tactics?"
Bai Yu knew perfectly well that Gary was probably here to study tactics.
Gary's team wasn't bad; he even caught Umbreon later.
He only gained popularity because he appeared in the first and second generations. If he had appeared in later storylines like Kalos, he would definitely have become Ash's strongest rival, and his strength would definitely be above Alain's.
It's a bit of a pity that such a good trainer chose to become a research scientist.
"Do you think I'm that kind of person?"
Gary's eyes darted around, stubbornly insisting.
There was no way around it; his purpose in coming was to see Bai Yu's tactics and also to see how big the gap was between him and Bai Yu.
"Gary, if you don't want to challenge me, I'll give it a try."
Shinji was silent for a long time before finally making up his mind.
He wanted to test his own strength level.
After this Indigo League, he was going to the Hoenn region. He
didn't plan to travel in the Johto region; he was going to the Hoenn Battle Frontier to challenge Age of Gods.
He wanted to defeat Shinji himself and avenge his brother.
He was a Champion-level opponent in the Frontier, and Bai Yu had recently defeated Hoenn Champion Kagetsu.
Shinji believed Kagetsu's strength wasn't much different from Shinji's; if he won this gym battle, it would prove he was strong enough to defeat Shinji.
"As a gym leader, I won't refuse any challenger's request,"
Bai Yu said with a smile, seemingly anticipating Shinji's thoughts.
"Shinji, his opponent is me."
Gary suddenly spoke up, walking up to Shinji and blocking his way.
The two had traveled together for a while, and Gary understood Shinji's motivation for becoming a trainer.
"Gary, this is my business," Shinji said, frowning.
"I don't care about that. I have to participate in this gym battle."
Gary's eyes were resolute. He had brought Shinji to Marsh City specifically to ensure they would compete in the last gym battle before the Indigo League.
"Actually… both of you can participate."
"As a gym leader, I can't refuse a challenge."
Bai Yu waved his hand. The rules of the gym battle required two Pokémon to be used.
With only two Pokémon in a battle, Bai Yu had at least ten main Pokémon.
He could easily field any Pokémon.
Why make such a fuss over a challenge spot?
Bai Yu was just a gym leader, not one of the Elite Four, and couldn't choose to refuse challenge invitations.
"Shinji, you go to the stands first, just watch."
Shigeru knew Bai Yu's strength well. He'd spent days studying the match on the resort island in Goldenrod City, finally finalizing his strategy, thinking victory was assured.
But then he saw other Pokémon: Gengar, the Corviknight that had appeared earlier, and the Toxapex that had been mentioned in the stands.
These strange Pokémon disrupted his plans once again.
Shinji didn't speak, walking towards the edge of the arena. He didn't sit in the stands, but leaned against the wall, arms crossed, quietly waiting for the match to begin.
"Same as before, a four-on-four gym battle?" Bai Yu glanced at Shigeru.
Two-on-two rules were the normal rules for ordinary gyms.
Of course, gym leaders could choose other rules.
The more Pokémon a gym leader fielded, the stronger they were.
With Bai Yu's strength, he could have easily changed the gym rules and joined the ranks of the eight major gyms.
However, Bai Yu had no interest in these things. Normal rules gave the challenger an advantage; in a two-on-two match, the challenger had a higher chance of winning.
"A spar. I want to see your full strength."
Xiao Shi's tone was firm. He didn't want to take advantage; he also wanted to know what level Bai Yu was at after the gym restrictions were lifted, how strong he was to defeat an Elite Four member or even a Champion.
"Okay."
Bai Yu gestured to the referee beside him and walked towards the battle area.
"Alright!"
"Then let's begin the match."
"Xiao Shi from Pallet Town versus Bai Yu, the Gym Leader from Marsh City."
"Each side is limited to four Pokémon. Both sides can freely choose their starting lineups and can change Pokémon during the match until one side's Pokémon are all unable to battle, at which point the match ends."
"Battle begins!"
After announcing the rules, the referee left the arena.
Standing next to Shinji, the referee, who had been transferred from Sabrina, had never seen Shinji and Xiao Shi before.
She was skeptical of these two seemingly young trainers.
After all, all the trainers who had requested a spar were at least Elite Four level.
Could these two young men possess that kind of strength? "Toxapex, go up and have some fun."
Bai Yu threw out the Poké Ball in his hand.
A flash of white light, and Toxapex's massive body appeared on the field.
"Toxapex... mentioned in the Pokédex, the Pokémon Bai Yu has been using recently."
Shinji scanned Toxapex's attributes, moves, and other information in his Pokédex, gaining a deeper understanding of the Pokémon. There
were rumors online that trainers who challenged the Macha Gym would fly to Alola the next day to capture Toxapex.
Was it really necessary to capture this Toxapex? Both were entry nerfs, could it really be more annoying than Ferrothorn?
"Let's go, Skarmory!"
Gary had captured many Pokémon to counter Bai Yu's lineup.
He had already caught all the Pokémon he'd seen in the Kanto region, and even those from the Johto region. He would catch any Pokémon he saw and select the most suitable ones to train.
This Skarmory was one he'd recently caught to counter Stealth Teams.
More precisely, it was to counter Ferrothorn.
'Ding~ Skarmory, Steel/Flying type, found in Johto, Hoenn, and other regions.'
Ability: Keen Eye Moves: Leer, Peck, Sand Spray, Spikes, Steel Wing, Whirlwind, Retaliation, Agility, Brave Bird Special Attack, Iron Defense, Swords Dance, Dark Pulse, Tailwind, Roost, Pounce...
Description: Covered in hard armor. It can fly at speeds of up to 300 km/h and cut opponents with its sharp, knife-like wings.
This Skarmory is quite strong.
The receptionist looked at the information displayed on the Pokédex in her hand. Skarmory belongs to the Johto region, but Kanto and Johto are in the same region.
It's normal that this Pokémon was scanned as such.
"I didn't see this guy when I competed against Steven."
"I didn't expect to see him here."
Bai Yu looked at the Skarmory. Any Steel-type Spikes, no matter which one,
could significantly alter the course of a match once unleashed.
In his match against Steven, there were no spectators, and the referee only took a picture.
Qinglv hadn't mentioned it to Xiao Shi either; if he had, Xiao Shi definitely wouldn't have sent Skarmory to fight.
Want to annoy each other? Then let's see if your Skarmory has even half as many spikes as Toxapex.
"Toxapex, use Toxic Spikes!"
Toxapex swayed, a red light flashing in its eyes.
The spikes on its body gradually deepened in color, scattering deep purple diamond-shaped pyramids in all directions, the small spikes embedding themselves perfectly into the ground.
The effect of Toxic Spikes is much more interesting than Spikes; it deals continuous damage.
It's enough to make the whole match much more interesting.
"Poison Spikes! Instead of Spikes and Stealth Rock, he used them."
Shigeru knew Toxapex was a thorn-setter the moment he saw it.
He never expected this Toxapex to be even more disgusting than Ferrothorn.
It actually used Toxic Spikes right from the start.
"Skarmory, use Whirlwind!"
Shigeru didn't want to see the Toxic Spikes go off, especially with Blastoise clearing the thorns later.
With Toxapex in a poisoned state, he needed to ensure the field's safety before it lost its ability to battle, paving the way for the next Pokémon.
Skarmory flapped its wings incessantly, a strong gust of wind constantly slapping Toxapex's body. Toxapex narrowed its eyes, its body transforming into a white light and disappearing from the field.
Whirlwind.
In battle, it forces a random Pokémon from the opponent's team that isn't near death to switch in, granting -6 priority and always used second.
"Sure enough, it couldn't resist using Whirlwind."
Bai Yu understood Shigeru's intentions perfectly.
Skarmory's usual moves upon entering the battle are Spikes and Whirlwind. Using these two moves, it constantly switches in, preventing the opponent from setting up and continuously dealing damage.
Toxapex used Toxic Spikes first, preventing Skarmory from using Spikes. Skarmory could only use Whirlwind to switch out its opponent's entry hazard setter before making further plans – a fairly standard battle strategy.
A Poké Ball at Bai Yu's waist emitted a white light.
"~"
A screech rang out, and a black figure appeared on the field, its red eyes fixed on Skarmory.
Fluttering its jet-black wings, it was Corviknight,
the Pokémon that had battled today. "Why is that Corviknight so hostile towards Gary's Skarmory?"
Shinji frowned, puzzled.
Gary was also surprised; logically, Skarmory and Corviknight shouldn't be related.
Gary caught Skarmory near Viridian Forest, so it must have come from the Johto region.
The Galar region is far from Kanto and Johto.
The only explanation is that Skarmory also exists in the Galar region.
"Corviknight, Swoosh!"
Bai Yu glanced at Skarmory.
With continuous attacks, it would be difficult for Skarmory to withstand Corviknight's onslaught.
Corviknight flapped its wings and swooped down towards the ground at incredible speed.
"Skarmory, let's use Swoosh too!"
Skarmory flapped its wings and charged towards Corviknight.
A bright light emanated from its feet; Skarmory was slightly faster than Corviknight, its physical defense being formidable.
The two forces collided, and thanks to Skarmory's natural advantage in physical defense, Corviknight was forced back a short distance.
Skarmory was a suitable entry fodder, and with the mastery of Swoosh, it could also transform into a decent main attacker. Combined with Iron Defense, its overall strength wouldn't be much inferior to Corviknight's.
Corviknight's only advantage was its ability, which could stop many powerful Pokémon and gave it much greater endurance than Skarmory.
"What a troublesome Corviknight."
Gary's expression was grim; his purpose in using Skarmory was to use Spikes.
Corviknight's attacks were fierce. Skarmory used Spikes, and Corviknight pounced directly on it.
That attack would severely damage Skarmory, making it vulnerable to a second pounce. Whirlwind
actually brought this Pokémon out of the battle.
"Skarmory, use Whirlwind!"
Shigeru still chose to switch Pokémon; any other Pokémon
would be more effective than Corviknight.
Skarmory flapped its wings slightly, creating gusts of wind around it.
"U-turn,"
Bai Yu said calmly.
Corviknight flapped its wings, its body glowing green, and slammed into Skarmory. Skarmory froze, its wingbeats ceasing.
The next second, Corviknight transformed into a white light and entered its Poké Ball.
Bug-type U-turn.
Attacking the opponent, forcibly switching out its own Pokémon, and autonomously choosing the next Pokémon to battle.
"Go, Toxapex."
Without much thought, Bai Yu continued to throw out Toxapex to battle.
Since Xiao Shi didn't like using Spikes and preferred to use Whirlwind to force a switch,
he'd reluctantly choose a Pokémon with Spikes for the battle.
Xiao Shi's face darkened when he saw that familiar face; it was Toxapex again.
"It even knows U-turn, that Corviknight..."
Xiao Shi gritted his teeth. He never expected Bai Yu to switch Pokémon willingly.
Another Toxapex; it was obvious Bai Yu was going to use Toxic Spikes again.
"Toxapex, Toxic Spikes!"
Just as Xiao Shi expected, Toxapex appeared, swaying its body, and a purplish-black diamond-shaped pyramid sank into the ground, dimming the ground's color.
Any Pokémon Xiao Shi's next to enter the battle would be poisoned if it stepped on the Toxic Spikes.
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(End of Chapter)