I, Gary, Want to Become a Pokemon Master

"Oh! A Shiny Breloom."

Norman was slightly surprised to see Gary send out a Shiny Breloom.

"It seems you've made some special preparations. But type advantage isn't everything. Slakoth, use Blizzard!" Norman commanded.

Although Slakoth is lazy, its movepool is surprisingly diverse.

"Mah!"

Slakoth opened its mouth and unleashed a frigid wind mixed with snowballs, blasting toward Breloom. If it connected, it would deal serious damage. However, hitting the agile Breloom was another matter.

"Breloom, use Dig!" Gary ordered.

Breloom immediately burrowed underground, taking advantage of the Ground-type attack to avoid the Blizzard. Then, Gary quickly gave the next command: "Surface and use Mach Punch!"

Bang!!

Breloom didn't attack directly with Dig. Instead, it emerged three meters to the left of Slakoth and dashed at lightning speed, landing a quick punch.

Wham!

The fist struck Slakoth's face, knocking it back.

"Don't let up! Power-Up Punch!" Gary pressed the advantage, giving Slakoth no chance to recover.

Norman was puzzled as to how his Slakoth, normally hampered by Truant, could act continuously. But even setting that aside, Slakoth's base stats were poor, and overall, it was far inferior to Breloom.

"Bre-loom!"

Breloom chased after Slakoth, its fist surrounded by orange energy, and unleashed a Power-Up Punch.

Seeing the danger, Norman shouted, "Counter with Shadow Claw!"

Slakoth quickly reacted, coating its claws in dark purple energy, and slashed forward to meet Breloom's punch.

The two attacks collided, evenly matched for a moment. But Breloom wasn't done. Its other fist, still charged with Power-Up Punch, struck again.

Boom!!!

"Mah!"

Slakoth cried out in pain as the punch hit its head, sending it flying backward. It crashed to the ground, unconscious.

"Slakoth is unable to battle! Breloom wins!" the Gym apprentice declared.

"He lost..." Norman muttered in surprise. Even though Mach Punch and Power-Up Punch aren't Breloom's strongest moves, the combined blows shouldn't have knocked out Slakoth so quickly.

What Norman didn't realize was that Gary had equipped Breloom with a Black Belt, boosting the power of its Fighting-type moves by 50%. Along with Breloom's natural STAB (Same-Type Attack Bonus), the power of Mach Punch and Power-Up Punch was much higher than expected.

Even if Slakoth was a decent level, its stats were still inferior to Vigoroth. So, losing was understandable.

On top of that, Breloom's Power-Up Punch boosted its Attack stat by one stage.

The battle momentum had clearly shifted in Gary's favor.

"Your Breloom is truly impressive."

Norman smiled slightly. "Then my second Pokémon... let's go, Vigoroth!"

Norman calmly sent out his next Pokémon.

Great!

[Lv. 34 Vigoroth | Gym Battle]

Vigoroth, with its signature tuft of red fur on its forehead, appeared on the field.

I have to admit, Vigoroth looked pretty cool. With that red fur, it gave off the vibe of a wild and energetic youth.

"Breloom, stay in and keep up the pressure! Use Mach Punch!" Gary called out, not considering a switch.

"Bre-loom!"

Breloom's Assist ability boosted its speed as it dashed toward Vigoroth and threw a punch.

Thud!

Gary's eyes widened in shock. "Blocked!"

Vigoroth had caught Breloom's fist with its claw, completely neutralizing Mach Punch. Its reflexes were incredible.

Vigoroth's hyperactive nature made its nerves highly sensitive. Even with Mach Punch's priority, it reacted fast enough to block.

Vigoroth then gripped Breloom's fist tightly, preventing it from pulling away. Breloom quickly prepared to strike with the other fist, but Vigoroth moved first.

"Flamethrower!" Norman commanded.

Vigoroth released Breloom's fist, causing the struggling Breloom to stumble back two steps. Vigoroth seized the opportunity and unleashed a blast of fire, engulfing Breloom.

As the flames died down, Breloom stood, scorched but still conscious.

"Breloom, use Mach Punch again!" Gary ordered.

Breloom, ignoring its injuries, charged forward, determined not to be caught the same way twice.

Norman, realizing he couldn't repeat the same trick, quickly called out, "Shadow Claw!"

Vigoroth's claws glowed with shadowy purple energy as it prepared to strike head-on. But just before the two attacks met, Breloom suddenly pulled back his fist, allowing Vigoroth's Shadow Claw to hit him.

Norman and Vigoroth were stunned by this move, but it was too late to stop what followed.

Fwoosh!

Upon contact, Breloom released a burst of spores from its body.

"What?! Spore?!"

Norman was shocked. He recognized the move instantly. But Spore is typically a sleep-inducing move—why would Gary risk triggering a random effect?

Actually, this wasn't the move Spore, but Breloom's Effect Spore ability. It has a chance to inflict sleep, paralysis, or poison on contact.

Norman thought nervously, Was he gambling on a status effect? That's a dangerous bet.

"Vigoroth, are you okay?" Norman asked.

Although the spores could inflict sleep, paralysis, or poison, Vigoroth's Vital Spirit ability made it immune to sleep.

"Roth!" Vigoroth cried out energetically—but then flinched as a tingling sensation spread through its body.

"Paralysis!" Norman realized immediately.

He glanced at Breloom. Despite the damage it had taken, Breloom was still standing strong.

"Dynamic Punch!" Gary commanded.

Breloom rushed forward.

Vigoroth tried to counter with Shadow Claw, but the paralysis suddenly stiffened its limbs, leaving it unable to move.

Smash!!

"Roth!!"

The Dynamic Punch struck Vigoroth square on the head, inflicting confusion in addition to the paralysis.

Vigoroth was now in a dire state—paralyzed and confused.

Gary pressed his advantage. "Leech Seed, followed by Mega Drain!"

Breloom wasted no time. Leech Seed latched onto Vigoroth, vines wrapping around him and draining his energy.

Then, Breloom used Mega Drain. Two bright green vines of energy extended from Breloom's hands, wrapping around Vigoroth and further draining his HP.

With both Leech Seed and Mega Drain in effect, Breloom's health began to recover at a rapid pace.