Pokémon : Forced to Be a Ghost Champion

Chapter 13: CHAPTER 13



c13: Dewford Gym – Dancing on the Waves, the Sea Man Brawly!

Alex leisurely made his way to the Dewford Gym, and just outside the entrance, he bumped into Ruby, who had already completed his Gym challenge successfully.

"Yo, Xiao Xingzi, done with training? Once you're finished with your match, let's have a battle!"

"Eh, Lu Chi, don't come looking for a beating~" Alex grinned.

Upon entering the Gym, he was greeted by complete darkness. Moments later, a Gym staffer approached.

"The Dewford Gym challenge involves battling our Gym Trainers. Every time you win, the ceiling lights gradually turn on."

But Alex was already quite familiar with this setup. In his previous life, he'd played through Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald numerous times. This Fighting-type Gym maze was something he could navigate blindfolded.

Ignoring the dark, Alex walked straight toward the Gym Leader's platform under the baffled gaze of the staff.

"Hey there! I'm Brawly Fuji Kina's manga counterpart, the Dewford Gym Leader who trains with the waves and the darkness."

"Uh, I'm Alex from Littleroot Town. Would you mind turning on the lights…?"

Click! The Gym lights snapped on.

A long moment of awkward silence filled the air.

"Uh, challenger," Brawly coughed and regained his composure. "My Pokémon and I have trained together in the harshest currents and deepest caves. Let's see if you can keep up. This will be a 2-on-2 single battle."

The two tossed their Poké Balls at the same time, only for the atmosphere to turn even more awkward.

Brawly's eyes twitched slightly as he saw the Ghost/Grass-type Phantump appear opposite him. "Really? A Ghost-type?"

Still, Brawly led with his Level 28 Combusken, the evolved form of Torchic, already exuding fierce battle aura.

"Combusken, use Fire Punch!"

Though Phantump's Ghost-typing made it immune to Fighting-type moves, Fire Punch was a direct counter, being super effective against Phantump's Grass-type. The heat flared dangerously.

"Phantump, dodge quickly!" Alex commanded. But even with agility, Phantump wasn't sturdy enough to take the risk.

"This won't work. Phantump has no solid counter for Combusken. Come back!"

Alex recalled Phantump and considered his options carefully. Dreepy was fast, but its damage output hadn't caught up to its level yet. In a raw duel, Haunter, with his top-tier Special Attack, was still the most reliable choice.

"Haunter, you're up!"

"Jejejeje~" Haunter floated out with a mischievous grin, ready for battle.

"Haunter, use Sludge Bomb!"

Haunter launched a flurry of bubbling poisonous orbs, glowing purple and radiating toxic energy. The Special Attack landed cleanly.

Combusken, despite having Speed Boost activated at the end of the turn, wasn't bulky enough to endure the hit. It collapsed in one clean strike.

"Whew, thank Arceus I took care of that Speed Boost chicken fast. These glass cannon Ghost-types of mine wouldn't have held up otherwise…"

Brawly raised an eyebrow. "You… you're a Ghost-type specialist?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. That's right," Alex replied honestly.

Brawly's expression tightened. He knew Ghost-types were naturally immune to most Fighting-type moves, and that put him at a disadvantage. Still, he wasn't going to lose without a fight.

"Then let's see how you handle this! Go, Hariyama!"

He released his second Pokémon, a towering Level 30 Hariyama, whose bulk and battle aura immediately filled the Gym. Unlike the usual strategy of brute force, this Hariyama had techniques refined through training in both the manga and game lore.

Alex stuck to the plan. "Haunter, keep using Sludge Bomb!"

Once again, Haunter hurled a barrage of toxic spheres. The attack struck, but Hariyama's enormous HP pool and natural bulk let it tank the hit.

"Hariyama, Belly Drum!"

Alex's eyes widened.

Hariyama pounded its chest with full force, cutting its HP in half but maximizing its Attack stat to the limit.

"Oh no… this is bad," Alex muttered. "If he gets one hit in, even Haunter won't survive it…"

"What if it's Belly Drum? Can you still tank another Sludge Bomb? Haunter, use Sludge Bomb again!" Alex called out, fully confident in the win.

The Hariyama pounded its belly with enormous force. A fiery aura surged around its bulky frame, and its presence became dangerously sharp, it had maxed out its Attack.

Haunter floated back and launched another pulsing ball of sludge.

"Heh, Knock Off!" Brawly Fuji Kina's alias from the manga suddenly shouted.

"What?! I messed up!" Alex winced inwardly. He had checked Hariyama's abilities and move pool earlier with the Witness System but had overlooked one fatal detail. He'd assumed no Ghost counter would be prepared—an error that cost him dearly. It was careless. How could a Gym Leader who trains in caves filled with Makuhita not account for Ghost-types?

The super-effective Knock Off struck Haunter hard. Despite his resistance to Normal and immunity to Fighting, the Dark-type move hit Haunter's low Defense like a truck and he fainted instantly.

"This is bad... I only have Phantump left!"

He hesitated for a beat, then tossed out his final Poké Ball. "Go, Phantump!"

"Muri!"

"Dumei!" Dreepy chirped from Alex's shoulder, having popped out of its Poké Ball at some point. It fluttered in the air, cheering its teammate on.

Alex racked his brain for a counter-strategy when a flicker of inspiration struck him.

"Phantump! Use that!"

Phantump's small eyes suddenly ignited with searing black-blue flames. Without warning, a Will-O-Wisp surged out wilder and hotter than anything from training that morning.

"Whoa… what's with this Will-O-Wisp?! That's not normal. It's almost... Flamethrower-level intensity!" Alex blinked, stunned by the sheer pressure radiating from the move.

> Ding!

Phantump's hidden passive ability "Hexborn" has activated. When Phantump or its allies are injured, Will-O-Wisp's power increases dramatically. This ability stacks alongside its natural Harvest ability.

Alex stared, mouth half-open. "So my Phantump… has two abilities?"

The enhanced Will-O-Wisp slammed into Hariyama with surgical precision, leaving the massive fighter scorched and coughing from the burn. The burn halved Hariyama's physical damage rendering its Belly Drum less dangerous. Worse still, the vengeful aura from Phantump's anger meant Hariyama took additional burn damage every turn.

"Shake it off, Hariyama! Use Knock Off again!" Brawly commanded sharply, his voice taut.

Alex felt his pulse pounding. One misstep and it would all be over.

But before he could issue his next command—Phantump moved on its own.

"Mu! …Xu… Li!"

Its eyes glowed red-black with fury. Channeling the will of haunted forests, Phantump released a devastating Hex, enhanced by Same-Type Attack Bonus, the burn status, and its hidden trait. The black flame engulfed Hariyama like a cursed pyre.

Boom!

The Hex detonated with shocking force. The visual impact was dramatic a swirling black aura cracked the floor around Hariyama, and ghostly shrieks echoed as if from beyond the veil.

Hariyama staggered. Though its immense HP and natural bulk let it barely hang on, the burn damage licked at its feet, pushing it closer to the brink.

As Hariyama raised its arm for one last Knock Off—Alex's expression suddenly changed.

"Phantump! Disable, now!"

Phantump's eyes gleamed, and with a shimmering psychic wave, Disable sealed off Hariyama's access to Knock Off the move it had just used.

"Knock Off's sealed! Hariyama's got nothing left to hit a Ghost-type!"

Alex's heart soared. Brawly's strongest battler had been fully disarmed.

"Finish it, Phantump! One more Hex!"

Phantump's eyes radiated fierce determination. Dark red flames twisted outward again as the black light of Hex surged.

"Riki… Rikihu…" Hariyama groaned.

The cursed flame struck and this time, it was enough.

Boom.

Hariyama's massive body crashed down with a heavy thud. Burned, Hexed, and disabled, he could no longer fight.

"Phew… what a battle." Alex exhaled deeply, sweat beading on his brow.

Across the field, Brawly chuckled and stepped forward. "Well done, challenger Alex. You may have stumbled early on, but your strategic adjustments and that Disable were brilliant. You earned this."

He handed Alex a Knuckle Badge and the TM for Bulk Up.

"Thanks, Gym Leader." Alex accepted them with a humbled heart. His fingers trembled slightly not from fear, but exhilaration.

"Go rest your Pokémon. You've earned it."

"Will do. Thanks again, Gym Leader Brawly."

---

Pokémon Center

Back at the Dewford Pokémon Center, Alex sat quietly with Dreepy, who hadn't participated in the match. He waited patiently as Haunter and Phantump recovered.

His mind replayed the battle in vivid detail. Despite the win, his early mistake had nearly cost him the match and Haunter had paid the price.

"That Knock Off… I should've predicted it. I underestimated him just because I had type advantage."

He frowned slightly, reflecting on his overconfidence. But then his thoughts drifted to Phantump's performance. That incredible Will-O-Wisp… the spontaneous Hex… and its awareness in the heat of battle.

"Wait a second… That first Hex Phantump used it without me saying anything."

He stared at the ceiling in thought.

"That means… it acted entirely on its own. Which means… its battle instincts kicked in."

It suddenly clicked. Among his current team, Phantump was the only one with real experience surviving alone in the wild. Haunter had only recently evolved, and Dreepy had been raised in safer conditions. But Phantump? It had battled without a trainer long before joining Alex.

"In the wild or in a chaotic battle where I can't issue commands, Pokémon with battle sense can turn the tide."

Alex clenched his fist lightly, eyes thoughtful.

"I need to start training them to think independently in battle, not just follow orders."

Just then, the Pokémon Center's nurse returned with two Poké Balls.

"All done. Your Pokémon are fully recovered!"

Alex stood up and retrieved them, smiling with quiet resolve.

Now it was time to meet Ruby as promised.

Two trainers, two friends. One battle ahead.

Who would come out on top?

---

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