NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 14: CHAPTER 14
c14: The Battle of Best Friends
Ruby and Alex, childhood best friends, stood motionless in the golden afterglow of sunset on Wudou Island. The waves crashed softly behind them, but all they could hear was each other's heartbeat and the thrill of an impending match.
"Alex, I've always looked forward to battling you!" Ruby called out, smiling brightly.
"My Ghost-types won't lose to you, Ruby," Alex replied coolly, his eyes glinting with confidence.
Both of them tossed their Poké Balls into the air in unison.
"Go! Sceptile!"
"Go! Phantump!"
Ruby's Level 36 Sceptile, his ace and fully evolved starter, burst onto the battlefield, its sleek green body radiating speed and confidence. Alex responded with Phantump, a Level 30 Pokémon he'd raised from a wild encounter in the haunted grove of Route 209. Despite the level gap and evolutionary difference, Alex wasn't backing down.
Sceptile, known for its base stat total of 530, was a fearsome mixed attacker. Ruby had trained his for physical strength, utilizing its high Speed and decent Attack to chain physical moves quickly. Despite Sceptile's stronger Special Attack, Ruby had leaned into its faster, more aggressive physical style — a tactic he'd used effectively in earlier battles, including his match against the Gym Leader Norman.
Alex knew this well. He remembered the brutal way Ruby had used Assurance against a Kadabra in a previous battle. That move was a serious threat to Ghost-types, especially when triggered by a double-hit combo or status interaction.
"Phantump! Use Will-O-Wisp!"
Alex fell back on his signature opening tactic: inflict burn and lower the opponent's Attack sharply. He had seen Ruby's Sceptile in action and knew it relied on physical moves, especially with Leaf Blade, Quick Attack, and the dreaded Assurance in its set. Inflicting burn would halve Sceptile's physical damage output and render its strongest attacks useless.
"Haha! Alex! Look at my partner now! I'm going to make Sceptile the vanguard of this team! Sceptile, use Assurance!"
The Will-O-Wisp landed perfectly, engulfing Sceptile in pale blue flames. The lizard-like Pokémon grimaced, its attack clearly weakened as it lunged with a shadow-charged Assurance. It struck Phantump, but the damage was laughably small — the burn had drastically reduced its power.
"Darn it, that burn ruined my opening move... Sceptile, use Giga Drain instead!"
"Come back, Phantump!" Alex swiftly recalled his still-healthy Phantump. The Will-O-Wisp had done its job, now it was time for the second phase.
"Let's go, Haunter!"
From his Poké Ball, Alex's mischievous Haunter emerged, floating above the field with a wide grin. It had recovered fully since its encounter with Ruby's Mismagius two chapters ago and was itching for revenge.
"Jie jie jie..." Haunter chuckled, licking its lips and glaring at Sceptile.
"Jie jie jie jie (Remember me, little lizard? Still afraid of my poison?)"
"Scep...tile!" Sceptile growled defiantly and launched a burned-powered Giga Drain. But Haunter, being a Poison/Ghost-type, resisted it easily.
"No good... Sceptile can't do anything to it now," Ruby muttered.
"Haunter! Sludge Bomb, then follow up with Hex!"
The attack combo was devastating. Sludge Bomb hit first, dealing massive Poison-type damage and knocking Sceptile backward. Then came Hex now at full 130 base power due to Sceptile's burn a double whammy amplified by Same Type Attack Bonus (STAB). The impact sent Sceptile crashing to the ground, its eyes swirling as it fainted.
(Note: Hex normally has 65 base power, but it doubles if the opponent has a status condition. This is often used by Ghost-type trainers in tactical battles, as seen in Sabrina's gym matches in the manga.)
Ruby was floored. "What the?! Since when did you become such a strategist?!"
"Sigh... Come back, Sceptile," he said, returning his unconscious Pokémon to its ball. "Go! Mightyena!"
The intimidating Dark-type Pokémon growled as it landed. Its sharp fangs gleamed in the fading light, and its eyes locked onto Haunter with predator-like focus.
"Mightyena... You caught this just to counter my team, didn't you?" Alex said dryly, his arms crossed.
"Ehh~" Ruby grinned, scratching his head, trying to act innocent. "Just a lucky coincidence?"
Alex wasn't fooled. "Haunter, you know what to do. Use Will-O-Wisp again."
"Oh no! Alex! Is Will-O-Wisp your trademark move or something?!" Ruby yelped as he slapped his thigh in frustration. "This is the third time today!"
"Woof!" The Level 30 Mightyena, having just entered the battle and ready to execute Crunch as pre-planned with Ruby, suddenly noticed a streak of black-purple flame flying toward it—Haunter's Will-O-Wisp.
Mightyena: What the heck is that?
The flame struck with eerie precision, and Mightyena's body became engulfed in ghostly embers burned. The burn inflicted a 50% reduction to its physical attack power, which already sat at a modest base 90 Attack. Now it was significantly weakened just as Alex had planned.
"Haunter, use Sludge Bomb!" Alex called without hesitation.
"Crunch!" Ruby shouted, refusing to back down.
Sludge Bomb struck first. A stream of noxious purple sludge exploded across the battlefield, making Mightyena flinch and yelp in pain. In return, Crunch landed—its Dark-typing super-effective against Ghost but with the burn debuff, it lacked its usual bite. It managed to take nearly half of Haunter's HP, but Mightyena was visibly on its last legs, panting heavily.
Without missing a beat, Alex pointed forward: "Finish it with Hex!"
Haunter's eyes flashed. The status-inflicted Mightyena had no chance against the STAB-powered, 130 base power Hex. The blast of dark energy overwhelmed it completely. Mightyena collapsed, eyes spinning. With that, Haunter had KO'd two of Ruby's Pokémon back-to-back.
Ruby's face turned pale. Without a word, he tossed his final Poké Ball into the air.
"Gardevoir, let's go!" His Level 30 Gardevoir emerged, elegant and serene. Alex casually glanced at the system screen—it was female. His expression turned... odd.
"Lu Chi, are you even worthy of Haruka?" Alex asked, his tone dry and teasing.
Ruby panicked. "I-It's not what you think, Alex! I can explain!"
"Haunter, come back," Alex said, smirking. "Go, Phantump!"
Phantump re-entered the battlefield with black and red flames smoldering in its eye sockets. Clearly still upset from before.
"Pha...ntump... (You knocked out my Haunter second brother, huh? Payback time!)"
Gardevoir, who had literally just arrived and done nothing: [confused anime sweat drop expression]
Just as expected, Gardevoir had no effective move against Ghost-types like Phantump. Ruby hadn't taught it Shadow Ball, Mystical Fire, or any coverage options. The matchup was entirely in Alex's favor.
"Phantump, Will-O-Wisp!"
Gardevoir recoiled as the fire hit, leaving her burned.
"Now, Hex!" Alex's voice rang with eerie calm.
Phantump's attack landed true. As a Ghost-type move hitting a status-afflicted Psychic/Fairy-type, the Hex was absolutely devastating. The blast sent Gardevoir reeling—and moments later, she fainted without having used a single move.
"Sigh, Alex, you and your adorable Ghost-types… always cooking up the most irritating battle tactics," Ruby muttered, exhausted.
"Oh? Is that so?" Alex grinned slyly.
From behind, Dreepy poked its head out of Alex's backpack and whispered smugly:
"Young man... do you still remember the sacred arts of Substitute–Protect–Endure?"
Ruby groaned, clutching his forehead.
"Let's go heal our Pokémon," Alex said, stretching. "Tomorrow morning, we'll head out and deliver the letter to Steven."
"Lu Chi," Ruby muttered as they began walking under the orange sky, "how are you this calm? You just got wiped, then act like you won."
"Ehh~" Ruby just smiled, rubbing the back of his neck.
The two best friends strolled toward the Pokémon Center, the last rays of sunlight painting the road behind them gold.
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