Pokemon: Gym Leader

"Go, Mareanie, get ready for battle!"

Dylan swiftly tossed the Pokéball in his hand, and with a flash of white light, Mareanie, with its tentacle-like 'hair,' landed in front of Dylan, looking adorably at Gary.

"What kind of Pokémon is this?"

"I don't recognize it; I've never seen it before."

"Hmm~ It looks quite abstract..."

"Go, Gary! You can do it!"

The cheerleaders, now seated in the audience, whispered among themselves. Mareanie, a Pokémon from the Alola region, was rarely seen in other areas, so it was no surprise they didn't recognize it.

"This isn't a Pokémon from the Kanto region."

Gary's handsome face showed a thoughtful expression as he recalled his knowledge, realizing he had no memory of Mareanie, and spoke up.

He was confident in his memory.

"This is Mareanie from the Alola region, a Water/Poison-type. My father is currently traveling there."

Dylan smiled as he briefly introduced Mareanie's type, seeing no need to hide it.

After all, the use of a Pokédex during battles isn't prohibited. Though the device locks certain moves from view, basic information can still be accessed.

"This is quite interesting."

Gary became slightly more interested—an unfamiliar Pokémon, after all.

"In that case, I'll go with this one!"

Gary took out a Pokéball, bringing it to his lips for a gentle kiss. His blissful expression made the receptionist shiver slightly.

What kind of weird move was that? Or could it be that doing so imparts some mysterious power to the Pokémon inside the Pokéball???

"Go! My beloved baby!"

Gary stylishly threw the Pokéball.

With a flash of white light, a blue turtle-like Pokémon landed in front of Gary.

Its body was indigo, with a pair of fluffy, wing-like ears on its oval head, and its tail was similarly fluffy.

It was none other than Wartortle, the evolved form of Squirtle.

Beep~ Wartortle, Water-type, Turtle Pokémon.

Ability: Torrent

Moves: Rain Dance, Protect, Water Pulse, Bite, Rapid Spin, Withdraw, Water Gun, Tackle, Aqua Ring (Egg Move)

Description: Often lurking underwater to ambush prey, it uses its ears for balance when swimming at high speeds.

Looks pretty strong, huh?

The receptionist blinked as she read the information about Wartortle on her Pokédex. Although this boy's behavior was full of flair, considering he seemed to be around sixteen, he was likely a rookie Trainer.

"Wartortle, huh." Dylan raised an eyebrow.

If it's Wartortle, then the strategy he had in mind wouldn't work since Wartortle is sure to use that move. What a shame.

But it's not a big deal.

"You may have the first move, challenger."

Dylan showed gentlemanly courtesy, motioning toward Gary.

"Then I won't hold back," Gary tilted his chin up.

"Wartortle, close in and use Bite!"

Gary decisively ordered Wartortle, reflecting his arrogant and overconfident nature. His battle style mirrored his personality—he liked to keep control in his hands.

"Use Pin Missile to stop it."

Dylan chuckled lightly.

After a few days of training, Mareanie had learned a new move, Pin Missile, which was quite handy.

Mareanie let out a soft cry, raised its tentacles, which glowed white, and fired beams of Pin Missiles at Wartortle.

"Wartortle, use Rapid Spin!" Gary reacted quickly.

Wartortle retracted its limbs into its shell, which then spun rapidly. Using the speed and momentum of the spin, Wartortle actually flew toward Mareanie.

As expected, it knows that move.

Dylan wasn't surprised, as Rapid Spin is a move that Wartortle naturally learns as it grows.

"Is that even possible?" The receptionist was stunned.

The Pin Missiles struck, continuously hitting the spinning Wartortle, but its rapid spin, combined with its hard shell, deflected the Pin Missiles, allowing Wartortle to close in on Mareanie.

"Hahaha~ My Wartortle has been carefully trained by me!"

Gary was in a great mood, confidently flicking his bangs.

Did they really think a mere Pin Missile could stop his beloved Wartortle?

Meanwhile, in the audience, the cheerleaders were already dancing in unison.

"Amazing! Amazing! Go, Gary~!"

The beautiful cheerleaders lined up, cheering loudly for Gary.

"Ugh! What are these girls trying to do?"

The receptionist was annoyed. So what if it blocked a Pin Missile? Someone who didn't know better might think that conceited challenger had already won.

Dylan, you have to win!

The receptionist refocused on the battle, silently cheering for her Gym Leader. However, her shyness kept her from shouting like the cheerleaders.

…

Having broken through the Pin Missile, the rapidly spinning Wartortle was now closing in on Mareanie.

Bang!

Rapid Spin struck Mareanie, causing it to let out a muffled groan as it was knocked back slightly.

"Wartortle, use Bite!"

Gary's battle instincts were indeed sharp, as he immediately had Wartortle pursue the attack.

Wartortle, upon landing, quickly lunged at Mareanie, its mouth open as dark energy fangs formed, biting down on the tentacle at the front of Mareanie's head.

A Dark-type Bite.

Mareanie cried out in pain; the direct hit from Bite was indeed quite painful.

"Now, use Water Gun!"

Gary's grin widened, feeling confident in his advantage.

Although using Water Gun against another Water-type like Mareanie was not very effective, he had no choice, as most of Wartortle's current moves were Water-type.

It's true that Professor Oak was his grandfather, but Professor Oak wanted them to grow on their own rather than rely on his resources.

And given Gary's naturally proud and strong-willed personality, he indeed wanted to prove himself through his own abilities.

As a result, Gary hadn't asked Professor Oak for a move tutor, despite how convenient it would have been.

Wartortle released Mareanie, puffing out its cheeks as it prepared to unleash a close-range Water Gun.

"Mareanie," Dylan's lips curled into a slight smile as he called out.

Mareanie heard Dylan's voice, and thanks to the bond they'd developed over the past few days, it immediately understood what Dylan had in mind.

Raising its tentacles, a deep purple, eerie poison gleamed as it jabbed directly into Wartortle.

The poison seeped into Wartortle's body, and because Wartortle's body blocked the view, Gary didn't even notice it.

Bang! The Water Gun blasted directly into Mareanie's face, causing it to cry out in pain as it was pushed back by the force of the attack.

Mareanie had resistance to Water Gun, so the damage it took wasn't significant, but the impact was real.

"Hmph~ So much for that."

In his favorable position, Gary smugly tilted his chin up. The online rumors were right—this Gym wasn't much of a challenge.

But then again, it made sense. After all, he was Gary!

However, just then, Wartortle suddenly doubled over in pain, its entire body flashing with a strange, eerie purple glow as patches of poison appeared all over it.

"Wartortle!"

Gary's expression changed as he stared in shock at his Wartortle, now suffering from its first bout of poisoning.

Is this… poison?! And judging by the appearance of the poison spots, it wasn't just any poison—it was Toxic Poison!

Toxic: Inflicts the target with Toxic status. While under Toxic status, the target loses HP each turn, with the damage increasing as time passes.

But when did Wartortle get hit with Toxic? How did he not notice? The opponent didn't even give that command, damn it! What the heck, is there a sneaky one here?!

Gary's face darkened as he replayed the battle details in his mind, quickly pinpointing the moment.

It must have been when Wartortle used Bite on Mareanie. That was the only opportunity Mareanie had to use Toxic.

Gary lifted his head to look at Dylan, who was still smiling innocently.

"You guessed it right. But I didn't expect you to approach Mareanie so carelessly. It was easy to land that Toxic."

Dylan smiled as he spoke. Originally, he had planned to bait Gary into a few more traps, but Gary's vigilance was far lower than he had anticipated.

Even after successfully landing Toxic, Gary hadn't realized it.

Dylan's response made Gary's face even more grim, his expression growing darker and more uncertain.

He wasn't stupid—once Wartortle was hit with the nasty Toxic move, it was like racing against death itself.

Either Wartortle would be taken down by the poison, or it would have to defeat Mareanie before succumbing to it.

"It doesn't matter! All I need to do is defeat Mareanie first."

Gary reassured himself, thinking that mere Toxic wouldn't be enough to turn the tide in Mareanie's favor. Surely, Mareanie was destined to lose, right?

Impossible! Absolutely impossible!

Besides, Wartortle had already dealt three hits to Mareanie. As long as it continued to press the attack, Mareanie was bound to go down first! But then…

"Mareanie, use Recover," Dylan said with a gentle smile.

Gary: "???"

(End of Chapter)