Chapter 249: Gary vs. Giovanni!
2024-05-15 Author: Samsung Charmander (Author Name)
"Come out!"
Giovanni casually tossed the Poké Ball in his hand. An earthy-brown Pokémon with three cylindrical heads joined together appeared. After landing on the ground, it was impossible to see what its structure was like below the heads.
This was Giovanni's lower tier.
Gary couldn't help but pull out his Pokedex.
"Registered. Surely you don't need me to introduce this one? Don't insult the Pokedex. Hehe."
The Pokedex's prompt rang out.
Gary: "..."
Dugtrio. He had indeed caught three of them in Diglett's Cave near Vermilion City. It wasn't a particularly special Pokémon.
Gary glanced at the Dugtrio before him. Its strength seemed to be of a medium level, completely unremarkable. His courage instantly swelled, and after a moment's hesitation, he reached for his waist and pulled out a Poké Ball.
"Come on out, my darling~"
A flash of red light revealed a large, dog-like Pokémon with red and black stripes on the Battle Arena. Even on all fours, it stood over two meters tall. Its entire body was covered in a thick layer of yellow mane, its fur smooth and its limbs powerful. Its head didn't really resemble a large dog, but more like a great lion covered in a mane.
Arcanine!
"Awooo!!"
Arcanine threw its head back and roared, the sound like a thunderclap. Its momentum was extraordinary, and the roar even carried a power that could make one tremble, causing the Dugtrio before it to involuntarily shuffle back a few steps.
The ability Intimidate activated, lowering Dugtrio's attack.
Faced with this great lion with its flowing mane, Giovanni remained completely unfazed. As experienced as he was, he could perceive this Arcanine's combat power with a single glance.
A human combat power detector—it was a skill that most veteran trainers possessed to some degree.
9000 Power.
Giovanni produced this combat power data.
Of course, this was just its stats on paper. Whether it could unleash its true combat power beyond 9000 in battle depended on the skill of the trainer and the Pokémon.
Although its combat power had not yet reached a five-digit figure, for a rookie trainer, this was already a terrifyingly and absurdly high number.
Thinking of this, Giovanni couldn't help but speak up:
"Oh? Using a Fire-type against my Ground-type?"
"Hmph, in the face of a level disparity, type means nothing."
The corner of Gary's mouth curled up as he initiated the first attack, commanding:
"Arcanine, use Fire Spin!!"
"Awooo!!"
Arcanine bared its teeth and spat out a deep red flame. It shot forth like a pillar of fire, but as it neared its target, the flame's direction shifted, transforming into a sky-filling whirlpool that enveloped Dugtrio.
"Ugh..."
The flame contracted, continuously burning Dugtrio, causing it to let out a muffled groan, its expression souring.
"The temperature of the flame is not bad... Dugtrio, use Sand Tomb," Giovanni commanded.
Upon hearing the command, the three heads of the Dugtrio within the flames began to sway, flinging out countless clouds of dust and sand. A patch of the surrounding arena even sank, successfully smothering and extinguishing the surrounding Fire Spin.
However, several new burn wounds now marked Dugtrio's body.
The effect of Fire on the Ground-type wasn't bad; it was a normal 1x effect, so the damage wasn't low.
But the Ground-type had a double type advantage against the Fire-type.
Giovanni commanded:
"Dugtrio, use Earthquake."
"Wuu!"
Dugtrio's body trembled. With it as the epicenter, waves of earth rippled outwards in all directions. The entire battle arena began to shake, and many sections of the earthen crust even began to crack and split apart.
Gary was unruffled, instantly coming up with a countermeasure.
"Arcanine, use Bounce!"
Arcanine's body suddenly leaped high into the air. Its powerful jumping ability and hang time made it seem as if it were flying in mid-air, delaying its landing for a long time.
Naturally, the violent tremors didn't cause it any damage.
The move Bounce was similar to Dig and Fly; they were all moves that required one turn to charge. In this case, charging for a turn allowed Arcanine to completely evade the damage from Earthquake.
"Arcanine!"
With Gary's low shout, the Earthquake move ceased, and the airborne Arcanine landed at the perfect moment. Its powerful forepaws stomped directly onto Dugtrio's head. The impact sent Dugtrio's head tilting sideways, dealing considerable damage.
"It's over! Use Flamethrower!!"
Gary pressed his advantage, not giving it a single chance.
Using the recoil from Bounce, Arcanine created distance while baring its teeth once more, suddenly blasting a thick column of flame that completely engulfed Dugtrio.
"BOOM BOOM BOOM!!"
The flame exploded. The surrounding dust and sand shot into the sky, creating a massive spectacle that completely obscured the view.
By the time the smoke and flame had all dissipated, the Dugtrio in the center had completely lost its ability to battle, lying unconscious on the ground.
Arcanine had already returned to Gary's side, its mane flowing like a lion of flame, its gaze resolute.
Gary, meanwhile, gently stroked its chin, his expression gradually growing cocky.
"Is that all?"
Although this Dugtrio had some strength, for him, who had been tempered by 10 Gyms, it was simply not enough to look at!
A suspicion had even started to form in his mind. Could it be that the big boss of Team Rocket was just an armchair commander who was all talk?
That's right, who decreed that a big boss must be a good fighter?!
As long as his underlings were strong enough, that would do. The boss just sips tea and acts as a spectator, devising strategies from a thousand miles away. That was the normal style for the big boss of a major, multinational, black-hearted corporation, wasn't it?
Giovanni: "..."
He felt a little uncomfortable sensing that the monkey before him was starting to look at him as if he were an idiot.
Without even glancing at the Dugtrio that was unable to battle below, Giovanni recalled it and tossed out another Poké Ball.
"Bang!"
A red light flashed. This time, it was an upright, Dragon-type Pokémon of an earthy gray color with a metallic sheen. Its physique was heavy, and its entire body—limbs and tail included—was covered in a dark silver metallic skin resembling armor. A sharp, conical horn stood on its snout.
"A Rhydon, huh..."
This time, Gary had learned his lesson. He didn't even bother taking out his Pokedex. Upon seeing his opponent's Pokémon, he didn't even have to think before tossing out his own Poké Ball.
"Bang!"
A red light flashed. His Pokémon was extremely heavy, and its landing even triggered a slight tremor. It was also a Dragon-type Pokémon with metallic skin.
It was another Rhydon!
"I've long heard that the Viridian Gym has a unique understanding of raising Rhydon. Today, I'll have to see for myself."
He said the words, but a self-satisfied smile appeared on Gary's face.
Although the physiques of the two Rhydons before him were almost identical, the metallic sheen on his was deeper, and the protruding horns on its back were more prominent. It was obvious that when it came to raising Rhydon, he had the upper hand!
This buzz-cut man was definitely all talk.
Now it was Gary's turn to look at Giovanni as if he were a monkey.
He was even hesitating whether he should repeat the arrogant phrase about the "League's Cheating Flagpole, with large words carved on his forehead."
Giovanni: "..."
He gave a cold, indifferent sneer. It was just another lower tier, merely for his own amusement.
"Rhydon, use Horn Drill!"
"Rhydon, we'll use Horn Drill too!"
Following the two trainers' commands, both Rhydons charged at each other simultaneously, the sharp horns on their faces spinning wildly like electric drills.
"Vzzzzzz!!"
Horn Drill met Horn Drill, producing a harsh, metallic grinding sound. Sparks flew continuously from the point of contact!
(end of chapter)