"Dojo Master Grey, please have a battle with me!"
Karen's tone was earnest.
If she'd first come to "inspect" for the League, now she truly wanted to fight Grey.
"No problem at all."
Grey dipped his head lightly, turning over which three to send.
Her strength might already be at Elite Four level. Even if this is only an inspection match and she won't field her main team, there's always a chance she'll get fired up and go all out.
Hmm…
Those three it is.
He decided after a brief pause.
"Rio!" (Me? I want to battle!)
Sensing there was going to be a fight, Riolu bounded out first, eyes sparkling, afraid Grey wouldn't pick it.
Grey shook his head. "Next time, I promise."
"Ri…olu…"
Riolu sat down with its head drooping, letting out a few soft sighs.
Sigh—guess I put my hopes in the wrong place~
Grey: …
Sometimes, being able to sense Aura really isn't a blessing!
But this battle really wasn't a good fit for Riolu.
The opponent was Karen—future No. 1 of Johto's Elite Four.
In terms of command, she should be on par with him.
Anyone who's truly Elite-tier… is never easy to handle.
Grey didn't dare be careless and pulled out a Poké Ball.
"Uh—hang on a sec!"
Seeing both battlers already on the field, Bumiao jogged in and tossed out Machoke's ball.
Machoke appeared, grabbed some lumber, and got to patching.
After quite a while, the dojo floor was finally repaired.
"If I get the chance, I really should make a trip to Unova."
Grey rubbed his chin, thinking of a certain Pokémon that's perfect for construction work.
Otherwise relying on Machoke every time is a bit much.
As everyone gets stronger, he can't keep working it like this.
If someone reports him for exploiting Pokémon, that might actually stick.
Repairs complete, Bumiao started to step to center to act as referee—
—but Will walked over.
"Hello. May I referee this one? Don't let the look fool you—I'm actually certified."
Will chuckled; with the mask on, his expression was unreadable.
"Then I'll trouble you with it."
Bumiao handed him the flags, then pulled Green to the sofa to chat.
"That guy seems gloomy, but he's pretty nice—volunteering to take the job. Love it! I hope more folks like him show up so I can actually rest!"
Bumiao dreamed out loud, eyes smiling as she looked at Green. "I remember you wanted to be a Gym apprentice, right?"
"No, no way! How could I!"
Green waved her hands in a panic, turning down the offer. "Leave this cushy gig for someone later. I'm too rough around the edges to do ref work, haha."
"Eeh~ okay then~"
Bumiao let it go, smacking her lips.
At the ref's spot, Will weighed the flags and announced today's rules.
"This is an inspection match ahead of the Gym tournament qualifiers. Examiner Karen will face Fighting Dojo Master Grey."
"Three-on-three. Both sides may switch freely. If a Pokémon is unable to continue, that bout ends."
"If there are no objections, please send out your Pokémon."
Will finished and closed his mouth again.
Like a pine tree, he stood absolutely still.
"Breloom—opening's on you!"
"Murkrow, scout of the night—go!"
Both Poké Balls hit the floor.
Breloom sprang out, its tucked forearms coiling with strength.
Midair, the red light drew together into a black crow.
Its body was cloaked in jet feathers; the crest atop its head formed a hat-like brim; dark red eyes glared down at Breloom as its wings gave a measured beat.
[Pokémon: Murkrow]
[Type: Dark/Flying]
[Level: 42]
[Ability: Prankster]
[Moves: Taunt, Confuse Ray… etc.]
Grey frowned at the dense move list—this wouldn't be simple.
Add Prankster on top, and Murkrow's nuisance factor shot straight up.
At the very least…
This one was going to be a real headache.
"The type matchup's rough."
Grey pressed fingers to his brow. Even worse than the movepool was typing.
Breloom is Grass/Fighting—quadruple weak to Flying.
One clean brush might be all it takes.
Switch out?
No way.
A switch hands over tempo; better to lead Breloom and try to steal a sliver of initiative.
They stared each other down.
Only after a full three seconds did Will finally call, voice even, "Begin!"
"Mach Punch!"
"Taunt!"
Each side had their own plan.
The moment he heard Karen's command, Grey exhaled.
Good—he'd read her right.
SWWWIP—!!!
Breloom vanished, breaking the sound barrier; dull booms rippled through the dojo.
Murkrow hadn't even lifted a wing to Taunt when a white flash tore across its vision.
In the instant after that flash, Breloom's fist crashed square into Murkrow's face!
The impact exploded; the small body pinwheeled back several meters, beating its wings over and over before it barely steadied.
"Caw! Caw-caw-caw!" (Breloom, I *@#%! You're a *%—!)
Coming to, Murkrow flapped and chattered nonstop, spitting a string of filthy swearwords that sent Breloom's temper spiking.
The nerve—and vicious to boot!
Fuming, Breloom completely forgot it even had status moves and thought only of tearing this foul-mouthed Murkrow to pieces!
Feeling Breloom's emotions, Grey could only grit his teeth and press the attack: "Bullet Seed!"
Rat-tat-tat!
Breloom snapped its head; from its mouth and the rim of its "cap," countless energy seeds sprayed out, a machine-gun torrent so fast the naked eye couldn't track them!
Karen's orders were hard to read. "Haze."
"Caw—caw—"
A wave of chill pulsed out as thick black fog poured from Murkrow's body and spread in all directions.
In a blink, the haze nearly filled the dojo.
The Bullet Seed vanished into it without even a ripple.
Breloom was swallowed by the fog as well, making it extremely difficult to locate Murkrow.
Grey didn't act rashly. He wanted to see what, exactly, Karen had in mind.
With both lines of sight cut, this came down to who found the other first—to land a decisive blow.
"Murkrow!"
Karen's brows drew in; her voice sank. "Night Shade!"
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