Hidden within the thick veil of poisonous gas, A.J. felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
"Is he trying to copy my tactic—hiding in the gas to get close to Butterfree?"
A.J. noticed that Nozomi was attempting to use his own strategy against him and let out a cold laugh.
If Nozomi thought he could pull that off, he was gravely mistaken.
Unlike Yuuji, A.J. wasn't foolish enough to wait for an enemy to approach before counterattacking. Moreover, a Flying-type Butterfree would have no trouble dispersing the toxic fog.
"Butterfree, use Hurricane! Clear away this poisonous gas!"
Butterfree flapped its wings, summoning a violent gust. The roaring Hurricane easily scattered the gas clouds.
A.J was about to verbally taunt Nozomi when he noticed something: Nozomi wasn't focusing on the battle at all. Instead, he turned to Yuuji and said, "See that? When facing the kind of assault you just encountered, the optimal strategy is to dispel any visual obstructions like dust or fog."
Was he being treated as a teaching example?
A.J.'s anger flared instantly.
When a person gets angry, they often lose their calm.
In his furious state, A.J.'s only thought was to defeat Nozomi—but his basic battle instincts were still intact.
He cracked his whip through the air with a sharp snap.
"Butterfree, use Psybeam!"
Knowing that Bug-type moves were ineffective against Gastly, A.J. naturally wouldn't use them here. Luckily, his Butterfree knew a Psychic-type move—Psybeam—which could effectively counter Gastly.
At A.J.'s command, Butterfree immediately launched its attack.
Its two vivid red eyes locked onto the floating Gastly in midair.
The multi-colored Psybeam surged toward the Ghost Pokémon.
But Nozomi, well-prepared, responded calmly: "Gastly, use Double Team!"
Instantly, the dark purple Gastly split into more than a dozen identical shadows.
The countless duplicates lined up in the air, making it impossible for Butterfree to target the real Gastly.
However, the Psybeam had already been released—too late to cancel it.
Butterfree had no choice but to aim at a random target.
The beam struck one of the Gastly copies, which dissolved into a wisp of purple mist drifting upward.
The remaining Gastly all made mocking faces at Butterfree, full of taunting energy.
Enraged, Butterfree fired another Psybeam at the horde.
Yet again, it hit only an illusion.
Seeing this, A.J. immediately called out a warning: "Butterfree, stay calm! Don't let anger control you! Use Hurricane to disperse the Double Team clones!"
Butterfree obeyed—but with little effect.
Anger is not like other emotions. Once it builds, it does not vanish without release!
This was evident when Butterfree unleashed Hurricane with all its might.
Whoosh!
A violent gale swept through the battlefield, shaking the many Gastly shadows in the air.
One by one, like bubbles bursting, the phantom clones dissipated before the astonished eyes of both Butterfree and A.J.
Finally… not a single one remained.
"What's happening? Where's Gastly?"
Nearby trainers watching the battle were confused. After dispersing the Double Team clones, shouldn't the real Gastly have been revealed? Why had it vanished completely?
"Where did Gastly go?!"
They echoed the very question A.J. wanted to ask.
Where had Gastly gone?
Could the legend be true—that Gastly, being composed of gas, had simply been blown away by the Hurricane?
A.J. refused to believe such a tale, especially when he saw Nozomi calmly observing the battlefield. He was certain Gastly had hidden somewhere.
He scanned the area carefully, convinced Gastly was concealed somewhere on the field.
Butterfree also scoured the air. With its compound eyes, its vision was exceptional, greatly improving its accuracy and making it easier to hit targets.
Yet, such precision meant it rarely failed to locate its opponent.
Frustration from not finding Gastly, combined with lingering anger at the Ghost Pokémon's mockery, made Butterfree increasingly agitated.
It flapped its wings with force, creating a silver whirlwind of powdery dust that swept the battlefield in search of the hidden Gastly—but not a trace could be found.
Sensing that Butterfree's guard was slipping, Nozomi smirked and snapped his fingers.
"Gastly, now!"
At that instant, a dark shape shot up from the shadows on the ground beneath Butterfree.
Gastly's large eyes glared, letting out an eerie laugh as it launched like a cannonball toward the flying Butterfree.
"Butterfree, watch out! Gastly's in your shadow!"
A.J., having been tracking Gastly, noticed the move immediately and warned Butterfree.
He had remembered Gastly's invisibility ability—but had forgotten it could hide within shadows.
Butterfree, taken by surprise, reacted too slowly.
Gastly collided directly with Butterfree, causing it to spin helplessly in the air.
Though similar in size, and despite Gastly being mostly gaseous and very light, the high-speed impact sent Butterfree tumbling uncontrollably.
Seizing the moment while Butterfree struggled to regain balance, Gastly latched on, extending its pink tongue. With a sinister laugh, it licked Butterfree.
"Butterfree!"
A.J. stared helplessly at his paralyzed Pokémon, plummeting toward the ground.
It was Gastly's Lick.
This move inflicted paralysis on the target.
A.J. had never encountered this scenario before.
Previously, his Butterfree had been the one paralyzing others with Stun Spore—it had never fallen victim itself.
Thud!
Butterfree crashed to the ground, the impact echoing dully.
Gastly pressed its advantage, forming a Shadow Ball and hurling it at the grounded Butterfree.
Boom!
After a violent explosion, Butterfree was battered and fell into unconsciousness.
Completely incapacitated.
The temporary referee immediately declared:
"Butterfree has fainted. Gastly wins!"
The crowd of trainers gasped at the unexpected result of the first match.
A.J., widely regarded as a favorite, had lost the first battle—and so decisively!
"Weren't you supposed to have a 93-win streak? If this were a 1v1 match, you'd have lost just now!"
Some trainers muttered their surprise.
While stunned at A.J.'s sudden defeat, they were equally impressed by Nozomi's prowess.
Where had this trainer come from? Why hadn't anyone in Cerulean City heard his name before?
Now it was Yuuji's turn.
Yuuji boasted to the surrounding trainers: "Nozomi here is the man who helped us take down Team Rocket!"
"Whoa! So that's why!"
The nearby trainers looked astonished. To defeat Team Rocket—a dangerous and notorious organization—was proof of strength.
As a result, the admiration previously reserved for A.J. now shifted to Nozomi.
Defeated!
Listening to Yuuji's cheers, A.J. felt a burning flush across his face.
It was the first time he had ever lost so utterly to an opponent.
What had seemed like a guaranteed victory now planted a seed of doubt in his mind. Could he really win this match?
"This guy is strong…"
Through gritted teeth, A.J. realized Nozomi was not some paper-trained Pokémon strategist.
The fact that Nozomi could hide Gastly in Butterfree's shadow without verbal commands alone showed exceptional skill.
This kind of bond-like synchronicity with a Pokémon was something A.J. had spent years trying to achieve without success.
Moreover, this opponent had reportedly defeated Team Rocket—a feat that served as a badge of courage and skill in the Pokémon community.
Acknowledging Nozomi's strength, A.J. shed his previous underestimation and became cautious.
"Go! Sandshrew, this one's on you! He's strong, so be careful!"
A.J. sent out his ace Pokémon—Sandshrew—hoping to win this round and regain momentum.
"Oh? Deploying your ace for the second match? And you really plan to use Sandshrew against my Gastly?"
Nozomi's strange tone carried a hint of curiosity as he observed A.J.'s Sandshrew.
Now standing face-to-face with it, Nozomi could finally examine the Pokémon closely.
Its body was solid, with especially developed limbs—clear evidence of rigorous training.
Its skin gleamed, and the armored back appeared polished, proof of excellent health and superior condition.
"I underestimated you before and let you take the first match. That won't happen again!" A.J. said firmly.
Sending out his ace, A.J. felt confident this battle was foolproof.
"Then I'll be watching closely," Nozomi replied with a smile, leaving his thoughts ambiguous.
"The second match begins!"
No sooner had the referee spoken than Sandshrew and Gastly sprang into action.
Whoosh!
A Shadow Ball grazed Sandshrew, shooting into the sky.
Crack!
A massive rock fell from above, easily dodged by Gastly.
The two clashed cautiously, each probing the other without clear advantage.