Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [195]

Amid the chaotic exchange of [Confuse Rays], both Starmie and Gengar were visibly unsteady, yet both stubbornly held on… even though Starmie technically had no teeth to grit.

Ultimately, Misty was the first to make a move.

“Starmie, use [Bubble Beam]!”

At her command, the red gemstone at Starmie’s core gleamed, and a flurry of shimmering bubbles shot toward Gengar.

The translucent bubbles flew through the air, refracting the multicolored glow of [Confuse Ray] in different directions, distorting its trajectory.

Using [Bubble Beam] to disrupt [Confuse Ray]? Not bad… August mused approvingly.

On the battlefield, Gengar saw the incoming bubbles and immediately floated upward to evade instead of counterattacking.

“Starmie, keep up the attack!”

Noticing that Gengar chose to dodge rather than retaliate, Misty pressed forward.

Soon, the battlefield was filled with floating bubbles as Gengar zipped through the air, constantly pursued.

“Misty is winning!”

Seeing this, Ash cheered enthusiastically for his friend.

But Brock wasn’t as optimistic.

“Gengar looks like it's in trouble… but Starmie hasn’t landed any real hits yet.”

It was true—despite appearing to have the upper hand, Starmie had yet to inflict any significant damage.

With its ability to float freely, Gengar had avoided most of the attacks. Even when a stray bubble did hit, it hardly fazed the Ghost-type.

Rather than Gengar being on the defensive, it was more accurate to say that it was waiting—conserving energy while letting Starmie tire itself out.

Misty soon realized the problem.

If this keeps up, Starmie will be exhausted before it even manages to take down Gengar!

Quickly adjusting her strategy, she called out, “Starmie, use [Psychic]!”

Gengar might be able to dodge [Bubble Beam], but there was no way it could avoid a psychic attack!

Just as Starmie’s gemstone began to glow—

August suddenly said, “The distance is close enough!”

At his words, a sinister energy erupted from Gengar, crashing toward Starmie like a wave.

At the same time, Starmie unleashed [Psychic]!

The invisible force of [Dark Pulse] collided with the equally invisible [Psychic].

But against a Dark-type move, the [Psychic] attack stood no chance—it was completely overwhelmed in an instant.

As the dark energy enveloped Starmie, its movements froze.

“Oh no, Starmie flinched!”

Brock immediately realized what had happened.

So August had been baiting Starmie into close range all along?

Misty also recognized the danger and shouted, “Starmie, snap out of it!”

“Psy!”

Psyduck, watching from the sidelines, also called out—though it had no idea what it was shouting about.

Misty’s desperation was clear. But August wasn’t about to give her time to recover.

“Gengar, finish it—[Shadow Ball]!”

“Genga~!”

Cackling, Gengar conjured a swirling [Shadow Ball] and hurled it at Starmie.

At such close range, the attack landed almost instantly.

Boom!

The dark energy exploded against Starmie’s core gemstone, engulfing it in a ghostly blast.

Before the dust even settled, Gengar dove straight into the smoke, its wicked laughter echoing through the battlefield.

More sounds of impact followed—

By the time the smoke cleared, Gengar was floating triumphantly in the air, arms crossed with a wide grin.

Below, Starmie lay sprawled on the ground, completely knocked out.

Brock glanced at Starmie, confirmed its condition, then raised his hand.

“Starmie is unable to battle! Gengar wins!”

“…I lost?”

Misty couldn’t believe it.

The battle had ended so quickly.

Even worse, Gengar didn’t seem to have sustained any major injuries.

Had she been too confident?

Should she have taken August’s advice and waited for the League to reinstate Cerulean Gym on its own?

Feeling the weight of her defeat, Misty withdrew Starmie. Now, the question was: Who should she send out next?

Starmie had been her strongest Pokémon. If even it couldn’t defeat Gengar…

Still disheartened, Misty reached for the Poké Ball containing her Staryu, ready to just send it out and accept her inevitable loss.

But before she could—

The thing clutching her leg suddenly let go.

Psyduck waddled onto the battlefield, chest puffed out with determination.

“Psyduck!”

Misty blinked.

“…You again?!”

She had been about to call Psyduck back—

But then she thought about it.

If even Starmie lost, does it really matter if I use Staryu or Psyduck?

“Fine… whatever. You’re up.”

“Psy!”

Thrilled, Psyduck turned to face Gengar.

And then—August suddenly recalled Gengar, letting it sink back into his shadow.

He pulled out another Poké Ball.

“?”

Misty and Psyduck both tilted their heads in confusion.

What was he doing?

Meeting Misty’s puzzled gaze, August smiled.

“A 3-on-3 battle allows for Pokémon swaps, doesn’t it?”

With that, he tossed out the Poké Ball.

A pink Pokémon appeared on the battlefield, lying flat on the ground, blinking slowly.

A Slowpoke.

On one side of the battlefield—Psyduck, clutching its head in its signature confused look.

On the other side—Slowpoke, lying motionless with a vacant stare.

“Slow~”

“Psy?”

The two Pokémon stared at each other.

A battle of the dim-witted.

Everyone watching had the same thought.

Meanwhile, Misty looked at August, feeling… oddly grateful.

She assumed this was August going easy on her.

Maybe he hadn’t actually been targeting Cerulean Gym after all.

But was he really holding back?

Blue didn’t believe it for a second.

If August had wanted to show mercy, he wouldn’t have completely destroyed Starmie without hesitation.

If August could read Blue’s mind, he would have applauded her intuition.

Holding back? Not a chance.

The reason he sent out Slowpoke wasn’t to let Misty win—

It was because he wanted to test Slowpoke’s progress from recent training.

Depending on how it performed in battle, he would adjust its training regimen accordingly.

Sensing August’s expectant gaze, Slowpoke shivered slightly.

Then, putting in 120% effort, it stared intently at Psyduck.

Brock raised his hand again.

“Round two—begin!”

The two Pokémon continued to stare at each other.

Their eyes met—sparks did not fly.

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T/N: LMAO SPARKS DID NOT FLY!!! THATS im dead

This is a fan translation of 人在实教，一之濑你会后悔的 by 作者：白良. All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!