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[Pokemon] Chapter 31: Brassius
🕑 Added 2024-08-15 18:40:49 +0000 UTCAfter finishing his battle with Nemona, a Champion-ranked Trainer from the Paldea region, Jin waited alone at the Pokémon Center in Artazon for Gardevoir and Nemona's Pawmot to complete their treatments.
Incidentally, Liko, Roy, and Nemona were not with Jin at the moment. Roy, eager to gather information on Rayquaza, Liko, whose father was acquainted with Brassius, and Nemona, who had her own business with him, had entrusted Pawmot's care to Jin and headed to Brassius's atelier ahead of him.
Initially, Liko seemed wary of Nemona, but once it became clear that Nemona had little to no interest in romance, especially towards Jin, they quickly reconciled.
(I'm interested in the Rayquaza information, but I should finish this first...)
Jin pulled out a well-worn notebook and a pen from his chest pocket and began jotting down notes. This was a habit he had developed after every battle, recording not only his reflections but also the strengths and techniques of his opponents.
(Even though Gardevoir had a clear type advantage and the battle flow was in our favor, we were nearly defeated...)
The turning point of the battle was Pawmot's use of Double Shock after being hit by Gardevoir's Psychic. This move unleashes all of the user's stored electricity for massive damage but also has the drawback of losing its Electric typing.
(But even with that risk, it was worth using for its power.)
Nemona was undoubtedly the strongest Trainer Jin had faced so far, worthy of her Champion rank. With her skills, she could easily be a member of the Elite Four or even a Champion in other regions.
"Um, excuse me..."
(Double Shock, huh... It's certainly effective when trying to turn the tables or quickly finish a battle, as she did...)
"Excuse me, sir..."
(But I didn't consider that it was a signature move. Not realizing that was a clear mistake on my part. I still lack experience and knowledge... Speaking of signature moves, Bitter Blade from Ceruledge is one as well. There might be more Pokémon in Paldea with unique moves...)
"Are you listening?"
(Especially since my knowledge of Paldean Pokémon is almost non-existent. If I encounter a similar situation again, it could be really dangerous... Although there aren't many Trainers as strong as Nemona, underestimating even slightly weaker opponents due to type matchups could be fatal. Maybe I should ask Friede for some lessons when we return to the ship.)
"Ex-cuse me!"
"......Huh?"
Jin was finally pulled out of his thoughts by a loud voice. He looked up from his notebook to see Nurse Joy from the Paldea region standing there, glaring at him with her shoulders trembling.
By the way, Nurse Joy in Paldea looks a bit different from the one in Hoenn. In Hoenn, she wears a pink nurse's uniform with a white apron, very much the typical nurse attire. In Paldea, however, she wears an outfit that looks more like something a gas station or convenience store clerk might wear rather than a medical staff member.
"Nurse Joy... I'm sorry, but this is a hospital. Even if it's your hospital, it's not good to shout so loudly."
"And whose fault do you think that is?!"
"Huh?"
"Ugh! Never mind. Your Pokémon have recovered, so I'm returning them to you!"
Behind Nurse Joy, who was fuming, stood Gardevoir, looking at Jin with an exasperated expression, and Pawmot, sitting on a stretcher with a sheepish grin. Both seemed to have fully recovered from their injuries and regained their strength.
"Oh, I see. Thank you very much."
"Take care!"
Jin thanked her, and Nurse Joy stormed back to the staff room, still visibly upset.
(...She looked familiar.)
For a moment, Jin thought he saw Mollie, one of his crewmates, in the Nurse Joy standing before him. Although Nurse Joy usually wore a smile due to the nature of her job, the angry glare she gave Jin when he ignored her was reminiscent of Mollie.
"Pawmot."
Pawmot, who had just gotten off the stretcher, tugged at Jin's coat from below, trying to convey something.
"Hmm? …Do you want to go see Nemona?"
"Pawmot!"
"Got it. Don't worry, I know where she is."
After thanking Gardevoir for her efforts and returning her to the Poké Ball, Jin left the Pokémon Center with Pawmot. He activated the map app on his Rotom Phone to navigate to the location Nemona had mentioned earlier. As they started to leave, a group of young boys hurried past them.
"Wait up!"
"Hurry, hurry! Brassius's Gym battle is about to start!"
(A Gym battle?)
According to what Nemona had told him, the Gym Leader, Brassius, had been on an unexplained hiatus for a long time. The Pokémon League of Paldea had sent Nemona to this town to check on his situation.
(...What's going on?)
While Jin had been at the Pokémon Center, Liko and the others had presumably gone to see Brassius. Though he could only speculate at this point, something must have happened that led to a Gym battle.
"…We might miss them if we're late. Let's head to the Gym first."
"Pawmot!"
With Pawmot's approval, Jin began running toward the large windmill at the center of town, following the boys he had just passed. After about five minutes of running, they finally arrived at the staircase leading up to the windmill.
(The windmill looked close because it was so big, but it was farther than I expected…)
After catching his breath, Jin climbed the stairs, arriving at a battle field where several spectators had already gathered, watching with eager excitement.
"Pawmot, they're over there."
"Paw!"
Spotting Nemona and Liko among the crowd, Jin and Pawmot made their way over to them.
"Liko, Nemona."
"Oh! Jin!"
"Pawmot! Thanks for bringing him, Jin!"
"Don't mention it. But what's going on?"
"Well… um…"
Liko explained that when they first visited Brassius's atelier, he had welcomed them but was uncooperative about giving any information on Rayquaza.
Thinking that Brassius was in a slump, Liko and the others gathered Sunflora to try and bring back his smile. Seeing their efforts, Brassius confessed that his slump was due to the appearance of the black Rayquaza. However, after hearing Roy's pure and passionate words about his dream of catching Rayquaza, Brassius decided to test Roy's abilities to see if he was truly capable of challenging Rayquaza.
"…I see."
It was likely Roy's pure and honest words that reignited Brassius's motivation. If there had been even a hint of deception or ulterior motives in those words, they wouldn't have had the same impact.
"Do you think Roy can win?"
"If it's just a test of strength, I think he could hold his own, but it all depends on how Brassius plays it…"
Each Gym Leader's battle style is different. Some prefer to test the challenger's judgment by using tricky strategies, while others enjoy straightforward tests of strength.
If it comes down to sheer power, Fuecoco has significantly grown in strength, stamina, and technique variety over the past few days, thanks to the grueling training they've undergone. Plus, with the numerous ambushes and surprise attacks he endured during training, his adaptability has also improved. There's a bit of hope that he might just pull through.
"Well, for now, let's just watch."
"O-okay..."
Jin, Liko, and the rest of the spectators focused on the battlefield, where Roy and Fuecoco were about to face off against Brassius and his Sudowoodo. Brassius was a man with wavy hair, tired-looking eyes, and pale skin, giving him a somewhat gloomy appearance.
"Let's go, Fuecoco! Use Ember!"
Fuecoco, aiming for a swift victory, launched an Ember attack. The flames shot straight towards Sudowoodo, dealing some damage, but not enough to hinder it from continuing the battle. The attack wasn't as effective as Roy had hoped.
"No way! That was supposed to be super effective!"
"Hmm… quite powerful. But Sudowoodo is a Rock-type Pokémon. That alone won't take it down! Now it's our turn! Sudowoodo, use Rock Throw!"
Sudowoodo leaped into the air, summoning multiple rocks, which it then hurled towards Fuecoco.
"Fuecoco! Shoot Ember at the ground!"
In response, Fuecoco fired Ember at the ground, using the resulting force to propel itself into the air, successfully dodging all the falling rocks.
"What!?"
"Now, use Ember again!"
As Fuecoco soared into the air, it fired another Ember attack at Sudowoodo from the same height. Caught off guard by the unexpected evasion, Sudowoodo, unable to react in mid-air, took another hit from the flames.
"Yes! The escape strategy we learned from Jin and all those brutal battles with Aggron and Salamence is paying off!"
"Fueee!"
"…Those guys…"
"A-ahaha…"
Roy and Fuecoco shouted in excitement, trying to boost their morale. However, they were so engrossed in the battle that they didn't notice Jin's expression darken as he began to emit an aura of anger in response to Roy's comment.
"Avant-garde! What an interesting fighting style!"
"We're not done yet! Fuecoco, use Bite!"
"Close combat, huh? Then let's use Substitute!"
As Fuecoco landed on the ground, it rushed at full speed towards Sudowoodo. But just as it was about to make contact, Sudowoodo split into two, leaving Fuecoco unsure of which one to attack, causing it to hesitate.
"Now, can you figure out which one is the real Sudowoodo?"
Brassius questioned Roy in a testing tone, clearly intending to assess Roy's decision-making skills.
(So that's his strategy…)
Brassius's goal was not only to test the strength of Roy and Fuecoco but also to encourage their growth. By using tricky moves like Substitute, he was pushing Roy to sharpen his judgment. As a Gym Leader and a more experienced Trainer, it made sense that Brassius would want to test Roy's abilities.
(For Roy, who lacks real battle experience, this is a good opportunity… But if Brassius underestimates him too much, he might regret it.)
"Fuecoco! Attack the one on the left!"
Following Roy's command, Fuecoco lunged at the left Sudowoodo and bit down. The attack hit its mark, and the other Sudowoodo disappeared in a puff of smoke.
"What!?"
"Yes! We got it!"
Roy had always had sharp instincts. Since becoming Jin's disciple, he had honed those instincts further through training, which involved identifying the real target among multiple Double Team clones. Thanks to this training, Roy's senses had improved significantly, and a mere doubling of Sudowoodo wasn't enough to throw him off.
"Now, hit it with Ember!"
Still holding onto Sudowoodo with its bite, Fuecoco unleashed Ember at point-blank range. Even though Sudowoodo had a type disadvantage, the close-range attack seemed to be taking its toll, as Sudowoodo winced in pain.
"Not good! Shake it off!"
Sudowoodo thrashed around, managing to shake off Fuecoco's bite.
But then...
"Woooood!"
Almost immediately after shaking Fuecoco off, Sudowoodo's body became engulfed in flames, even though Fuecoco hadn't done anything.
"Is this... lucky!"
"Not avant-garde... it's a burn."
Although the flames quickly dissipated, Sudowoodo was now suffering from a burn, meaning it would take damage over time. Meanwhile, Fuecoco hadn't sustained much damage, giving Roy a significant advantage.
"Wow... Roy is dominating."
"Yeah... honestly, it's more than I expected."
Brassius had clearly been holding back from the beginning, testing Roy's strength. Of course, Roy and Fuecoco's unexpected tactics had played a part, but that was a major reason why they had taken control of the early stages of the battle.
(And now, even luck is on his side.)
This was Roy's first battle against a trainer other than Jin or Liko. Some might call it beginner's luck, but it's not easy to inflict a burn with Ember, even if you land multiple hits—unless you're exceptionally fortunate.
(But... I don't think it's over yet...)
Despite Brassius's initial carelessness, the flow of the battle had shifted in Roy's favor. If things continued like this, Roy would likely win. However, Brassius was a Gym Leader, not an ordinary trainer. He's undoubtedly overcome many tough situations before. If Brassius had an ace up his sleeve, the battle could still go either way.
"To find the real one so quickly... that's an impressive eye for detail."
"Hehe... it's all thanks to the tough training from Jin."
Just to clarify, Jin never intended to bully Roy and Fuecoco; it was all part of their training. Of course, both Roy and Fuecoco understood this, but in the heat of battle, such words slipped out without thinking.
"Hmm... Is this Jin your mentor? He's done a fine job of honing your strengths. Interesting... In that case, from here on, I'll be fighting you with everything I've got."
With those words, Brassius pulled out a black Poké Ball-like object from his pocket. As he held it, energy began to gather in the ball, making it glow beautifully.
"Let me show you! Artistic tactics at their finest! Sudowoodo, Terastallize!"
The light condensed into the unusual Poké Ball in Brassius's hand. He then threw it above Sudowoodo's head. The ball shone even brighter as it enveloped Sudowoodo in countless crystals. The crystals soon burst apart, revealing a transformed Sudowoodo, now shimmering like a gemstone, with a massive array of flowers blooming on its head.
"Behold! My ultimate masterpiece! I call it 'From Falsehood to Truth'! Sudowoodo is now a Grass Tera-type!"
Terastallization—neither a Mega Evolution, Z-Move, nor Dynamax. It wasn't even the Energy Charge technique Jin and the others had discovered. This was something entirely new, unique to the Paldea region, and it was happening right before their eyes.
"Sudowoodo looks awesome! Huh? So it's a Grass-type now? That means Fire-types have the advantage! Fuecoco, use Ember!"
"Art is sometimes a race against time! Let's speed things up! Sudowoodo, use Trailblaze!"
Thinking the battle had turned in his favor after Sudowoodo became a Grass-type, Roy aimed to finish the fight. Fuecoco launched a powerful Ember, but Sudowoodo elegantly dodged with a swift step, then quickly closed the distance and delivered a strong thrust.
"Fuecoco..."
"Yeah... it did its best, but this might be the end."
After the direct hit from Trailblaze, Fuecoco collapsed on the battlefield. Liko, Nemona, and the spectators watching seemed to think the battle was over.
"No... it's not over yet."
Except for one person... Jin.
"But..."
"Look closely at Fuecoco."
At Jin's words, Liko shifted her gaze to the fallen Fuecoco on the field. There, she saw that Fuecoco, despite trembling, was struggling to stand back up.
"Fuecoco!"
"It took that hit... but wait! The burn!"
When a Pokémon is burned, it not only takes periodic damage but also suffers a reduction in the power of its physical attacks. Trailblaze is a Grass-type move, which is not very effective against Fuecoco, and the burn further weakened its power. Normally, this would have been enough to knock Fuecoco out, but thanks to its intense training and resilience, it managed to endure.
(If Sudowoodo hadn't been burned, Fuecoco wouldn't have survived... but we're still in a tough spot.)
Trailblaze is like a Grass-type version of Flame Charge. With each use, Sudowoodo's speed increased, and Fuecoco couldn't keep up anymore. In terms of damage, they were almost evenly matched, but Sudowoodo had the speed advantage. However, Fuecoco had the type advantage after Sudowoodo's Terastallization.
The next move would decide the battle.
(So... what will you do, Roy?)
"Fuecoco..."
Roy, seeing Fuecoco struggle to stand despite its injuries, felt his resolve strengthen. He had almost given up when Fuecoco took the hit from Trailblaze, but now his determination was rekindled.
"♪ Ho-ho-ho-Fuecoco~ ♪ Stand up, don't give up, Fuecoco, do your best~ ♪ Remember~ ♪ Don't give up, Fuecoco, do your best~ ♪ Stand up, don't give up, Fuecoco, do your best~"
Roy began to sing the song he always sang with Fuecoco, but this time, unlike the usual cheerful tone, his voice was filled with passion and strength.
"Fueeeeeeco!"
Fuecoco, hearing the song, stood up and began to sing along with Roy. Fuecoco rapidly increased its internal flame energy. The flame on its head, responding to its voice, flared up more intensely than ever before.
"This is... very well! I'll take you on! Sudowoodo, use Trailblaze again!"
"Let's go, Fuecoco! Use Ember!"
Fuecoco focused its energy and unleashed a powerful blast of fire, far stronger than anything it had shown before. The power had increased so dramatically that it could no longer be called Ember. The move, now more like Flamethrower, shot straight towards Sudowoodo. Sudowoodo attempted to dodge with the same graceful steps as before, but the unexpected increase in power and size of the attack left it unable to evade. Sudowoodo was engulfed in flames.
"..."
Roy, Brassius, and the spectators all watched intently as Sudowoodo was consumed by the fire. As the flames subsided, the Terastallization ended, and Sudowoodo reverted to its normal state before collapsing onto its back.
"Sudowoodo is unable to battle! Fuecoco wins! The winner is Roy!"
"…W-We did it! Fuecoco!"
"Fueeeecoco!"
As the referee declared Roy and Fuecoco the winners, the spectators erupted in cheers. Roy stood there in a daze for a moment, but once the realization of their victory hit him, he rushed onto the battlefield and embraced Fuecoco, the two of them celebrating their win with all their hearts.
---
"Wow! Roy actually won!"
"Yeah, yeah! Roy just became a Trainer, right? He learned a new move during the battle and then managed to beat Brassius! Both Roy and Fuecoco are incredibly talented!"
Liko and Nemona, along with the other spectators, praised the battle and were genuinely happy for Roy's victory. Jin, too, was pleased with Roy's win, but at the same time, he couldn't help but notice a few things that concerned him.
(The power of that last Flamethrower was nothing short of amazing. But if it hadn't been a head-on clash at the end…)
Brassius seemed to have noticed Fuecoco's sudden surge in strength when it stood up. If instead of using Trailblaze, he had opted for a defensive move like Substitute to evade or used Rock Slide to shield against the Flamethrower and then countered with Trailblaze, the victory might have gone to Brassius instead.
(…No, it's pointless to dwell on hypotheticals.)
There was indeed a strong chance that Brassius could have pulled off a comeback. If he had focused solely on winning from the start, there was little chance Brassius would have lost. However, he chose to face Roy and Fuecoco head-on in the end, fully aware of the situation.
After all, a Gym Leader isn't just there to win. There's value in them losing as well. Their role is to battle with all their might and draw out the challenger's full potential. Brassius fulfilled that role perfectly.
(We were fortunate that Sudowoodo ended up burned, which played a big part in our victory. Looking ahead, it might be good to teach Fuecoco a Ground-type move to gain an advantage over Rock-types. And I also want to increase the power of that Flamethrower that Fuecoco just learned. I'll need to intensify the training starting tomorrow...)
Jin cast another glance at Roy and Fuecoco, who were still celebrating in the center of the battlefield. Seeing them, a smile naturally spread across Jin's face.
(So, for now... just bask in the thrill of this victory.)
// END
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