Unlike that harmless little slap at the start, this time Dusknoir's "Foul Play" hit with full force.
That black streak of light sent the nearly 200-kilogram Pupitar flying right out of the battlefield.
It slammed into the Gym's wall with a loud crash, sticking there like a giant thumbtack—completely immobile.
"Cruise!"
Ritchie shouted anxiously.
But Pupitar had already passed out cold, unable to hear a thing.
After confirming its condition, Green raised her flag and announced:
"Pupitar is unable to battle. Dusknoir wins!"
Good thing that Earthquake didn't go off earlier. The repair bill for the battlefield alone would've been no joke.
Green, for once, felt a little sympathy for Caleb.
When it comes to Gym battles, what Gym Leaders dread most is challengers throwing out Earthquakes like candy.
That's also why Rock- and Ground-type Gym Leaders tend to be either super rich or dirt poor.
If you don't have a few mines at home, how's any Gym supposed to survive that kind of wear and tear?
Ritchie recalled Pupitar with a grim face—he'd actually lost…
He'd thought it was a Poison-type Gym, so he specifically brought Cruise with the Shed Skin ability—who would've thought he'd just become someone else's stepping stone?
Ritchie took a deep breath and pulled himself together.
No way am I going down that easy.
After all, I did make the top eight at the Indigo Plateau Conference.
I even participated in the Silver and Ever Grande Conferences after that...
A little Dusknoir isn't going to stop me.
"I'm counting on you—Sparky!"
"Pika~!"
With a dramatic sweep of his arm, Ritchie sent his partner Pikachu charging into battle.
This Pikachu had a swooping fringe of hair.
It looked... stylish as heck.
Sparky was his ace, and the moment he brought it out, Ritchie felt a wave of confidence.
"Be careful, Sparky! Don't try to trade blows—Thunderbolt, now!"
After losing the last match, Ritchie wasn't about to try any more setup moves in front of Dusknoir.
He went straight on the offensive.
Sparky was clearly high-level. The electric beam it unleashed was thick and powerful.
Dusknoir's Substitute was instantly fried to a crisp.
"Again," Caleb said casually.
"Again?!" Ritchie practically yelped.
But this time, you're not pulling off that trick again. Even if I can only spam Thunderbolt, that's enough to win this!
Hah. Naive.
Caleb's lips curled into a smirk.
You think I'd use the same tactic twice?
Of course I've got another surprise waiting.
"Use Disable."
Even Green was startled this time.
Encore and Disable combo?!
Who even thinks of that?!
Disable—aka the Petrify Technique—prevents the opponent from using their last move for four turns.
As Dusknoir glowed with a faint blue light, Disable locked onto a very confused Pikachu.
At first, Pikachu thought the blue aura was just Psychic.
But it didn't hurt at all—by the time it realized what was happening, it nearly cursed out loud.
Who the heck banned all my moves?!
How am I supposed to fight like this?!
In the games, getting hit by this combo puts you into a struggle loop, losing a quarter of your max HP every turn. But this was real life, so outside of being move-locked, nothing else happened.
Still, Pikachu was now basically a sitting duck.
"Pika? Pika pika???"
Sparky turned back toward Ritchie, chirping rapidly, on the verge of tears.
Ritchie's face was stormy, brows furrowed tight, his eyes flickering between disbelief and dread.
There was nothing he could do.
He had no idea how a normal Gym battle had turned into... whatever this was.
If I'd known this would happen, I never would've come here.
Realizing his Trainer was useless, Pikachu turned its gaze back toward the battlefield.
The moment it looked up, it locked eyes with Dusknoir's eerie gemstone stare.
Uhh... hey there, big bro, maybe take it easy on me?
Big bro? I'm female, you little brat!
Dusknoir didn't hesitate—Shadow Claw came down hard.
!?
One claw swipe didn't finish the job?
Fine. Here's another.
"Pikachu is unable to battle. Dusknoir wins."
"As both of the challenger's Pokémon are unable to battle, the winner of this match is Gym Leader Caleb."
Green declared the outcome.
Sigh. What a pity—he seemed like a decent kid.
Hopefully he bounces back from this.
"That was a thrilling match. You did well."
Caleb walked over to Dusknoir, knelt down, and patted its head before pulling out a Pokéblock from his pocket.
Dusknoir blushed as it accepted the treat and disappeared into the shadows.
Still as shy as ever.
Among all the Ghost-types in the Gym—excluding Dusknoir's evolved form, Spiritomb, Mismagius, and those two chubby ones—their personalities were pretty childlike.
Give them candy and they'd be overjoyed; make them sad and they'd tear up. They'd even pull silly pranks now and then—endearing and frustrating at the same time.
"Mr. Ritchie, it's a shame you didn't win, but don't get discouraged. Keep it up next time."
Caleb stood and walked over to him.
"Next time…" Ritchie mumbled, eyes vacant.
Clearly, that match had dealt a huge blow to his confidence.
After offering a quick thank you, he hugged Pikachu tightly and walked out of the Gym.
Watching his figure fade into the distance, Caleb sighed.
"What a polite kid."
"Yeah, such a good kid… it's a shame," Green nodded.
?
"A shame what?" Caleb asked, confused.
"Ahaha, nothing! Go check out the footage Rotom shot." Green laughed awkwardly, changing the subject.
Back at the computer.
After a bit of light editing, Caleb uploaded the video to his newly registered PokeTube account.
Username: Gym Leader Teaches Battle Tactics (No Apprenticeship Available)
Click [Upload].
"…Are we really not gonna get flamed for this?" Green asked after watching the video.
...
Solaceon Town, Pokémon Center
"Mr. Ritchie, your Pokémon are fully recovered," the nurse said, handing him a Poké Ball and Pikachu.
She hesitated a moment, then added, "They're physically fine, but... their spirits seem pretty low. As their Trainer, please keep an eye on them."
"Yeah, sure," Ritchie thanked her and prepared to leave.
Just then, he bumped straight into Fiona.
"Huh? It's you."
Fiona recognized him right away.
Wasn't this the Trainer she'd recommended to Caleb's Gym just an hour ago?
"How was the Gym?" she asked curiously.
She'd been so swamped with work lately, she hadn't been able to check in on the Gym herself.
Now, running into Ritchie fresh out of battle, she could finally get an update—and maybe find out whether Caleb had been slacking off behind her back.
Ritchie: ...
"Why do you look so out of it?"
Ritchie just stood there, dazed, mouth slightly open, completely speechless.
Fiona waved her hand in front of his face to make sure he was still conscious.
That finally snapped him out of it, though he still stammered like a broken robot.
"Ah... it was fine. The Gym's... great, really great... I've got stuff to do, gotta go!"
As he spoke, he turned to leave in a hurry.
Only to smack straight into the pillar by the door with a loud thunk.
Wincing in pain, Ritchie waved off Fiona with a forced smile, then hobbled out without looking back.
"Weird kid..." Fiona muttered, frowning as she watched him go.
Just then, another nurse in a white coat walked up.
She latched onto Fiona's arm and held up her phone.
"Fiona, is this the childhood friend you keep mentioning?"
Fiona, unable to escape her grip, gave up and took the phone.
Yup. That was definitely Caleb. When did he start uploading to PokeStation?
Huh? The upload was from just twenty minutes ago?
Already over ten thousand views in that short a time—impressive.
She stuck with the eight-minute video to the end.
By the time it finished, her expression had grown complicated.
Her emotions were all over the place.
No wonder Ritchie was so out of it…
After a long silence, she turned to the nurse beside her.
"Nan, do you think I should open a psychological counseling clinic in town?"
Nan: ?