Chapter 131: The Fight for Captain
Today was the final day before the training camp officially closed. The members of the Metro City team had been decided two days prior.
The team consisted of eight trainers in total: four main members and four substitutes.
The main members were Basalt, Waylon, Yao, and Skye.
The substitute members were Fletcher, Luna, Cael, and Forrest.
As for the trainees who didn't make the cut, they were already packing their things. Barring any surprises, their time here was over, and they would soon return to their normal lives. The Regional Tournament was no longer their concern.
Inside the battle arena, the eight members of the city team stood in a single, solemn line.
Facing them were the camp's leaders: Director Sterling, and Supervisors Hoffman and Sheffield. Alongside them stood the head instructors, Mr. Shane and Mr. Leo. In the coming weeks, these five would form a think tank, accompanying the team to the region's capital to help with strategy and planning during the tournament.
Director Sterling surveyed the group, a satisfied nod on his face. "I'm sure you've all been briefed on today's agenda. That's right. We will now select the strongest trainer from among you eight to be the leader of our Metro City team—our captain."
"The trainer who becomes captain will not only receive a type-enhancing held item as a reward, but according to the tournament rules, the captains of each city's team will be seeded competitors in the preliminary rounds. I don't think I need to explain what that means, do I?"
A ripple of excitement went through the eight trainers.
Typically, team captains were the strongest of the strong. Being a seeded competitor meant they wouldn't have to face each other in the early stages of the tournament. In other words, becoming the team captain was practically a direct ticket to the main event.
"Alright," Director Sterling's gaze swept over the group, deliberately skipping the substitutes and focusing on the main four. "Who among you intends to compete for the position of captain? If you are interested, step forward now."
Even among the main members, some hesitated, choosing to forfeit their chance.
Namely, Yao and Skye.
The two of them had been thoroughly humbled by Basalt over the past month. They had battled him and his Drilbur no less than ten times and had not won a single match. They knew their limits and weren't about to embarrass themselves.
In the end, only two trainers stepped forward: Basalt and Waylon.
No one was surprised. Waylon had left the camp to undergo his own intense training for the sole purpose of getting revenge on Basalt. It would have been more shocking if he hadn't stepped forward.
Director Sterling pursed his lips and nodded to Supervisor Hoffman. "Supervisor, if you would be so kind as to preside over the upcoming match."
"Of course, Director!" Hoffman stepped forward promptly, gesturing for Basalt and Waylon to take their positions on opposite ends of the field. "As usual," he announced, his voice ringing out, "this will be a one-on-one battle. The winner will be the captain of the Metro City team. Do you have any objections?"
"None!" Basalt and Waylon answered in unison.
Their eyes met across the field, and the air crackled with tension.
"Then take your positions and prepare to send out your Pokémon!" With no official referee present, Hoffman took on the role himself.
"Come on out, Gastly!" Waylon was the first to act, releasing a familiar ball of black gas. However, compared to its previously energetic self, this Gastly was unusually silent and still. Whether it was because of the sting of its last defeat or the grueling nature of its recent training, no one could say. But one thing was certain: it was much stronger. No one would step up for a battle like this if they weren't confident of victory.
"A pity. Gastly still hasn't evolved," Mr. Shane sighed with a hint of disappointment. "If it had evolved into a Haunter, it might have stood a real chance of defeating Drilbur."
Evolution was a leap in a Pokémon's life force, a complete transformation that ushered in a period of rapid growth. Before Basalt's meteoric rise, Waylon had been the trainee with the highest expectations. It was predicted that his Gastly would evolve into a Haunter before the tournament began, causing its power to skyrocket. Unfortunately, that hadn't happened.
"Not necessarily," Director Sterling interjected. "I can see glimpses of Waylon's battle style. If I'm not mistaken, his Gastly has learned some very tricky moves. The kind that can catch you completely off guard." It was clear the Director knew a little something about Waylon's background.
"Overall, however, Basalt still has the higher chance of winning," Sterling concluded definitively. He was well aware of how much Drilbur's strength had grown, with its improved physical stats, multiple new Tutor Manual techniques, and the powerful combination of Sandstorm and Sand Rush. As long as Basalt wasn't careless and didn't fall for a cheap trick, he was unlikely to lose.
"The Director is right!" At that key moment, Supervisor Sheffield chimed in with a sycophantic smile. "And if you look closely, the mist around that Gastly seems more condensed. It must be on the verge of evolution. Basalt and Waylon are both top-tier geniuses. I'm sure our team's performance in the regionals this year will set a new record."
While the higher-ups chatted amongst themselves, Basalt finally sent out his Pokémon.
Only, it wasn't the Drilbur everyone was expecting. It was... Bronzor.
"What's going on? Did Basalt grab the wrong Poké Ball?"
"No way, right? He only has two Pokémon. How could he get them mixed up?" Mr. Leo and Mr. Shane stared, wide-eyed, as if they'd seen a ghost.
But they quickly realized that wasn't the case. Basalt showed no intention of switching out. He just stood there, a faint smile on his face as he looked at Waylon.
Seeing this, the blood rushed to Waylon's head, and his face turned beet red.
This was an insult.
Basalt's action clearly implied that defeating Gastly no longer required his ace. My Bronzor is more than enough for you.
"Damn, has Basalt gotten cocky?" Forrest blurted out. Although he was on good terms with Basalt, even he felt this was a reckless move. A month ago, Bronzor had been utterly crushed by Gastly; the power gap was enormous. Was one month really enough to turn the tables completely?
The other trainees began to murmur amongst themselves. Only Luna pursed her lips and said nothing. Ever since she'd met Basalt, she had seen too many impossible things happen. She knew better than to jump to conclusions now.
On the field, Basalt felt a little helpless himself. After learning he would be facing Waylon again, Bronzor had personally requested to be in this battle. It was clearly still holding a grudge. Besides, the current Drilbur had grown so powerful so quickly that it now looked down on Gastly as an opponent, so there were no hard feelings within the team. And more importantly, after its three-day Meditation, Bronzor's psychic power had undergone a qualitative change. Combined with its many new moves, its strength had been completely transformed. Basalt had no fear in pitting it against Waylon's Gastly.
After trying and failing to get Basalt's attention with several meaningful glances, Supervisor Hoffman sighed and had no choice but to announce, "Both trainers, take your positions! Let the battle begin!"
The moment his voice fell, Gastly moved without a command from Waylon. It immediately turned invisible, vanishing without a trace. It was its signature opening move.
"Dooo~" In response, Bronzor closed its eyes. Psychic energy swept out from its mind, meticulously scanning its surroundings. Soon, it found what it was looking for.
In mid-air, Gastly was slowly moving, attempting to circle around for an attack from behind.
"Dooo~" A smirk seemed to form on Bronzor's non-existent lips. Same old trick.
Vwoom!
As Gastly drew near, Bronzor's eyes flashed. A shimmering, rainbow-colored beam of light shot out, aimed directly at the spot in the air where the invisible Gastly was hiding.
"Ghaaa!" Gastly cried out in shock, reappearing as it frantically swerved. It had narrowly dodged the Psybeam.
"Gastly's even faster now," Basalt noted with mild surprise. Waylon had clearly been working on its speed and agility. If this had been the Gastly from a month ago, that Psybeam would have been a direct hit and an instant knockout.
"My invisibility… seen through again!" Across the field, Waylon's face was grim. His prized invisibility technique, which had even fooled Yao's Onix, had been cracked by Basalt's Pokémon time and time again. It was infuriating.
"Who in the world is this Basalt?" Waylon muttered, staring at his opponent with a serious expression.
The battle raged on. After dodging, Gastly created distance and began to gather ghostly energy. It fired several Shadow Balls in a row, switching from stealth to a full-frontal assault.
But the Bronzor of today was not the same as before. It conjured several chunks of rock in front of itself, sending them flying to intercept the incoming orbs.
Rock Tomb!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Shadow Balls collided with the rocks in a series of violent explosions, shrouding the field in dust and smoke.
"Hypnosis!" Waylon called out at the opportune moment.
From within the smokescreen, Gastly shot forward, appearing at Bronzor's side. A hypnotic beam shot from its eyes, aimed directly at Bronzor. But strangely, as Gastly poured its psychic energy into the attack, the beam didn't grow larger. Instead, it shrank, getting smaller and smaller until it completely vanished.
Hypnosis had failed to cast.
"What?" Waylon was dumbfounded. A move failing to execute? That had never happened to his Gastly before.
"Bronzor, Charge Beam!" Basalt's commanding voice rang out.
CRACKLE!
Electricity suddenly sparked to life around Bronzor, coalescing into a thick bolt of lightning that shot out with incredible speed. But Gastly was no amateur. It wouldn't be hit so easily. A white light flashed around its body, and it instantly split into ten copies of itself, the real one having already teleported to a new position. The Charge Beam only struck an afterimage.
"Dooo~" Bronzor frowned slightly. Its psychic senses weren't fooled by the clones, but Gastly's instantaneous movement was simply too fast. Bronzor itself was slow, and its Confusion wasn't strong enough to hold Gastly in place. Its attacks were always being anticipated, which was getting annoying.
"Calm Mind!" As the trainer, Basalt had a clear view of the battlefield. If a normal Confusion couldn't pin Gastly down, then it was time to power up. Once it completed the boost, Bronzor's increased Special Attack and Special Defense would allow it to crush Gastly like an egg. With its high defenses, Bronzor could afford to take a few hits. And while in the focused state of Calm Mind, Gastly's Hypnosis would be completely ineffective. It was a solid plan.
"I won't let you! Gastly, use Taunt!" Waylon roared. Gastly shot towards Bronzor, harassing it relentlessly. With its concentration broken, Bronzor found itself unable to enter the state of Calm Mind. Taunt had locked down its ability to use status moves.
But that wasn't all. After using Taunt, Gastly closed its eyes. Its own energy began to fade rapidly, but its psychic focus remained locked onto Bronzor's life force. In an instant, Gastly looked as if it had taken a massive blow, its stamina plummeting by nearly half. In contrast, a strange, chilling power, unseen and unknown, suddenly wrapped itself around Bronzor.
"Taunt and Curse… so that's what Gastly was hiding," Director Sterling said, instantly identifying the move.
Vwoom!
Suddenly, though nothing appeared to happen on the field, Bronzor shuddered, and its energy visibly weakened.
Curse. A Ghost-type move that cost the user half of its max HP to inflict a cursed status on the opponent. The curse's power would flare up periodically, draining the victim's health. That had been the first flare-up.
In terms of raw stamina, Bronzor still had the advantage, but everyone present knew it was now in a bad position. The longer this fight dragged on, the worse it would be for Bronzor.
So the plan was to use Taunt to block Drilbur's Sandstorm, then use Curse to drain its HP while Gastly dodges Rock Slide with its speed, dragging the fight out for a win? Basalt's eyes gleamed as he figured out Waylon's original game plan. He had to admit, if caught off guard, Drilbur really might have lost. Without Sandstorm, it would have been blind to Gastly's movements. After a few minutes, Gastly could have won without even attacking.
"It's a shame," Basalt's lips curled into a smirk as he shouted, "the strategy you designed for Drilbur won't work on Bronzor! Bronzor, Charge Beam!"
"Understood!" Bronzor's telepathic reply came back, its eyes focused.
Electricity sparked around its body once more, and it unleashed a furious barrage.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Three bolts of lightning erupted in quick succession. Though all three missed the elusive Gastly, a surprising thing happened. A faint glow enveloped Bronzor, and its power level suddenly surged.
"It's the secondary effect of Charge Beam! There's a chance it will raise the user's Special Attack!" someone in the crowd shouted, explaining what had happened.
Vwoom!
Bronzor opened its eyes again. Its newly empowered Confusion washed over the field, instantly locking Gastly in place and making it struggle to move.
"Ghaaa!" Gastly shrieked, trying to form a Shadow Ball to counterattack. But as Bronzor poured all of its psychic might into holding it down, Gastly quickly lost all ability to resist. It was a lamb to the slaughter.
"Gyaaa-gyaaa-gyaaaa..."
Under the crushing force of the psychic power, Gastly let out a piercing scream, its expression twisted in a terrifying grimace.
But the sound didn't last long. The Psychic-type move, Confusion, was super-effective against the Poison-type Gastly. With the type advantage, the frail Ghost-type Pokémon quickly lost its ability to battle. Its eyes spun into swirls as it floated limply to the ground.
Bronzor was the winner.
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