Chapter 306: Blue vs. Master Bruno!
Through her Ditto's Transform Disguise, Blue had now become a handsome youth in a blue, casual-style long-sleeved shirt and hiking boots. Atop his head was a crop of spiky hair that just begged to be punched.
She had turned into Gary of Pallet Town.
It was the first time the group had witnessed a transformer complete their transformation up close, and they all marveled at it, looking like they'd never seen anything like it before.
An ordinary Ditto would still have beady green eyes after transforming, but this one had mimicked Gary's face perfectly.
The transformed Gary slowly walked up to Ash, a haughty, challenging smile playing on his lips. He raised a hand, gently tilting up Ash's chin, his face drawing ever closer to the latter's. His other hand braced against a tree behind Ash, who couldn't help but back up several steps until his back was against the trunk.
Blue had just given Ash a Tree Slam.
The situation, all of a sudden, took a turn for the homoerotic.
"Ash, my boy, what do you~ think of my Transform~?"
Even the voice had changed to Gary's flippant tone, giving the impression of a playboy.
Ash, however, slapped Blue's hand away and said bluntly:
"It's only similar in appearance, lacking some of the spirit. You have the flippancy, but not enough of the punchable quality. And Gary wouldn't talk so effeminately."
Brock and the others might not be able to tell, but Ash, who had grown up with him, could spot the subtle differences.
"Aww~ I guess my skills aren't good enough yet~ If only I had the method of Big Sis Blue, then I could make a perfect copy~"
The transformed Blue rubbed her brow and pouted, looking a little troublesome.
Right now, her disguise was still only at the stage of being similar in appearance. True perfection required completely copying a person's movements, expressions, aura, and even their presence. She still had a long way to go.
Everyone: "..."
*Smack.*
Ash planted his palm right on Blue's face, quite annoyed.
"Stop making cute faces with that guy Gary's face! It's too effeminate!"
So disgusting!!
Soon, Ash's group of four, plus Blue disguised as Gary, passed through the jungle and arrived at the bare rocky area in the middle of Miyazaki Mountain.
Miyazaki Mountain was a small hill, with nothing at its very peak but bare rock.
There was even a large pit sunken into the top, forming a sort of hilly basin, inhabited by many Rock and Ground type Pokémon like Sandshrew, Geodude, and Onix.
On a patch of open, rocky ground, Ash's group spotted a small giant bursting with muscle from a distance. His body, illuminated by the sun, reflected a bronze luster, as if it contained an incomparably immense power.
It was the Kanto League's Fighting Elite Four member, Bruno!
The eyes of Ash and his friends instantly lit up. Brock was the first to rush forward, running toward Master Bruno.
"Greetings, Master Bruno! I am Brock from Pewter City, and I am currently undergoing training in the Rock-Solid Will!"
Brock bowed respectfully, introducing himself earnestly.
In front of Bruno, he wouldn't dare claim he possessed any Rock-Solid Will himself.
Then, Brock swiftly pulled off his shirt, revealing his own bronze skin. Although his muscles weren't as exaggerated as Bruno's, they were still filled with masculinity.
"Oh, youngster, your Rock-Solid Will is quite impressive!"
Bruno patted Brock's shoulder, giving his approval.
He was arguably the most easygoing of the Elite Four members, so of course he would offer confidence to an admirer.
Brock was instantly overcome with emotion, his face flushing red.
Seeing this, Ash and the others quickly approached. It had to be said, you could only tell by getting closer just how ridiculously massive Bruno's physique was.
"Master Bruno, I'm Ash from Pallet Town, and I'm training to become a Pokémon Master! This is my beloved partner, Pikachu."
"My name is Misty."
"I'm Todd Snap."
"My name is Green."
The group introduced themselves one by one. Bruno nodded repeatedly, then his gaze fell upon Ash, who had been the first to introduce himself after Brock.
"Oh, so you're Ash from Pallet Town? You seem..."
Unremarkable.
Bruno did not say those two words out loud.
Watching the man look him up and down, Ash also glanced at himself in confusion. This should be the first time he and Bruno had ever met, right?
Bruno then looked away from Ash, patting each of them on the shoulder in turn. When he reached the disguised Blue's shoulder, his brow twitched slightly.
But he just smiled without letting anything show, saying:
"Mm, very good. You are all spirited youths. You have great future potential!"
Everyone was overjoyed. To receive recognition from such a powerhouse was a rare honor.
"By the way, Master Bruno, what brings you here? Are you undergoing some kind of training?" Brock asked cautiously.
"I'm going to Pallet—"
Just as Bruno was about to speak, Ash cut in to answer for him, his voice filled with immense admiration.
"Idiot, Master Bruno has profound reasons for his actions. Naturally, he's here to rid the area of a menace for the people and drive away that giant Onix for the local villagers!"
Ash smirked inwardly. In his eyes, Bruno was already prey waiting to be hunted.
This move was called Feigned Retreat.
With one sentence, he had placed Bruno on a moral high ground. Now, even if Bruno defeated the Onix, he would be too embarrassed to catch it, which would give his good buddy an opportunity.
Ash continuously shot meaningful glances at Brock.
The grand plan to thoroughly outwit Master Bruno had already begun!!
This was a battlefield; there was no room for mercy!
Brock: "?"
Bruno was slightly taken aback. Onix?
What Onix?
But his expression quickly turned serious as he went along with it, patting his chest muscles and saying with a laugh:
"That's right, I'm here to drive that Onix back. This is a great training exercise."
"You're lying. You were just asking about Pallet Town!" a voice from the crowd suddenly interrupted Bruno.
The source of the voice was the disguised Blue.
From the start, Bruno had been asking her about Pallet Town, and his last sentence had begun with "Pallet xxx," which meant his objective wasn't some giant Onix at all, but Pallet Town.
Judging by his change in expression just now, he probably didn't even know what the giant Onix was.
As soon as she spoke, Bruno looked at the prickly-haired youth standing at the back of the group. A wise and sharp glint flashed in his eyes.
"Youngster Green, how did you know what I was asking just now...?"
"I..." Blue's face changed. She cursed herself for her blunder; how could she have exposed herself like that?
But she quickly recovered and hastily explained, "Oh, oh, I heard a passerby talking on my way up the mountain. They said some big guy was asking for directions to Pallet Town. Is that okay?"
"Oh? You heard it from a passerby?"
A meaningful smile appeared on Bruno's face.
Then, his expression changed in an instant, becoming incredibly fierce and aggressive. Every inch of muscle on his body seemed to erupt with a tangible, sharp pressure, aimed directly at the disguised Blue.
This was a true expert, possessing an incredibly powerful Overlord Aura!
"Uwaah..."
The terrifying blast of momentum hit her head-on, causing Blue's face to pale. A corner of her shirt hem trembled slightly, revealing a giveaway in her disguise as it turned into the pink sticky mass of a Ditto.
But Blue quickly focused her mind, and the sticky mass vanished, returning to an unremarkable shirt hem. She patted her chest in a show of relief, as if to say she hadn't been exposed.
The wave of aura came as quickly as it went. Bruno soon retracted his momentum, but the way he looked at Green had completely changed, a meaningful smile playing on his lips.
That's right, he had already realized this "Green" was a disguise.
He kept a straight face, but he had already committed Gary's facial features to memory.
*This must be his real face, right?*
*Hmph, this youth's mentality isn't bad, but he's only on the Second Layer. I, on the other hand, am already standing high on the Fifth Layer...*
However, just as Bruno was feeling secretly pleased with himself, a glint flickered in Blue's eyes, and finally, a meaningful, cold smirk emerged on her face as well.
*That's right, I've already realized that he's realized I'm in a disguise...*
The Ditto giveaway she showed was, in fact, intentionally revealed.
*Right now, Master Bruno's mind should be convinced that this is the real face of the transformer, Gary, right?*
She let him see through her on purpose!
*Hmph, you think I'm on the Second Layer and you're on the Fifth Layer, but in reality, I've been on the Hundredth Layer all along...*
"Heh..."
"Heh..."
The two of them couldn't help but let out cold smirks at the same time.
Everyone else: "???"
Ash and the others looked at Master Bruno and Blue smirking at each other, completely baffled, and subconsciously scratched their heads.
How troublesome.
(end of chapter)