Erika walked calmly to the center of a wide grassy field beside the pavilion. With a graceful flick of her wrist, she tossed out a Poké Ball.
A flash of white light burst forth.
A large plant Pokémon with an enormous mouth hidden beneath broad leaves appeared on the field.
Victreebel swayed energetically, greedily absorbing the simulated sunlight.
Victreebel Lv.30
Ability: Chlorophyll(Boosts Speed in sunny weather.)
"Alright everyone, the moment you've been waiting for—a Gym battle!"
Rei Akagi's voice carried the excitement of commentary.
"As a Grass-type specialist, Erika's lineup usually includes Victreebel, Tangela, and her ace Vileplume. Meanwhile, our reliable partner Arcanine, at level 40, completely dominates this matchup type-wise!"
As he spoke, Rei threw out a Poké Ball.
A mighty roar echoed through the ecological garden.
Arcanine appeared in a burst of flame. The scorching heat from its body caused nearby flowers to bow slightly.
With just a single fierce glare, the lively Victreebel instinctively shrank its leaves.
Arcanine's Intimidate activated!
Victreebel's Attack fell!
"To be honest, the Celadon Gym is relatively friendly compared to earlier Gyms," Rei Akagi explained smoothly.
"First, by the time players reach here, they've usually already caught Pokémon that counter Grass-types."
"And second—Leader Erika has a gentle personality. Even if you lose the challenge, if you show enough potential and love for Pokémon, she might still reward you with a badge."
The livestream chat immediately erupted.
"Gentle, elegant, nature-loving Lady Erika! Winning doesn't matter—just seeing her serious smile during battle is enough for me!"
"Teacher Salted Fish is right! But let me warn new players—don't choose Charmander at the start just because it's cool! The difficulty skyrockets!"
"I totally didn't move into the Master Ball tier just because of Lady Erika."
I Totally Am Not a Young Lady sent a highlighted message:
"So in someone's mind, I'm that easygoing, am I?
However, it seems someone has forgotten…
I've always been looking forward to the day he comes back so we can properly exchange pointers again."
"LADY ERIKA!!!"
"The information in that sentence is insane! Teacher Salted Fish, what exactly did you do to Lady Erika?! I'm jealous—no wait—how outrageous!"
"Arcanine looks amazing! Teacher Salted Fish, could you share some strategies for it? I want to partner with one someday!"
"Uh—good morning Lady Erika—no wait—good evening!"
Caught on the spot, Rei Akagi felt his cheeks heat up.
Seeing the chat spiraling out of control, he hurriedly explained.
"Please don't say things that cause misunderstandings. I really can't learn flower arrangement, alright?"
As usual, he added Erika to the group chat and quickly shifted the focus back to the battle.
"As for Arcanine's tactical combinations—there are way too many to cover. I'll try to show some during this battle."
His eyes swept across the majestic fire dog on the field.
A confident smile appeared on his lips.
"Pay attention to the battlefield conditions—Sunny Day is active, boosting Victreebel's Speed thanks to Chlorophyll. So we'll play it safe first."
"Arcanine, use Protect!"
At the same time, Erika gave her command.
"Erika: Victreebel! Sweet Scent!"
Victreebel moved incredibly fast.
Its huge mouth opened, releasing a cloud of pink mist with a sugary fragrance that rushed toward Arcanine.
But just as the mist approached—
A blue energy barrier appeared in front of Arcanine, cleanly pushing the sweet fog away.
"Be careful of Victreebel's Sleep Powder," Rei Akagi explained.
"Normally we could use Extreme Speed for priority… but—"
His eyes narrowed.
"Arcanine, Flamethrower! Finish it!"
Almost simultaneously, Erika issued her command.
"Erika: Now! Sleep Powder!"
Victreebel's leaves flailed wildly, scattering a massive cloud of invisible sleep-inducing powder.
Arcanine reacted instantly.
Opening its jaws, it unleashed a roaring spiral of blazing fire.
The attack struck Victreebel directly.
Victreebel cried out as smoke rose from its body before collapsing to the ground.
However—
Victreebel had been slightly faster.
The Sleep Powder spread and enveloped Arcanine almost at the same moment.
Arcanine staggered.
Its eyes grew unfocused, and it slowly collapsed onto the grass, breathing evenly.
Arcanine fell asleep!
The chat exploded.
"Wait!? Teacher Salted Fish predicted Sleep Powder—so why did he still go for Flamethrower?!"
"Sure, Victreebel got one-shot—but Arcanine is asleep! Erika still has two Pokémon left! Her ace Vileplume hasn't even appeared yet!"
"Yeah… this looks like a mistake. The only Fire-type on the team is asleep. That's a huge loss."
"Really? I don't buy it. I feel like Teacher Salted Fish is cooking something."
"Why is Sleep Powder such a disgusting move?!"
Erika gracefully recalled Victreebel and threw another Poké Ball.
A tangled ball of writhing vines appeared on the battlefield.
Tangela Lv.36
Ability: Leaf Guard(Prevents status conditions during sunny weather.)
Arcanine's Intimidate activated!
Tangela's Attack fell!
Erika raised her hand lightly.
"Erika: Tangela! Slam!"
Several thick vines lashed forward like whips, slicing through the air toward the sleeping Arcanine.
"Arcanine! Extreme Speed to close the distance! Tank the hit and use Fire Fang!"
Rei Akagi showed no hesitation at all—even though Arcanine was asleep.
On screen, Arcanine's throat suddenly moved as if it swallowed something.
In the next moment—
Its previously unfocused eyes snapped wide open.
Its limbs pushed off the ground.
Like a red-and-gold streak, it dashed forward, smashing through Tangela's whipping vines and crashing directly into it.
At the instant of impact—
Flames wrapped around Arcanine's fangs.
Fire Fang!
Tangela let out a painful cry.
Under the combined assault of burning flames and crushing force, it quickly fainted.
Spirals replaced its eyes.
Only then did Arcanine release its bite and gently set the unconscious opponent down.
The chat flooded with question marks.
"Wait, wasn't Arcanine asleep?! What just happened?!"
"Told you! Everyone who said it was a mistake—line up!"
"Chesto Berry! It's a Chesto Berry! Teacher Salted Fish had Arcanine hold one—it wakes the Pokémon up when it falls asleep!"
"Isn't that basically cheating?"
"Cheating? No way! Battle items are part of battling! Proper item combinations require knowledge and strategy!"
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