Kecleon remained in its Invisibility state, firing Psybeam from time to time, and the power was quite impressive.
Koffing quickly fell into a passive position, mainly because Kecleon's movements were impossible to track. However, the Speed and physique it had developed through long-term training under Golurk's Gravity still permitted it to handle Kecleon's attacks with ease.
On the surface, Koffing did appear to be at a disadvantage, but not a single one of Kecleon's Psybeam could hit it.
At this moment, Tetsuya had already used psychic powers to lock onto Kecleon's position.
"Left rear, Sludge Bomb."
One of Koffing's two heads tilted slightly, and it immediately used Sludge Bomb, spraying it in the direction Tetsuya had indicated.
The chuunibyou boy was fully immersed in his assault when Kecleon was suddenly blasted away by the Sludge Bomb.
The turn of events came so quickly that he was completely caught off guard!
"Venom Drench."
Tetsuya did not even need to look at Koffing's Sludge Bomb. Kecleon was definitely poisoned already. Venom Drench was sprayed out, and Kecleon immediately began trembling in fear. It could not even stand up.
After being poisoned by Koffing, the symptoms were obvious. Its entire body felt cold, weak, and dizzy. Even if it managed to stand up, it would not last much longer. With its organic body, Kecleon simply could not resist it. In the end, it finally collapsed.
The chuunibyou boy stared in shock. "H-How could this happen…? How could this happen!? My Kecleon has never lost before!"
"Prepare your next one." After speaking, Tetsuya recalled Koffing and threw out Beedrill's Poké Ball.
"…Go, Sudowoodo!"
As soon as Sudowoodo entered the battlefield, it began swaying its body and waving its branch-like arms. It was often mistaken for a Grass-type Pokémon, but as a Rock-type, Sudowoodo's body was very sturdy. It could indeed deal with Beedrill's Contact moves quite well.
Tetsuya was not in any hurry to have Beedrill attack. In the previous battle with Kecleon, the chuunibyou boy had been completely focused on executing his own strategy. He used Kecleon's Invisibility and Protean Ability to launch surprise attacks, disrupting his opponent and creating opportunities to attack.
If the opponent had no way to break through that strategy, they would quickly be defeated. However, a battle style like that could never trouble a Gym Leader. If that alone were enough to earn the recognition of Matsuba and Pryce, it would be impossible. Tetsuya wanted to see what other tricks he had.
"Sudowoodo, use Tearful Look!"
Sudowoodo immediately filled its eyes with tears and put on a pitiful expression. Against Pokémon with weak mental fortitude, this move could indeed make the opponent lose combative spirit¹[1], thereby lowering their Attack and Special Attack. However, Beedrill was clearly a cold-blooded killer. Countless Pokémon had died at its stingers. This move had no effect on it whatsoever.
"X-Scissor."
Tetsuya spoke coldly. Beedrill instantly became full of vigor. With a whoosh, it turned into a streak of light.
"Sudowoodo, use-!"
Before he could finish speaking, Sudowoodo had already been sent flying by X-Scissor.
"Sudowoodooooo, get up quickly and use Rock Slide, I know you can do it!"
The chuunibyou boy brought out one of Ash's three winning tactics and loudly encouraged on Sudowoodo. Perhaps this kind of passionate battle was one of the reasons the Gym Leaders recognized him(?).
Encouraged by its Trainer, Sudowoodo stood up. Waving both hands, it caused huge rocks to fall from the sky.
With Beedrill's speed, rocks like these had no chance of hitting it. However, this was a good opportunity to test the power of this Rock Slide.
"[Fatal Pursuit]."
Massive rocks crashed down, enough to smash a person into pulp. Beedrill's power was on full display. Its wings vibrated at high speed, causing its body to spin. Black energy wrapped around its twin stingers as it shot forward.
Bang!
The rocks split apart from the middle and crashed to the ground in scattered fragments. Beedrill appeared safely above the shattered rocks, completely unharmed.
"Th-this…!"
The chuunibyou boy's astonishment was written all over his face. How could a "low-level" Pokémon typically associated with a Bug Catcher have such power!? He had never suffered a defeat at the hands of a Beedrill before. However, he still refused to give up…
In the eyes of a chuunibyou kid, no matter how strong the opponent was, they could always be defeated!
So…
"Come on, Sudowoodo… We can win!Use Mimic!"
The moment the chuunibyou boy called out his ace card, Tetsuya shook his head. As expected, he was naïve. He had seen how powerful Beedrill's previous "move" was and wanted to copy it with Mimic.
Sudowoodo was indeed skilled at Mimic, but Beedrill's [Fatal Pursuit] was a combination of moves. How could it possibly be copied so easily?
Sure enough, Sudowoodo stood frozen in place, not knowing how to attack.
"Poison Jab."
Tetsuya casually called out a move. Beedrill thrust forward its tail stinger, and poison was already dripping from its tip.
Speed was still Beedrill's specialty. Sudowoodo had only hesitated for a moment when Poison Jab was already upon it. Once again, Sudowoodo was sent flying by Beedrill's power.
"Nooooooo! Sudowoodo, get up!"
The chuunibyou boy had finally used his second tactic, but Sudowoodo was already rolling around on the ground nonstop, rubbing its body against the earth as it struggled with unbearable itching.
"Recall it. It's poisoned."
Tetsuya said.
The effects of apitoxin manifested as intense itching all over the body. Without timely healing, a Pokémon could end up taking its own life because it could not endure the suffering.
Although the chuunibyou boy was unwilling to accept it, he still cared deeply about his Pokémon and recalled Sudowoodo.
"Are you still going to fight the last battle?" Tetsuya asked.
"Fight…? Why wouldn't I!?"
The chuunibyou boy was like a cockroach that could never be beaten down. His "never-give-up" spirit was something many people could learn from.
The chuunibyou boy then threw out his third Pokémon… Typhlosion!
Being able to obtain a Typhlosion meant he was an Official League Trainer. No wonder he had achieved such results. The capacity to receive free Pokémon treatment at a Pokémon Center alone was an enormous advantage. There was no need to worry about Pokémon being injured or not having enough money to buy Potions, because the Pokémon Center could solve all of those problems perfectly.
For ordinary Trainers, even special training could not be pushed too far. Its intensity inevitably led to injuries, and these required treatment. These expenses always had to be considered. There were simply too many factors limiting their growth. In this life, Tetsuya would never walk down that path again.
Tetsuya also threw out his third Pokémon, Houndoom.
A battle of fire against fire!
Tetsuya's Houndoom had the Flash Fire Ability, giving it a huge advantage. Now it depended on how the boy would deal with such a difficult situation.
"Typhlosion, show them our spirit! We will never lose when it comes to Fire-type Pokémon! Let the fighting spirit of flames blaze our path!"
'Oh… my…'
As expected, the chuunibyou boy brought out his third tactic. His "momentum" surged like a rainbow. Flames erupted from Typhlosion's back, and it let out a roar toward the sky!
Well… it truly was an impressive sight.
•.
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¹. Pokédex: The user gets teary eyed to make the target lose its combative spirit.
[1] Pokédex: The user gets teary eyed to make the target lose its combative spirit.