Chapter 196: Gengar: Damn, He Got Me
Chapter 196: Gengar: Damn, He Got Me
---
The private airstrip on the outskirts of Rota City.
"Miss, Miss Cynthia, we can depart in about an hour."
An elderly man in a butler's uniform respectfully addressed Cynthia and Garland.
Since Cynthia's excavation work at the ruins was not yet complete, she needed to return to Unova with Garland.
Technically, her trip to the Euldril Festival was a sneaky getaway.
Given the distance to the Unova region, more preparations were required for the flight.
The Daimu family's private plane was ready, but out of gentlemanly consideration, they didn't leave the two girls alone.
"Mr. Shaka from Twin Dragons City?"
Upon hearing Cynthia's next destination, Jing He showed a hint of surprise.
"You know him?"
"Ah, the gym leader of the Twin Dragons Gym, a Dragon-type Pokemon trainer, and the headmaster of the Twin Dragons Academy, Mr. Shaka. It's hard not to know him, though he doesn't know me," Jing He shrugged with a smile.
"Hmm."
Cynthia nodded thoughtfully.
Mr. Shaka doesn't know Jing He?
Not necessarily.
"Mr. Shaka found something with a bit of history and asked my grandmother for information. So, my grandmother asked me to stop by on my way," Cynthia explained.
Jing He was speechless for a moment, then teased, "So, you made a detour to Rota City on your way to Twin Dragons City?"
Cynthia playfully blinked but didn't respond.
Her words, however, reminded Jing He of something.
The historical item Shaka found.
---
"Jing He, let's have a battle!"
Garland suddenly jumped out, her small fists clenched, looking determined.
Her face was slightly flushed, and her psychic energy was fluctuating, causing her golden curls to dance in the air.
Finally, she had her chance!
"You're so cute, Garland," Cynthia said with a smile.
Jing He glanced at Cynthia.
Are you serious?
Where did this jealousy come from?
But indeed, an angry Garland had a doll-like charm.
"Um, t-thanks~"
The previously fierce Garland suddenly became shy.
However, when she noticed Jing He's peculiar gaze, her eyes narrowed again.
Her body slowly levitated, looking down at Jing He from above.
"Wh-what do you think?"
Jing He smiled and said, "Sure."
Huh?
Cynthia and Daimu looked at Jing He with surprise.
In their experience, Jing He wasn't the type to casually accept battle invitations.
He wasn't a battle maniac.
Before Garland could speak, Jing He continued, "How about the loser agrees to one condition from the winner?"
Garland smiled.
Her eyes swept over Cynthia, determination in her gaze.
So, this is a battle for Cynthia's affections!
Jing He knew she was misinterpreting things but didn't bother to correct her.
"Sure! I hope you use your full strength and don't bore me to the point of yawning during the battle. Got it?" she said, chin held high.
Jing He rubbed his chin and admitted, "It's difficult. I can't deny that there's a gap in our abilities."
If Garland didn't play fair, he wouldn't hesitate to be ruthless.
Fortunately, despite her arrogance, Garland was easily provoked.
"Tsk!"
Garland huffed.
"I want an elegant victory."
Jing He laughed.
Elegant?
You're really addicted to your arrogance!
---
On a spacious grassy field outside the airstrip.
"Go, Bronzong!"
As Garland said, she didn't send out her Gothitelle, but her Bronzong was no pushover.
"Gengar."
Facing a Psychic-type Pokemon, Gengar was undoubtedly the best choice.
Even though Bronzong, being both Psychic and Steel-type, was immune to Poison-type moves.
"Gengar!"
Gengar's face twisted into a grin as it emerged from the shadows.
Garland looked unsurprised, as if she had expected this.
What she didn't know was that Jing He had also predicted her choice of Pokemon.
"The battle begins!"
Miyamoto once again took on the role of referee.
"Trick, Gengar," Jing He said calmly.
"Gengar~"
Hearing the command, Gengar didn't hesitate, standing its ground and gathering energy.
At the same moment, just a split second later.
Buzz—
The ancient Bronzong trembled slightly.
A square, black film spread out from it, enveloping the surrounding area.
Trick Room!
Huh?
Using her Psychic ability "Telekinesis" to command Bronzong, Garland was taken aback by this.
This was the first time she had encountered such a situation.
Usually, as a Psychic, using "Telekinesis" gave her a significant advantage in speed and reaction.
Even in a non-free-for-all battle, where she couldn't enhance her Pokemon with Psychic powers, "Telekinesis" was much faster than verbal commands.
It wasn't that Gengar was faster than Bronzong.
But—
Who uses Trick Room right at the start?
Aren't you afraid of being overwhelmed?
Thus, she felt as if her move had been anticipated.
Was I read?
A Psychic being read?
If Jing He knew what she was thinking, he would have rolled his eyes.
Bronze Bell Pokemon, aside from serving as the "space hand" for a heavy space team, often rely on moves like "Meditate," "Iron Defense," and status boosts, then using "Future Sight" to secure a win. But are there more options?
No matter how Bronze Bell starts the battle, Gengar's opening move of "Trick" will never be wrong.
After seeing Bronze Bell's Pokedex entry, Jing He was even more confident in his strategy.
However, after a brief moment of shock, Cilan quickly regained her composure.
Even if Gengar's "Trick" succeeded and "Trick Room" was successfully activated, there was still a chance to fight.
After all, neither Gengar nor Bronze Bell had particularly strong defenses; the only difference was that Bronze Bell had higher defenses, making it more durable.
But at most, this would only change a one-hit knockout into a two-hit knockout.
[Trick Room: In this space, the speed of the battling Pokemon is reversed.]
And now, the Bronze Bell, which was originally at a significant speed disadvantage, had the upper hand!
Clang!
Bronze Bell emitted a deep, resonant sound, and a powerful Psychic energy formed, shooting straight at Gengar like an arrow.
Psychic!
"Gengar, Sucker Punch!"
Jing He remained calm and composed.
"Trick Room" did indeed put Gengar at a disadvantage.
But "Trick Room" also had its weaknesses.
If an opponent uses an attack move but doesn't complete it, "Sucker Punch" can act first.
Gengar!
A dark aura enveloped Gengar, as if momentarily freeing it from the constraints of "Trick Room."
Its form flickered, and it suddenly appeared behind Bronze Bell.
Clang!
A powerful punch landed on Bronze Bell's body, causing a loud sound.
No.
A question mark appeared over Cilan's head.
Fine, you used "Trick" to boost your stats, but why use a physical attack after boosting your Special Attack?
And who has ever seen a Gengar punch?!
Most importantly, this Gengar's "Sucker Punch" was surprisingly powerful!
"Psychic Headbutt!" Cilan commanded mentally.
As Gengar's "Sucker Punch" hit, it had already begun to form a dark sphere.
"Shadow Ball!"
Gengar!
Gengar grinned wickedly, its dark hands forming a massive black sphere.
Cilan's expression froze once more.
Is that "Shadow Ball" even legal?
This time, it was a true head-on clash!
Bronze Bell attempted to retaliate with a physical attack, but it was met with a massive "Shadow Ball."
A "Shadow Ball" that had been boosted by "Trick"!
Boom!
Gengar took a few steps back.
But Bronze Bell fell to the ground, unable to battle.
The black film of "Trick Room" dissipated.
The battle ended much faster than Cilan had expected.
Lost, lost?
She couldn't quite accept it.
She had only ever lost to Cynthia.
Even more unacceptable was the fact that losing this battle meant losing to Cynthia.
A surge of Psychic energy began to rise uncontrollably within her.
"Cilan!"
Cynthia called out, seeing her state.
Hearing her voice, Cilan's Psychic energy subsided slightly.
She turned to look at Cynthia, her eyes glistening with tears.
At the same time, Jing He approached with Gengar.
Cilan thought Jing He would declare his victory and claim Cynthia, but instead, he handed her a notebook.
"Here."
Huh?
"My condition is that you learn to control your Psychic powers using the methods in this notebook," Jing He said.
Cilan was taken aback.
She instinctively took the notebook and opened it.
"This, this is..."
The notebook contained some Psychic control techniques Jing He had learned from N, which had helped stabilize Vulpix's Psychic powers. They should be useful for Cilan as well.
"Why?"
Cilan was bewildered.
Jing He sighed, hands in his pockets, looking up at the sky.
"You're strong, but Psychic powers aren't used like that."
"And I have to look out for my 'patients.'"
That's what a healer does!
Cilan, along with Azalea, Diantha, and Cynthia, looked at Jing He with admiration.
Gengar bared its teeth.
Damn, he's so smooth!
On the plane to Unova, Cilan rested her head on Cynthia's lap like a kitten, muttering:
"Cynthia, sometimes I think I can't do anything right."
Cynthia smiled gently, petting Cilan's head as if soothing a kitten.
"Jing He said you're strong, didn't he?"
Cilan sniffled.
Just thinking about Jing He made her feel like he would take Cynthia away, but remembering his dedication as a Pokemon psychologist, especially for her twin Metapod, made her unable to stay angry.
"Fine, I'll forgive him this time!"
He's the second person, besides Cynthia, who I've allowed to beat me!
Cynthia's smile widened, and she playfully ruffled Cilan's hair.
It seems Jing He has won Cilan's approval.
Even if he made her cry.
Feeling the warmth of Cynthia's hand, Cilan's cheeks flushed slightly, and she let out a low whimper.
She pulled out the handwritten notebook and murmured:
"A-actually, he's not so bad."
"Isn't that true?"
(End of Chapter)
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