Autumn Excursion (3)

Lavaridge Town.

A somewhat secluded and already rather abandoned battle arena not far outside the restaurant.

As Flannery looked at the arena, there was a hint of wistfulness in her eyes.

This place held beautiful memories for her.

But she quickly tucked away those feelings, becoming full of fighting spirit once more and returning to being that "girl as passionate as fire."

Others might not have noticed this, but Jing He saw it all.

Come to think of it, whether in the original story or from what he knew of Flannery, aside from mentions of her grandfather, there seemed to be no mention of her parents? "Teacher Jing He, I won't go easy on you!"

Flannery was brimming with energy.

At the edge of the field, Steven Stone and Roxanne, who were watching the battle, were worried about Flannery's "condition."

A Trainer like Flannery, whose emotions outweighed her reason, seemed to be perfectly countered by a psychologist like Jing He.

If Flannery sent out her strongest Pokémon, perhaps she could rely on overwhelming raw strength to win, but...

"Ko, burp—Koujie?"

Gastly, floating before Jing He, let out a burp. It turned to look at him questioningly.

Couldn't it just take her out directly?

"You can try." Jing He's eye twitched slightly, but he quickly added, "Provided you're prepared to face a former Elite Four member."

"Ko, Koujie!"

Gastly: () Bang! At the same time, Flannery threw out a Poké Ball. Amid a flash of red light, a Pokémon appeared on the field.

It looked like a black dog. Distinct bone-like structures protruded from its back, head, and ankles, lending its originally cute appearance a touch of ferocity. Its belly and muzzle were orange, and it had a thick, short tail.

A Dark-type and Fire-type Pokémon—Houndour!

Steven Stone and Roxanne were both somewhat surprised to see it.

They had thought Flannery would send out the Numel she had also only recently caught.

Numel's Fire-type and Ground-type combination was clearly restrained by Gastly, but Houndour's Dark-type and Fire-type combination... In terms of typing alone, it held a clear advantage.

After all, Gastly's Poison-type and Ghost-type moves were doubly resisted by Dark-type moves.

And if Flannery's Houndour had the Early Bird Ability, its advantage would be even greater! In that case... there might really be a chance!

After all, Teacher Jing He was indeed not a professional Trainer, and he probably did not have much battle experience. If he only had theory...

Flannery smiled excitedly. Being emotional and being foolish were not directly linked.

Steven Stone drew a slight breath and announced loudly, "The battle begins!"

Flannery swung her arm sharply, her pointed finger indicating Houndour's target.

"Houndour, Bite!"

"Awooo!!"

Houndour let out a roar and dashed forward on all fours. Deep black Dark-type energy coiled around its still somewhat immature fangs.

At the same time, Jing He's vision displayed Houndour's Pokédex entry.

Houndour

Type: Dark-type, Fire-type

Ability: Flash Fire

Moves: Leer, Ember, Howl, Toxic Mist, Roar, Bite, Fire Spin, Fire Fang

Mood: Excited, worried (I have a faint feeling something bad is about to happen)

Condition: Excellent (Outstanding training has resulted in excellent condition)

Friendship: 5 (Because of Flannery, it harbors some goodwill toward humans)

"Gastly, Astonish." Jing He spoke quickly, but his tone was calm.

One second ago, Gastly had still been burping from overeating. The next, it swiftly entered battle mode, as though its earlier laziness had all been an act.

Gastly was a gaseous Pokémon by nature, so it moved incredibly fast. Its body also inflated rapidly like a balloon, transforming into a gigantic ghost face in the blink of an eye.

"Koujie!"

The sudden shriek of eerie laughter, accompanied by twisting and shifting black mist, made the young Houndour panic slightly.

Jing He sighed inwardly.

Why did Trainers with Dark-type Pokémon that knew Bite all love using Bite as their opening move? Did they really think type advantage decided everything?

But this was not a game. Whether a move hit did not simply depend on accuracy and evasion rates.

Besides, did the opponent not know where their own weaknesses lay?

Though Houndour panicked, it still bit down.

Bang!!

Its teeth collided with teeth, and wisps of black mist slipped out through the gaps in its jaws.

What it had bitten was merely some of the gas that Gastly had expanded while transforming into that huge ghost face.

Steven Stone and Roxanne could not help exchanging a glance.

When Flannery had seized the initiative and attacked first, Jing He had issued his command almost at the same time. That was why Gastly, waiting at ease for the exhausted opponent, had the chance to use Astonish's secondary effect, along with a little intimidation, to affect Houndour's judgment.

Simultaneous commands... Could it be that Jing He had predicted Flannery and Houndour's tactics from the start? A read?! Was this really a teacher with little battle experience? Or was this... the "tactical literacy" of a Pokémon Psychology teacher? They had initially thought Jing He would gain the upper hand through Gastly's troublesome—underhanded—moves, but they had not expected this approach.

"Curse."

Pokémon Battles were not turn-based. Jing He, having gained the initiative because Houndour's move had missed, naturally would not let the opportunity pass.

"Koujie—"

Gastly grinned viciously. An invisible, bizarre force seemed to follow its laughter, piercing deep into Houndour's body and planting a seed that quickly sprouted.

"Houndour, then let's end this quickly!" Flannery said with a stern face. She clearly understood Curse's effects.

She waved her hand again.

"Leer! Then charge in!"

"Gastly, Hypnosis."

Their voices rang out almost simultaneously again.

Houndour abruptly widened its eyes, its fierce expression making one's body tremble slightly.

However.

What happened when it widened its eyes in the face of Hypnosis? Houndour's body shuddered, then it staggered a few steps before collapsing to the ground.

"Get up! Houndour!"

Flannery's face reddened as she shouted.

Jing He stared at the Houndour on the ground for several seconds.

Only after a trace of the energy-draining effect from Curse began to surround it, with still no sign of it waking, did he let out a slight breath.

Luckily.

Clearly, the bond between Houndour and Flannery had not yet reached the level where shouting once could forcibly break Hypnosis.

Honestly, Jing He had not known it before battling, but once he got into one, this was the kind of person he feared most.

They completely disregarded convention, and often broke through it as well.

The only people who could deal with such people were probably those who were even less conventional.

For example... a Water Absorb Charizard.

"Let's end it here." Jing He called off the battle.

"We haven't—" Flannery still wanted to struggle.

"Gastly."

"Koujie~~"

Gastly then used Confuse Ray, Lick, Astonish, Will-O-Wisp, and Toxic Mist in succession... Flannery's voice abruptly stopped.

A bead of sweat slid down her forehead.

"While Curse's effects on Houndour are still mild, treat it now. Otherwise, you'll have no choice but to go to the Pokémon Center later."

Jing He spoke again as Gastly drifted unsteadily back to his side.

Seeing Jing He's look, Gastly knowingly blinked and let out a low cry.

"Koujie~~"

Don't worry, I used ordinary Hypnosis.

Gastly: I'm not stupid. You said her grandfather is a former Elite Four member.

Jing He nodded slightly in relief.

It would be troublesome if Houndour developed some sort of psychological problem. Then he would have to treat it.

"We lost..." Flannery had no choice but to accept reality.

But Jing He had become interested in Flannery.

More accurately, he had become interested in emotional Trainers like Flannery.

It was obvious that Flannery and Houndour had not yet developed enough coordination. There was a certain gap between commands and execution. He wanted to see whether, once Flannery and Houndour had "worked together" more smoothly, they could break through certain conventions.

After all, this was the original owner's research subject.

Seeing that the battle had ended, Steven Stone and Roxanne stepped onto the field.

Roxanne tried to comfort Flannery, only to find that Flannery was not as fragile as she had imagined. She quickly cheered up again.

Looking at Jing He, she said excitedly, "Teacher, I'll challenge you again next time!"

Jing He: "..."

Very good. Her "intelligence" was still improving.