VS Leon (4)

Leon could not understand how someone could fight this dirty! Toxic and Curse were one thing, but why was there Hypnosis too? Even if the Toxic meant Hypnosis would only last a short time, once it hit, he could only be at their mercy!

"Kehehe~ Kehehe~"

Haunter waved his hands, releasing invisible rays with each motion. Charmeleon had nowhere to dodge and could only feel his eyelids growing heavier as his body began to sway.

"Finish it with Hex!"

Seeing Charmeleon's body start to sway, Blake knew he could not wait any longer. With two negative conditions on him, Charmeleon would have trouble falling asleep. While his opponent could not focus, attacking was the best choice.

"Keheh!"

Purple-black mist spread from Haunter's body and engulfed Charmeleon.

"Roar!"

Suddenly, Charmeleon's eyes sharpened, and he broke free from Hypnosis at an unimaginable speed.

"Charmeleon! Show them our spirit! Maximum power! Overheat!"

"Roar!"

A red glow erupted all over Charmeleon's body. The next moment, unimaginably fierce flames blasted from his mouth and collided with the purple-black mist.

"Haunter! Increase the output!"

"Charmeleon! Hold on!"

At that moment, both sides went all out. For the first time, Haunter released his power with such force, and the purple-black mist around him had deepened until it was nearly ink-black.

Charmeleon gave nothing away either. This was the hardest battle he had ever fought. His opponent was not much stronger than him overall. Unlike at Master Ma's, where Urshifu had completely overwhelmed him, Haunter had suppressed him throughout the battle through combinations of all sorts of strange techniques. He was unwilling to accept it. Never having the chance for a direct clash left him stifled, but he had to admit it was impressive. Playing to one's strengths and avoiding one's weaknesses was not cowardice; it was wisdom. Still, Charmeleon wanted a head-on clash, and now was the best opportunity.

"ROAR!!!"

Charmeleon's cry grew louder. I want to win! I want to grow stronger!

With that thought, white light burst from Charmeleon's body the next moment.

"Haunter! Stop!"

Seeing the white light around Charmeleon, Blake immediately realized what was happening. Evolution! Attacking now could very well cause irreversible damage to Charmeleon.

"Keheh! Σ(⊙▽⊙a"

Haunter noticed the problem as well. In a panic, he directed Hex's mist away, sending it past Charmeleon's body by a hair.

"Charmeleon... evolved!"

Leon looked at Charmeleon glowing with white light and spoke in delighted surprise.

"CHAR!!!"

With an angry roar, a towering Charizard far larger than an ordinary one appeared on the battlefield. Flames far more powerful than before burst from his mouth.

"Charmeleon—no, Charizard! You evolved! Hahahahaha!"

Leon excitedly ran onto the field and threw his arms around the evolved Charizard.

"Char!"

Charizard gave Leon a thumbs-up. But before he could do anything else, his expression suddenly changed as pain surged through him. The newly evolved Charizard went limp and dropped to his knees.

"It's the Toxic. Use the medicine first."

Blake ran over. The battle was already over, so treating him came first.

"Thank you."

Leon did not stand on ceremony. He took the antidote and poured it down Charizard's throat. Only then did Charizard's complexion improve somewhat. Then Blake placed a hand on Charizard's body. As purple light shone from his hand, the lingering effects of Curse were removed as well.

"Keheh, keheh (.・＿・.)ﾉ I'm sorry~"

Haunter floated over to Charizard's side and apologized awkwardly.

"Char—"

Charizard shook his head, indicating that both sides had fought with everything they had. There was nothing to apologize for.

"We lost this match. If you hadn't told Haunter to redirect the attack, that strike would have ended the battle. Although Charizard recovered some strength through evolution, it obviously wasn't enough for him to keep going. So I'll count this round as my loss."

Leon readily admitted defeat without the slightest hesitation. Rather than being discouraged by the loss, he seemed excited, as though it had only put him in a better mood.

"It could be considered a draw. Haunter doesn't have the strength to keep fighting either."

Blake looked at Haunter. The earlier battle had drained nearly all of Haunter's stamina. After all, Haunter's evolutionary line was not known for endurance. With Substitute and Curse, two moves that harmed himself, Haunter was at the end of his rope as well.

"No. A loss is a loss. If we continued, Haunter could still hold on for a while, but Charizard couldn't withstand another outbreak from Curse and Toxic. By the rules, I've truly already lost."

Leon shook his head. He was not someone who refused to accept defeat. A loss was a loss.

"But you still have two Pokémon capable of fighting, while I only have this little fellow left. So let's begin our final battle."

Blake took out his last Poké Ball.

"That's right. Let's have our final battle. Just as we agreed, I'll fight without holding anything back!"

Leon nodded.

"That's right. Let this little fellow learn that there is always someone stronger."

The most important reason Blake had agreed to this battle was to let Dreepy recognize his own shortcomings. Though he was a pseudo-legendary Pokémon, a pseudo-legendary Pokémon that had not evolved into its final form had very limited ability to protect itself, especially in its basic stage. Although he had inherited nearly all his inherited moves, having moves did not mean he knew how to use them correctly. He still needed training, but the playful Dreepy had no desire to train at all. Making him recognize his weaknesses and turn shame into motivation was Blake's ultimate purpose in accepting this battle. As for defeating Leon's ace, that was merely an unexpected bonus.

"Then come on! Take the field again, Thwackey!"

"Thwack!" Thwackey entered the field again, though his expression was much more cautious this time.

"Then, Dreepy, welcome to your first battle!"

"Dree?"

Dreepy looked at Thwackey across from him with a face full of curiosity, as though he simply wanted to play together.

"Seize the initiative! Thwackey! Use Knock Off!"

"Dodge it! Double Team!"

"Dree!"

Dreepy was startled by the incoming attack. His Double Team came a moment too late, and Thwackey slapped him straight into the ground. Clearly, his first battle was not off to a smooth start.