After the Match

"Thanks for the effort, Staravia!"

"Looks like we still have a long way to go!"

Bai Shi recalled the unconscious Staravia, regret showing on his face. He couldn't help but sigh.

After a battle like that, claiming he hadn't wanted to win would have been a lie.

Unfortunately, he had fallen just short. He lost the match and missed his chance to earn a Badge.

On the bright side, the Gym battle had shown Bai Shi many things he normally wouldn't have noticed.

Once he got back and carefully reviewed the match, he was bound to learn from it and help his Pokémon grow stronger.

"At least my Pokémon put in some impressive performances."

"As long as they keep growing, earning a Badge is only a matter of time."

With that thought, Bai Shi's spirits lifted.

"For a new Pokémon Trainer challenging a Gym for the first time, you and your Pokémon did exceptionally well."

"Keep working hard. I look forward to your next challenge!"

Roark walked over to Bai Shi with a smile.

If his Rampardos hadn't evolved earlier, he might really have lost to Bai Shi.

So Roark praised Bai Shi highly and offered him encouragement.

"Thank you for the guidance, Gym Leader Roark!"

Bai Shi bowed slightly in thanks.

The two chatted for a while after the match, then went their separate ways.

Roark needed to return to the mine and oversee the excavation.

Bai Shi was eager to take his injured Pokémon to the Pokémon Center for treatment.

"You all worked hard in that match."

"I'm proud of how well you did!"

After their treatment, Bai Shi returned to the hotel, let out all his Pokémon, and offered them a few words of encouragement.

Then he brought out plenty of food to help them recover their energy.

The loss and their injuries had left Staravia and Dunsparce with little appetite. Both looked listless.

Only Stantler was wolfing down the food in front of him as though nothing had happened.

If there wasn't something fishy about that, Bai Shi would write his own name backward.

Worse, when Stantler noticed Bai Shi's furious glare, he put on an innocent face.

His sheer nerve left Bai Shi speechless.

"Forget it. I'll be the bigger person."

"After all, he did defeat one of the opponent's Pokémon."

"Overall, he did more good than harm."

Bai Shi's mouth twitched as he rubbed his throbbing temples, trying to console himself.

Before the match, he hadn't expected much from Stantler. He had only brought him along to fill out the team.

The fact that Stantler had volunteered and beaten Geodude had already exceeded his expectations.

He couldn't ask much more of him.

The one thing Bai Shi needed to watch out for was Stantler pulling another stunt like throwing the match.

For especially important matches, he'd use Stantler less often, lest he come up with another outrageous stunt.

"When it comes down to it, I just don't have enough Pokémon."

"Otherwise, I wouldn't have needed him to fill out the team."

"And his unexpectedly good performance wouldn't have raised my hopes so much."

"I should have known what Stantler was like."

After giving it some thought, Bai Shi realized the main problem was that he hadn't caught enough Pokémon.

If he had enough, he wouldn't have needed to send Stantler out.

And if Stantler didn't battle, he wouldn't have a chance to pull anything.

In everyday life, though, Stantler was fairly dependable when Bai Shi's safety was at stake.

"Besides, what if I recalled him to his Poké Ball before he started acting up?"

"Wouldn't I get the benefit of his strength without the trouble?"

Bai Shi's eyes lit up. He felt as though he had found the right way to use Stantler.

Judging by this match, Stantler was quite a capable fighter.

If he went all out, even Staravia might not be able to beat him.

"In theory, it should work. I'll find a chance to try it!"

Bai Shi rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

Ever since Bai Shi had caught him, Stantler had done his own thing, obeying only when he felt like it.

If Bai Shi could figure out how to handle him, it would be a huge boost to his strength.

"Stantler?"

At the same moment, Stantler shivered in the middle of his meal and glanced around suspiciously.

According to Nurse Joy, the injured Pokémon would be best off resting for a day or two before resuming training.

So Bai Shi spent most of that time at the hotel, repeatedly going over the Gym battle.

"Stantler seems to enjoy picking on weaker opponents. I could try sending him out first."

"Once he beats their lead Pokémon, I'll recall him."

"Dunsparce still lacks composure. When he faces a strong opponent or a setback, he's quick to panic. For now, he can only fight well when things are going his way."

"Staravia may often falter, but he actually performs well against strong opponents. He's better suited to tough fights."

"Finally, although I forced Roark to bring out Rampardos, I was still nowhere near beating him."

"Even if Stantler hadn't thrown the match halfway through, I would've had little chance of winning."

"There's still a sizable gap between Roark and me in raw strength."

"Besides needing more Pokémon, the ones I have don't know enough moves."

The match against Roark had been like a mirror.

It had laid bare problems Bai Shi normally overlooked.

Now he could tackle each one in turn.

He would need to head back into the wild to catch more Pokémon.

Bai Shi wasn't planning to leave Oreburgh City yet, so that would have to wait.

"The area around Oreburgh City is well suited to intensive training."

"Maybe I should stay here a while longer."

"The Double Battle tournament in Hearthome City won't be starting anytime soon anyway."

Bai Shi planned to use intensive training to expand his Pokémon's move sets.

"Huh? All three of my Pokémon are Normal-type!"

Bai Shi blinked, struck by an interesting realization.

Until now, he had often overlooked Staravia's Normal type, thinking of him as purely Flying-type.

Even after catching Dunsparce and Stantler in succession, he still hadn't noticed.

It was only today, while planning new moves for his Pokémon to train based on their types, that he spotted the coincidence.

"Could I have what it takes to become a Normal-type specialist?"

Bai Shi's expression turned strange.

He had never intended to collect Pokémon of the same type.

Yet without meaning to, he had ended up with a team specializing in Normal-type Pokémon.

No wonder Roark had said during their chat that Bai Shi had raised his Normal-type Pokémon well.

Bai Shi hadn't thought much of it at the time. He'd assumed Roark was simply complimenting him.

He hadn't realized there was more to Roark's words.

Still, what was done was done, and Bai Shi didn't dwell on it.

Instead, he wondered whether he could put it to use.

For example, he could choose a move all his Pokémon could learn and have them train together.

Then he could see whether they could all master the same move.

"That seems worth trying."

After some thought, Bai Shi decided to put the plan into action over the coming days.