Chen Shi vs. Pheobe

Another week passed.

During that time, Grandma Chen successfully made her advanced Fairy-type Pokéblocks.

After eating them for four days, Florges learned a move that pleasantly surprised Chen Shi.

Dazzling Gleam!

This move could be considered the signature offensive move of Fairy types.

The fact that Florges could learn it meant she already had a considerable amount of Fairy-type energy inside her.

From now on, she would surely learn more and more moves.

As for Togetic, there had been no major developments. The little one practiced Air Slash every day, just as Chen Shi had instructed.

Its mastery was fairly good. It could now unleash an Air Slash in about two seconds.

Drakloak's level hadn't changed either, but his proficiency with his various Dragon-type moves was shooting up.

He could even use Dragon Dance in just over three seconds.

That was already an impressive time. Even Salamence needed more than two seconds to perform Dragon Dance.

But how long had Salamence been alive, and how young was Drakloak?

So Drakloak being able to use Dragon Dance in just over three seconds was already remarkable.

Then there was Charmander. With an Everstone and an advanced Fire Stone hanging around his neck, he spent every day eating like there was no tomorrow.

And he was growing just as furiously.

He no longer looked anything like the malnourished little creature he had once been.

He was now roughly eighty centimeters tall, already above the average height for a Charmander.

He also worked the hardest at his daily training. Saying he sweated buckets was no exaggeration.

He pushed himself so hard that even Togetic next to him was driven to tears trying to keep up.

Charmander could now use his Fire-type moves normally, but that energy still hadn't reached a balance with the Dragon-type energy inside him, so he couldn't evolve yet.

Chen Shi estimated that he would need another week or two.

Last but not least was the heavyweight contender, Shiny Beldum.

It had evolved into Metang yesterday and drunk Grandpa's Potential Potion during the evolution. Its potential was now at champion level.

The moment it evolved, it eagerly rushed off to train, looking ready to compete with Charmander.

"Brother Chen Shi!"

Beside Florges's garden, Chen Shi opened his eyes and looked at Pheobe running toward him from a distance.

"What is it this time?"

"My Little Spirit has reached Gym-level!"

Pheobe lifted her head proudly, looking just like a little rooster.

Chen Shi remained unruffled. "And?"

To be honest, Chen Shi wasn't surprised at all that Dusknoir had reached Gym-level.

He just didn't understand what Pheobe wanted. Had she come to show off or what?

"Let me battle your Dreepy!"

Pheobe spoke with complete confidence.

Chen Shi chuckled. "Are you sure?"

He had no idea where the girl got her confidence. Sure, Dreepy hadn't reached his final evolution yet.

But Drakloak was fast.

Where did a Dusknoir get the confidence to challenge Dreepy?

"Of course! I believe in Little Spirit!"

Pheobe was still brimming with confidence.

"All right." Chen Shi readily agreed.

"Come with me to the Back Mountain. We'll battle there."

Chen Shi found Dreepy in front of Salamence's cave.

"Dreepy, Pheobe's Dusknoir wants to battle you."

Drakloak swept his narrow eyes over Dusknoir. Seeing that his opponent had reached Gym-level, he nodded eagerly in agreement.

"Kiya~"

He certainly hadn't forgotten that he had lost his first battle after evolving.

This Dusknoir had come at just the right time.

"Let's do it, then!"

Chen Shi led Pheobe a little farther away from Salamence's cave and found an open space.

Although Pheobe looked confident, she was still cautious inside.

She knew that Dreepy wouldn't be easy to deal with, but she had a trump card of her own.

That was why she had dared to challenge Dreepy.

The two stood facing each other across the clearing.

"Go, Dreepy!"

"We're up too, Little Spirit."

Drakloak flew onto the field, and Dusknoir did the same.

Chen Shi smiled. "Let's begin!"

"Drakloak, Phantom Force!"

"Little Spirit, use Gravity!"

As Dreepy slipped into subspace, Dusknoir released a gravitational field.

Gravity was crucial for the relatively slow Dusknoir.

This species had average Special Attack but very high physical attack.

Against the speedy Dreepy, winning without this move was virtually impossible, since Dreepy was both higher-leveled and faster.

This must have been the source of Pheobe's confidence.

By releasing Gravity while Dreepy was in subspace, she could drastically reduce his speed once he emerged.

If Dusknoir seized the opportunity, he might even take Dreepy down in one burst.

The two Pokémon were strong against each other, and Dreepy had poor stamina. That was Pheobe's chance to win.

Unfortunately, she didn't know that Chen Shi had cheats on his side.

He had noticed this move of Dusknoir's at their very first meeting. How could he possibly fail to prepare for it?

"Use Protect after attacking, then follow up with Astonish!"

"Use Ice Punch as soon as Dreepy comes out!"

Their commands rang out again, but Pheobe's expression darkened.

The instant Chen Shi finished speaking, Drakloak burst out of subspace and slammed Ghost-type energy into Dusknoir.

Then he immediately raised a green barrier, blocking the incoming Ice Punch.

"Quick, dodge, Little Spirit!"

Pheobe shouted anxiously.

"Kiya~"

But how could Drakloak give her that chance?

Drakloak immediately formed three strange balls of light and blasted them into Dusknoir.

The attack didn't hurt him much, but it left Dusknoir confused.

Now Dusknoir felt as though Drakloak was surrounding him on every side.

Chen Shi smiled faintly. The girl was still inexperienced.

At such close range, and right after being struck by Phantom Force, how could Dusknoir possibly dodge that Astonish?

Payback would have been the best choice at that moment.

But Chen Shi kept issuing commands. "Phantom Force! Put some distance between you!"

In the real world, Phantom Force didn't have to be used to attack. It could also be used to flee or create distance like this!

Drakloak understood Chen Shi's intention too. With a flick of his tail, he slipped into subspace.

In his confused state, Dusknoir could no longer do any damage to Drakloak.

Dreepy only needed to land two Shadow Balls to end the battle.

But this was just a sparring match. There was no need to knock Dusknoir out.

Chen Shi had been about to call Dreepy back, but Pheobe was even more impatient than he was.

"Brother Chen Shi, I surrender!"

Drakloak had just emerged from subspace when he heard his opponent surrender, and he was instantly delighted.

He eagerly rushed over to Chen Shi, seeking praise.

"Kiya~ Ki~ ya!"

Chen Shi didn't hold back his praise either, giving him a thumbs-up.

"You did fantastic!"

"Our Dreepy is the best!"

Solgaleo