Under Yuga's lead, Harris and his group were brought to the location where the Verdanturf Gym was under construction. There was an open area specifically designated for building Gym battle arena, and using it temporarily was no issue, as it would need to be renovated anyway.
"What are the rules for this match?" Yuga asked, positioning themselves on opposite sides of the open space.
"Let's go with a standard 3-on-3 match. You're a pseudo-Gym Leader, and using the regular Gym battle format saves me from accusations of bullying," Harris replied, feigning magnanimity.
Yuga rolled his eyes at Harris's response. What a hypocrite!
"Fine, you're the challenger, so I'll defer to you," Yuga said, releasing his first Pokémon, a formidable Absol.
Upon seeing the massive Absol before him, Harris couldn't help but swallow hard.
"Is this really an Absol?" he asked, displeased. "I heard your Gym is a Grass-type Gym, so why did you release a Dark-type Pokémon?"
"Am I battling you in my capacity as a Gym Leader now?" Yuga retorted, questioning Harris.
Harris was taken aback by Yuga's words, and he chose to remain silent instead of responding. He released his own Pokémon.
Harris's first Pokémon was a Magmar.
Moves: Smog, Ember, Fire Spin, Flame Burst, Confuse Ray, Fire Punch, Flamethrower, Belch, Fire Blast, Iron Tail.
Observing the Magmar's details with his Insight ability, Yuga finally understood where Harris's confidence stemmed from.
This Magmar was three levels higher than Yuga's Absol and was not far from reaching the rank of a pseudo-Elite. Against an average Trainer, Harris might have the upper hand.
However, considering Harris's age, having such strength wasn't that surprising. Although he wasn't particularly young, he could still be considered a prodigy of sorts.
"Shall we begin?" Yuga asked.
Since there were many spectators, and Yuga was not afraid of this person defaulting on his account, so he didn't bother arranging a referee.
With Yuga's prompt, Absol activated its Pressure ability, where its imposing physique and the aura of a King's Rock mutually reinforced each other, causing Harris's Magmar to freeze momentarily.
"Absol, use Quick Attack and then Throat Chop!" Yuga ordered.
Taking advantage of that brief hesitation, Absol swiftly approached the Magmar using Quick Attack and, in an instant, was by its side, raising its claw to send the Magmar flying.
But just as Absol was about to press its advantage, Harris urgently shouted, "Magmar, use Smog!"
The Magmar, lying on the ground, raised its head and spewed forth a thick, purple-black fog at Absol.
Absol, although a powerful Pokémon, found itself unable to react in time, and the fog began enveloping it. Smog, while only a basic move, had a 40% chance of poisoning the target, making things troublesome for Absol, which lacked any support moves.
As the haze enveloped Absol, several blue light blades appeared around it. These rapidly spinning blades generated a whirlwind that blew the mist back towards the Magmar.
Seeing this, the Magmar opened its mouth and released a Flamethrower, igniting the fog laced with poison. The resulting explosion obscured everyone's vision.
Because both Absol and the Magmar were close to the fog, both Pokémon were affected.
As the smoke gradually cleared, Absol emerged relatively unscathed, with only a few areas of its body blackened but no significant injuries.
In contrast, the Magmar lay on the ground, incapacitated and unable to continue the battle.
Witnessing this scene, the onlookers erupted into a chorus of astonishment, marveling at Absol's exceptional strength.
Absol's size wasn't just for show; due to its Seed of Unknown, both its attack and defense had been greatly enhanced. The explosion from Smog hadn't done much to it, and it took the opportunity to give a few blows to Magmar.
Seeing Magmar lose its fighting ability, Harris's expression turn very ugly.
Though Magmar wasn't his strongest Pokémon, it was certainly among the top, and he didn't expect it to be defeated so easily by this peculiar Absol.
He had underestimated him! Harris shot Yuga a glance and released his second Pokémon.
Harris's second Pokémon was a typical Pokémon from the Hoenn region.
Moves: Brave Bird, Air Slash, Peck, Quick Attack, Wing Attack, Double Team, Steel Wing, Aerial Ace, Tailwind.
This Swellow was slightly weaker than Magmar but excelled in speed and maneuverability.
Harris likely thought that since Absol was large, using a flying Pokémon would give him an advantage.
As soon as Swellow appeared, it utilized its flying advantage and combined it with Double Team to continuously disrupt Absol.
Seeing this, Absol lifted one of its front legs and stomped the ground. Numerous rock pillars sprang up, forming a stones forest with Absol in the center.
This stones forest was created by Absol using the second form of its Stone Edge.
Stone Edge typically had two forms: one that turned rock energy into blade-like projectiles and another that generated stone pillars on the ground to assault opponents.
This stones forest was made using the second form of Stone Edge, intended to limit Swellow's mobility. Inside the stones forest, Swellow couldn't move freely, unless it had undergone specific training.
With its movements restricted in the stones forest, Swellow had to use Air Slash to try to cut down the stone pillars while also avoiding the continuous barrage of Stone Edge from Absol.
However, the resilience of these stone pillars far exceeded what Swellow had expected. Its Air Slashes had little effect, and due to frequent mistakes in its movements, it was repeatedly hit by Absol's Stone Edge. In the end, it reluctantly fell.
Harris's final Pokémon was his strongest one, and it surprised Yuga.
Type: Psychic, Fighting
Moves: Slash, Close Combat, Leaf Blade, Night Slash, Psychic, Double Team, Aerial Ace, Swords Dance, Psycho Cut, Dual Chop, Drain Punch, Thunder Punch.
This was a rare Gallade, nearly reaching pseudo-Elite level, with a blue potential. It had a considerable number of moves, making it a formidable opponent.
Harris's mood had taken a downturn. He had initially thought he could easily handle Yuga, but he had almost lost three to one.
So, he couldn't afford to lose now!