As per Gym protocol, Morty was the first to send out his Pokémon.
With a flick of his wrist and a flash of blue light, the floating ghost Pokémon materialized on the battlefield, grinning, flickering, and ready to haunt.
Kai studied it calmly.
He'd trained one before and had since outgrown it both literally and tactically. He knew the species like the back of his hand.
He reached for his own Poké Ball.
A sharp burst of energy hit the field, and when the light faded, a solid, armored body stood braced and pulsing with pressure. Pupitar.
Morty raised an eyebrow. "Pupitar, huh…"
He wasn't a fan of watching the League feeds or browsing trainer forums, so he had no idea who this challenger was. But a Pupitar wasn't something casual trainers tended to walk around with.
That was no rookie's Pokémon.
From a matchup standpoint, Gastly had a glaring disadvantage. Pupitar's Ground typing gave it a natural edge over Gastly's Poison type, tipping the scales from the outset.
The battle commenced.
Kai didn't waste time with flashy calls. Every command was short, clean, and precise.
Pupitar followed them flawlessly, countering Gastly's tricks, resisting status conditions, and staying just enough out of reach. When the time was right, Kai called it:
Pupitar surged forward. Its plated jaws gleamed as they slammed shut.
Gastly dispersed into shadow and mist.
Morty sighed and recalled it.
That was too fast. Too one-sided.
From the stands, Erika clapped politely. She hadn't doubted the outcome for a second.
Back on the field, Morty frowned.
He hadn't taken Kai seriously, and now that was starting to look like a mistake.
He'd planned to go through the motions today. Just another challenger. But this… this wasn't average.
Kai didn't even celebrate the victory. He just stood there, calm and unreadable.
Morty hesitated, then reached into the opposite side of his belt and plucked a different Poké Ball from his set.
"Alright then," he said with a grin. "Let's make things interesting."
A gray puppet-like figure hit the field, its mouth sealed by a zipper, its body glowing faintly with cursed energy.
That's not a Johto native. And it's definitely not your second-string...
This wasn't part of the Gym's default rotation. Morty was upping the difficulty.
Kai met his gaze. Morty was smiling knowingly.
'So, you're raising the stakes?'
Morty chuckled. "If this is too much, I could swap it out. Technically, I'm not supposed to, but... I'd make an exception."
Kai smirked. "Nah. Rules are rules. And who said I'm the one who'll have a hard time?"
Morty raised a brow, intrigued.
A bold claim. I guy.
Kai returned Pupitar with a quick nod and knelt briefly to pat the Pokémon's head in appreciation before calling it back to its ball.
Time to bring out something stronger.
He pulled out his Pokédex and aimed it at Banette.
> "Banette. The Marionette Pokémon. Ghost-type. Said to be born from a cursed doll abandoned by a child. Its body is filled with dark energy and deep resentment. It roams alleys and junkyards, seeking vengeance on the one who discarded it."
Kai exhaled through his nose. "Well, that's not disturbing at all…"
He slipped the Dex away and scanned his belt for his next pick.
Not a time to hold back. Not with Banette on the field.
He made his decision.
"Let's go—Crystal Steelix!"
The ground trembled as his next Poké Ball burst open.
A massive, translucent serpent crashed down onto the arena. Its entire body sparkled like cut quartz, refracting the overhead lights into dancing fragments of color.
Morty's mouth parted slightly in awe.
"That's… That's not a standard Steelix…"
"Good catch," Kai said. "Crystalline mutation. Found it during a fluke encounter. Far as I know, there's only one of it."
Morty rubbed his temple. "So you've got rare mutations and tactical discipline? Man… I thought today was going to be boring."
Kai chuckled. "You haven't even met the red Gyarados yet."
Morty grinned widely.
"Now I really want to."
This time, it would be anything but easy.
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