Chương 141: Chapter 136

"Mighty weird Primeape you got there."

"He's sick."

"Sick? Looks like he got run over by a truck, spent a few days on the pavement, then got up and punched that truck in the face." Sam stopped pushing the crate into the warehouse—the same warehouse he had first found Drakloak, funnily enough. He stared at the heavy man who had just spoken, and the heavy man stared right back at him with a flat expression on his face. The owner of the warehouse had clearly meant what he said, and Annihilape didn't exactly look pleased.

He continued to carry his stack of towering crates regardless of that burgeoning annoyance, but he did shoot the man a death glare before heading inside. Grumbles followed him the whole way.

"But I'm sure he's fine," the man said after a pause.

"He's just a sick Primeape."

"Yup. Just a sick Primeape," Sam repeated before going back to work, himself. When it came to all the jobs Sam's team had been handling today, Haunter and his half of the Gastly were the ones to take most of them on. After all, their side had lost the Dragon-hunt game to Misdreavus. For this job at least, Sam asked for Annihilape's help simply due to how much Annihilape's strength could speed up physical labor.

If it wasn't for how Sam planned to leave town tomorrow, he wouldn't have risked sending out Annihilape here. He already possessed a ticket for a speedy boat ride to Cianwood, so no one would be able to hunt him down and ask questions once tomorrow morning passed. At most, maybe a few whispers would bounce around town, but Annihilape's evolution would only truly be revealed in the Conference. A single sighting or two was fine for now.

As long as Sam didn't act like it was a big deal, most people wouldn't think it was a big deal. If someone wasn't a trainer, a new species was just an idle curiosity at best. However, Sam really needed money, and having Annihilape's help let him speed up this job to squeeze in as many tasks as possible today. A little part of him whispered its regret for not taking a monetary reward for catching all the Dragon Types, but he knew in his gut it'd been the right choice.

There was no telling how long he'd need to spend in Olivine, otherwise. His plans hadn't changed. He would still face Jasmine, rush through Cianwood, and then finish the season in Ilex. Except, he needed supplies to actually last in that dark forest, and those supplies necessitated cash. Honestly, he would have preferred to bet on battles, but finding willing opponents became harder the stronger a trainer was.

"... There we go," the man said as the last crate was placed in the warehouse.

"That's the last of 'em. So here: your payment." Sam gladly took the wad of cash and thanked his "employer" before immediately heading off. Annihilape followed. They barely got a building away before he looked over to request to be returned. Sure, lifting crates had been a nice stretch for him, but Annihilape wasn't the biggest fan of menial tasks. He wanted to be in perfect shape for their battle tonight, so he planned to sleep as much as possible until then.

And that was why Sam had bought a boat ticket for tomorrow instead of today. Sam's "reward" for catching all those Dragon Types might not have been monetary or even that material, but he and his team were running out of time. There were only twenty-three days left for training before the Conference—twenty-two days left if he accounted for tomorrow's full-day boat ride. That meant they only had three weeks to earn their final Gym Badge and then return to Ilex.

To make sure everyone was ready for the toughest challenge yet, their schedule was going to be tight. On the bright side, catching those Dragon Types helped somewhat. Searching them out was a form of practice, and it let Sam earn the right to skip the line. His reward meant he could fight Jasmine tonight instead of needing to wait. He didn't need to worry about checking in to see if she was free, instead, he could just have his battle, test his Pokémon against her team, and then finally move on.

"I guess the big question is why we're doing this," Sam said, speaking out loud as he walked down the street." Why we want to have this match. Why we're bothering to fight someone so much stronger than us." He slowed, turning his gaze to the cloudless sky, and he subtly checked on a pair of shadows out of the corner of his eye.

"It's a test as much as it is a learning opportunity," Sam said once he was sure the two Pokémon were listening in.

"We'll be at a strength disadvantage, but we can learn a lot by pushing ourselves like this—especially when fighting a Gym Leader. No matter the outcome, we'll see exactly where we stand, and by paying attention to Jasmine's actions, we can figure out where our biggest weaknesses lie." This match would help to determine his final training goals for the team, at least, if his eighth Gym Badge battle didn't reveal anything else. He wasn't too worried about that final Gym match, though.

Ghost Types were immune to Fighting Type moves and his Pokémon were great at avoiding physical attacks. Jasmine was a different story. Technically, status conditions let his team "punch up" when it came to most battles, but there was an immense gap in both strength and experience. Facing her core team would be harder than even a Conference match—and all trainers that fought in the Conference were incredibly skilled.

"Ten stars," Sam continued.

"That's the star rating of Jasmine's team, with each star representing the strength needed to earn that many Gym Badges. Anything above eight gets a bit fuzzy since trainers only need eight badges to compete in the Conference. However!" He stopped walking.

"A ten-star trainer is stronger than a nine-star trainer, but the difference between ten and nine is greater than nine and eight. We're almost at eight, but we're really at the very top end of seven. Crossing that divide seems impossible on paper, but I know that if we're clever..." Sam gained a small smile.

"If we're clever and use our moves just right, we might just barely be able to pull off a win." Sam had a few points in his favor that'd make this battle less difficult than the average person would have thought. Just at a base level, most people still believed that the Steel Type resisted Dark and Ghost Type moves, but that wasn't true, even with what some outdated Pokédexes tried to claim. Simply put, Steel Types were innately defensive.

It only appeared that they resisted those Types because they rarely reacted to any move. In addition to that, status conditions generally ignored a Pokémon's defense. One burn, or one burn and a Curse, would eventually see its target fall. Combining those effects with an ongoing drain like Leech Seed meant any Pokémon would faint in no time at all. It didn't matter how defensive they were; Jasmine's Steel Types were no different. Sam's main strategy countered her own.

He truly meant it when he said his team had a small chance. They wouldn't— couldn't —win if they solely relied on raw strength, but that wasn't how his team fought. Status conditions affected opponents regardless of power, so Sam spoke with a purposeful confidence to his words, and he also carried that confidence when he finally turned his head to look at the pair of shadows hiding on a nearby roof. Upon meeting his eyes, Drakloak immediately ducked down to hide herself behind the roof's edge.

Dreepy looked on with awe until his sister jumped out to grab him and push him down. Honestly, they weren't great hiders, but Haunter had managed to find out just why everyone failed to notice them for so long: Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. They often chose to hide above their targets, and few people and Pokémon ever bothered to look up.

"Between everything we can inflict and all our status moves, we can completely bypass Jasmine's greatest strength and defeat her team!" Sam declared.

"Even if we don't win, watch us! We'll knock out at least half her Pokémon!" Alongside his declaration, Sam dramatically pointed at the sky. Slowly, both Dragon Types peeked out, and Sam sent them a grin.

"I'll be waiting to hear your cheers," he said. Dreepy's eyes sparkled. Drakloak just huffed next to him. Sam then moved on, continuing with the jobs he had planned for the day. Even as he and his team continued to work, Drakloak and Dreepy followed. Those two Dragon Types never left line of sight even though they were clearly trying to stay hidden. They never moved closer than so many yards away, but they never moved farther than that, either.

For Sam at least, all Drakloak had to do was ask, and he would immediately add both of them to his team. However, Drakloak had her pride, and that pride conflicted with her desire. While Sam doubted anything would change right this moment, he did make sure to keep that one, empty Ultra Ball in his pocket just in case. Taking on so many jobs helped pass the time until the battle, and those jobs filled his pockets with a bit of extra cash.

The amount he earned wasn't enough on its own, of course, but it was enough to help, and his eventual reward for beating Cianwood Gym would earn him just enough to pay for the rest—as long as he made sure to win. Then again, that would only be true if he was careful with his purchases, so he had finally asked Trevenant for help with berry supply. Thanks to Harvest, Trevenant could supply plenty of berries to the entire team, but Sam had been wary of bringing it up.

He didn't want to be one of those trainers who only used their Pokémon for material gain. Thankfully, Trevenant was more than glad to help out even if he tried to act like he didn't care. After all, Trevenant grew up delivering berries to Pokémon throughout his forest. Providing a few to the team was easy for him, and it was something he'd always be willing to do. He's following in his parent's footsteps. Or rootsteps? Or, er, vine... steps?

But that was a thought for the future, and when dusk finally fell, Sam and his team finished resting up after completing their last job for the day. After returning everyone, he began heading toward Olivine Gym even though the place was soon to close. Jasmine's schedule was packed so she only had so many free moments, but she was still a Pokémon trainer and all Pokémon trainers loved to battle.

This might have been an official "request," but based on what Sam heard from the Pokémon Center nurse, it was really just an excuse for Jasmine to take a welcome break. Traveling from that side Pokémon Center, Sam joined the crowds of people leaving their workplaces for the day, and he entered the downtown district of Olivine. He walked beneath the city's towering buildings, past its many buses, and by its open stores and restaurants that were beginning to fill with people.

Along the way, Drakloak and Dreepy rushed over to join his side instead of continuing to stalk him from a distance. Drakloak tried to pretend she just happened to show up by coincidence alone, but her presence was purposeful. This deep into civilization, there were too many nearby people for them to stay hidden, and technically, the hunt for Dragon Types was still going on. Searching trainers would catch a glimpse of her and push through the crowds to try to catch up.

Instead of having a battle with a wild Pokémon, they'd see Sam next to her and think that she'd already been caught. He was her disguise as much as he was the person she was stalking, but Drakloak looked smug to be able to pull off this trick. They went unbothered as they approached the Gym, only really encountering a few crushed stares. Finally, Sam arrived. He walked up to that same massive, slanted building and the small park that surrounded it.

Sam took a deep breath before reaching its front, and a pair of automatic doors slid open to let him inside.

"... There you are." A pair of light brown eyes flicked his way. Whispers started up the second Sam entered the lobby. He froze as a short woman in a pastel blue dress walked right toward him.

"M-me?" Sam stuttered.

"You're... Samuel. Right?" the woman asked. He found himself frozen at the sudden appearance of Jasmine herself right before him. The Steel Type Gym Leader herself cocked her head to the side as she took him in.

"When I got the call from the Pokémon Center... I could hardly believe it. It's... impressive you caught so many Dragon Types. You... saved us a lot of trouble." Her voice was soft, and there were times she paused as if she needed to think of her next word. For a Gym Leader who specialized in such a sturdy and difficult-to-defeat Type, she almost seemed to lack the confidence that came with being a trainer in her role.

But although she seemed shy at a surface level, Sam realized that it was more that she was just quiet and careful. As her eyes flicked over him, they were as sharp and appraising as any other elite trainer. He also couldn't forget just how strong her Pokémon had been—the memory of their appearance at the start of the Beginner's Tournament was still clear in his mind. It was just him, Jasmine, and the rest of the trainers in the room. At this point, Drakloak was gone.

Sam guessed that she and Dreepy split off the second he stepped inside. Likely, she was trying to find a more subtle way of following him inside so that she and Dreepy could avoid the other trainers and still watch the upcoming match.

"... This way," Jasmine said. She turned and headed toward a door in the back, and murmurs echoed around the room. Even as late in the day as it was, the Gym's lobby had its share of waiting trainers, but there weren't quite as many as there had been at the start of the season, and there were even fewer than there'd been at the chokepoint that was Pryce's Gym.

"... Unfair."

"What did she mean by 'Dragon Types?'""Hold on, how come he didn't have to wait?!"

"I wish that was me." Sam ignored all the comments as he followed Jasmine through the lobby's back doors. As he passed through them, she leaned against their metal surface to seal them off from the rest of the room.

"You... helped us a lot," Jasmine said quietly, meeting Sam in the eye.

"I'd been trying to have my trainers help those poor Pokémon, but Steel Types... aren't known for their perception or speed."

"Couldn't you have just requested Ace Trainers with different Pokémon to help?" Sam asked.

"We did, but..." She shook her head with a small frown.

"They were busy. I also had my duties as a Gym Leader, and we're already spread thin as it is."

"Oh." Jasmine pushed off the doors to keep walking ahead. Sam hurried along.

"I've been busy working on behalf of the city, overseeing a construction site to the west," Jasmine explained quietly.

"It's for an... entrepreneur from Hoenn. He has a lot of money to spend. Everyone else was either out assisting Lance or... was out on patrol. On defense." Her words trailed off for a moment. They passed a set of doors where Sam remembered fighting his first Gym match. He could hear the sounds of a battle coming from the other side—likely, Jasmine's Gym Trainers were finishing up their last scheduled match for the day.

"With that many Dragon Types running around... we had to make sure the wrong people didn't catch them," Jasmine said as they walked deeper and deeper in.

"We have a duty to help all Pokémon, not just Steel Types. In this case, we relied on you and the other trainers to catch those Dragons, and we worked to make sure no other poachers interfered. Most importantly... we also made sure Team Rocket didn't sneak in. Everyone else was busy, after all." She glanced over her shoulder to send Sam a reassuring smile, but Sam only grimaced.

"Team Rocket," he repeated.

"Did they try something?" When he spoke, his voice was emotionless and cold. Jasmine took a few seconds to respond.

"No. Thankfully not. We noticed some strange people, but..." She briefly stopped walking, shaking her head.

"The League deals with threats. Team Rocket is just the biggest. As far as we can tell, they have no major presence in Johto. They might have their individual agents, but they don't have a base. For now, Champion Lance has ensured their organization cannot spread out of Kanto." By now, her almost shy demeanor was practically gone. The pace at which she spoke sped up ever so slightly. There was a seriousness to her expression that she didn't have before.

While Sam wouldn't have initially spared her a second glance if she was part of a crowd, he couldn't forget that Jasmine was a Gym Leader. There was a reason she was in her role.

"But! You requested a fight, yes?" Jasmine turned around and clapped her hands with a smile.

"It's been so long since my Pokémon have had a proper chance to stretch, and it's been even longer since we've fought a team of Ghost Types!" She resumed bringing Sam through a series of several long hallways, leading him further into the building than he expected with a skip to her step. Outside of the doors, almost everything here was made out of concrete.

Likely, despite this place being the Steel Type Gym, they had to minimize their use of exposed metals to not tempt certain Steel Type Pokémon with delicious-looking meals. Eventually, Jasmine opened a new set of doors to expose a large, central room. Sam could tell that he was in the dead center of the building with how a few decorative structures towered over a central skylight that revealed the darkening colors of the late dusk sky. The sole field here was larger than the usual League standard, too.

Also, there was plenty of seating here. Bleachers had been built against the walls.

"This room is usually reserved for major events, but it's also where I train my team," Jasmine said while letting Sam take in the room.

"With what my Pokémon are capable of, we're limited to training and fighting in places rated to withstand their attacks." Sam had to spend a moment just processing the implication of her statement, but Jasmine was already moving ahead, practically skipping up to her trainer box. Once there, she sent a respectful nod to a referee in a grey sweatshirt already waiting off to the side.

At the same time, Sam also caught sight of a pair of flickering shadows and noticed Dreepy and Drakloak attempting to hide at the very back of the stands.

"As official as this request for a match was, I'm unfortunately still pressed for time," Jasmine said as Sam took up position in the trainer box across from her.

"I'd like to get through this match as fast as possible, so let's agree to use the usual League rules for the battle."

"Alright."

"Five Pokémon each. Do whatever you can within the rules to win. As for switching..." She tapped her cheek.

"No limits. That's usually how I prefer to fight." Sam wanted to grin, but he was wary. He knew that free-switching gave him a lot of leeway when it came to his team's favored strategy. However, he couldn't assume that it meant he'd be fighting with an advantage. Jasmine likely specified that lack of a limit for a reason.

"Understood," Sam said seriously, and Jasmine stood straight with her hands held behind her back. The referee lifted two flags. Off to the side, though he was meant to be hiding, Dreepy let out a cheer. Drakloak then rushed to push his head down once more to make sure they could watch in peace, and both Sam and Jasmine tossed their first Pokéballs into the air. Sam released Typhlosion, his usual lead and oldest member of the team, but when Jasmine sent out her Pokémon— The earth shook.

Going against all usual conventions for a Gym Leader, Jasmine did not save her best for last. Instead, she released her Steelix, her ace Pokémon and outright strongest member of her team, a behemoth of earth and steel that towered over Typhlosion, now set to face her in battle to start off the match.