Chương 146: Chapter 140

Relying on status moves in battle required a careful balance, especially since status moves were a core part of Sam's strategies. Most trainers would have their Pokémon pick up a handful, but only to use in support of their attacks. For Sam, the application of conditions and esoteric statuses was what brought his team to victory. However, he couldn't only rely on status moves since that wasn't enough to win, and only relying on attacks made it so fights were decided by individual power alone at best.

All of this taken into account, Sam thought he had a strong understanding of how status moves and attacks played off one another. Status moves allowed attacks to land more effectively, and attacks pressured opponents to allow for statuses to take the most effect. His understanding had been growing. His strategy evolved. Even when he made mistakes, he learned, like how facing Will had taught him that he needed to rely more on offense and how facing Jasmine had taught him he had relied on offense too much.

But against Chuck, he was now learning something else: how his strategy could be countered. He was also learning about the impact of a little move called "Taunt." Sam had thought about Taunt before, of course. He was always aware that it could prevent the use of status moves. However, he hadn't paid it much mind because it had its own counters, like switching or just relying on his team's still-potent attacks. It was a threat, but one in the background. Before, he had yet to truly face it.

Except now, he fully understood just how much its use shut down his team. He had called for Haunter to use Spite to shut down Hitmonchan's Mach Punch. Sam wanted to prevent the close-ranged Fighting Type from reaching where Haunter floated in the air. He'd called for a mix of status moves and attacks, as a balance was his preferred strategy, but Taunt eliminated half of that. Haunter was suddenly unable to disable his foe, and then there was also Taunt's aggression-inducing aspect.

Taunt used Dark Type energy to literally "taunt" its target. That meant it challenged Pokémon to fight head-on, seeing them give up the use of any status move and only rely on attacks. Under its effects, there was no room for latent Hypnosis or Will-O-Wisp or Spite or anything else. Taunt was simply a challenge in its purest form. Sam couldn't even call for his Pokémon to stall. Since Taunt taunted them into attacking, they would attack. It shut down Haunter. It would shut down Mismagius.

It would be great at limiting Typhlosion, and it would remove many ways Trevenant could heal. Sam now truly understood why Chuck taught his Pokémon this move. It wasn't even to disrupt his opponents' teams. It was just to make sure he could shift battles into being close-ranged melees in which his Pokémon performed at their best.

"Earlier, when you fought your last opponent..." Sam looked up from Haunter's Pokéball in his hand.

"That's why the Breloom wasn't doing anything. It was only using basic attacks because your Hitmonchan had used Taunt." Chuck paused where he was patting his Hitmonchan on the back, looking over to Sam as he rubbed his chin and tried to remember what happened in the previous match.

"The Breloom? Oh. Yes. Yes, I did! I always have my Pokémon use Taunt whenever our opponent is too annoying. Makes battles more interesting, I'd say!" He let out a booming laugh, and he bounced from the noise. It wasn't even that he was mocking anyone or bragging about his strategy. He was just a rather jolly man. And next to him, his Hitmonchan didn't seem to be bragging, either. It looked a little worse for wear after Haunter's Curse, but that pain was fading away now that the adrenaline of battle was gone.

Slowly, the Fighting Type rolled its shoulders to try to break away from that tension. While Curse caused pain, it didn't inflict true damage. It would see a Pokémon faint, but it didn't actually take much for a victim to recover from it after a fight.

"Alright, Sam. We'll leave it here for now," Chuck called out even as Sam was lost in thought.

"We do need to take a short break—as that's an important part of training Pokémon, after all! Make sure you rest up yourself, and then make sure you're ready for our next match! You still have plenty of Pokémon left! I'm expecting tough fights out of all of them!" Grimly, Sam replied with a nod.

"Yes sir." Chuck shot Sam a wild grin as they both moved off the field. For now, neither of them shook hands. They didn't need to. They had plenty of one-on-one fights left. Sam had yet to earn his Gym Badge, and Chuck had yet to see all of Sam's team. As it stood, their battle wasn't at its end. Over the next few matches, Sam carefully observed how Chuck commanded his team. Chuck's Pokémon might have been brutes, but they were trained brutes. Also, he didn't even use Taunt that much.

Only certain opponents saw him order that move. He liked having his opponents come at him with options, but like he said, he used it whenever he thought fighting that way would become too annoying. Each time a battle ended, Chuck would speak with his opponent and then send Sam a look to invite him back down. Each time Chuck did that, Sam simply shook his head to decline. After how quickly Haunter fainted, he knew he needed to better understand how Chuck fought. He'd underestimated him earlier.

A bunch of floating Ghost Types might have had the advantage over a bunch of grounded Fighting Types, but that didn't mean they were guaranteed to win every fight. In the Conference, Sam did not doubt that other trainers would appear to have similar weaknesses. Not just that, but he was pretty sure he could find recordings of opponents' past battles and find signs of their weaknesses there. But the more experience an opponent had, the higher the likelihood that they would be aware of their team's gaps.

And just like Chuck, they would have counters prepared to stop anyone from taking advantage of that in a match. In a way, that thought caused Sam's intended goal for these matches to shift. It was less about trying to prepare in a limited time and it was more about trying to find ways to fight against a team's counter-strategies. Piece by piece, Sam was able to put together facts about Chuck's team. Primarily, he began to understand just how monstrous Chuck's Pokémon were.

The man was a Fighting Type specialist, so his entire strategy revolved around making full use of his Pokémon's physical strength. Punches would always hit. Opponents would always find themselves chased down. Everything was decided to ensure the match would become a test of strength. Even with his Pokémon, Sam doubted his Ghost Type would be able to run away. With Chuck's expertise, no matter what, the match would end up in melee.

"He's like... a more agile Redi," Sam whispered to his team while watching Chuck dismantle a team of Ground Types.

"Devastating moves, but faster Pokémon. Fighting Types aren't known for being quick, and I can't say Chuck's are, either. But they're determined. Persistent. Inevitable. We might be able to run, but we'll never be able to escape." Shadows churned under his feet. Another thing Sam noticed about Chuck was that for all the trainers he faced, he never sent out a single Poliwrath or Primeape. Sam knew the Gym Leader excelled with those two species, so not seeing either felt suspicious.

It reminded him of how some trainers would hold back tricks for the later rounds of the Conference—everyone always wanted to save at least one trump card for a future, difficult match. At least, observing so many fights let Sam piece together a few obvious counters for Taunt. The biggest one was to rely on attacking moves that inflicted status conditions instead of relying on status moves themselves. Also, there was the obvious counter: don't get hit by Taunt in the first place.

He could see openings, but he needed to test them out. As simple as Chuck seemed, there were a surprising amount of layers to the way he fought. So Sam watched more battles, left to get food with his team, and then came back feeling more prepared. However, he still waited longer than he first planned before accepting his next match. Doing so meant his schedule would be stretched one more day out, but he wanted to shift around the order in which his team fought, and he was learning a significant amount.

When he finally approached Chuck for a battle, it was dusk. The Gym was effectively closed; Chuck had finished his last scheduled match. The audience was gone, but some Gym Trainers were still around. Not many, and the ones that remained were only finishing off with a few stretches alongside their Pokémon. Sam knew that some would see the Pokémon he planned to send out, but it wasn't like they could spread rumors that far before the Conference, anyway.

A few weeks was a lot of time, but he'd be spending most of that time away from where he could be contacted—deep within the Ilex Forest.

"Aha!" Chuck sent Sam a grin as he approached the Gym Leader on the field. Above their heads, the first few stars were just beginning to appear in the night sky.

"Done with your observations? Finally challenging ol' Chuck once again?"

"I am," Sam replied.

"And I think I finally figured you out." The Gym Leader said nothing else. He simply exposed his teeth with a smile. As a Fighting Type specialist, he practically lived and breathed tough fights. After a quick few words with a nearby Gym Trainer, Machoke came running out of the Gym, carrying tiki torches that they set up at the sides of the field. The flames provided light for this match, but they provided an inconsistent amount. They flickered and sent shadows writhing across the flat dirt floor.

Chuck's Pokémon would be able to see, but it also made it feel as though the match would be a ritual. Some Gym Trainers moved inside. One moved to the side of the field. They released a single Hitmonlee that gained a glint to its eye. Sam's request still stood; a Foresight would be maintained for this fight.

"Last time around, you knew I'd use Hitmonchan," Chuck said.

"This time, I won't reveal my Pokémon until the match itself, but I want your prediction: what do you think I'll send out?" His deep voice echoed across the field. He held a worn, scratched Pokéball in one hand. Sam held back a scoff—he thought it was obvious.

"Poliwrath or Primeape."

"Which one?"

"Could be either," he said with a shrug.

"But it doesn't matter. We'll win anyway." Chuck's laughter was a soft confirmation of Sam's guess, and the Gym Leader tossed up that Pokéball. Sam hurried to toss up the one he chose as well. He didn't want to give himself time to pick a counter, as all of his observations should have given him enough to decide beforehand. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

Unfortunately, out of the two Pokémon this could have been, Chuck had chosen the one that'd be the most difficult. Typhlosion herself had plenty of ways to fight and counter Taunt, and as much as Sam had sent her out here to see if his ideas worked, he now recognized they would have to deal with a Poliwrath's Water Type at the same time. But as long we're careful, we should be fine. Type advantage isn't everything. Typhlosion managed to last against Jasmine's Steelix. She can last against Chuck's Pokémon here.

Except, Sam remembered just how aged Chuck's Pokéball had appeared. This wasn't just any Poliwrath. This was his ace Poliwrath. Despite his comments that this would be an eight-star fight, the Gym Leader didn't seem to be holding back.

"Ooh. Now that's a Pokémon!" Chuck's eyebrows practically shot to the top of his head when he saw Typhlosion appear.

"I've fought plenty of Typhlosion before, and their burns are always a problem, but one that looks like that?" He shook his head.

"A brand new variant," he said, breathing out almost in disbelief.

"Based on her coloring... A Dark Type?"

"Ghost Type," Sam corrected.

"Hisuian Variant. She's still a Typhlosion, but she's now also a guide for lost spirits." Chuck let out an impressed whistle and glanced over to the Gym Trainer serving as the referee at the side. Typhlosion's flames lost a bit of their unearthly glow when the Hitmonlee's Foresight took effect, but she was used to being physical. She wasn't as ethereal as most other Pokémon on Sam's team and had plenty of experience fighting like this from back when she was a Quilava.

"Ready?" Chuck called out.

"Ready to kick your butt," Sam shot back. Yet again, Chuck laughed.

"I'll enjoy this! That's exactly the kind of fighting spirit I want to see! But I hope you have a good strategy prepared because Poliwrath's starting with Water Gun!" Sam didn't expect to see a special move be used here, but Typhlosion was quick. As Chuck's Poliwrath clenched its fists at its side and thrust out its chest, she took off running with a quick use of Agility to outpace the Water Type's pressurized blast.

"Circle!" Sam shouted.

"Infernal Parade! Prepare what we talked about—use that strategy for this fight!" They needed to use what status moves they could before Chuck lured her in with Taunt. Sam didn't dare outright name any of them out of fear of baiting out Taunt too early. As Typhlosion immediately began to race around the Poliwrath, her gaze never once left her foe. Poliwrath maintained its Water Gun to chase her down, but even though Poliwrath was a Water Type, the move wasn't great.

Chuck hadn't bothered to train its special attack. However, Sam quickly noticed that damage wasn't the purpose of the move. The threat of the water was enough; by having the stream follow her, Poliwrath was slowly guiding Typhlosion closer in. But for every foot Typhlosion ran, a dozen wisps entered the air. Infernal Parade followed its namesake—they chased after her as if in a parade. She sent those wisps at Poliwrath before too much time had passed.

Yet, despite the attack hurtling toward his Pokémon, Chuck didn't call for a dodge or even for it to defend. He likely thought this attack would be a Fire Type move that Poliwrath could resist, but Infernal Parade was solidly a Ghost Type move. The ghostly flames were more ghostly than they were flames, and Poliwrath took full damage. More than that, the heat cut through its damp exterior to leave scorch marks: Poliwrath was now burned.

"Tch. Shoulda expected that," Chuck said.

"But we're fine. Poliwrath, use Taunt!" If Water Gun wasn't bringing Typhlosion closer, then Taunt was his next best bet. Typhlosion could run all day, and Chuck wanted to finish this fight fast. But this was why Sam had sent Typhlosion out here. Haunter had scouted out Chuck's Taunt, and now Typhlosion would test out a counter to that move.

"Detect!" Sam shouted, dramatically thrusting an arm forward. With a flash of insight, Detect gave Typhlosion the know-how to avoid the effects of Taunt. She didn't exactly look away from Poliwrath, but she was able to completely ignore its Dark Type "come-at-me" gesture despite keeping it in view. Perfect! Now we just need to keep up Infernal Parade while staying away with Agility, and we should pull this off!

As strong as Chuck's Pokémon was, Infernal Parade was inordinately powerful once a condition was inflicted. He had already seen how powerful attacks could bridge a strength gap from when he had fought Jasmine. Infernal Parade might not have inflicted a faint-timer like Curse, but it would carry the same results. He also didn't want to risk cutting Typhlosion's health by calling for that move. So her Detect made Taunt fail, and Typhlosion kept running.

She sent more wisps at the Poliwrath, and it grunted as they stabbed into its burns to deal double damage. But Chuck looked unbothered. He simply nodded once.

"I see, I see," Chuck said without an ounce of worry on his face.

"Good counter, but it has a big flaw—watch this! Poliwrath, use Taunt twice!" Detect was similar to Protect in that it carried a chance to fail when used repeatedly. Protect required its expended energy to recharge, and Detect had a similar requirement before bringing out its heightened insight for a second time. However, there was always a chance to pull something off from what was leftover, so Typhlosion attempted Detect again. She ignored the first Taunt. Poliwrath kept it up.

When it waggled its fingers for a second time, her face contorted with rage. With Detect failing to be used repeatedly, Taunt took effect. Typhlosion's Agility hadn't been completely eliminated, but she could no longer use it to maintain her speed or continue circling. She looked annoyed. Poliwrath had challenged her strength, and she would prove it wrong. The Dark Type energy that coursed through her wasn't her own, but she didn't pay that any mind.

Suddenly skidding across the field to change directions, she charged right at Poliwrath, her parade of wisps growing behind her. Fine! It doesn't matter, Poliwrath is still burned! If Chuck is going to force us to attack, we just need to keep up the pressure!

"Hex!" Sam yelled. Poliwrath was already burned. Infernal Parade was no longer needed. Hex was ever so slightly stronger, and it only took a slight pulse of will for Typhlosion to change the nature of her move. Typhlosion's wisps stiffened and changed, becoming a deeper purple and less flame-like than they were before. They followed her even as she slammed into Poliwrath. But it withstood her attack. Poliwrath just barely remained standing even as purple needles jabbed into its wounds.

Grunting, it was able to slam its gloved hands into Typhlosion's shoulders and stop her charge in place. Chuck didn't even blink.

"Waterfall!" he shouted. As Typhlosion snarled and snapped at her opponent, Poliwrath simply drew back an arm and slammed it into her face. Cloaked in water, the punch dealt super effective damage but wasn't enough to take her out. Poliwrath's burn limited its physical attack, but the impact still sent Typhlosion recoiling back. Sam shouted for her to use a move, but his yells didn't matter. Waterfall might not have fainted her, but it certainly did something else: Waterfall caused Typhlosion to flinch.

Unable to react, it only took a single punch more for Typhlosion to fall. In the end, Sam lost to a few chances gone wrong: Chuck had sent out Poliwrath instead of Primeape, Detect had failed to work twice, and then Waterfall had managed to land in just the right way to lock Typhlosion in place.

"That's... unfortunate," Sam grumbled. Unfortunate wasn't the most apt description, but the battle's outcome still favored him. These might have been one-on-one fights, but he couldn't forget that the purpose of these was to chase a victory as a whole. It hurt to see Typhlosion faint, but he couldn't ignore what he had gained. Where Haunter had scouted out the threat of Taunt, Typhlosion had proved his team could counter it. She had also helped to demonstrate just how strong Chuck's Pokémon could be.

As Chuck let out a roar to celebrate such a great match, Sam actually felt confident, which was strange to feel after a loss. Typhlosion was one of his best Pokémon, but that didn't mean the other members of his team were weak. With her help, he had everything he needed to make sure he won the rest of his fights.

"So how's that, Sam?" Chuck called out.

"Great battle, right? So since no one is around right now, and if you have that one Pokémon of yours—""Tomorrow," Sam said, meeting Chuck in the eye.

"You'll see them in our next matches tomorrow, and there..." And there, Sam would be able to use everything he'd learned to make his team win. Mismagius did not hide in Sam's shadow, where so many other Ghost Types saw its darkness crowded. She kept herself to the side, within the torches's flickering shadows and next to the field, listening to the fat one's jolly laughter as the man shouted words of encouragement. The heavy man sent a friendly bump to her trainer's shoulder, and Sam stumbled forward.

Briefly, an annoyed look crossed over his face, but the fat one didn't notice. They chatted, not shaking hands but just sharing a few comments. There was an apology—the fat one had gone a little overboard in his choices, but he didn't regret it. He knew Sam's team could handle it. He then expressed his disappointment that he wouldn't be facing Sam anymore today. After Typhlosion, he wanted to see what else Sam had in store, but Sam simply told him that he wanted more time to think.

That was a lie, Mismagius could tell. Sam already had a plan, he just needed time to share it with the team. As Sam returned to Chuck's home, staying in the building that belonged to the very man who had defeated two team members that day, Mismagius followed. She would have been fine with staying in her Pokéball, but right now, she just wanted to observe. Her evolution had brought power, but it had also brought a slight shift in perspective.

She could recognize the change thanks to how her trainer prepared her, but she also welcomed it. Being sneaky was fun. It took a bit, but Sam gathered the team. Mismagius left her shadow to listen in as he shared his thoughts with a surprising amount of confidence. She respected him. When push came to shove, he would gain a decisiveness that came no matter the loss.... Although, he was still growing into it. Yet, at this point, she knew it was only a matter of time. She knew that Typhlosion knew that as well.

Sam shared all of his observations and theories. He had a solid plan on how to counter that move. Protect and Detect were great at preventing its effects and creating openings. When Typhlosion's Detect prevented its effects the first time, he had failed to capitalize on the opening. After all, if a Pokémon was using Taunt, it wasn't using any other move. Also, he had noticed one other detail: Chuck would never use Taunt right away. For the Gym Leader, Taunt was a card he pulled only when he needed it.

Chuck's strategy was based around close-ranged fights, but Taunt was just one tool out of many. No matter how "straight-forward" Chuck's strategy seemed, it was still a strategy, and all strategies could be countered. Every Pokémon here listened with rapt attention. Mismagius kept to the back, watching and listening from the shadows as Sam spoke. She learned of his plans as well as what she would need to do.

After all, if Chuck waited to use Taunt, that meant she had plenty of time to use Nasty Plot right off the bat. Afterwards, Shadow Sneak. She could rush her foe to surprise them, defeating the whole purpose of using Taunt if she were to attack regardless. Nasty Plot could boost her moves to make her a credible threat, and her past practice with Annihilape meant she had decent odds of avoiding Chuck's melee strikes. The goal was for her to be overwhelming, but she'd need Sam's help for that.

Up close, it was easy for attacks to come from out of view. A trainer's ability to observe the entire battle from afar gave them the position to know exactly what moves to use. Nodding, Mismagius barely held back her cackle as she took in that plan, and Sam went on to share plans with the rest of the team. Once he was finished, they practiced for a bit longer before calling it for the night. Mismagius kept herself hidden as she watched him slow down, eat a meal, and then finally get ready for bed.

And then he was asleep. And then, his Pokémon could go free. Light snores echoed out to give everyone leave to go through their usual midnight activities. Typhlosion didn't need to sleep as much ever since she gained the Ghost Type. She stood guard, and like her, Annihilape stayed awake to practice developing his strength nearby. As a tree, Trevenant preferred to stay rooted in place, but he left Chuck's home to step out back and absorb the moonlight. That just left the more ethereal members of the team.

Mismagius and Haunter nodded at one another and then floated up to split off for now. When he left for the night, Haunter pretended to grin as he said goodbye, but Mismagius could tell his smile was more hollow than usual. For all of his improvements, for all of the techniques he had figured out first, he clearly thought he was falling behind. Everyone else had evolved, and then he had also lost his fight. Haunter took several of the Gastly with him, likely to have them help with pushing him to his limits.

She'd seen his practice before. He'd work on everything at once. He'd try to dodge their attacks, withstand their group presence, and then also respond by attempting to perfect his own moves' aim. He usually kept these midnight practice sessions quiet, but it was also obvious he just wanted to leave right now. But as upset as he seemed, he had a determination to him. Mismagius knew he would make great gains tonight. As for herself, she split off for a far more casual reason.

She planned to not go too far away, but she was fast enough to return quickly if anything went wrong. Out here, she had an entire town to stalk, and she had only just evolved today. She wanted to explore and really see what her new form could do, but when she phased through the wall, she realized she wasn't the only Pokémon there. From atop the building her trainer was in, a quiet voice echoed out, and Drakloak looked down at Mismagius.

The Dragon Type had an annoyed glare to her eyes even as she zipped down from the building to join Mismagius's side. Mismagius made a comment—where was Dreepy? Drakloak looked even more annoyed. Just like usual, he had snuck in to snuggle against Sam. He was always gone before Sam woke up in the morning, but Dreepy claimed it was a comfortable nap. But his sister? Mismagius had never once seen Drakloak sleep.

The Dragon Type glared up at her, and Mismagius simply looked back down at the now-smaller-than-her Pokémon and smirked. Drakloak scowled. Yet, even as annoyed as Mismagius made Drakloak, the Dragon Type Pokémon grit her teeth and still barked out her request. She wanted to get stronger— needed to be stronger. She knew she wasn't as strong as the members of Sam's team. It had been grating to watch Sam lose—twice, at that! Especially since she knew even she couldn't have won those fights.

Mismagius quirked an eyebrow as Drakloak spoke, wanting to interject, but Drakloak kept up her rant. Now that she had bothered to communicate, her feelings didn't stop pouring out. She wasn't just upset. She was angry that Chuck had won. She was furious to see the Gym Leader treat their matches so casually and still come out on top. She also didn't understand why she was feeling like this. She clearly wasn't a real member of Sam's team, so why was she so unable to divide herself from the outcome of the match?

It was like... it was like she was blaming herself for not being able to help, she admitted. Drakloak knew that Sam wanted to rely on her for tomorrow, but she wasn't confident she'd be able to win. When she finally finished, Drakloak breathed out and looked up at Mismagius only to freeze. Mismagius, of course, was still smirking. The poor girl didn't realize just how much she was attached to the team.

More annoyed than ever, Drakloak turned away, grumbling to herself about this being a waste of time, but Mismagius just cackled and finally presented Drakloak with her offer. She didn't say anything; she didn't need to. She simply gestured to the nearby forest, and Drakloak silently glanced back and looked toward the trees. For all of their differences, for all of Drakloak's distaste for Mismagius, they both stood to benefit from shared practice.

That was what Mismagius was offering Drakloak, and that was what Mismagius was fine with doing tonight. She just needed Drakloak to accept, and much to her delight, Drakloak squirmed. Unable to help herself, the Dragon Type snapped out an insult, but Mismagius just easily took it in. She could tell that Drakloak's pride wouldn't let her do anything else. But with a final huff, Drakloak gave the response Mismagius had been waiting for: Fine. She'd accept the offer. She would train with Mismagius.

She needed to be stronger, so she would do it—but she demanded that Mismagius would help. And Mismagius laughed. Of course, she'd help. After all, she'd do anything for a fellow member of Sam's team.