Pokémon Court

Two challengers in a row had been defeated—both falling so easily it extinguished any glimmer of hope in the remaining two.

Moreover, Terrance's Gallade hadn't even unleashed its full power. Even the most slow-witted of the challengers could tell: from just a basic move like Slash, they'd already felt the overwhelming sense of helplessness.

"If it's just Slash…"

Another Trainer stood up abruptly, as if making a monumental decision. "I'll take a gamble!"

"What are you planning to do?" the girl Trainer asked in surprise.

At this stage, did he really think he still had a chance?

"Even Gon, who participated in the Silver Conference, lost in this Gym… I didn't expect this new Gym Trainer to be so demanding," said the Trainer preparing to step onto the arena.

The chubby Trainer, Gon, could only stay silent. While making it to the top 64 was certainly something to brag about, only he knew how he got there. Just like now, hearing that Rogge Gym's badge was "easy" to obtain, he immediately rushed to challenge it. His success in reaching the top 64 was largely due to luck.

Still, compared to the vast number of Trainers, just qualifying for a regional conference was enough to earn admiration.

Many Trainers don't even have the qualifications to collect eight Badges.

"Do you have a plan? Even Flying-type Pokémon can't escape Gallade's perception," Gon asked.

"I do! Ghost-type!" he declared.

Then, amid the startled gazes of everyone present, he stepped nervously onto the battle arena.

Though Gallade had already fought twice, its stamina had hardly depleted, and it didn't even use Teleport; the stamina it has consumed can be considered pitifully small for it.

Terrance gestured politely, signaling the battle could begin. Kuraki, acting as referee, quickly introduced the competitors and officially announced the start of the match.

But even Kuraki couldn't help but be inwardly amazed. That Gallade… it looks so powerful…

"Go, Shuppet!"

The Trainer threw a Poké Ball, and a Pokémon that resembled a teru teru bōzu but was entirely gray and black appeared.

"How could he have caught such a terrifying Pokémon?" The girl Trainer covered her mouth in disbelief.

Shuppet, a Pokémon that thrives by consuming the resentment and envy within people's hearts, roaming streets in search of such negative emotions.

Compared to Misdreavus who feeds on fear, Shuppet carried an even eerier air.

Even if a Trainer had the opportunity to capture such a Pokémon, its peculiar nature often made them hesitate.

Even Terrance hadn't expected his opponent to send out such a Pokémon.

"So, Ghost-type Shuppet… Even if Gallade's Slash is powerful, it's meaningless if it can't hit!" thought the challenger. But at the same time, he worried about whether Terrance's Gallade would use moves of other types. After all, while Gallade had only displayed Slash so far, it was also of Psychic-type.

That's why the Trainer said it was a gamble… But it seemed there weren't many better options.

"Ghost-type, huh?" Terrance was stunned before glancing at Gallade. He couldn't help but recall its battle against Mismagius, where the type disadvantage had made things frustrating for it.

Still, Terrance had no intention of switching Pokémon.

"Shuppet, conceal yourself!" the challenger commanded.

The gray-black Pokémon let out an eerie cackle—"Kekeke"—and promptly erased its presence right before Gallade's eyes.

Its figure vanished completely.

"So, this is your trump card?" Terrance looked towards the arena with interest. Then, turning to Gallade, he said, "Slash."

As the command was given, both Lucy Joy and Aida froze for a moment.

Gallade, unhurried, extended its arm. With a burst of power from its legs, it flashed forward. Following a cry of pain, Shuppet was struck by the Slash and lost its ability to battle.

"Impossible!" the four challengers and referee Kuraki exclaimed in unison.

"How can a Normal-type move hit a Ghost-type Pokémon?"

"Shuppet, what happened to you?!" The challenger who had sent out Shuppet hadn't yet processed what had occurred. Staring at his unconscious Pokémon, he was completely at a loss.

This defied everything he understood as common sense.

"Any other challengers?" Terrance turned toward the audience seating.

The girl Trainer let out a long sigh and shook her head. "I'm not planning to challenge," she said.

"I haven't trained enough yet, but I'll definitely come back to earn Rogge Gym's Badge in the future."

Four challengers: three defeated with ease, and one choosing to forfeit. Aida scratched his chin, unsure how to comment. The key issue was that the challengers were too weak, offering no clear basis for judging Terrance's evaluation standards.

"Mr. Gym Leader… may I ask… how could a Normal-type Slash work on a Ghost-type?!"

The Trainer with Shuppet, his face flushed red, finally blurted out his question, driven by curiosity for knowledge.

The other three challengers were just as curious.

"Here it comes… Let's see how you explain this," Aida and Lucy Joy looked at Terrance's composed expression and were looking forward to his explanation. One of Gym Trainer's responsibilities included clarifying doubts of challengers. This was essentially the League providing rookie Trainers with an opportunity for rapid improvement.

As long as you make good use of the Gym Trainer, you can gain a lot of knowledge from your failures that is difficult to obtain in normal circumstances. This kind of free teacher is not something you can find anywhere.

"Hand me your Pokédex," Terrance said.

The Trainer hesitated for a moment but then handed it over.

"If you're also interested, come closer," Terrance called to the other three challengers. They exchanged glances but quickly gathered around.

Terrance tapped a few buttons on the Pokédex, and a synthesized voice began to speak:

"Foresight can reveal the hiding place of Ghost-type Pokémon, allowing moves that are ineffective against Ghost-type to hit, and can also predict the opponent's dodging direction."

"Foresight?" The challenger was stunned. "Did Gallade use Foresight?"

"No," Terrance replied.

"Still don't get it? Common sense states that Normal-type and Fighting-type moves don't work on Ghost-type Pokémon. But how can Foresight allow these two types of moves to hit Ghost-types? Have you ever thought deeply about it?" Terrance asked.

The four of them shook their heads. Let alone thinking deeply about it, they'd only seen the Foresight move being used a few times before.

Terrance tapped another button.

Terrance tapped it again, "Miracle Eye allows moves that are ineffective against Dark-type Pokémon to hit them, and it can also predict the opponent's dodging direction."

"This refers to Psychic-type moves."

"Similarly, Electric-type moves aren't completely helpless against Ground-types. There are two very simple ways around that. Think carefully, and anyone can figure it out."

With that, Terrance had opened a new line of thought for the challengers. Whether they could truly grasp it, however, was up to them. Naturally, Terrance wasn't going to spell everything out.

Gallade hadn't used Foresight, but its acute perception, combined with the innate ability to sense emotions from its time as a Ralts, made Shuppet—radiating an aura of resentment—stand out like a beacon in the dark. Even when it tried to hide, it had nowhere to escape.

Using Gallade's unique traits, Terrance had turned an unfavorable situation around. This is the kind of fighting quality a Trainer should have, rather than fully relying on knowledge. Simply having knowledge is not enough; it must also be combined with one's ability to skillfully apply it.

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