As Silas's command rang out, a pink mist slowly spread from Serperior's body, drifting toward the bound and immobilized Dodrio.
Upon closer inspection, the mist smelled as sweet as its color suggested.
But beautiful things were often dangerous—this was a truth nature had long taught mankind.
"Dodrio, hurry up and destroy the vines!"
Falkner's anxious voice rang out.
Dodrio's three heads began pecking wildly at the Vine Whips, like pile drivers hammering away with their sharp beaks.
Moves like Sweet Scent might look like simple gas on the surface, but in reality, they existed in a special state somewhere between energy and matter.
That meant it was unrealistic to try to disperse the pink mist of Sweet Scent with nothing more than flapping air currents.
This was fundamentally different from powder-based moves like Stun Spore.
And when the opposing Pokémon was Dodrio, Sweet Scent became even harder to deal with.
Although Dodrio was a bird Pokémon with the Flying type, it couldn't generate powerful gusts through its feathers or body structure much less use common Flying-type moves like Whirlwind.
Most of the Flying-type moves Dodrio mastered were executed through its sharp beaks.
"Absorb."
Watching Dodrio gnaw at the vines as if they were food, Silas immediately issued a response.
In just this short span of time, Serperior's Vine Whips had already been chewed until they looked like they had been sawn apart. If Dodrio broke free, the situation would quickly become unfavorable.
Sometimes, no matter how strong the vines were, they couldn't withstand a glutton's appetite.
Streams of green light particles continuously emerged from Serperior's body, traveled through the Vine Whips to Dodrio, and then flowed back again.
In an instant, the once-dim Vine Whips glowed with a pale green light.
"Kiwi—!"
Dodrio cried out in pain and stopped trying to break free.
Then suddenly, its voice cut off.
All three of its heads sniffed the air in unison, their eyes seemingly turning into heart shapes.
"Wi~"
Even without Serperior's Vine Whips restraining it, Dodrio now staggered as it walked.
This was the effect of Sweet Scent.
Put simply, it interfered with the opponent Pokémon's movements for a period of time, making both offense and defense sluggish, as if the Pokémon were drunk on bad alcohol.
Not only Dodrio, but any Pokémon that relied on high-speed movement as its combat core would be severely restricted under Sweet Scent's effects.
However, because this move had a long activation delay, requiring time from release to effect, it wasn't especially difficult to avoid under normal circumstances.
After all, its intended targets were agile Pokémon.
Only when a Pokémon like Dodrio was restrained could Sweet Scent fully demonstrate its proper effect.
Of course, all of this applied only to one-on-one battles.
In the wild, Sweet Scent's effectiveness was often surprisingly outstanding, especially for both the user and those affected.
"Serperior, use Natural Power."
Returning to the battle at hand, Silas naturally chose to press the advantage.
Sweet Scent's effects weren't permanent.
Blue, red, and yellow rays of light converged in front of Serperior, forming a triangular shape before shooting straight toward the dazed Dodrio.
This was the Normal-type move Tri Attack.
Because the battlefield was located indoors, Natural Power, a move whose form changed based on the environment, automatically transformed into Tri Attack.
Those three colored beams weren't just visually striking. Each carried a chance to inflict freeze, burn, or paralysis on the target.
Falkner's pupils shrank.
For Dodrio, Serperior using this move was practically a psychological execution.
After all, Tri Attack was one of Dodrio's signature moves, the specialty of its entire species.
But this wasn't the time to dwell on that.
If Dodrio were hit and inflicted with a status condition, its already slim chances of victory would drop even further.
"Dodrio, use Thrash!"
Facing the extremely unfavorable situation, Falkner didn't panic and immediately gave the command.
"Ki—!"
An enraged cry rang out as the eyes of Dodrio's head representing anger instantly turned bloodshot.
That single head seized control of the entire body, charging straight toward Serperior at full speed.
Under normal circumstances, this would've been impossible.
Even with a Trainer's command, the other two heads would usually compete for control.
But this time was different.
The other two heads, affected by Sweet Scent, had no interest in what the anger-driven head was doing.
Silas hadn't expected this development at all.
Bang!
Dodrio's not-so-sturdy body collided directly with the Tri Attack, producing a dull impact sound.
The three-colored beams shattered apart, yet Dodrio, eyes still blazing red—continued charging forward as if unaffected.
Silas's mind raced.
"So that's it. Because it's the head representing anger, even when attacked or mentally restricted, its first reaction is still to counterattack."
It had to be said, this was an extremely effective way to break free from effects similar to mental interference.
Much like a person consumed by rage, such a state ignored all reason or external influence.
There was only one thought: smash the opponent in front of them.
A certain irritable green giant was sometimes exactly like this.
"But anger is a very bad emotion."
Watching Dodrio rapidly close the distance, Silas's gaze was filled with confidence.
"Serperior, use Grass Knot."
His command was calm and unhurried.
Not far along Dodrio's charging path, two seemingly fragile green blades of grass hesitantly broke through the ground under Serperior's control.
The next moment, the two blades twisted together as if drawn toward each other.
Boom!
A heavy crash echoed across the battlefield.
Dodrio, focused solely on attacking, completely failed to notice the Grass Knot trap. Its powerful, long legs slammed directly into it.
There was no need to think further, it stumbled forward and crashed hard onto the ground.
If Dodrio's other two heads had still been conscious, Grass Knot would have been an extremely easy move for it to avoid.
A simple hop, or even a slight adjustment in stride, would have been more than enough. That was precisely where Dodrio, with its three heads, held a natural advantage over most Pokémon.
It was a Pokémon born to watch all directions at once, in the truest sense of the phrase.
This was also why Silas rarely had Serperior use Grass Knot.
The move relied heavily on the opponent charging forward at full speed and miscalculating their movement. Any slight change, and the opposing Pokémon could simply step over the inconspicuous blades of grass, rendering the tactic completely wasted. The risk was far too high.
However, once it landed, Grass Knot's power was anything but trivial.
For a Pokémon like Dodrio, whose average weight was around 85 kilograms, the resulting damage translated to a base power of at least 80, comparable to moves like Flamethrower.
And that was before factoring in Same-Type Attack Bonus from Serperior.
Even with resistance to Grass-type moves, Dodrio remained sprawled on the ground, unable to get back up for a long time.
"Dodrio, get up!"
Falkner's voice lost its earlier composure as he called out urgently to his partner.
Watching as the referee, Walker shook his head ever so slightly.
In such a short battle, Falkner had exposed far too many problems.
In a match that was essentially a friendly exhibition, a Trainer should avoid letting their Pokémon suffer unnecessary damage.
In the current situation, Serperior had both the time and ability to charge up a Solar Beam and finish Dodrio decisively.
The only reason it hadn't was because Silas was giving Falkner the chance to concede.
But once Falkner shouted like that, Silas naturally had no reason to hold back.
"Serperior—Aerial Ace, move in, then finish it with Dragon Tail!"
Serperior, already prepared, was instantly enveloped in white light. Its long green body surged forward, leaving afterimages as it appeared before the fallen Dodrio.
It twisted its body sideways, lifting its tail high as it shimmered with pale violet light. Cold indifference filled its crimson eyes.
"Hiss—!"
Before Falkner's unwilling gaze, Serperior sent Dodrio flying.
"Dodrio is unable to battle. Serperior wins. Falkner, please send out your next Pokémon."
As the dust settled and Dodrio lay with spiraling eyes, Walker fulfilled his duty as referee, announcing Silas's first victory.
"Your son has good talent," he murmured inwardly, recalling words once spoken by an old friend. "But you've protected him too well. A fledgling that never faces storms will never grow. As a Flying-type Trainer, you should understand that better than anyone."
For the first time, doubt crept into his heart.
Had he been wrong?
Before Falkner even began to reflect, his father was already questioning himself.
This had always been his greatest strength.
He suddenly remembered how he had grown up.
Ah—right.
It had been that lunatic Bruno, dragging him into the wilderness day after day, flirting with death nonstop.
Being hunted by near–Champion-level Pokémon while commanding Elite-level partners… or being chased by Champion-level Pokémon while only having Pokémon just below that level, those situations happened every few days.
They had survived purely by luck.
He had always believed Bruno was far too irresponsible. If one of them had died, everything would have been over.
But watching these two boys battle forced him to think deeper.
Silas, who had grown up alone, might not have been outstanding at first but the brutal experiences of surviving in the wild meant that once he received proper guidance, his rise was explosive.
In contrast stood trainers like Falkner—Gym heirs whose paths had been carefully planned since childhood.
They might shine early under their families' protection, but their growth often stalled later on.
A bitter taste filled his mouth.
Did he not understand this truth?
Of course he did. Every clan head did.
But a clan head was still human.
He couldn't accept his son enduring the same suffering he had. With his own strength, he could guarantee Falkner's safety for a very long time, until the day he became truly strong.
Perhaps this was nothing more than an irresponsible father's compensatory indulgence.
If Silas knew what he was thinking, he would wholeheartedly agree.
That's right—everything I have today, I earned myself. It has nothing to do with any system cheat or golden finger.
Though… sometimes he did wonder why Zero couldn't just hand out stat boosts, change abilities, or at least toss him an Arceus or something.
He did indulge in those fantasies from time to time.
"Your Serperior is impressive."
As the other two were lost in thought, Falkner quietly recalled his Dodrio.
"Just like Flying-type Pokémon don't always lose to Electric-types," he continued,
"it makes sense that Grass-types can defeat Flying-types too."
Silas looked at him oddly.
No, your Pokémon lost despite having the type advantage. Why are you making it sound honorable?
"But next," Falkner said confidently,
"my partner will show you what the true power of the wind looks like."
He tossed his second Poké Ball.
"Go! My soaring warrior, master of the wind, ruler of the skies, Pidgeot!"
"Pidgeot—!"
A familiar cry rang out as a powerful Pidgeot flapped its wings and took to the air.
"In that case," Falkner said boldly,
"I'll give you an opportunity. I know you also have a Pidgeot. Let them face each other. I won't take advantage of you while you switch."
He spoke with complete naturalness.
Walker clutched his forehead in silent agony.
He had decided, his son needed to suffer a bit more.
Trainer Rule #1: Never hand your advantage to your opponent. If you do, you're an idiot—no, worse.
Clearly, Falkner's grasp of Trainer fundamentals was severely lacking.
Silas laughed.
Of course he wouldn't refuse such a gift.
Words like these were hard to take back—doing so would damage one's integrity, especially for Gym Trainers.
He had been worrying about Serperior struggling against Pidgeot anyway.
Silas happily agreed, recalled Serperior, and immediately released his own Pidgeot.
"Pidgeot!"
A sharper, more commanding cry echoed through the arena.
"Hm… this really shows the difference between Kanto and Johto,"Silas mused inwardly.
"Johto's Gym heirs just don't feel as reliable."
This was a common Kanto bias.
After all, many people from Kanto instinctively looked down on Johto as a region that had once relied on them.
And honestly, there was some truth to it.
Among Silas's many well-connected friends in Kanto, not a single one was as naïve as Falkner.
This wasn't Walker's fault.
He was an experienced Trainer, he wouldn't make such a mistake.
There was only one explanation.
Falkner was a sheltered, delusional, chūnibyō youth who had never been beaten down by reality and the condition had progressed severely.
"Then let me wake you up."
A smile curved Silas's lips.
He loved educating people.
Especially those who didn't know their own limits.
....
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