Auron glanced admiringly at Jace—his friend's command had improved so much. Sobble's Water Pulse could have been easily dodged, given Growlithe's natural speed and the two-stage boost from Agility. But Jace had Growlithe use Flamethrower instead, directly colliding with Water Pulse to create a field of steam and mask the arena.
Then, relying on Growlithe's canine instincts and powerful sense of smell, Jace had Growlithe track Sobble through the mist and catch her off guard. If it weren't for the princess-dress girl's quick reaction, ordering Sobble to blast Growlithe away with Aqua Jet, Jace would've earned another free hit.
As the steam finally dissipated, the princess-dress girl looked at her panting Sobble and snapped, "Sobble—Aqua Jet!"
"Growlithe—Flamethrower!" Jace called back.
Sobble's Aqua Jet shot forward, but Growlithe's Flamethrower erupted just as Sobble drew close, evaporating the water and sending flames roaring onward. Even after smothering Aqua Jet, Flamethrower's momentum didn't stop—it surged toward Sobble.
"Quick, Sobble, dodge!" The princess-dress girl's face went pale as she barked her order. But Flamethrower was too fast—Sobble was hit head-on.
"Sobble is unable to battle! Growlithe wins!"
After checking Sobble's status, the referee announced the result.
The princess-dress girl couldn't hold it in any longer. She recalled Sobble, her eyes red, then crouched on the ground and buried her face in her arms, sobbing softly.
Auron nudged Jace with his shoulder, teasing, "You made her cry. Shouldn't you go comfort her?"
Jace looked genuinely surprised. "Wait, I made her cry?"
Auron frowned. "Why are you so happy about that?"
Jace pulled out his phone and started snapping a picture of the princess-dress girl. "My uncle always says I'm hopeless at battling. I'll send him this photo—let's see if he still thinks I'm no good after I made my opponent cry."
Auron rolled his eyes. "You're a real genius, you know that?"
Ignoring Auron, Jace grinned as he tapped away at his phone.
Soon enough, the princess-dress girl finished crying, wiped her eyes, and stormed over to the two boys, her face still flushed. "I'll get my revenge in the finals, just you wait!" she said, shooting Auron a glare before stomping away.
Auron scratched his head, confused. "Why is she glaring at me? Wasn't it you who made her cry?"
Jace shoved his phone in Auron's face. "What does my uncle mean by this?"
Auron read the message: "You're something else!" with a thumbs-up emoji. He gently pushed Jace's phone away and said, "Don't worry about it. He's praising you. Keep it up."
Jace burst out laughing behind him. "I told you! If I send him that picture, he won't say I suck anymore!"
Auron shot Jace a look of sympathy, then headed to the rest area to wait for Tim, Serena, and the others to finish their matches. Afterward, they'd regroup to discuss strategies for the main event and share information about tough opponents—because, as the saying goes, "Know your enemy, and you'll never be defeated."
Jace, still grinning from ear to ear, scurried off to get ready for his next match. He was now on an eight-win streak—just two more to make it to the finals. Unfortunately, Tim had drawn a tough bracket: an in-group match against Serena. If either had drawn Jace, they'd still have to battle it out anyway.
Auron didn't bother chasing after them to watch. After all, the match locations were randomized, and he'd rather rest in the lounge than run around the whole venue.
When Auron entered the lounge, he saw two people already inside. Both were dressed in black, looking thin and a bit frail. One even wore a cap, hiding his face, slouched quietly in a chair. He didn't react at all as Auron came in.
Auron didn't say anything, either. He quietly sat down across from them, then let out Munchlax, pulling out a homemade treat from his backpack—a type of snack that Munchlax adored. Munchlax plopped down and happily started munching away.
Auron watched Munchlax eat with a content smile. Suddenly, as if sensing something, Munchlax picked up a treat and held it out to his right side. The air shimmered, and a blackish-purple Pokémon slowly appeared, beaming as it gratefully accepted the treat and took a bite, looking utterly satisfied.
Auron blinked in surprise but didn't say anything, just watched as Munchlax shared his food.
Before Haunter (the blackish-purple Pokémon) could take another bite, a ripple of energy appeared beside him—and a Misdreavus materialized, drooling as she eyed Haunter's treat. Haunter glanced at her, then quickly twisted away, clutching his snack protectively.
Misdreavus puffed her cheeks, glaring at Haunter in protest.
"Bika!" Munchlax cried, offering Misdreavus another treat.
"Mew~!" Misdreavus squealed with delight, snatching up the treat and nibbling it with a satisfied look.
"Sorry to bother you," came a soft, timid voice.
Auron looked up. It was one of the two people from earlier, standing a little distance away, head lowered and looking quite shy.
He smiled, "Don't worry about it. If they enjoy my treats, I'm happy."
The boy looked up seriously. "Thank you. Really."
The moment he did, Auron's eyes widened. He shot to his feet. "Allister?!"
The sudden movement startled the boy, who stepped back, flustered. "Um, no, I'm Simon Greaves, not Allister."
Hearing his name, Auron calmed down, feeling embarrassed. "Sorry, you just look a lot like someone I know. My mistake."
"It's okay," Simon murmured, head bowed again.
Auron couldn't blame himself—this Simon really did look just like Allister, the eighth-generation Ghost-type Gym Leader from the games.
That was why he'd been so shocked. For a second, he thought anime characters might have come to life in this world. But it was just a lookalike.
"Sorry, my brother's not great at socializing. I'm Lena Greaves, his sister," said the other, just woken by Auron's outburst. Seeing her brother tongue-tied, she stepped in to smooth things over.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Auron," Auron replied with a smile, glancing again at Simon.
Sensing what Auron was thinking, Lena volunteered, "I'm adopted. I'm actually Simon's child bride."
"No, you're family," Simon interjected hastily, his face going red. "She's not an outsider."
Lena grinned, stepped over, and lifted Simon's chin with her finger, teasing, "But I always thought of you as my little husband."
Simon's face turned even redder. He looked away and murmured, "Mmm."
Auron couldn't help but chuckle at the two, then asked, "Are you both competing in the tournament?"
Lena nodded. "Yep, we just finished our ten matches and qualified for the finals. How about you?"
"I did too. You two were fast," Auron said.
Lena beckoned to Misdreavus and Haunter. Misdreavus floated to her, Haunter to Simon. Lena stroked Misdreavus's head fondly. "These two are the real MVPs. Missy's mine, and Haunter belongs to my child husband here."
"Mmm," Simon nodded.
Auron finally got a good look at their Pokémon.
Pokémon: Misdreavus
Gender: Female
Type: Ghost
Ability: Levitate (immune to Ground-type moves)
Grade: Red
Basic Moves: Growl, Psywave, Grudge, Astonish, Confuse Ray, Mean Look, Payback, Psybeam, Shadow Ball, Nasty Plot, Thunderbolt, Will-O-Wisp
Egg Moves: Destiny Bond, Shadow Sneak, Sucker Punch, Imprison, Trick Room
Pokémon: Haunter
Gender: Male
Type: Ghost/Poison
Ability: Levitate (immune to Ground-type moves)
Grade: Gold
Basic Moves: Shadow Punch, Hypnosis, Mean Look, Confuse Ray, Lick, Payback, Grudge, Curse, Payback, Night Shade, Shadow Ball, Will-O-Wisp, Icy Wind, Thunderbolt, Dark Pulse
Egg Moves: Perish Song, Reflect Type, Toxic, Haze, Clear Smog
Auron glanced at Simon in amazement—this was only the second gold-grade Pokémon he'd seen, and it belonged to someone else! Curious, he pulled out another box of snacks and offered them to Missy, Haunter, and Munchlax, who happily shared a feast while Auron and Lena chatted.
During their talk, Auron learned the two were seniors at Vantora Second High (while he attended First High). Lena had lost her family young and was adopted by Simon's family. Her "child bride" joke came from an old prank—Simon's parents wanted to help him come out of his shell, so they'd adopted Lena as a playmate.
When they'd first met, Simon's parents introduced Lena, "This is Lena. She's family now, and your little sister. You two should get along."
Back then, Simon had been even shyer—he just stared at Lena without a word. Lena had teased, "Why are you staring at me? Want to marry me?"
Simon had nodded slightly, then blushed and dashed for his room. Lena had laughed out loud, shouting after him, "Then you're my little husband now!"
Ah, awesome.
(End of Chapter)
Trainer's Note
Ability: Levitate
Both Misdreavus and Haunter have Levitate, which lets them float above the ground and completely ignore Ground-type attacks—pretty handy for dodging moves like Earthquake!
Pokémon Grades
A "Red" or "Gold" grade refers to a Pokémon's overall talent and potential. Gold is especially rare—Pokémon like that are destined to stand out on the battlefield.
Egg Moves
Some Pokémon can inherit special moves if their parents know them—these are called Egg Moves and often give them unique advantages in battle.
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