Chapter 160: Battle with Moore
A flash of white light appeared, and Darkrai and Camerupt appeared on the field. Old Moore, observing Darkrai, sighed, "That looks like the Nightmare pokemon Darkrai. I didn't expect you, Ryan, to be able to catch a Mythical Pokémon. It seems I need to take this match seriously, or else it'll be an embarrassing loss."
"I caught this Darkrai a few days ago. I just wanted to see how it performs in battle. Don't blame me, Mr. Moore," Ryan said with a smile. "Darkrai, Dark Void."
Although Darkrai hated Ryan with a passion, it remained obedient. It formed a black hole with its hands and launched it at Camerupt.
"Camerupt, Eruption!" Moore commanded.
Seeing the speed of Dark Void, Camerupt knew it couldn't dodge. It simply charged up its energy, unleashing a torrent of molten lava from the two volcanoes on its back, hurling it at Darkrai. Darkrai sneered, its figure instantly disappearing into the ground, drifting away from its current location like a dark shadow.
The lava struck Darkrai's previous position, completely missing. Dark Void also struck Camerupt, engulfing it. Upon impact, it fell into a deep sleep. However, Darkrai's Bad Dreams ability activated, causing Camerupt to wince in pain as its health steadily decreased.
"Dark Pulse," Ryan commanded.
Darkrai emerged from the ground, its hands channeling a surge of sinister energy, striking the defenseless Camerupt directly.
"Snore," Moore refused to surrender, and instructed Camerupt to attack Darkrai with Snore.
Camerupt's snoring echoed throughout the arena, dealing damage to Darkrai. However, Darkrai had no interest in prolonging the battle, using Dream Eater to instantly restore its health to full. Camerupt, still asleep, lost its ability to battle.
"Come back, Camerupt," Moore said. "Now it's up to you, Torkoal."
A Torkoal appeared on the field. Its sturdy frame showed it was quite capable. While still far behind the Torkoal that Blaine owned, it was certainly among the best Torkoal.
"Torkoal, Aerial Ace," Moore said.
Torkoal withdrew into its shell and launched itself toward Darkrai. Darkrai tried to dodge, but hesitated for a moment before forming a Dark Void. As Torkoal charged toward it, Darkrai dodged Torkoal's Aerial Ace with a desperate sidestep. Torkoal itself collided with the Dark Void created by Darkrai and fell into a deep sleep.
Moore's face darkened: "That's quite a trick!"
Darkrai approached Torkoal, giving Ryan a complicated look. A single Dream Eater attack instantly incapacitated Torkoal.
Ryan stroked his chin. Although this Darkrai was only a lesser Mythical Pokémon, its mastery of essence was already formidable. It had a good chance of channeling essence into understanding deeper laws, forming a domain and reaching the level of a greater Mythical Pokémon.
Darkrai, after following Ryan's commands, had come to appreciate this human's battle strategies. From initially being forced to follow his orders, to now feeling somewhat receptive to his guidance, Darkrai experienced this positive feeling for the first time.
If the system had the ability to measure affection, it probably would have given Ryan a notification by now: Darkrai's affection toward you increased by 1.
Moore reluctantly withdrew Torkoal and released his final Pokémon, his ace, Magmortar. Moore looked at Darkrai and said, "You're truly a Mythical Pokémon! No ordinary Pokémon can contend with you. But I, an old man, won't give up. Magmortar, Flame Wheel!"
"Darkrai, Dark Void," Ryan had truly experienced the meaning of having one perfect strategy. Dark Void, combined with Dream Eater and the Bad Dreams ability, was a perfect combination against any Pokémon, a foolproof solution. The only way to counter this was Ryan's quick attack style—avoiding Dark Void at high speed and using continuous attacks to defeat Darkrai. Otherwise, this combination of moves would leave opponents severely weakened, if not completely defeated.
Magmortar rolled toward Darkrai, who in turn unleashed Dark Void, aiming directly at Magmortar. Magmortar swerved mid-roll, dodging Dark Void and accelerating into Darkrai. Ryan glanced sideways and chuckled, "Flame Wheel combined with Flame Charge? That's a pretty good combination, but it's still not enough. Shadow Clone."
Nearly a hundred Darkrai suddenly appeared in the arena, raising their hands simultaneously. Countless Dark Voids converged between their hands, and then nearly a hundred Dark Voids rained down on Magmortar.
Even Moore was bewildered. Finding the single real Dark Void among nearly a hundred was simply impossible! Under the barrage of Dark Voids, Magmortar fell into a deep sleep and was defeated by Darkrai's Dream Eater move, rendering it unable to battle.
"Magmortar is unable to battle, and Darkrai wins. Therefore, the victor is the challenger, Ryan from Pallet Town!" the referee declared.
"Come back, Magmortar," Moore said as he recalled his Pokémon. "Can't deny my age; these days truly belong to the young. Flannery, I'm planning to retire and focus on studying Professor Oak's research. I'll leave the Lavaridge Gym to you."
"Huh?! Really, Grandpa?" Flannery exclaimed excitedly. "I'll work hard! I'll definitely make the Lavaridge Gym flourish under my leadership!"
Ryan recalled Darkrai. Thinking of Flannery's future chaotic management style, he specifically said, "Mr. Moore, after you retire, make sure to clearly explain the responsibilities and duties of a Gym Leader."
"Yeah, now that you mention it, I just remembered," Moore said, rubbing his head. "Thanks for the reminder. Otherwise, I'd probably be traveling while Flannery would be struggling."
With that, he handed the Heat Badge to Ryan. Flannery then asked, "What are your plans next?"
"We're planning to go to Fallarbor Town. Ruby's going to participate in the Pokémon Contest," Sapphire said, hugging Flannery. It seemed their relationship had become very close.
"Then there's no rush. There's still plenty of time before the Contest," Moore said. "How about taking a hot spring bath first? Our hot springs here are very famous. You can rest in our Gym for a while, and you can also help train my granddaughter here."
"Grandpa!" Flannery protested.
"Thank you very much," Ryan said. "We had originally planned to stay in Lavaridge Town for two days to rest and recuperate. Now that Mr. Moore has offered, we'll gladly accept."
With Ryan's agreement, no one else objected, and Sapphire was delighted. At least now she and Flannery had become close friends, and she wouldn't refuse to stay longer.
Afterward, the referee, Moore's student, led everyone to the Gym's hot springs. As expected of a League-sanctioned Gym, the hot spring area was probably the largest in Lavaridge Town.
Ryan and his companions also released their Pokémon, and everyone enjoyed the hot springs peacefully. The only unfortunate thing was the wooden barrier that completely blocked any view between the men's and women's sides!
The only thing Ryan and Ruby found amusing was watching Altaria's cotton-like feathers cling to its body after soaking in the hot springs, looking like a drowned rat—a truly hilarious sight.
(End of Chapter)
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