Chapter 7 The most wonderful Jumpluff

"Roserade, use Magical Leaf."

Roy froze for a moment. Magical Leaf was a Grass-type move, and Jumpluff was a Grass and Flying dual-type Pokémon, making it mostly ineffective. He didn't understand Professor Rowan's strategy.

Distracted, Jumpluff stood there without receiving any command, getting hit directly by the Magical Leaf. It was scraped by the leaves, feeling the stinging pain, and glanced back at Roy in confusion.

The onlookers whispered among themselves, finding the first round of attacks from both sides quite intriguing. One side chose a move like Magical Leaf, which had minimal effect, while the other side didn't give any command, resulting in the move being wasted.

Professor Rowan frowned slightly. With his experience, he couldn't have missed that Roy was distracted right from the start of the battle.

Roy tried to calm his mind, ignoring the whispers around him, and focusing on the battle at hand. After a moment of hesitation, Professor Rowan gave another command, "Roserade, use Toxic."

As Toxic was deployed, Roy finally managed to clear his mind and regain his composure.

"Ignore the Toxic, use Frustration!"

The Toxic hit Jumpluff accurately, but it seemed completely unaffected, charging straight towards Roserade.

By the time Professor Rowan tried to get Roserade to dodge, it was too late. Frustration hit Roserade directly, causing it to be knocked back.

"That's some incredible power," Roy couldn't help but exclaim.

Frustration, as a move of the Normal type, had its damage determined by the friendship between the Trainer and the battling Pokémon. Unlike Return, the lower the friendship, the higher the damage.

"Toxic hit, why is Jumpluff okay?" 

"Probably because this Jumpluff has the ability Leaf Guard. Without any weather effects in play, its ability activates based on the current weather during the battle. Since it's sunny now, Jumpluff can ignore all status conditions" 

Roy didn't have time to pay attention to the conversations from the audience. Roserade was recalled by Professor Rowan.

"Leaf Guard? Then how about this one?" Professor Rowan's second Pokémon, Crobat, appeared above the battlefield.

With its Flying and Poison type, along with a wide range of moves, it was quite disadvantageous for Jumpluff.

"Jumpluff, use Stun Spore!"

Roy had already deciphered Professor Rowan's intentions for the switch. Roserade had already shown two moves: Magical Leaf and Toxic. Magical Leaf, being a Grass-type move, was essentially ineffective against Jumpluff, while Toxic was countered by Jumpluff's Leaf Guard ability.

It wasn't difficult to guess that Roserade's remaining two moves were probably ineffective against Grass types and also against the Leaf Guard ability.

As the first Pokémon on the field, Jumpluff successfully gathered the information it needed. Now, its task was to continue gathering information about Professor Rowan's team.

"Use Air Slash to scatter Stun Spore!"

Professor Rowan's command made Roy realize once again the difference between the game and real battles.

In real battles, both sides' moves interacted with each other. When you used a move, the opponent could use a move to interfere with yours. The accuracy of the move was entirely based on the Trainer's judgment, the Pokémon's battle experience, and strength.

Trainers released moves based on their judgment of the current situation on the field. They needed to find the rhythm and patterns of the opponent's Pokémon, understand their own Pokémon's status and rhythm, and analyze the opponent's moves to find the right moment to strike.

This kind of judgment often required years of experience, familiarity with all Pokémon data, and a strong connection with one's own Pokémon. In battle, it was about seeing through the opponent Trainer's weaknesses in command and the characteristics of their Pokémon's actions.

It was not as simple as pressing a button for an easy game. No wonder there were so few powerful Trainers in this vast world.

Air Slash dispersed the Stun Spore, heading straight towards Jumpluff.

"Dodge, then use Bullet Seed!"

Roy began to feel that Ash's strategy of Dodge, Stand Up, and You can do it was a technique he needed to learn.

Jumpluff lightly leaped to the side, floating in mid-air as it unleashed a flurry of Bullet Seeds. Roy chose this move considering the real battle's rather shaky accuracy rates, and this dense continuous attack could increase the chances of landing a hit.

And indeed, after several shots missing, Bullet Seed finally hit the Crobat, despite Professor Rowan's command for it to evade.

However, the Grass-type Bullet Seed against the Flying/Poison-type Crobat was still quite ineffective, not causing any damage at all.

"Air Slash."

Roy glanced up at Professor Rowan, who returned a meaningful look.

The old saying goes, "once bitten, twice shy." Professor Rowan had seen through Roy's attempt to gather battle information using Jumpluff. The second appearance of Crobat only revealed its Air Slash move.

"Block the Air Slash with Bullet Seed."

Roy didn't expect to continuously dodge attacks and force Crobat to reveal its other moves. He sought some changes on the battlefield.

The clash between Bullet Seed and Air Slash clearly favored Air Slash, creating a small explosion in the middle of the field that sent Jumpluff's body flying backward.

Professor Rowan seized this rare opportunity to command Crobat to dive down, attacking directly with its wings.

"Stun Spore!"

The sudden change in the situation made Roy lose control over the battle. He decided to rely on Stun Spore.

Diving down, Crobat successfully launched its wing attack. Jumpluff's trembling body released a lot of fine dust, and the next moment, Jumpluff was sent flying once again.

The audience erupted into cheers at Crobat's impressive attack, feeling the excitement of the battle.

However, at this moment, Jumpluff struggled to stand up on the battlefield.

Sakura raised the flag, signaling that the match should continue.

Roy's mind once again became chaotic. He knew he had hit Crobat with Stun Spore, but should he have commanded Jumpluff to try to dodge the attack just now?

Self-doubt can easily erode the confidence that has been built up over time, leading to a mental breakdown. However, at this moment, as Roy was engaging in a mental review, he did not realize this.

His hard-fought control over his emotions was filled with regret and self-blame at the moment he saw the wounds at the corner of Jumpluff's eyes. He knew that after the Pokémon battle, they would be well taken care of, but he was doubting his own commanding abilities.

As Crobat's Air Slash flew towards Jumpluff, almost hitting, Roy, in a moment of distraction, finally saw Jumpluff standing firm, waiting for his command, unmoving.

"Dodge it!" Roy almost shouted this command.

Unfortunately, it was too late. The Air Slash hit Jumpluff squarely, sending it flying backward. The rising dust reduced visibility on the battlefield, making it temporarily impossible for Sachiko to determine if Jumpluff was still able to battle.

"Do you really want to have the Pokédex?"

Professor Rowan's powerful voice jolted Roy, causing him to turn slowly to face the professor.

"If this is how you battle, then you don't deserve to have the Pokédex. I've told you before, anyone who obtains the Pokédex is recognized by the research institute as a competent trainer. Your persistence has won you this opportunity, but you haven't fully committed. Your Pokémon almost completely trust you, a stranger with no prior battle experience, and this is how you repay their trust?"

Professor Rowan's voice silenced everyone near the battlefield, a pin could be heard dropping.

"What exactly do you want the Pokédex for? I asked you once before, and you said you wanted to become an outstanding trainer. But in my eyes, you don't deserve it. You just want to get the Pokédex, using Pokémon to overcome your own phobias. You see them only as tools to achieve your own goals!"

Under the gaze of nearly a hundred people, Roy was harshly criticized by the furious Professor Rowan, and the scorching looks around him made Roy, who was uncomfortable with such occasions, dizzy.

He wanted to stand his ground, but this feeling of being discussed and criticized was unbearable. Whether in his past life or now, Roy felt like he hadn't made any progress.

Just yesterday, he was full of ambition to change himself, but now he was starting to feel like retreating.

He really didn't want to accept it... but this feeling of helplessness made Roy unable to muster any desire to refute Professor Rowan's thoughts.

Just as Roy was about to say something, the sound of people gasping came from all around.

Amidst the rising dust, Jumpluff stood up once again.

No one asked it to give its all for this battle. The people from the research institute only wanted it to cooperate with Roy, this stranger. Its trainer's incompetence was infuriating, two consecutive command mistakes had put it in danger and caused it harm. It could have simply chosen to give up resistance and leave the battlefield.

Yet it stood up again, and Sachiko, about to raise the flag, lowered it.

Roy stared blankly at Jumpluff, and Jumpluff looked back with a determined gaze.

Alright, so what if I'm criticized! So what if I'm a noob, a beginner? Yes, I have social anxiety and depression, I have difficulty interacting with people, but I refuse to accept this!

You've entrusted me, and I'll give it my all!

"Jumpluff, keep using Bullet Seed!" Even though he didn't try to control his brain entirely, Roy was surprisingly calm at this moment.

The surrounding noise seemed to fade away in an instant, the uncomfortable gazes disappeared for a moment. Roy's eyes followed Jumpluff's movements, judging the trajectory of Crobat's actions.

Bullet Seed hit Crobat instantly, and Professor. Rowan also lost control of the situation. Air Slash was a massive blow to Jumpluff, yet it stubbornly continued the match.

Crobat, without any command, took all the hits from Bullet Seed.

"Professor, don't get distracted in the battle," Roy said, then shouted to Jumpluff again, "Use Mega Drain!"

Mega Drain hit again, and although this draining move had limited effect on Crobat, it helped Jumpluff recover.

"Use Sludge Bomb!"

However, Crobat's body stiffened.

"Paralyzed..."

Everyone watching was stunned by the sudden turn of events. The paralysis taking effect meant.

"Mega Drain!"

Sure enough, seizing the opportunity, Roy didn't let go of the chance to continue draining Crobat's health. These seemingly harmless attacks could slowly wear down Crobat.