Sweet Scent And Fennekin

Colorful lights shone on the battlefield as the two Pokémon underwent a dramatic transformation. Mega Lucario stood tall and imposing, striking a battle pose immediately after evolving, while Mega Venusaur's flowers became even more vibrant, releasing a sweet floral fragrance that was dizzying to behold.

"Then, let the battle begin!" Professor Sycamore exclaimed excitedly.

As the battle commands were issued, Lucario dashed toward Venusaur with incredible speed, enhanced by its Quick Attack. Seeing this, Yuga quickly shouted, "Venusaur, don't let it get close!" Allowing a Fighting-type Pokémon to close the distance was tantamount to inviting defeat.

"Venusaur!"

Venusaur called out knowingly as thick green vines shot out from beneath the leaves on its back, lashing out fiercely at the charging Mega Lucario.

However, Lucario was extraordinarily agile, and with the boost from Quick Attack, its speed continued to increase. It easily dodged all of Venusaur's vines.

As Mega Lucario approached Venusaur, Yuga suddenly called out, "Venusaur, use Sleep Powder!"

A cloud of dark yellow powder sprayed from the flowers on Mega Venusaur's back, drifting toward Mega Lucario.

Seeing this, Lucario quickly leaped away from Venusaur, but before it left, it hurled an Aura Sphere into the haze of Sleep Powder, striking Mega Venusaur from behind, which let out a cry of pain.

Taking advantage of the Sleep Powder's cover, Mega Venusaur quickly used Grassy Terrain. A small patch of grass appeared around it, perfectly covering the area right beneath its feet.

Waves of green energy surged through the grass, and the slight damage from the Aura Sphere vanished in an instant.

Mega Venusaur had high defenses and a solid resistance against Fighting-type moves, so it was unlikely to be fazed by one or two Aura Spheres.

As the Sleep Powder gradually dissipated, Mega Venusaur's form reappeared. Gurkinn, observing the grassy terrain beneath Venusaur and the vanished wounds, furrowed his brow tightly.

"This is troublesome!" Gurkinn muttered.

If you were to ask Gurkinn what kind of Pokémon he hated the most, it would undoubtedly be those adept at defensive and attrition battles. As a Fighting-type trainer, he pursued direct, hard-hitting clashes.

Fighting-type Pokémon are similar to Fire-types; they are usually explosive and high in output. However, when it comes to attrition battles, they often struggle to keep up.

"Lucario, run with Quick Attack!"

Upon hearing this, Mega Lucario began to circle around Mega Venusaur rapidly, looking for an opportunity to close in. Each time it used Quick Attack, its speed would spike significantly. In no time, Venusaur's eyes began to struggle to keep up with Lucario's movements.

"Venusaur, use Sweet Scent." Watching the afterimages left by Mega Lucario, Yuga showed no signs of panic. He had encountered this situation before. To counter high-speed Pokémon, both Venusaur and Bellossom had excellent strategies.

As soon as Yuga's words fell, a dreamy, ethereal pink fragrance wafted from the vibrant flowers on Venusaur's back. This scent quickly enveloped the entire arena, sweet and enticing, as if luring one into temptation, making it impossible to resist lingering in its presence.

Breathing in the aroma that lingered at his nostrils, Gurkinn suddenly felt his brain begin to dull, his thoughts growing increasingly stagnant. He quickly realized something was off and shook his head, trying to stay alert.

"Lucario, stay vigilant! Don't breathe in that sweet scent!"

Gurkinn's warning came too late; entranced by the fragrance, Mega Lucario's movements slowed down, gradually shifting from a run to a slow walk, as the sweet aroma began to dominate its actions.

Outside the arena, Professor Sycamore watched in astonishment at the incredible effect of Sweet Scent, his mouth agape, forgetting even to raise the camera he had been using to take pictures.

In truth, Yuga's Venusaur did not possess such a powerful Sweet Scent. If one were to name a Pokémon skilled in this move among Yuga's main team, it would be Bellossom.

While Pokémon can learn many moves simultaneously, each Pokémon has its own specialties based on its attributes and talents. For example, Decidueye is adept at Spirit Shackle, while Serperior excels at Leaf Storm. Moreover, a Pokémon's limited stamina also restricts their ability to master every skill.

Bellossom's skill set leans toward the combination of Quiver Dance and Grassy Terrain, with Sweet Scent being another strong suit.

Bellossom's Sweet Scent is exceptionally refreshing, making both people and Pokémon fond of it. This genuine affection allows them to willingly succumb to the effects of the fragrance.

However, Bellossom's Sweet Scent has only a mild captivating effect; those who smell it will naturally slow down due to their fondness, but this influence can be easily broken and shaken off.

On the other hand, Venusaur's Sweet Scent is different. Its fragrance can "bewitch" foes, much like a Venus flytrap that attracts insects to their doom.

Venusaur's core skills originally comprised Grassy Terrain and Frenzy Plant, creating a strategy focused on recovery and defense. When combined with Sunny Day and Solar Power, and bolstered by Venusaur's already decent defenses, this made it incredibly strong in attrition battles. However, it had only learned the basics of Sweet Scent.

Yet, during its breakthrough to Elite level, it seemed to have been influenced by Florges, resulting in an extraordinary change in the flowers on its back, granting its emitted fragrance a bewitching quality.

In reality, Venusaur's sweet scent is not particularly pleasant. Unlike Bellossom's refreshing scent, Venusaur's fragrance is overly intense, and after a while, it can become nauseating—so sickening that it makes one feel like vomiting.

Perhaps due to its Poison typing, this sickeningly sweet aroma possesses hallucinogenic properties. Even if it makes you feel like you want to puke, you are still compelled to breathe it in; the more you inhale, the duller your mind becomes.

With this special Sweet Scent, Venusaur's control capabilities have significantly increased.

Although Venusaur can use Sleep Powder, its practicality in battle is quite low because it produces a limited amount at once, making it difficult to cover the entire battlefield. Any Flying-type Pokémon can easily blow it away with a single move.

Furthermore, Sleep Powder is heavy and will settle to the ground after a while, losing its effectiveness. Unlike Sweet Scent, which can continuously linger in the arena, if you breathe in, the scent will invade, whether you want it to or not.

It is precisely because of this powerful Sweet Scent that Yuga dared to send out Venusaur, despite lacking advantages in attributes, level, and potential.

At this moment, Mega Lucario, under the hallucinatory influence of Venusaur's Sweet Scent, lost its ability to think, passively sniffing the faint pink mist in the air.

Gurkinn, seeing this, grew increasingly anxious. "Lucario, snap out of it! Wake up!"

However, Lucario showed no reaction to Gurkinn's voice, its gaze dazed as it moved toward Mega Venusaur, drawn in by the floral aroma like a moth to a flame.

Witnessing this scene, Yuga commanded Venusaur, "Venusaur, use Frenzy Plant!"

As Yuga's words fell, the ground began to heave, and brown roots surged forth from the earth under the control of Mega Venusaur, swiftly binding Mega Lucario.

"Lucario, wake up!" Gurkinn was still trying to rouse Mega Lucario.

Crack, crack...

Frenzy Plant tightened its grip, and a painful crunching sound echoed from Mega Lucario as its bones contracted. As the pain intensified, a change finally appeared on Mega Lucario's dazed face; its brows furrowed involuntarily, its mouth clenched tight, and a gurgling groan escaped its throat.

"Lucario..." Gurkinn subconsciously tightened his grip on the keystone, softly calling out to Lucario.

Pokémon capable of Mega Evolution share a deep connection with their trainers. In that moment, whether Mega Lucario heard Gurkinn's call or if the pain reached a breaking point, it suddenly opened its eyes wide.

"Lucario!!!"

Mega Lucario let out a furious roar, and waves of blue aura energy erupted from its body, snapping the roots that bound it one by one.

"Pant, pant..."

Mega Lucario knelt on the ground, gasping for breath. Although it had broken free from Venusaur's Frenzy Plant, the toll on its stamina was significant. If it weren't for its resistance to Grass-type moves, it would have already collapsed beneath the onslaught of the Frenzy Plant.

Seeing that Mega Lucario had shaken off the effects of Venusaur's Sweet Scent, Yuga was somewhat surprised; he hadn't expected this Lucario to possess such strong willpower.

Even if it had escaped, it was merely a desperate struggle!

"Venusaur, continue!" Yuga's voice rang out in Mega Venusaur's ears.

At that moment, the entire arena was already covered with brown roots, and the roots Mega Lucario had broken were only a small fraction of the total.

The brown roots wriggled toward Mega Lucario, and upon seeing this, Mega Lucario immediately attempted to leap away. However, the immense drain on its stamina rendered its movements sluggish, and one of its feet was quickly ensnared by the roots.

Just like that, Mega Lucario found itself suspended in mid-air by the brown roots holding up one of its legs, while other roots rushed in to bind its limbs, neck, and waist. Lucario struggled feebly, resembling a lamb awaiting slaughter.

Watching Mega Lucario bound in a "V" shape, Yuga inexplicably thought of some sort of shameful play, feeling a bit flustered.

Yuga: Am I a bit off here?

"Alright, I concede," Gurkinn's voice then rang out.

Upon hearing this, Yuga spoke to Mega Venusaur, saying, "Lower Lucario down, Venusaur."

Once the battle concluded, both Pokémon reverted from their Mega Evolutions.

"Lucario, you did great."

Gurkinn helped Lucario up, but Lucario's gaze toward him was filled with regret, feeling it had embarrassed him. Aside from that initial wave of Aura Sphere, it had dealt no damage to Venusaur and was instead thoroughly befuddled by the Sweet Scent.

Gurkinn understood Lucario's feelings and reassuringly patted its shoulder. At his age, he had already lost the competitive spirit; he didn't care much about winning or losing a battle.

It was just... who exactly is this young man? Gurkinn fell into contemplation as he looked at the young man whose face was thoroughly obscured by a hat and sunglasses.

Such a remarkable young person; he should have been well-known!

"That was fantastic, simply fantastic! Your battle has opened my eyes, and now I finally have new material for my research," Professor Sycamore exclaimed as he joyfully walked onto the field.

Yuga humbly replied, "I'm glad I could help you, Professor."

After the battle, Yuga and Professor Sycamore bid farewell to Gurkinn and left the Tower of Mastery.

On their way back, the tide by the seaside had receded, revealing the path connecting the Tower of Mastery to the coast. The road was paved with stone, so although it was wet, it was not muddy, and a few Water-type Pokémon remained on the stone path, having failed to return to the sea in time as the tide pulled back.

The Water-type Pokémon in the Kalos region were quite different from those in Hoenn; here, common ones like Binacle, Clauncher, and Skrelp were frequently spotted, but Yuga wasn't interested in these ordinary Pokémon.

Thinking about Gurkinn's Lucario, Yuga said to Professor Sycamore, "I would like to ask the Professor for a favor, if that's alright."

Professor Sycamore readily replied, "Go ahead; if it's something I can help with, I definitely will."

Yuga then explained his desire to trade Meditite and Medicham for a Riolu or Lucario.

"Oh, so that's what this is about! I'll ask Mr. Gurkinn about it tomorrow," Professor Sycamore agreed without hesitation after hearing Yuga's request.

As they walked and talked, Professor Sycamore invited Yuga to stay at his place when he learned that Yuga hadn't yet found accommodation. He had a residence in Shalour City.

Thus, Yuga decided to spend the night in Shalour City.

Professor Sycamore was quite wealthy; his residence in Shalour City was a villa not far from the Tower of Mastery. As they walked, they soon arrived.

Once back at the villa, Professor Sycamore immediately called his research lab and arranged for Fennekin, whom he had promised Yuga to be sent over.

"This is Fennekin; make sure to take good care of it," Professor Sycamore said as he handed Yuga the Poké Ball containing Fennekin, his face showing reluctance.

Yuga took the Poké Ball and released Fennekin from inside.

...

[ Fennekin ]

Type: Fire

Ability: Magician

Gender: Female

Potential: green

Level: 14

Move: Tail Whip, Ember, Psychic Terrain, Fire Oath.

...

After checking the data on Fennekin, Yuga understood why Professor Sycamore looked so reluctant.

Although Fennekin had only an ordinary green potential, its ability was the rare hidden ability, Magician, and it had also inherited the rare terrain skill, Psychic Terrain.

In Psychic Terrain, Pokémon are not subject to priority moves, and the power of Psychic-type moves is increased, making it a very practical skill.

In addition, it also learned the fire-type starter's exclusive skill, fire oath, which was quite impressive.

"Fennekin!"

Fennekin looked confusedly at Yuga, then glanced at Professor Sycamore, clearly not understanding what was happening.

However, this was fine. Yuga took out a special item from YoYo Day Care—a Crimson Crystal Pokéblocks. The delicious treat quickly captivated Fennekin, and it soon bonded with Yuga.