Chapter 83 : Terry the clown

"Pinsir isunable to battle, Camerupt wins!" the referee declared.

Camerupt panted heavily, glancing at the fallen Pinsir.

The pain in his body was a constant reminder of the battle's intensity. His front legs trembled, threatening to give out at any moment.

Despite eating a Sitrus Berry, Camerupt was nearing his limit, and his opponent still had one Pokémon remaining.

"How could Terry let Camerupt bring a Sitrus Berry?" Warner wondered aloud. "Does he know he'll be in a tough fight?"

Items like berries were single-use. In terms of practicality, they couldn't compare to items like Charcoal, which provided a constant boost throughout the battle.

However, berries could be crucial in critical moments.

Terry's Camerupt usually carried Hard Charcoal.

The reason for the change to a Sitrus Berry today was simple: Terry had sold the Charcoal for much-needed cash.

With the tournament schedule being so tight, he hadn't had time to complete quests on the Trainer App, and his savings were nearly depleted.

He even had to borrow money from Ashborn. So, he sold Camerupt's Hard Charcoal, bought a Sitrus Berry to somewhat compensate Camerupt, and used the remaining money for other necessities.

As it turned out, the berry had proven useful.

"Could this guy actually be the luckiest Trainer alive?" Ashborn mused, still in disbelief.

The earlier Earth Power had hit its mark and lowered Pinsir's Special Defense, a stroke of luck that couldn't be denied.

"Beedrill!" the opponent called out, sending out their third Pokémon.

This Pokémon had participated in both the team match and the previous individual match. The other two hadn't been seen before, clearly hidden by the opponent intentionally.

"Just watch, bug. This time, I will burn you down," Terry said, glaring at Beedrill.

He couldn't believe this Beedrill could match the strength of the previous two Pokémon.

The opposing Trainer's face was grim. Neither of his two trump cards had managed to defeat Terry, a development he hadn't foreseen. Beedrill was undeniably weaker than those two.

"Beedrill, Pin Missile!"

Beedrill raised its Twin Needles, launching a barrage of needle-like projectiles.

Thanks to the Sitrus Berry, Camerupt was in much better shape, the bleeding from his wounds having stopped.

"Flamethrower!" Terry commanded.

The intense flames engulfed the Pin Missiles.

"Twineedle attack!"

Beedrill charged, its sharp Twin Needles aiming for Camerupt. With its bulky body and low mobility, Camerupt was quickly struck.

"Poison Jab!"

"Camerupt, Protect!"

A green protective barrier shielded Camerupt from the Poison Jab.

"Flamethrower!"

"Venom Spray!"

The purple venom collided with the red flames, sizzling and vaporizing into a cloud of poisonous smoke that spread rapidly.

A triumphant glint flashed in Beedrill's Trainer's eyes, but it quickly faded as the Flamethrower overpowered the Venom Spray and struck Beedrill, causing it to cry out in pain.

"Camerupt, pursue and continue with Flamethrower!" Terry seized the opportunity, aiming for a decisive victory.

However, Camerupt suddenly collapsed, purple bubbles emerging from his body. He had been poisoned by the toxic smoke.

Although the poison wasn't as potent as a direct Venom Spray, Camerupt's weakened state couldn't withstand the additional damage.

"Finish it, Pin Missile!"

Wary of a desperate counterattack, the opponent maintained distance and unleashed a Pin Missile barrage.

Under Camerupt's helpless gaze, countless missiles overwhelmed him.

"Camerupt loses the ability to fight, Beedrill wins," the referee announced, marking the end of the match. Terry had failed to make a comeback.

With a look of disappointment, he recalled the fallen Camerupt, murmuring, "It's okay, you did your best."

He then glared at the opposing Trainer, not out of resentment for the loss, but because the Trainer had deliberately concealed two Pokémon, rendering Terry's earlier intelligence gathering useless.

"Looks like intelligence work isn't for me," he thought.

His first attempt had resulted in a loss against an opponent who had played their cards close to their chest.

Terry's immediate concern was how to face Warner, Zekiel, and Stephanie.

As he exited the player lobby, he saw the three waiting for him, wearing mischievous grins.

Ashborn was nowhere to be seen, but Terry didn't care at the moment.

"After a hard fight, I still lost," Terry sighed.

"If I had known, I would have lost anyway. I might as well have been easily defeated by my opponent, like the three of you, so that my Pokémon would be less injured."

The faces of the three people walking towards Terry suddenly froze. He was mocking them for losing too quickly, and even in defeat, he dared to fire the first shot at them.

He must be getting impatient.

"Yeah, although I lost, I was accepted early by Imperial University," one of them retorted.

"People from Jinling University got in touch with me this morning," another chimed in.

"The admissions teacher of the Third Military Academy said that he is very optimistic about my rainy day tactics," the third added.

Both Jinling University and the Third Military Academy were first-class universities. Zekiel and Warner had been recognized by the admissions teachers of these two universities, respectively.

Not to mention Stephanie and Ashborn, who were accepted early by Imperial College.

Out of the five-member team from Lavanny Middle School, only Terry had not been valued by any colleges or universities. Judging by his expression, he likely had no prospects.

Terry: The clown turned out to be me.

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Ara ara ~~ Sayo nara ~~