Chapter 15

" You're pretty late. I expected that you would be here sooner. " Ramos said, tending to the trees in the gym with his Tropius after seeing Atsumu walk inside. The foliage barely let any sunlight in except in one place, over the battlefield similar to the spotlight being shined on the star of a show while the others were in the shadows.

" Was Gurkinn more potent than anticipated? " Ramos asked, knowing that Korrina wasn't ready to take on advanced trainers, only Gurkinn was allowed to do so.

" No one was at the gym, so I came here. I don't think there will be a gym leader for a while. " Atsumu said, knowing what had happened since he was the one who opened his mouth and spilled everything that day.

" Is that so? Well, I guess I'll have to step up. " Ramos said, standing on Tropius as he flew down to the ground. " What do say to a 2v2 battle? "

" That's fine with me. " Atsumu responded, mirroring Ramos as they both stood on either end of the arena. No words were needed to be spoken as both sent out their first Pokemon. Ramos sent out his Tangrowth, and Atsumu sent out his Sableye.

" My referee is taking a vacation, but not to worry. As long as we record the battle and then send the footage to him, he will check everything and then send his analysis to the league. If anything is alright, you'll get your badge in no time. " Ramos said.

" That process will take 2 to 3 days, won't it? " Atsumu said.

" Yes. It will, but unfortunately, it will also take another 2 days before they send a referee to oversee this battle. " Ramos said.

" That is quite convoluted. " Atsumu said.

" Yes, it is. But of the many options to solve this kind of issue, this was the solution they came to. " Ramos said.

" Shouldn't you have backup referees for times like this? " Atsumu asked.

" That would be fine, but referees are paid based on their performance in judging a battle. If one referee is merely a backup, they don't do anything but wait and thus, they don't do nearly the amount as other referees who do their job. For being Referees, they do have a salary, but the ones who judge matches make much more. "Ramos explained.

" Huh, that's quite interesting. " Atsumu commented. " Learn something on some days. "

" True. " Ramos chuckled. " Though I believe we can begin now. Tangrowth, use sleep powder. "

" Hide and gather. " Atsumu said.

Tangrowth reacted quickly, releasing spores in all directions, creating a dense cloud made of spores, covering the entire field. Atsumu couldn't see Tangrowths form but knew Tangrowth couldn't attack Sableye, hiding using Shadow sneak. if Sableye were to show himself, he would have been put to sleep.

" If you don't mind me asking, are you and Valerie dating by any chance? " Ramos asked.

" No, we aren't. " Atsumu said.

" Oh...Then you two are alike. No wonder you agreed so easily to her favorite pastime. " Ramos chuckled, referring to the situation the two made in Ambrette Town.

" Yeah. " Atsumu smiled. " That was fun. Sableye, use Will-o-Wisp. "

" Protect and sunny day. " Ramos commanded.

While talking between them, Atsumu instructed Sableye to stack calm mind after calm mind while in the shadows. Sableye allowed only his hand to appear and used Will-o-Wisp on the cloud of spores. The flames spread like wildfire but Tangrowth avoided damage by using Protect and then used Sunny Day, which increased the amount of sunlight shining on the battlefield while Sableye resurfaced.

" Block. " Ramos said, as Tangrowth disappeared only to reappear in front of Sableye, slamming a large red X on Sableye to keep him from escaping while the latter simply let it happen with a grin on his face. Tangrowth's increase in speed was due to its ability Chlorophyll which boosts its speed in heavy sunlight.

" Encore. " Atsumu said.

But Sableye's ability is Prankster, allowing him to have increased priority on non-damaging moves such as Encore. No matter how fast the opponent is when Sableye uses a nondamaging move, the move allows goes first even when an attack is inches away from hitting.

Sableye appeared in front of Tangrowth faster than it could react and applauded, asking for more. Tangrowth could feel the restraint instinctively, knowing it can only use block now, but it would be ineffective since he's already used it. Ramos knew this and got ready to switch out Tangrowth but Atsumu was faster.

" Mean look. Taunt."

Sableye cast Mean Look on Tangrowth, a glowing red eye looked at Tangrowth, sending shivers down its self-consciousness, forcing it to stay in, rendering Ramos's option to switch mute before proceeding to laugh manically, causing Tangrowth to panic under the conditions he now knows he's under.

" Hmm... facing you and watching you is a palpable difference. " Ramos said, sweat dripping down his face.

"You planned to use sleep powder to put the opponent's Pokemon to sleep, use Block to stop them from switching, and then use poison power and leech seed along with other draining attacks till they faint. " Atsumu summarised, knowing that status efforts can be stacked on a Pokemon, such as burn and poison, sleep and paralysis, and more.

" That's right. So why did you do nothing? " Ramos asked. " Tangrowth dodge all attacks and stay alive till the encore wears off. "

" Go nuts. " Atsumu said.

Sableye grinned, looking at Tangrowth who had resolved himself to not faint.

" I had Sableye use Calm Minds while hiding in the shadows, but you knew about that. " Atsumu said.

" I did. It's a perfect time to use them as I can't touch you. " Ramos said.

" But you also didn't switch, meaning you aren't going to use a Pokemon that can attack Sableye while in the shadows. A dark type would be immune to Prankster, but you didn't send any out. Do you have a ghost type instead? Probably. But to have a shot, you used Tangrowth's Chlorophyll to keep Sableye in and use the same strategy. It would have worked if you used Sleep Powder instead of Block. " Atsumu conversed.

Yet while this happened, Sableye had stopped Tangrowths movement with Psychic, the added Calm Minds made it easy for Sableye to launch the Psychic energy fast enough to trap Tangrowth when he was affected by struggle.

Struggle occurs when a Pokemon is unable to use any moves. It can still attack and damage opponents using Struggle, but they, in turn, take damage themselves. Tangrowth is unable to switch out due to Mean Look, forced to use Block because of Encore, but unable to form Sableye using Taunt making sure he can only use attacking moves.

Having Tangrowth in his grasp, Sableye proceeded to decimate him, launching Shadowballs straight at Tangrowths face, one after the other in rapid mode, till Tangrowth was unconscious.

" You are terrifying. " Ramos concluded, chuckling to himself, returning Tangrowth to his Pokeball.

" I try," Atsumu said.

" That's a lie and it wasn't even a good one. " Ramos chuckled, shaking his head. " You're barely trying. Your ability to analyze scenarios, matchups, and what the opponent is going to do is like second nature to you. You haven't been pushed to your limits even once in any of the gym battles you've had here. "

" Is that so? Well, no matter. What's your next Pokemon? " Atsumu asked.

" Trevenant. " Ramos replied, sending in a massive tree with a glowing eye on its trunk, two hulking arms and it standing on multiple legs which are roots. " This is my starter. "

Ramos's Treveant was old, very old, and extremely powerful, exuberating an Aura that was calm yet deadly if you were to against him. Its eyes scanned the field, looking at Sableye with its giant eye, dwarfing Sableye in size. Its one eye showed appreciation for Sablete's strength and Sableye extended the same feeling to Trevenant. Trevenant stared at Atsumu, who stared back in awe and wasn't afraid in the slightest.

Trevenant nodded its head, branches swaying back and forth in delight. Ramos was surprised by Trevenant's reaction. They have lived and seen many people together, yet this was the first time Trevenant had behaved this way with someone, especially when that someone is a ghost-type specialist. They have met other ghost specialists but only Atsumu had Trevenant behave in this manner.

" It seems your quite extraordinary. Trevenant, what happened? " Ramos called out.

Trevenant extended a branch towards Ramos, who touched the branch and was greeted by a surge of emotions from Trevennat. Ramos was surprised, it showed on his face but then smiled, chuckles erupting from his mouth similar to Trevenant moments prior.

" Is something wrong? " Atsumu asked.

" No, nothing is wrong. Trevenant can see the auras of people and Pokemon alike, thus being a great judge of character. He's particularly interested in you, because of how regal your aura is. " Ramos said.

" What? Do mean I can use aura but have been subconsciously this entire time? " Atsumu asked.

"Yes, but not in the way you're thinking. Aura users are different as they can use attacks made out of aura, similar to Pokemon, by training to control their aura. The best example is an Aura Guardian who can learn how to use Aura Sphere. But we aren't aura wielders, so we can't control aura but we do still have it. It's what allows us to speak telepathically, like with Pokemon like with Psychic types, but I use it with Trevenant through physical contact or you with all your ghost types. " Ramos explained.

" That's neat. " Atsumu said, his eyes gleaming with interest. " Then what's so special about mine that Trevenant here has that reaction? "

" It's simply because it's never seen one like yours before. In his eyes, he sees the aura wrapped around you like a cloak fit for a king, though with the crown that's created and put on your head, you are a king. " Ramos said.

" Really? " Atsumu sweatdropped, not believing it. ' Is that really what you see? '

' He's on point, but it only shows up in battle. ' Marshadow said. 'It's really cool when it does. You look awesome. '

' That right. ' Atsumu mused. ' Thanks, Marshadow. '

" Well alright. I thought it was something else entirely. " Atsumu said.

" Don't undersell yourself. Trevenant hasn't seen this kind of aura from anyone else but you before and we've met other champions. " Ramos said seriously. " Though I think that's enough chat, let's finish the battle, shall we? "

" Trevenant, use Ingrain. " Ramos said.

" Sableye, return. " Atsumu said, calling back Sableye and sending in Marshadow as Trevenant finished using Ingrain.

" A Marshadow! Well, it's still a surprise. " Ramos chuckled.

Trevenant and Marshadow stared at one another, tension rising in the air around them. The slightest twitch and the battle begins.

" Branch poke. " Ramos spoke.

Atsumu's eyes widened in awe while Marshadow stayed focused ready to dodge the multiple branches attacking in all directions from the trees surrounding them. Trevenant ingrain forces to stay in one place, but how is it a downside when you can control the vast amount of plants surrounding the battlefield?

Marshadow could sense it clearly, each branch was layered in ghost-type energy, meaning he couldn't phase or try hiding in shadows, a first in its long battling career. Atsumu noted this down and grinned. He wasn't expecting this and it ignited something in him, something which Trevenant could see and thus attacked more.

" Double team. " Atsumu commanded and a multitude of Marshadows appeared on the battlefield, standing at the tree branches. Trevenant stopped its attack, its one eye scanning the Marshadows around him. Ramos could see the same thing as Trevenant, a small root was grabbing his leg after all.

The Marshadows were indistinguishable from one another and each weighed the same amount o the tree branches. The Marshaows moved in tandem, Atsumu hadn't moved his mouth but there was no need to anymore. The opponent they faced could communicate without speaking to each other through speech, so they didn't need to do the same.

Trevenant responded with Wood Hammer, controlling the tree's around them to attack with a more powerful version of Branch Poke. The attacks soared through the air, faster than the eye could see, and destroyed the copies one by one, but it took time as the Marshaow dodged the attacks.

Wood hammer gives the user recoil when used depending on how much damage is dealt to the target, but using Ingrain and using the tree around them instead of Trevenant's own body, the damage from recoil is forced onto the trees which doesn't get harmed by the recoil damage upon contact.

Atsumu could see that getting in close was extremely tough, the use of Wood Hammer created a defense that was impossible for most to get through. Many would have trouble getting through this... with brute force. Trevenant is a ghost type and is controlling a tree using Ingrain to connect itself with the surrounding trees to manipulate.

As the Marshadows were destroyed in less than 10 seconds, the real Marshadow used Spectrial Theif, hiding in the tree connected to Trevenant but was focused on attacking its copies and not on the real Marshadow who tricked him by hiding his energy. Marshadow traveled through the roots towards Trevenant and attacked him.

Trevenant couldn't defend itself as Marshadow invaded his territory, destroying Trevenant's connection to the trees by uprooting him using Spectrial Theif. Once he was out of the ground and in the air, Marshaow used Shadow Punch, slamming Trevenant to the ground, creating a massive shockwave from the impact and a creator where Trevenant laid in.

" Trevenant! " Ramos called out, the connection was severed in that attack.

Trevenant responded, satiating his trainer's worry by feeding him feelings through contact with a branch. Ramos sighed but soon started to chuckle along with Trevenant who was just as happy.

" I wasn't expecting that. " Ramos said, looking at Atsumu who walked over while Marshadow helped Trevenant get up and began conversing with him over their prowess in sensing.

" The battle didn't even last a full minute. " Ramos said.

" true, but this was the first time I've seen something that. That was really scary. " Atsumu said sincerely.

" I'm glad. Trevenant and I come up with it when I was in my Twenties. No one could touch us then and we one battle after battle. You're the first person to actually defeat us when we used this technique. " Ramos said happily.

" Really, but then how did you factor in the fact that tree won't be one every arena? " Atsumu asked. Without trees, this couldn't have worked as well as it did.

" That's simple, we used Forest's Curse. " Ramos answered, as Atsumu's eyes widened. " You've already figured it out, didn't you? "

" That's so cool. " Atsumu gushed, " Forest's Curse creates an illusion that turns the target into a ghost type, but if you use more energy which you can get from Ingrain which heals you by taking in energy from the earth, you can use that energy to power Forest's Curse to make an actual forest of your design while making the opponent weak to every attack. "

" That's right. However, the recoil is non-existent when using actual trees while Forest's Curse doesn't create actual trees, just very life-like trees. That is the very minute difference between the techniques. " Ramos explained.

" That is incredible. " Atsumu said.

" And yet, we're defeated so easily," Ramos said.

" Hey, like you said, don't sell yourself short. I had to use Marshadow over my other Pokemon because if they couldn't get done in the first hit, I doubt there would be a second chance. " Atsumu said.

" Bah, you would find a way. " Ramos waved off before handing Atsumu his badge. " Don't worry about the formalities. It will be taken care of easily. Though I must ask, why do you persist with the gym challenge?

After the first two battles, you've shown that your far above in terms of skill, yet you keep coming. I thought you wouldn't show up. "

" Is that a bad thing? " Atsumu asked, raising an eyebrow.

" No, it is not. The truth is that many strong trainers after having successful journies and doing well in the Pokemon League, slowly battle less and less, focusing on other aspirations. This isn't bad in the slightest, but a testament to their strength. They have grown strong to the point only a battle against another of their skill can excite them. It's why we have steps to challenge the elite four and champion in the first place. You have to show that you're strong enough, that you're worthy, otherwise, it's just a one-sided beatdown. " Ramos explained. " It's why I became a gym leader and still am, even though I could give the current champion a run for her title. I'm doing something I love, raising little saplings, plants, and people alike. "

" Was Tangrowth part of your original team? " Atsumu asked.

" Yes, he is. He is my third-strongest member, yet you beat him easily. " Ramos said with a smile.

Atsumu stayed silent, listening to Ramos's every word. He thought about it and he was right, but he knew the reason why he had to keep going. Besides, he was currently busy with a certain problem of his, but after that, he didn't know, but for now, he said,

" Well, it's because there's someone who I think can give me a challenge in this league as of now. I'll probably win, but the dude is using brand-new Pokemon and has experience in other regions. He's quick-witted, an out-of-the-box problem solver, and has Pokemon who trust him thoroughly to execute those crazy ideas of his. "

" Oh, now that is an excellent reason to keep going. But what will you do tell then? " Ramos asked.

" Solve a problem. " Atsumu said.

" Is that right? Well then, call me if you have any questions. I have plenty of time to spare. " Ramos said.

" Okay. Thank you, Ramos. " Atsumu said, shaking the gym leader's hand with gratitude and respect.

____________________________________________________

Sup.

I'm back! Feels good to release a chapter after a while. Tell me how it was in the comments.

Also, go check out my other fanfic if you haven't already. It's a Jujutsu Kaisen fanfic, something I'm currently enjoying writing. The fanfic is called

Jujutsu Kaisen: Peak Projection

Go check it out, three chapters are already up.

Anyway,

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Have a nice day.