Chapter 185: Arcanine Vs. Haunter

"If Rival is Arcanine, it shouldn't be a problem to use Wartortle to fight." Misty, standing next to Brock, was slightly relieved after seeing Gary send out Arcanine because Ash had Wartortle.

Brock thought for a while, then nodded. Facing the Fire-type Arcanine, Wartortle was naturally the best choice.

"Haunter, it's up to you!" But to their surprise, the Pokémon Ash sent out wasn't Wartortle, which had a type advantage, but Haunter!

The white light dissipated, and Haunter, like a black shadow, stood opposite Arcanine, with a strange smile on his face, looking quite eerie.

Seeing Haunter's appearance, Gary's expression changed unpredictably, and he looked at Ash with uncertain eyes. He didn't know whether Ash sent Haunter by chance or had a specific strategy in mind.

"Haunter?!" Misty couldn't help exclaiming in a low voice when she saw Ash send out Haunter. It didn't mean that Haunter wasn't strong enough, but there were better choices. Why did Ash forgo Wartortle and choose Haunter instead?

"I understand!" But Brock immediately understood what was going on after thinking for a while. Misty didn't have enough experience and knowledge, so she didn't think it through. But as a breeder, he had extensive knowledge about Pokémon and understood the situation.

"Although Arcanine is a Fire-type Pokémon, it can learn a very powerful move." Seeing Misty's puzzled eyes, Brock explained.

"And this move is Extreme Speed! When Growlithe evolves into Arcanine, most Arcanines acquire the Extreme Speed move through genetic inheritance, and Extreme Speed is a Normal-type move!" Brock understood Ash's intention and couldn't help but show a look of surprise.

In just a short moment, the Pokémon to fight was determined, and in the case of Wartortle, this kind of decision was incredibly decisive and sharp!

"Extreme Speed....So that's it!" Misty understood after a little thought, and she looked at Ash with even more admiration.

"Come on, don't waste time!" Although Brock's explanation was brief, a few seconds had passed, and Gary urged impatiently when he saw Brock's delay in announcing the start.

"Sorry!" Brock quickly apologized to Gary, then coughed, cleared his throat, and announced loudly, "The battle—start!"

"Roar——!" A huge roar came from Arcanine's mouth, and the sound waves, visible to the naked eye, quickly spread and passed by Haunter, but Haunter, who was within the sound waves, still maintained a weird smile.

If it weren't for the blue flames flickering down from its body, indicating that Intimidate had taken effect, Haunter's performance would even make people wonder if it hadn't been affected at all.

"Arcanine, rush over and use Crunch!" After using Intimidate, Gary immediately ordered Arcanine to launch an attack!

Although without the boost of Extreme Speed, Arcanine's speed wasn't slow. It quickly ran towards Haunter and simultaneously stimulated Dark-type energy, condensing it into a pair of huge brown energy fangs in front of it, which looked terrifying!

Crunch was a Dark-type move and had the ability to counter Ghost-types. If Haunter were hit, it would suffer double damage from the type disadvantage. Not to mention, Arcanine was a Pokémon known for its physical attacks.

"Haunter, Phantom Force." Ash ordered Haunter to move unwaveringly and chose Phantom Force!

"Shhh!" Haunter let out a strange laugh, and Ghost-type energy was stimulated, forming a black hole behind him. It retreated slowly and entered the black hole, disappearing.

Arcanine arrived too late and fiercely bit the air where Haunter had been. Seeing that Haunter was nowhere to be seen, it became vigilant and kept looking around.

Gary also focused his eyes, staring at Arcanine's surroundings. If there were any movements, he would remind Arcanine as soon as possible.

"Haunter, Shadow Ball!" But before Haunter launched the second attack of Phantom Force on Arcanine, Ash gave the order again, and even Gary, who was a hundred meters away, heard it in the empty and silent wilderness.

"What?!" Gary was taken aback and quickly looked around, but he didn't find Haunter's figure. However, he seemed to think of something in the next moment, suddenly looked up into the air, and was shocked to find that Haunter had appeared above Arcanine at some point!

"Sssss..." Haunter gathered his hands in front of him, and the Ghost-type energy that hadn't dissipated from Phantom Force gathered between his hands, forming a high-compression energy ball. He aimed it at Arcanine directly below and shot it out!

"Get out of the way, Arcanine!" Although Gary's reaction was a bit slow, he still reminded Arcanine in time.

"Whoosh!" Although Arcanine didn't know where Haunter's attack came from, it jumped to the left without hesitation after receiving the order, narrowly dodging the Shadow Ball's frontal attack.

"Boom!" The Shadow Ball hit the ground and caused an explosion. The blast reached Arcanine, and although it didn't cause complete damage, it still reduced Arcanine's physical strength!

Arcanine, thrown off balance, landed on its limbs and slid on the ground for several meters. After shedding the force of the impact, it looked solemnly at Haunter, who was slowly descending in mid-air.

"...~How about it? Didn't expect that?" Ash didn't rush to attack but showed off to Gary like a child showing off his toys. This was the attacking routine he had developed with Haunter.

Using the ability of Phantom Force to enter a different space and appear from other places, but instead of using Phantom Force to attack, Haunter used its energy to condense a Shadow Ball. This not only maximized Haunter's powerful special attack and Ghost-type strength but also allowed for quicker attacks!

"Phantom Force... Logically speaking, Haunter shouldn't be able to learn this move, but everything is possible..." Gary didn't answer Ash's question. He stared closely at Haunter, recalling what had just happened.

He found that Ash was more flexible and creative in using moves than he was. It wasn't impossible to use offensive moves for defense!

This inspired Gary to a certain extent. Although he wasn't entirely clear about it, he had already thought of a tactic to make Arcanine invincible in this battle!

"I really want to thank you, Ash!" A smile appeared on Gary's serious face. He clenched his right fist and issued an order to Arcanine, "Arcanine, use Extreme Speed, approach Haunter, and then use Crunch!"

"Woof!" Although it was the first time it heard such an order, Arcanine executed it without hesitation. Normal-type energy surged, and a white translucent aura enveloped its entire body!

Like a gust of wind, Arcanine disappeared on the spot, and in the next moment, it appeared on its way, rapidly approaching Haunter. This was the speed that only gods could achieve... Extreme Speed!

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