Chapter 94: Who In The World Allowed You To Become A Gym Leader

"Just answer me, does Drapion have the Dark type or not?"

Hearing this question from Dylan, Blue was stunned.

"You!" Blue's eyes widened. Yes, Drapion does indeed have the Dark type.

But isn't Toxic Spikes part of a Poison-type strategy? Where's your Dark-type trainer pride? How can you call yourself a Dark-type specialist like this?

"Gentleman Blue, utilizing the moves and type combinations a Pokémon knows is an important part of battle. You can't say that just because I'm using a Dark-type team, I can't use moves of other types, right?" Dylan spread his hands and smiled.

"I think your mindset is a bit problematic."

Dylan pretended to sigh.

Blue was speechless. What Dylan said wasn't wrong, and Blue didn't know how to argue back.

"Fine, fine!" Blue let out a frustrated laugh, although it looked more like a dry smile.

"Arcanine, use Flamethrower!"

Damn it! Today, he's definitely going to crush this gym leader! Even though Dylan made sense, Blue was still furious!

He has to win! He must win!

Arcanine gathered intense flames in its mouth, and a scorching Flamethrower shot toward Drapion.

"Cross Poison," Dylan said with a light chuckle.

Drapion let out a growl, and its pincers glowed with a purple light as a sharp cross-shaped energy blade sliced through the air.

Boom!

The Cross Poison clashed violently with the Flamethrower in midair, dark purple energy colliding fiercely with the red flames.

But soon, the Cross Poison overpowered the Flamethrower, advancing steadily.

With Arcanine's Special Attack having been lowered earlier, it couldn't match Drapion in a direct confrontation anymore.

Realizing this, Blue's expression darkened. This Drapion is incredibly strong!

"Arcanine, dodge!" Blue immediately ordered.

The Flamethrower couldn't hold off the Cross Poison any longer, and continuing to push would be futile.

Arcanine quickly tried to sidestep, but just as it moved, the menacing purple poison spikes already seeped into its body.

The layer of Toxic Spikes had activated!

With a grim expression, Blue watched as Arcanine winced in pain, unable to move immediately.

Boom!

The Cross Poison slammed into Arcanine, exploding on impact. Arcanine was sent flying and crashed into the ground.

"Damn it!"

Blue's brow furrowed. The Toxic Spikes on the field were a perfect counter to Arcanine's agility. He should've cleared the field first, but Arcanine was trapped by Mean Look and couldn't switch out.

"Drapion, Pursuit!" Dylan's smile deepened.

Drapion dashed forward at a speed that belied its large frame, its tail glowing with a dark energy as it struck out.

A Dark-type Pursuit! If the opponent has just been attacked, Pursuit's power doubles!

"Arcanine!" Blue's expression tensed.

Arcanine painfully leapt into the air, its body glowing white—its Extreme Speed, previously sealed by Disable, had finally been freed!

Bam!

Pursuit slammed into the spot where Arcanine had just been, but it had managed to dodge. However, now in the air, Arcanine had become a sitting duck.

"Cross Poison!"

"Lonng~!"

Drapion roared and crossed its pincers, sending another sharp purple energy blade hurtling through the air.

Boom!

Cross Poison struck Arcanine again, sending it crashing down from the sky.

"Ugh!" Blue gritted his teeth in frustration.

The situation had become dire. Even though Poison-type moves aren't super effective against Arcanine, repeated hits were taking their toll.

"Drapion, Earthquake!"

Drapion's tail raised high and slammed into the ground.

"Arcanine, Roar!" Without hesitation, Blue shouted his command.

Ground-type Earthquake would be super effective against Arcanine, and if it landed, who knows if Arcanine could withstand it.

Plus, this Drapion is very strong. Arcanine wasn't having an easy time dealing with it.

Arcanine struggled to lift its head and let out an intimidating Roar. A wave of near-physical sound energy surged outward, catching Drapion off guard and forcing it to retreat.

The Normal-type Roar! It could force the opponent to switch out, bringing a random Pokémon into battle.

"Lonng!!"

Drapion glared angrily at Arcanine. It had just started getting into the fight! How could Arcanine do this?! Drapion mentally cursed, hoping that it wouldn't pull out a troublesome teammate.

But under Roar's forced effect, Drapion reluctantly returned to Dylan's Pokéball, despite its frustration.

Whew~

Both Blue and the spectators, including Gary, breathed a sigh of relief. Roar had worked. If the Earthquake had landed, it would've been disastrous.

However…

In the next moment, one of the Pokéballs on Dylan's belt opened by itself. A flash of white light revealed a dark-colored Pokémon floating in front of Dylan, looking confusedly between Arcanine and Dylan.

Dylan blinked, then gave Blue a strange look.

Blue stared at the unfamiliar black Pokémon, slowly widening his eyes as he recognized it.

In the audience, Gary fell silent as he looked down at the entry in his Pokédex.

Selene: (—)

The Receptionist: Pfft~

"Mr. Blue, it seems you hit the jackpot," Dylan said, somewhat sheepishly.

The Pokémon that had been randomly switched in by Roar was none other than Darkrai.

Dylan hadn't originally planned on using Darkrai, even though he counted it as part of his Dark-type team. Though Darkrai wasn't as powerful as some of his other Pokémon, it was still a Mythical Pokémon.

And the inherent strength of Mythical Pokémon was something else entirely. Even fully grown pseudo-legendary Pokémon couldn't match Darkrai at the same level.

This was the reality of natural-born superiority—legendary Pokémon are blessed by the heavens.

Of course, that didn't mean ordinary Pokémon couldn't defeat legends. It always depended on training, strategy, battle type, and other factors.

A battle's outcome was never determined by raw power alone... well, except when the strength gap was too vast.

You couldn't expect a Caterpie to go up against its distant relative, Mega Rayquaza, right?

Blue: "..."

Blue glared at the nightmarish Darkrai in front of him. He really wanted to ask Dylan something.

Are you serious? Are you out of your mind? Why would you bring a Darkrai to a gym battle against a challenger?! Isn't this supposed to be a pure Dark-type team? Oh, right, Darkrai is a Dark-type.

But still, my Arcanine may be classified as a Legendary Pokémon, but it's not an actual legend, okay? And you're battling it with a Mythical Pokémon? Who in the world allowed you to become a gym leader?! With talent like yours, you should be challenging the League, making a name for yourself, not terrorizing gym challengers!

The gym fell into an awkward silence.

"Mr. Blue, aren't you going to attack?" Dylan asked, curious.

If you don't attack, I will. After all, you're the one who pulled out this Darkrai.

"Hehehe..." Blue's face twitched at Dylan's words, and he shot Arcanine a death glare. Just look at the mess you've gotten us into!

Arcanine looked pitifully back at him—it was only following orders!

"No matter! I'm Blue of the Oak family! So what if it's a Darkrai? That's nothing to worry about!"

Blue took a deep breath, calming himself down, constantly reminding himself to stay focused.

I'm going to be the Champion of Kanto! A mere Darkrai is no big deal! That's right, the Pokémon I train are just as strong as any legendary! I will become the best!

With that inner pep talk, Blue regained his confidence and stood tall, facing Darkrai.

"Arcanine, Extreme Speed!" Blue commanded with renewed vigor.

Arcanine crouched low, eyes fierce, as a white light flared behind it, signaling the priority move, Extreme Speed! But just as Arcanine dashed forward two meters, it froze, its body surrounded by a deep purple glow—Toxic Spikes had taken effect!

Blue frowned, realizing he had forgotten about the poison.

"Darkrai, Dark Pulse!"

Darkrai floated toward Arcanine, its shadowy claws flickering with black energy that danced between its fingers. With a flick of its right hand, a wave of dark energy shot toward Arcanine.

Dark-type Dark Pulse! Boom!

The Dark Pulse struck Arcanine hard, creating a shockwave as Arcanine cried out in pain, sent flying backward.

But before Arcanine could even hit the ground, Darkrai, now close, swung its left hand, unleashing another wave of Dark Pulse.

Another Dark Pulse!

"Arcanine!" Blue gasped.

Boom!

Arcanine hadn't even landed before the second Dark Pulse hit it, causing another powerful explosion. Dust filled the air as the shockwave spread.

Darkrai calmly retreated back to Dylan's side, its white hair flowing like mist, radiating an eerie, elegant, and terrifying aura.

As the dust settled, Arcanine lay on the ground, its eyes swirling in defeat.

"Arcanine is unable to battle. Darkrai wins."

The referee announced the result of the battle.

"Yay! Darkrai is so cool! Hehe~" Selene's eyes sparkled with admiration as she gazed dreamily at Darkrai in the arena, practically drooling over it.

How can a Darkrai be this cool and adorable at the same time?!

"Hee~ Mr. Gary, Arcanine's down too," The Receptionist teased, smiling mischievously at Gary.

"..." Gary was lost in deep thought.

On the battlefield.

Blue withdrew Arcanine, staring at it for a long moment before lifting his gaze back to Darkrai with a frown.

Its speed and power were impressive, and it could float. This wasn't going to be easy…

"As expected of a legendary Pokémon, it's as strong as they say."

Blue calmly adjusted his black shirt, giving his evaluation.

"Thanks for the compliment. I hadn't planned on using Darkrai, but given the current situation… things are a bit special," Dylan said with a smile, gesturing to Blue.

"Let's see how you handle my Darkrai, Mr. Blue."

Blue's expression darkened immediately. He really wished he knew how to handle this Darkrai right now!

(End of chapter)