Normal-type?
Seeing the attribute Wallace had drawn, Cynthia and Steven both fell into thought.
Among all the Pokémon types, Normal was generally considered one of the most unremarkable.
While it was immune to Ghost-type moves, Ghost-types were also immune to Normal-type attacks.
It had no type advantages but was resisted by both Rock and Steel-types. Fighting-types outright countered it.
In summary, in terms of both offensive and defensive capabilities, "mediocre" was the best way to describe it.
And as for experts in Normal-type Pokémon?
Cynthia and Steven thought for a moment. Were there any well-known trainers in the world who specialized in Normal-types?
There was one—Norman, the Gym Leader of Petalburg City. As far as Steven knew, Norman was actually an Elite Four-level trainer and one of Hoenn's Elite Four candidates.
But aside from Norman, Steven couldn't think of anyone else.
"Then I'll act as the referee."
Golden hair swayed gently as Cynthia elegantly walked to the center of the battlefield, her gaze sweeping across Dylan and Wallace, who had taken their positions.
"The Rota Gym challenge match will now begin. The challenger is Wallace from the Hoenn region."
"The battle format will be 5v5. Gym Leader Dylan will send out his Pokémon first and cannot switch Pokémon. If all five of his Pokémon are defeated, the challenger will be declared the winner."
"The battle begins."
Cynthia gave a slight bow to both of them before gracefully stepping back to the sidelines.
"As expected of Miss Cynthia—such a professional match announcement."
Wallace's handsome face lit up with a perfect smile, exuding elegance and nobility.
"Indeed, but this is our time now, Wallace."
Dylan nodded and smiled.
"Since this is your first time challenging my Gym, let me introduce myself properly."
Dylan casually loosened the collar of his shirt. His movements were slow and refined.
"I am Dylan, the leader of the Rota Gym and a multi-type trainer. Today, I will be using a Normal-type team against you."
"Wallace, have you studied Normal-type Pokémon? Do you have experience battling against them?"
Dylan put on a pair of black gloves, tilting his head slightly as he looked at Wallace.
"No worries. Today, you will experience a new kind of Normal-type Pokémon."
"They may be called 'Normal,' but they are anything but. Wallace, I hope you'll appreciate their strength."
Oh~!
Wallace's eyes sparkled. What an excellent opening!
The gestures, the tone—everything had such style!
Yes, as the Hoenn Champion, Wallace fully approved of Dylan's flair.
"My first Pokémon will be this one!"
Dylan enlarged the Poké Ball in his hand and tossed it out with a smooth motion.
"Smeargle! Get ready for battle!"
A flash of white light revealed a Smeargle standing on two legs in front of Dylan.
"Smeargle?"
Wallace blinked in surprise. Hardly anyone used Smeargle in battle.
Or rather, from the time he became a trainer until now, Wallace had rarely—if ever—seen anyone use Smeargle as a core team member.
Most people simply kept Smeargle as a pet, primarily because its overall battle strength was incredibly low.
Sure, its Sketch move was an interesting gimmick, but that was about it.
"A Smeargle, huh? I wonder what moves Dylan had it Sketch."
Steven was very curious.
"Rotom Pokédex, could you analyze it for us?" Cynthia was equally intrigued.
"Of course, Roto!" Rotom Pokédex immediately responded.
"Beep~ Smeargle, Normal-type, the Painter Pokémon.
Ability: Moody
Moves: Sketch, Wicked Torque, Dark Void, Sacred Fire (Ho-Oh), Shadow Sneak, Fire Pledge, Plasma Fists, Fake Out, Parting Shot…
Description: The liquid secreted from the tip of its tail changes color depending on Smeargle's emotions."
As Rotom Pokédex finished listing Smeargle's moves, both Steven and Cynthia's expressions shifted dramatically.
Steven's mouth slowly fell open.
What… what was this?
What had he just heard?
The first few moves already made no sense, but the ones at the end—none of them were remotely normal!
"What kind of monster Smeargle is this…"
Steven couldn't help but voice his thoughts.
Now he fully understood what Dylan had meant earlier when he said, 'They may be called Normal, but they are anything but.'
Cynthia, too, was looking at Smeargle differently now. If she had to describe it, it was as if she were staring at some sort of freakish anomaly.
"Then I'll use this one."
On the battlefield, Wallace was unaware of Steven and Cynthia's reactions. After some thought, he gracefully opened his Poké Ball.
"Ludicolo!"
Ludicolo leaped into the battlefield, its round, plump body bouncing slightly. Its expression remained cheerful and carefree.
A very upbeat and positive Pokémon.
By now, a large crowd had gathered around the battle arena—after all, Lumiose City had plenty of residents.
"Oh~ isn't that Champion Wallace?"
"And Steven is here too! That must be Sinnoh's Champion Cynthia, right? And the guy battling Wallace is Gym Leader Dylan from Kanto—the one the Hoenn League mentioned in their announcement!"
"This is amazing! We get to see Champion Wallace battle! And Dylan is really handsome too!"
"Wait, is this a Gym challenge? A Champion challenging a Gym Leader? I've never seen that before!"
The spectators whispered among themselves, remaining respectful so as not to disrupt the match.
Neither Dylan nor Wallace paid much attention—public battles like this were routine for them.
Among the crowd, a slender, fair-skinned girl with bright eyes curiously observed Dylan and Wallace's battle.
"The challenger gets the first move." Dylan gestured toward Wallace.
"Then I won't hold back."
Wallace didn't hesitate. He had been a Gym Leader himself, so he understood Gym battle rules well.
Wallace raised his hand elegantly.
"Ludicolo, Fake Out!"
"Fake Out."
Dylan chuckled and gave the same command.
Ludicolo and Smeargle charged toward each other at high speed—both using the Normal-type move Fake Out.
Wallace was slightly surprised. Smeargle Sketched Fake Out too?
Slap!
Ludicolo and Smeargle swung their palms simultaneously.
A crisp smack rang through the air.
But it was Ludicolo that was hit first!
Ludicolo clutched its cheek, momentarily stunned, and took two unsteady steps backward.
Wallace's beautiful eyebrows furrowed slightly. Smeargle's speed was actually faster than his Ludicolo's?
Dylan wasn't surprised. Smeargle's base stats were terrible, but its speed was one of its least terrible stats.
Coincidentally, Ludicolo's speed was even lower than Smeargle's.
That was why Smeargle had landed Fake Out first.
"Dark Void."
Taking advantage of Ludicolo's flinch, Dylan gave his next command.
Dark Void?
Wallace was momentarily caught off guard. What kind of move was that?
Smeargle twirled its paintbrush-like tail, gathering dark energy that swirled into a pitch-black sphere before launching it at Ludicolo.
Ludicolo had just recovered from its flinch, but Dark Void was incredibly fast!
Smeargle had practiced this Fake Out into Dark Void combo countless times—its execution was flawless.
Just as Ludicolo stepped forward, the black sphere engulfed it completely, eerie and silent.
"What is that move???"
Wallace was stunned. He had never seen it before! Where had Smeargle Sketched this from?
As the black sphere faded, Ludicolo reappeared… fast asleep, snoring loudly.
Wallace: "…"
"That was Darkrai's signature move, Dark Void. It puts opponents to sleep." Dylan explained with a smile.
Wallace's eyelid twitched.
So it was a Mythical Pokémon's exclusive move…
Smeargle's body briefly glowed white before dimming again—that was its Moody ability activating.
Its speed increased by two stages, while its physical attack dropped by one.
"Are you going to switch it out?"
Wallace hesitated. His Ludicolo did know Sleep Talk, but that move was unpredictable.
Then again, Ludicolo's defenses were decent. Smeargle's attack power wasn't great—how much damage could it really do?
And besides…
He had Sleep Talk.
"Ludicolo, use Sleep Talk!" Wallace decided.
Ludicolo suddenly jolted upright, eyes still shut tight, but energy gathered in its mouth.
It was using Hydro Pump!
"Dodge it. Use Freeze-Dry." Dylan chuckled.
Smeargle swiftly dodged Ludicolo's Hydro Pump and spun its tail, forming an icy-blue energy sphere.
Ice-type Freeze-Dry!
"Ludicolo!" Wallace's expression changed.
Freeze-Dry. An Ice-type move specifically designed to counter Water-types. Normally, Ice moves weren't very effective against Water-types.
But Freeze-Dry was different—it was super effective against Water-types. And Ludicolo was a Water/Grass Pokémon.
That meant Freeze-Dry neutralized Ludicolo's resistance to Ice—and since Grass was already weak to Ice…
Freeze-Dry was quadruple effective against Ludicolo!
A frigid blast of ice shot forward, striking the sleeping Ludicolo directly.
Under the intense frost, Ludicolo let out a pained groan. Smeargle's Special Attack wasn't great, but with a 4× effectiveness multiplier, the damage was substantial.
"Return, Ludicolo."
Without hesitation, Wallace recalled his still-sleeping Ludicolo. He hadn't expected Dylan to have his Smeargle Sketch Freeze-Dry as well.
Steven, on the other hand, really wanted to tell Wallace something—
That Smeargle in front of him? It was basically a living move encyclopedia.
And it had plenty of bizarre, almost nonsensical moves.
"I underestimated your Smeargle, Dylan."
Wallace stared at the seemingly harmless Smeargle, his usually elegant expression turning serious.
Who would have thought that this little guy would cause so much trouble for his Ludicolo?
But no matter.
This time, he was getting serious!
"Let's continue." Dylan smiled, gesturing for the match to proceed. This is just getting started.
"Gyarados! It's your turn!"
Wallace, as graceful as ever, released his second Pokémon.
ROOAAR!!
With a deafening roar, a massive, menacing Gyarados landed in front of Wallace, exuding overwhelming presence.
Wallace's ace Gyarados—a Pokémon of incredible strength.
Intimidate!
Gyarados let out a deep, rumbling growl, unleashing an invisible pressure that instantly lowered Smeargle's Attack by one stage.
But just as quickly, Smeargle's body shimmered with white light before fading—it was Moody activating again.
This time, its Special Attack increased by two stages, while its Defense decreased by one.
At this point, Smeargle's stat changes were:
Attack -2Special Attack +2Defense -1Speed +2
"Dylan, my Gyarados is much stronger than Ludicolo!"
Wallace had regained his confidence, giving a commanding gesture toward Gyarados.
"Gyarados! Use a dazzling Aqua Tail!"
Gyarados let out a mighty roar, its massive tail enveloped in a swirling torrent of water as it charged at Smeargle. As it swung, droplets of water scattered beautifully in the air.
After all, Wallace was also a master-class Pokémon Coordinator—he always believed himself to be an artist of water.
"Aqua Tail, huh?"
Dylan raised an eyebrow, briefly considering his options for defensive moves.
Fire Pledge, Baneful Bunker, Spiky Shield…
"Fire Pledge."
In the end, Fire Pledge seemed like the best choice—after all, his opponent was a Gyarados.
Smeargle swung its tail, summoning raging red flames that surged up to form a protective barrier around itself.
This Fire Pledge had been Sketched from Reshiram's Blue Flare.
"What is this?" Wallace was briefly stunned before his brows furrowed.
He had a bad feeling about this.
This flame-like Protect move…
BOOM!!
Gyarados's Aqua Tail smashed against the Fire Pledge barrier with a loud impact. Water clashed violently against the flames, but the flames held firm.
And then—
Like a creeping curse, the flames clung to Gyarados's tail, burning their way into its body.
Gyarados instinctively recoiled, but before it could escape completely—
FOOM!!
Suddenly, its entire body erupted in flames. Gyarados let out a pained, guttural roar.
Wallace's face darkened instantly.
No doubt about it—Gyarados was burned!
And Gyarados was a pure physical attacker—getting burned was almost as bad as being knocked out.
"Dylan…"
Wallace's expression twitched as he gritted his teeth.
"Hmm? Wallace, you don't recognize this move? Fire Pledge is an exclusive move of Reshiram. Any Pokémon that comes into contact with it is inflicted with a burn."
Dylan smiled as he explained.
"I figured as much, but…"
Wallace's usual beautiful, refined face was now frozen in an awkward half-smile—one that looked way too forced.
Wallace is so unlucky…
Steven felt genuine sympathy for his best friend.
But this was also really entertaining.
First, Ludicolo fell asleep. Now, Gyarados was burned.
Both of them were essentially out of commission before they could do anything.
In the blink of an eye, Wallace had effectively lost two of his strongest Pokémon…
And the worst part?
Neither of them had even landed a single hit on that stupid dog!
"You're using a Normal-type team, right? Then why the hell hasn't your Smeargle used a single Normal-type move??"
Dark Void, Fire Pledge—these moves were way too annoying!
Was this thing even legal?!
PS: First update, first update!
(End of Chapter)