Chapter 195: Slowpoke vs. Psyduck
Under the mutual effects of Confuse Ray, both Starmie and Gengar were teetering on the brink, yet both persisted—though Starmie technically had no teeth to grit.
In the end, Misty was the first to make a move.
"Starmie, Bubble Beam!"
At her command, Starmie's core gem glowed, releasing a flurry of translucent bubbles toward Gengar.
The bubbles shot forward, refracting the light from Confuse Ray, creating an oddly dazzling effect.
"Using Bubble Beam to counter Confuse Ray? Not a bad idea…" Asahi praised.
Gengar, seeing the bubbles approach, didn't take any chances and floated upward to dodge.
"Starmie, keep up the attack!"
Seeing that Asahi's Gengar chose to evade rather than counterattack, Misty pressed forward.
Soon, the entire battlefield was filled with floating bubbles as Gengar zipped around to avoid them.
"Misty seems to be gaining the upper hand!"
Seeing this, Ash cheered for her.
But Brock remained skeptical.
"Even though Gengar looks cornered, Starmie still hasn't landed a decisive hit…"
That was the key issue.
Despite appearing dominant, Starmie hadn't managed to deal any critical damage.
Thanks to its ability to float, Gengar dodged most of the attacks. Even when hit by a few stray bubbles, the damage was negligible.
Rather than Starmie overwhelming Gengar, it was actually Gengar subtly exhausting Starmie's stamina.
Misty quickly realized this as well.
At this rate, Starmie would tire itself out before Gengar even took significant damage.
She promptly changed tactics. "Starmie, Psychic!"
Gengar might dodge Bubble Beam, but it wouldn't be able to escape Psychic!
As Starmie's core gem flickered with energy, charging up Psychic, Asahi suddenly spoke.
"The distance is just right."
The moment he said that, a dark aura of malice erupted from Gengar, radiating toward Starmie.
At the same time, Starmie unleashed Psychic.
The two invisible forces clashed—
And Psychic was instantly overpowered.
Under the pressure of Dark Pulse, Starmie's body stiffened.
"Not good! Starmie flinched!"
Brock immediately recognized the problem.
So that was Asahi's plan all along—luring Starmie in until it was within Dark Pulse's effective range!
Sensing Starmie's hesitation, Misty shouted, "Starmie, snap out of it!"
"Psy!"
Even Psyduck joined in, though it clearly had no idea what it was saying.
Misty's encouragement was well-intended, but Asahi wasn't going to give Starmie the chance to recover.
"Gengar, finish it—Shadow Ball!"
"Gengaa~!"
Cackling mischievously, Gengar formed a Shadow Ball and hurled it forward.
At such close range, it was impossible for Starmie to dodge in time.
Boom!
The attack struck directly at Starmie's core, erupting in a burst of ghostly energy that engulfed it.
But Gengar didn't stop there—it dove straight into the lingering smoke.
Through the dissipating haze, the sounds of battle rang out.
Finally—
"Gengaa~!"
Gengar flipped midair, struck a triumphant pose, and laughed.
On the ground, Starmie lay motionless—completely knocked out.
Brock took a quick look before making the official call.
"Starmie is unable to battle! Gengar wins!"
"…I lost?"
Misty couldn't believe how easily she had been defeated.
Gengar barely looked injured at all.
Had she been too overconfident?
Maybe she should have waited for the League to lift Cerulean Gym's suspension on its own…
Feeling conflicted, she recalled Starmie. Now she had to decide who to send out next.
But if her strongest Pokémon had lost, what chance did her others stand?
With a sigh, Misty resigned herself and reached for the Poké Ball containing Staryu—
But before she could throw it, Psyduck suddenly dashed onto the battlefield.
"Psyduck!"
Seeing it run forward, Misty was about to call it back.
But then she hesitated.
If even Starmie couldn't win, did it really matter whether she used Staryu or Psyduck?
"…Fine. You can battle."
"Psy!" Psyduck's eyes lit up with excitement.
And then—
Asahi suddenly withdrew Gengar, returning it to his shadow.
He pulled out another Poké Ball.
"?"
Misty and Psyduck both looked confused.
Asahi met Misty's puzzled gaze and smirked. "3-on-3 doesn't prohibit switching Pokémon, does it?"
With that, he tossed the Poké Ball, and—
A Slowpoke appeared on the field, lazily lying on the ground.
Now, on one side stood a Psyduck clutching its head, and on the other, a Slowpoke sprawled out blankly.
"Slow~"
"Psy?"
The two Pokémon stared at each other.
Is this… a battle of clueless Pokémon?
That thought simultaneously crossed everyone's mind.
Misty, however, felt grateful toward Asahi.
In her eyes, he was going easy on her.
Maybe he wasn't actually targeting Cerulean Gym after all…
But… was Asahi really holding back?
Green, who knew Asahi well, didn't think so.
If he had wanted to go easy, he wouldn't have let Gengar defeat Starmie so decisively.
Had Asahi heard her thoughts, he would have laughed.
Of course, he wasn't going easy.
He had chosen Slowpoke for one reason only—
This was the perfect chance to test its training progress.
Its performance in this battle would determine his next training plan.
Feeling Asahi's evaluating gaze, Slowpoke shivered and snapped to full attention, staring at Psyduck with 120% focus.
"The second match begins!"
At Brock's announcement, both Slowpoke and Psyduck locked eyes.
Sparks flew.
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