Chapter 85 Battle against Fatty
"No need. I'll provide you with some pills. As for the money, just pay what you feel is fair. This old man still needs to keep some for emergencies," said the old man. "But I have one condition. First, have a battle with Fatty—three on three. If you win, I'll give you the pills; if you lose, you get nothing."
Ron looked at Fatty. Fatty said with a bitter expression, "Old man, he's a tournament champion! Making Ron fight me is clearly bullying!"
"Didn't you claim your defense is unbeatable? Just give it a try," the old man said, walking outside to an open field.
"I'm counting on you, Fatty," Ron said, patting Fatty's sturdy shoulder.
"Ron, please go easy on me," Fatty replied miserably.
The two of them stood in the clearing. Ron sent out Mienfoo, and Fatty said, "Shuckle, it's up to you."
Looking at Fatty's Shuckle, Ron nodded. Shuckle was a Pokémon of extremes, with defensive stats as high as 230, but both attack stats only at 10, and a pitiful speed of just 5 points. However, if used properly, it could create miracles.
"Shuckle, strike first—use Power Split!" Fatty shouted.
"With that speed, don't talk about striking first. Aura Sphere," Ron commanded.
Mienfoo fired off an Aura Sphere like a Kamehameha wave. The extremely slow Shuckle couldn't dodge at all, directly taking the Aura Sphere head-on. It was super effective, and also interrupted Shuckle's Power Split.
"Shuckle, Gyro Ball!" Fatty shouted.
"Dig to dodge!" Ron responded.
Gyro Ball was a move that became stronger the slower the user was. With Shuckle's mere 5 speed points, this Gyro Ball had explosive power, possibly knocking Mienfoo out in one hit. Therefore, Ron had to make Mienfoo dodge first.
Shuckle instantly started spinning at high speed. Although its movement speed was slow, the rapid airflow created by its rotation indicated just how powerful this move was. Mienfoo quickly dug underground to avoid the attack, not daring to face it head-on.
"This is troublesome. If that hits, Mienfoo will lose its battle ability immediately," Ruby said, frowning.
"Don't worry. He's Ron, after all. He'll definitely find a way," Rosa said confidently.
"Mienfoo, knock it into the sky, then use Drain Punch!" Ron decided to take a gamble.
The rapidly spinning Shuckle was suddenly struck upward into the air. Mienfoo emerged from below, clutching its slightly reddened right hand. It then locked its eyes onto Shuckle, who was descending, rushed to the landing spot, and continuously threw punches. The effect of Drain Punch activated, making Mienfoo increasingly energized. As Ron's teachings of Hidden Force took effect, cracking sounds came from Shuckle's shell, which clearly developed noticeable cracks.
"Shuckle, come back!" Fatty called out in distress as he recalled Shuckle. "Ron, couldn't you go a bit easier?"
Ron scratched his head sheepishly. He realized when battling alongside Mienfoo, it was easy to get carried away, becoming unable to restrain himself.
"I forgot to tell you—Shuckle is my team's food supplier. Now that you've hurt Shuckle, my next two Pokémon are going to be enraged. Snorlax, you're up!" Fatty said.
"Snor!" A clearly overweight Snorlax appeared on the field. Its huge body and thick fat layers made Ron feel like Mienfoo's punches would just sink into it. However, Snorlax's fierce gaze locked onto Mienfoo, leaving no chance for Ron to withdraw it.
How dare you hurt our Shuckle! Unforgivable!!! Snorlax unleashed ten times its usual power, leaping upward and using Body Slam toward Mienfoo.
One could never underestimate a foodie's determination to protect its food. Ron observed the terrifyingly powerful Body Slam and said, "Dodge it, then use High Jump Kick!"
Mienfoo instantly dodged and then jumped above Snorlax, landing a High Jump Kick on Snorlax's back. However, the thick layer of fat absorbed most of the impact. If not for Mienfoo's slight understanding of Hidden Force, it probably wouldn't even have penetrated Snorlax's fatty layer.
"High Horsepower!" Fatty shouted.
Snorlax casually stood up, charging with immense force toward Mienfoo, leaving a deep trail behind it.
"Aura Sphere!" Ron ordered.
Mienfoo quickly formed an Aura Sphere and fired it toward Snorlax. However, it bounced harmlessly off Snorlax's belly, causing only minor damage, practically negligible.
Ron was at a loss. That thick layer of fat was too troublesome, and physical attacks were ineffective.
Physical attacks? Ron suddenly realized something. "U-Turn!"
Having become wealthy, Ron had spent heavily to acquire every TM available. His Pokémon's move coverage was among the most comprehensive in the entire league. Mienfoo performed a U-Turn against Snorlax, who just scratched its belly, barely feeling itchy. Mienfoo was knocked back severely, returning to its Pokéball. Beedrill appeared next.
"Just what I wanted! If physical attacks don't work, let's try piercing attacks!" Ron shouted. "Beedrill, Mega Evolve!"
Ron activated his Mega Evolution, something he hadn't used in a long time. Fatty's Pokémon was strong enough to warrant its use. Mega Beedrill transformed into a flash of light, stabbing Snorlax five times directly on its back.
"Snorlax, reverse Body Slam!" Fatty shouted.
Snorlax immediately tried falling backward, but Mega Beedrill had already flown around to Snorlax's front, stabbing it five more times. A large amount of venom injected through Mega Beedrill's stinger inflicted severe poisoning.
"Damn it, that buzzing around is annoying! Snorlax, use Yawn!" Fatty ordered.
"It's over, Venoshock!" Ron said.
Snorlax yawned, and a sleepy atmosphere spread over the field. But Mega Beedrill's stinger stabbed Snorlax again, detonating the severe poison inside its body, inflicting massive damage and draining the last of Snorlax's health. Soon after, Mega Beedrill fell asleep as well.
"Snorlax, return!" Fatty said. Ron tossed him an antidote, which Fatty gratefully accepted, releasing Snorlax again to cure its poison.
"Ron, you're really strong. But my years of travel weren't for nothing. This is my ace—don't assume I can only defend! Slaking, you're up!" Fatty declared, recalling Snorlax and sending out his ace, Slaking.
"Then it's your turn. Togepi," Ron called.
An adorable Togepi appeared in the clearing. It was the male of the two Togepi he'd hatched, the other having been given to Lillie. Rosa and Ruby shivered involuntarily at the sight of Togepi.
If there was one Pokémon on Ron's team they least wanted to face, Togepi was definitely one of them. This Togepi was simply too lucky. Battling against Togepi was like experiencing both physical and mental punishment.
"Togepi, Metronome!" Ron smiled, inwardly rejoicing at finally experiencing what it felt like to be extremely lucky.
"Here it comes," Ruby and Rosa helplessly thought.
Metronome was a unique move that could randomly select and execute any move—yes, any move! It was completely luck-based: if you had good luck, you'd get a god-tier move; if your luck was bad… well, that's another story.
Togepi finished waving its finger, and a black hole appeared, engulfing Slaking. It was Darkrai's Dark Void! Slaking immediately fell asleep.
Fatty's mouth twitched uncontrollably. Why did Togepi's move come out so quickly?! Ron laughed mischievously, deciding not to tell Fatty he had given Togepi a Quick Claw.
"Togepi, keep using Metronome!" Ron laughed.
Togepi happily smiled and waved its finger again. But this joyful smile made Fatty tremble in fear!