"Whoa, a little critter I've never seen before. You want to challenge me?"
Bugsy's eyes lit up, his interest piqued.
"I've faced plenty of Trainer challengers, but a Pokémon challenging me solo? That's a first. Alright, I'll humor you."
"Let's go, Hitmonchan!"
Unsure of this new Eevee variant's strength, Bugsy thought for a moment and sent out Hitmonchan, a second-tier member of his team, like the Machoke he'd used earlier.
"Mach Punch!"
The instant Hitmonchan landed, it threw a punch.
The fierce gust from the strike even caused a whistling sound in the onlookers' ears.
The punch landed squarely on Umbreon's cheek.
But even so, it didn't send Umbreon flying.
Umbreon's lips curled into a mischievous grin, returning a sly smile to Hitmonchan.
"Bree!"
With a twist of its neck, a spiraling wave of dark energy struck Hitmonchan at near point-blank range.
Dark Pulse!
Hitmonchan crossed its arms in an "X" shape, sustaining some scratches on its body but otherwise unharmed.
Bugsy blinked. "A new type's move, but it doesn't seem very effective against Fighting-type Hitmonchan. Hmm, I should note this down and tell Professor Oak later."
He'd been close friends with Professor Oak's late son and still kept in touch with the professor.
Oak had even mentioned wanting to send his grandson to train with Bugsy when he was old enough.
Umbreon quickly backpedaled.
It thought to itself that this guy's strength wasn't as overwhelming as that purple beast from last night, but its hits were surprisingly painful.
Was this the so-called "type disadvantage"?
If that's the case…
Umbreon's right front claw curled slightly, its tips digging into the sandy floor.
Snap!
With a flick of its paw, Umbreon kicked up a cloud of yellow sand toward Hitmonchan.
Sand Attack, used to obscure the opponent's vision and lower their accuracy!
Hitmonchan instinctively raised its red-gloved hands to shield itself from the sand.
Umbreon's eyes narrowed, its body glowing with white light as it charged forward in an instant.
Quick Attack!
"Hitmonchan, upper left, Fire Punch!"
Though its vision was temporarily blocked, Hitmonchan had a Trainer to guide it.
A skilled Trainer and a skilled Pokémon working together could achieve more than the sum of their parts.
Many Pokémon disobey their Trainers simply because they think their Trainer's commands are subpar compared to their own instincts.
Without hesitation, Hitmonchan's right fist ignited with flames, striking at a 45-degree angle toward the oncoming Umbreon.
"You've got some skill, but without a Trainer, it's hard to unlock your full potential on your own."
As Bugsy said this, Umbreon's forehead was less than five centimeters from the Fire Punch.
Suddenly, Umbreon tilted its head back, unleashing a Dark Pulse toward the ceiling.
"What!?"
Bugsy, Itsuki, and the other spectators gasped.
Using the recoil from the full-power Dark Pulse, Umbreon forcibly changed direction midair.
Hitmonchan's Fire Punch missed completely.
But that wasn't all.
With a boom, the Dark Pulse blasted a hole through the Gym's ceiling.
A shower of debris rained down on Hitmonchan's head.
"Protect!"
Bugsy shouted.
Hitmonchan raised its hands high, striking a pose like a French military salute.
A faint teal energy emanated from its body, forming a translucent, hemispherical shield.
The falling rocks battered the barrier but couldn't break it.
The god-tier move Protect from the games.
While not that godly in reality, for a Gym Leader's Pokémon, blocking mere debris was child's play.
"Hey! It's attacking!"
Itsuki yelled.
From the sidelines, Umbreon, having landed using the Dark Pulse's recoil, charged forward.
Its petite arms bulged with veins, claws clenched like a beast's as it struck.
Feint Attack!
"Bullet Punch!"
As a priority move, Bullet Punch would normally outpace Umbreon's attack.
But since Hitmonchan had just used Protect, it was a beat slower this time.
The two clashed head-on!
Umbreon felt its claws collide with an impossibly hard steel surface, unable to push forward.
"Using the recoil from that dark blast to dodge Hitmonchan's Fire Punch was brilliant. Did you come up with that, or was it your Trainer?"
Bugsy grinned, hands on his hips. "But it's a bit naive. Tell your Trainer to come challenge me. You alone can't beat my Hitmonchan."
Umbreon's eyes hardened.
I'm fighting to keep up with my Trainer's pace—that's why I need to keep getting stronger!
A faint white glow shimmered through Umbreon's jet-black fur once more.
Quick Attack again!
"No dice~ We've got that move too. Bullet Punch."
Hitmonchan's fists gleamed with a silvery, metallic sheen, its feet shuffling in a butterfly step as it closed in on the charging Umbreon.
Then, at the perfect moment, it struck!
Umbreon twisted its head, opening its mouth.
Dark Pulse!
Using the recoil to maneuver midair.
"Hitmonchan, lower right!"
But this time, Bugsy had read Umbreon's trajectory.
Hitmonchan instantly switched moves.
A downward hook punch slammed down!
It connected!
"That move's clever, but in front of a Gym Leader, the same trick won't work twice."
Bugsy advised, "I can tell where you're going by the direction your mouth is facing… hm?"
His words trailed off as he noticed something off.
Looking closely, he saw Umbreon's two front paws and left hind leg were sprawled on the ground.
But its right hind leg was braced against Hitmonchan's fist!
Its small limbs looked noticeably more muscular.
When had it used a boosting move?
In the next instant, Umbreon executed a midair side kick, leaping upward.
Its tail, glowing with a faint silver sheen, whipped hard against Hitmonchan's temple.
Boom!
Hitmonchan was sent flying, crashing into the wall and leaving a massive crater.
"Hitmonchan, you okay?"
Bugsy turned to check.
"Cha~bi~"
Hitmonchan rose from the dust, responding to its Trainer.
Good thing that move wasn't very effective against it.
It didn't hurt too much.
"Was that… a Steel-type move? Did it pick that up from watching Hitmonchan's Bullet Punch after just a few times?"
Like the unclassified Dark type, Steel was a newly documented type recently added to League textbooks.
So Bugsy wasn't sure what to call Umbreon's move.
Thud!
Umbreon's front paws staggered, collapsing to its knees.
It had reached its limit…
"Bree~"
With a deep, piercing look, Umbreon leaped onto the spectator seats, then to a window at the Gym's edge.
It gazed down at the crowd below for a moment before leaping out.
Its Trainer was probably almost back—it couldn't linger more here.
(End of Chapter)