Chapter 232: Gardevoir vs. Spiritomb
"Let's go with a standard 3v3 battle format."
In the training arena, Asahi and Cynthia quickly agreed on the rules.
Compared to the exhausting 6v6 battles or the overly simplistic 1v1, a 3v3 match struck the perfect balance.
Since it was just a friendly match, there was no need for a referee.
Once both were ready, they simultaneously threw their Poké Balls.
Two flashes of white light shot out.
Gardevoir, holding a Psychic Plate, appeared in front of Asahi.
Meanwhile, the Pokémon Cynthia sent out…
In Asahi's line of sight, a Spiritomb stood before Cynthia. Its body was formed from a keystone with a swirling mass of purple spiritual energy hovering around it.
From within that ominous haze, Asahi could faintly see a face composed of glowing green dots.
And he could clearly feel the oppressive aura radiating from Spiritomb.
This sensation was all too familiar…
[Spiritomb, with the Pressure ability.]
While Asahi studied Spiritomb, Cynthia was also sizing up his Gardevoir.
"A shiny Gardevoir?" Cynthia remarked, genuinely impressed. "She's stunning."
Ever since Gardevoir left the Wild Area with Asahi, she had developed a love for reading during her downtime.
Over the years, steeped in literature, she had shed all traces of her old Wild Area 'queen bee' demeanor.
In its place was a refined, graceful elegance.
Having spent so much time with Gardevoir, Asahi was used to this transformation.
But for Cynthia, who was seeing Gardevoir for the first time, the impression was striking.
The last time a Gardevoir had left her this awed… it was Diantha's.
"Garde!"
Hearing Cynthia's praise, Gardevoir shot Asahi a sideways glance, rolling her eyes.
Asahi: "…?"
Why was she giving him the side-eye?
Cynthia was the one who complimented her!
Was Gardevoir upset because he'd been paying too much attention to Mew and Celebi lately, neglecting her?
The thought flickered through Asahi's mind but was quickly dismissed. That could wait—right now, the battle took priority.
Cynthia's Spiritomb was no pushover.
With its Ghost/Dark typing, Spiritomb was almost completely immune to Gardevoir's Psychic-type moves, effectively stripping her of her most powerful arsenal.
Fortunately… Gardevoir still had her Fairy-type attacks.
As Asahi's gaze met Cynthia's in midair, both trainers, having confirmed their readiness, gave their Pokémon the command at nearly the same time.
"Gardevoir, Dazzling Gleam!"
"Spiritomb, Psychic!"
Prepared in advance, Gardevoir gracefully cupped her hands at her chest, sending a beam of pink light shooting towards Spiritomb.
Meanwhile, Spiritomb's body glowed as powerful psychic energy—despite its lack of a Psychic typing—radiated outward like a tangible force, pushing back against Gardevoir's attack.
Boom!
Fairy energy clashed with spiritual power midair, twisting the surrounding air and casting shimmering, rainbow-colored light across the battlefield—a sight so dazzling it would have scored high marks at a Contest.
But Asahi wasn't concerned with aesthetics.
The brief exchange had given him a clearer sense of Spiritomb's strength.
[This opponent won't be easy… Gardevoir, stay sharp.]
He conveyed the message telepathically.
"Garde!"
Gardevoir gave a subtle nod, then took the initiative to attack again.
Letting go of the Psychic Plate floating around her, she allowed it to orbit her body.
A sweet melody flowed from her lips, with pink Fairy energy riding the sound waves, causing Spiritomb to flinch in pain.
Fairy moves were super effective against Spiritomb.
Cynthia remained calm. "Shadow Sneak!"
Before her words had fully left her mouth, Spiritomb vanished.
Seeing this, Asahi reacted without hesitation.
[Gardevoir, use Teleport!]
Flash!
Gardevoir's eyes glowed blue, and in an instant, she disappeared.
Just as she blinked away, Spiritomb re-emerged from the void, slamming a Ghost-powered strike into the ground where Gardevoir had just stood—blasting a crater into the battlefield.
Missing its mark, Spiritomb didn't relent.
Locking onto Gardevoir, who had teleported to the other side of the field, Spiritomb disappeared again without giving her a chance to counter.
Gardevoir, unfazed, swiftly teleported again.
What followed was a chaotic sequence of rapid appearances and disappearances, the two Pokémon locked in a high-speed battle.
On the sidelines, Gary watched closely, hoping to pick up some tricks to use against Asahi later.
But after a while, he gave up…
"So this is what a Champion-level battle looks like?" Ethan muttered in awe.
Though Asahi wasn't officially a Champion, his feats in Johto had long since solidified that status in Ethan's heart.
Sabrina shook her head. "No… this is something only Asahi can do."
As the most powerful psychic in Kanto, Sabrina knew that neither she nor her Alakazam could replicate this level of battle.
Sure, Psychic-types could use Teleport…
But to use it seamlessly, like breathing, dodging every blow with surgical precision—this was a feat only Asahi's Gardevoir seemed capable of.
Who knew how Asahi had trained her to this level?
Recalling a certain… humiliating experience of being hypnotized by Gardevoir, Sabrina felt a twinge of discomfort.
Green, meanwhile, nodded at Sabrina's words. Just as she was about to pull out her phone to record the battle for the archives…
"Huh? When did my phone die…?" Green muttered, baffled.
Hearing this, Sabrina snapped out of her flashback. "Your phone… is dead?"
"Yeah, I swear it had charge before I left…" Green handed her phone to Clefable for a recharge. "I think it's time Asahi requested a batch of Rotom Phones from HQ."
Jotting this down in her notebook, Green didn't notice Sabrina's thoughtful silence.
"So… you didn't get the message I sent you?" Sabrina finally asked.
"What message?" Green looked confused.
Sabrina blinked.
…No wonder Green had been so friendly with Cynthia earlier.
Damn it. Asahi got lucky this time.
Just as Sabrina was about to explain what had happened, the battle took a sudden turn!
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