Chapter Forty-Five: The Resolute Warrior and the Formidable Opponent

After Zhao Fang selected his opponent, the hotel staff quickly led him to a specially prepared room. Opposite him stood the challenger—a man with a solid, muscular build.

“Now, we will determine tonight’s ownership of the room in battle. The match will follow the League tournament rules: each Pokémon may use only four moves. Since the challenger has only two Pokémon, sir, you may also bring only two,” the hotel employee explained with professional poise. The man responded readily, pulling two Poké Balls from his belt, though Zhao Fang had no idea which Pokémon he had chosen.

Although the hotel’s battle list displayed the opponent’s main Pokémon, that was just the ace; the rest were not shown. Zhao Fang only knew he had an Onix—everything else was a mystery.

“Haha! Kid, I won’t hold back. It’s not easy to find a room these days!” the burly man laughed heartily, his demeanor easygoing and friendly.

Zhao Fang nodded. Indeed, rooms were hard to come by. If he hadn’t seen this battle hotel, he wouldn’t have come. Now he could only wait to see which Pokémon this strongman would send out, though he had already devised a plan for his own lineup.

“Let the battle begin!” declared the staff member, seeing there was nothing more to say. He retreated from the field, holding an instrument to record the match.

“All right! I choose you—Geodude!” The strongman immediately threw out his Poké Ball, and a Geodude landed on the field.

“Go, Magikarp—I'm counting on you!” Zhao Fang sent out his own Pokémon.

The moment Magikarp appeared, the burly man couldn’t help but laugh aloud, though the staff member remained impassive, calmly observing the situation.

“Magikarp, eh? Not a bad Pokémon, and it’s Water-type. But before it evolves, it can’t even learn any Water moves. This battle is mine! Geodude, use Rock Throw!” the man shouted, full of confidence.

“Magikarp, use Splash to dodge! Circle around the opponent and keep moving!” Zhao Fang commanded. Magikarp used the momentum of its Splash to nimbly evade the Rock Throw.

“There’s a use for Splash like that? It’s pointless! Geodude, use Mud Sport!” The man shot an astonished look at Zhao Fang. Following the command, Geodude scooped up mud from the ground and flung it around the field.

Mud Sport, a Ground-type move, reduces the power of Electric-type attacks, but it’s generally considered rather useless, since Ground-types are already immune to Electric moves. In double battles, unless the opposing team is Electric-based, it’s a risky choice.

Zhao Fang was puzzled—he couldn’t fathom the purpose of using Mud Sport. But as Geodude finished, the entire battlefield turned muddy, severely restricting Magikarp’s movement and making it nearly impossible to accelerate with Splash.

“So that’s it? Even Mud Sport can be used like this?” Zhao Fang stared at the strongman in surprise. This fellow actually had a trick up his sleeve.

Now that he understood the strategy, it was already too late to stop Geodude from altering the field; the smooth ground had become a quagmire.

“With your speed cut down, don’t blame me! Geodude, finish it with a full-force Tackle!” The strongman called out, and Geodude hurled itself at Magikarp.

Zhao Fang gritted his teeth as Magikarp struggled to use Splash in the mud, but the move was futile; without firm ground, it couldn’t gain any momentum or speed.

“Magikarp! Use Tackle as well! Don’t go down without a fight!” Zhao Fang commanded, unwilling to surrender without resistance.

Magikarp launched itself at Geodude, ramming headfirst into its opponent. Both Pokémon collided at high speed.

There was no dust—after the impact, Geodude rolled back twice, then stood up as if nothing had happened. Blood, however, began to trickle from Magikarp’s head.

“Magikarp, can you still fight?” Zhao Fang called out worriedly, his jaw clenched at the sight of Magikarp’s wound.

“Dreepy…” Dreepy, coiled around Zhao Fang’s neck, gazed anxiously at the team’s eldest member.

Normal-type moves were already ineffective against Rock-types, and Magikarp, stubbornly using its head, took even more damage in the clash.

Magikarp stubbornly slapped its tail and tried to bounce again, though it was clearly exhausted.

Zhao Fang understood Magikarp’s intent, so he refrained from recalling it just yet.

“Good! What a tenacious Magikarp! Geodude, show your respect—use Tackle!” The strongman’s eyes shone, and he clapped appreciatively before giving the order.

“Magikarp! Tackle!” Zhao Fang gritted his teeth and issued the same command. With the trainers’ shouts, the two Pokémon clashed head-to-head once more. This time, there was no miracle—Magikarp’s scales split open on its head like a crimson blossom, and it collapsed in the muck, unable to continue.

Geodude stood unperturbed in place.

“Magikarp, you did well. Now let’s see what Dreepy can do.” Zhao Fang hurriedly gathered Magikarp in his arms, not caring about the mud, and fumbled for a potion to treat its wounds.

“Kid, send out your next Pokémon,” the strongman said, his earlier ease replaced by a serious expression.

“It’s already here… Dreepy!” Zhao Fang called, and at his voice, Dreepy emerged from invisibility, its eyes fixed intently on Geodude.

In official battles, Ghost-types must reveal themselves—unlike in illicit underground matches, where Zhao Fang might have had Dreepy ambush the opponent.

“Oh? A Pokémon I’ve never seen before. Ghost-type or with Levitate, perhaps? Geodude, use Rock Throw,” the strongman said cautiously, watching Dreepy with keen interest, unfamiliar with this mysterious Pokémon.