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Chapter 194: It’s Starmie, Not Psyduck
🕑 Added 2025-02-28 14:48:12 +0000 UTCChapter 194: It’s Starmie, Not Psyduck
Asahi, of course, didn’t hate Cerulean Gym.
He only summoned Mewtwo to help create a proper battlefield.
“Mewtwo, make a battle arena for us… about the same size as the one at home.”
Mewtwo nodded and extended its hand, summoning a massive psychic spoon.
With a gentle wave—
Shhh! Shhh! Shhh!
Before Ash and the others could even register what was happening, a battle arena was perfectly formed. Even the grass had been cleared, revealing a neatly compacted battlefield.
Seeing this, Ash finally couldn’t hold back. “Asahi, what is that Pokémon?”
This was only the second time his Pokédex had failed to identify a Pokémon.
The first was when Gary showed off his “Grovyle” from the Kanto-Hoenn exchange program.
Where had Asahi gotten this Pokémon?
Brock and Misty were equally curious.
“You mean Mewtwo? It’s Mew’s child,” Asahi replied.
Brock’s eyes widened. “Mew? You mean the Mew—the mythical Pokémon?!”
Misty also looked at Mewtwo in shock.
She couldn’t believe Mew had offspring… Who’s the father?
Her imagination ran wild, instantly realizing an overlooked detail.
Only Ash remained clueless—he didn’t even know who Mew was.
“......”
Asahi had no words.
I’ll let Brock handle this explanation.
“Now that everything is set, let’s begin!” Asahi declared. “Standard 3-on-3 battle. Any objections?”
Misty shook her head.
The two stood on opposite ends of the battlefield.
Using a Pokémon that was too strong would be unfair to Misty, but using one that was too weak would make it obvious he was holding back.
So…
“Gengar!” Asahi called.
“Genga!”
A plump Gengar crawled out from Asahi’s shadow, floating in the air and making goofy faces at Misty.
Seeing Gengar as her opponent, Misty quickly made her decision. “If it’s Gengar, then I choose you—Starmie!”
She had consulted Brock and her sisters before and learned about Asahi’s battle style.
So right from the start, she sent out her strongest Pokémon.
Just as she was about to throw her Poké Ball, one of the balls on her waist suddenly popped open on its own.
A flash of white light—
A yellowish duck with dull eyes and three tufts of hair on its head appeared.
“Psy?”
Psyduck raised its hands and tilted its head, looking not particularly bright.
Misty froze mid-action, her face twisting in horror. “You’re not Starmie—you’re Psyduck!!”
Hurriedly, she turned to Asahi. “Sorry! Sorry! This one never listens!”
She sprinted onto the field, grabbed Psyduck’s head, and dragged it back to the sidelines. Then, she finally sent out Starmie.
Seeing Starmie appear, Misty sighed in relief.
No more surprises.
“You! Stop acting on your own!”
She pressed her fist into Psyduck’s head, grinding it around.
“Psy…”
Psyduck’s eyes teared up, looking utterly pitiful.
Asahi watched Misty manhandle the “duck god” with amusement but didn’t mind the delay.
Turning to Green, he said, “Cut that part out of the recording.”
Then, he looked at Brock.
Misty was ready.
Seeing that both were prepared, Brock raised his hand and then brought it down with a sharp motion.
“Cerulean Gym reevaluation battle—begin!”
As soon as the words fell, both trainers gave their orders.
“Gengar, Shadow Claw!”
“Psy—Starmie, Water Gun!”
Misty had been so focused on Psyduck that she nearly called out the wrong name, but she corrected herself just in time.
Gengar’s Shadow Claw was hit by the Water Gun but wasn’t greatly affected. It simply adjusted its angle and slashed toward Starmie!
Since Starmie had no facial features, its emotions were unreadable. Gengar couldn’t tell what it was thinking.
But it was probably panicking, right?
“Gengar!”
Gengar grinned mischievously and slashed down with Shadow Claw.
“Starmie, dodge and use Psychic!”
Following Misty’s command, Starmie spun to evade the attack, its central gem glowing in a dazzling array of colors!
The invisible force of Psychic instantly shredded the failed Shadow Claw and struck at Gengar.
Seeing Shadow Claw get so easily neutralized, Gengar looked a little surprised but wasn’t flustered.
“Genga!”
Gengar grabbed at the air, conjuring a highly compressed Shadow Ball.
Then, it hurled the attack forward.
Boom!
The collision of Psychic and Shadow Ball erupted into a shockwave.
Starmie, as Misty’s signature Pokémon, was undeniably strong.
But Asahi’s Gengar was even stronger.
Despite the explosion, Gengar barely paused before launching another attack!
A rainbow-colored light shot from its fingertips toward Starmie.
Confuse Ray!
The moment the eerie glow struck Starmie’s red gem, its movements grew erratic.
Misty quickly responded. “Starmie, use Confuse Ray too!”
Starmie’s gem pulsed with a matching glow.
With both Pokémon using Confuse Ray, the entire battlefield shimmered in rainbow hues, making Ash feel dizzy just watching.
Even Pikachu wobbled as if drunk.
Thankfully, Mewtwo intervened, using psychic energy to shield them from the effects.
“Thanks, Mewtwo!” Ash rubbed his temples.
“Pika pi~!” Pikachu also chimed in.
Mewtwo remained silent, simply nodding.
While Mewtwo no longer resented humans under Asahi’s influence, it still kept its distance from anyone besides Asahi.
Not noticing Mewtwo’s aloofness, Ash turned to Brock. “Brock, do you think Misty can win?”
Brock crossed his arms, observing the battle carefully.
“Well… Misty’s Starmie is strong, but Asahi’s Gengar has the upper hand in both experience and tactics. If Misty can seize the right opportunity, she might stand a chance, but…”
Before he could finish, the battle on the field intensified.
Under the effects of Confuse Ray, Starmie’s movements became erratic, occasionally hesitating or attacking in the wrong direction.
Asahi’s Gengar took full advantage of this, launching another Shadow Ball straight at Starmie.
“Starmie, snap out of it!” Misty called urgently.
At the last second, Starmie’s gem pulsed brightly, and it managed to spin rapidly, dodging the attack.
Misty clenched her fists. I can’t afford to lose!
“Use Rapid Spin!”
Starmie launched itself forward in a high-speed spin, closing the distance between them.
Seeing this, Asahi smirked slightly.
“Gengar, Hypnosis.”
Gengar’s eyes glowed ominously as it locked onto Starmie’s movements.
In the blink of an eye, Starmie’s spinning slowed—its gem flickering as its body swayed unsteadily.
It was falling asleep!
“Not good!” Misty’s heart sank.
Would she be able to turn this around?
Asahi didn’t use that ridiculously strong Eevee, nor did he send out the obviously powerful Mewtwo. Misty might actually have a chance to win this time, right?
“Hard to say…” Brock answered honestly.
He still remembered how, back at Pewter Gym, Asahi had used a single Swampert to defeat all three of his Pokémon in a row.
Just as Ash was about to ask more, the situation on the battlefield changed!
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