Chapter 122:Sirfetch'd's Battle! Serperior's "Haoshoku Haki"

"Sirfetch'd!"

Sirfetch'd became anxious.

It pointed at Renji, excitedly swinging the long sword in its hand.

As a Trainer, how could you be so spineless!

Where’s the spirit of never giving up!

What about the bond between you and your Pokémon!

Renji looked at the even more distressed Sirfetch'd with a slightly dazed expression.

At that moment, Natsume said, "Sirfetch'd, it's really looking forward to battling you."

"Your previous match was very thrilling."

"That's why it got so excited to hear you concede."

"You also have Fighting-type Pokémon, so you should understand their feelings."

As Natsume spoke, he shot an annoyed glance at Dragonite.

"Dragonite."

Dragonite looked up, pretending it wasn’t involved.

Hearing this, Renji helplessly looked at Sirfetch'd and said, "There's too great a strength difference between us."

"If we continue, it won’t be meaningful, right?"

The excitement faded from Sirfetch'd's face.

"Sirfetch'd?"

Are you giving up on the challenge because of the strength difference?

Sirfetch'd looked disappointed.

"Hariyama!"

Just then, Hariyama suddenly entered the battle arena!

Renji looked at his Pokémon in confusion. "Hariyama, what are you doing here?"

"Hariyama!"

Hariyama wanted to continue the battle!

As a Fighting-type Pokémon, it needed to have unwavering courage, no matter what kind of crisis it faced!

Natsume looked at Renji and said, "Your Hariyama does not want its Trainer to be underestimated."

"It says that you have climbed many mountains to get to this point."

Natsume smiled at Renji and said, "You have a great group of companions."

Renji sighed helplessly, looking at the determined Hariyama and then at the dejected Sirfetch'd.

He rubbed his forehead, then lowered his arms and looked directly at Natsume.

"Honestly, it's embarrassing to be taught a lesson by someone so much younger than me."

"Natsume, the gym leader, I hope I can take back what I said about conceding earlier."

Natsume smiled and said, "Of course you can."

"Then, let our match continue."

"Sirfetch'd!"

Sirfetch'd took its place.

It gripped its sword and shield tightly, its sharp gaze focused on Hariyama.

After reaching level 50, Sirfetch'd had been diligently training and battling every day.

Sirfetch'd was now at the same level as Hariyama.

Engaging in battle with an opponent of equal level was another opportunity for Sirfetch'd to verify its growth.

Natsume briefly checked Hariyama's data.

Name: Hariyama
Type: Fighting
Level: lv51
Ability: Thick Fat
Moves: Tackle, Arm Thrust, Force Palm, Rock Tomb, Focus Energy, Close Combat, Reversal, Detect

Once both sides were ready, Rotom announced loudly, "The match begins!"

"Hariyama, use Force Palm continuously!"

"Hariyama!"

Hariyama quickly clapped its hands together in front of Sirfetch'd.

Wave after wave of energy was sent toward Sirfetch'd.

"Quick Attack!"

"Sirfetch'd!"

Sirfetch'd dashed toward Hariyama.

It weaved through the energy waves, dodging the Force Palm attacks while rapidly closing the distance to Hariyama.

"Sirfetch'd, jump up and use your shield to perform Rock Smash!"

"Sirfetch'd!"

Sirfetch'd leaped high into the air.

A white glow appeared on the shield in Sirfetch'd's hand, and then it swung the shield down hard toward Hariyama.

"Hariyama, use Detect!"

"Hariyama!"

Hariyama spun its body and slapped the shield away as it approached.

At the same time, Hariyama kept a close eye on Sirfetch'd.

Bang!

The impact of the shield caused Hariyama to lean back.

"Sirfetch'd, use Aerial Ace."

"Sirfetch'd!"

Sirfetch'd quickly maneuvered behind Hariyama, slashing down with the long sword.

Bang!

"Hariyama, grab Sirfetch'd and use Seismic Toss!"

"Hariyama!"

Hariyama's large hand reached for Sirfetch'd.

Sirfetch'd saw Hariyama's arm coming and thought, this speed is much slower than a punching bag training machine.

Sirfetch'd stepped on Hariyama's arm and used it as leverage to jump toward its shield.

Hariyama's attack missed.

Sirfetch'd retrieved its shield.

"Calm down, Hariyama, use Focus Energy!"

"Sirfetch'd, use Swords Dance!"

"Sirfetch'd!"

Energy swirled around Sirfetch'd like long swords, then coalesced back into Sirfetch'd's body.

Sirfetch'd's attack increased!

"Hariyama, Rock Tomb!"

Hariyama raised its arms.

A large number of rocks began to condense above its body.

"Hariyama!"

Natsume calmly said, watching the rocks fall toward Sirfetch'd, "Sirfetch'd, jump on top of the rocks and use Quick Attack to rush through!"

"Sirfetch'd!"

Sirfetch'd leaped high into the air.

The rocks that were originally headed for Sirfetch'd became stepping stones.

"Are you trying to use that move again?"

Renji thought Natsume was planning to use the same tactic.

"Hariyama, use Close Combat directly!"

Natsume smiled faintly as he watched the aggressive Hariyama. "Sand Rush!"

"Sirfetch'd!"

Sirfetch'd plunged its long sword into the ground and quickly swept it toward Hariyama.

Dust and smoke instantly blocked Hariyama's vision.

"Sirfetch'd, use your shield to perform Brick Break!"

Whoosh~Bang!

The shield flying from Sirfetch'd's hand struck Hariyama once again.

This time, the impact from the shield was noticeably greater than before.

Seeing the unsteady Hariyama, Sirfetch'd placed both hands firmly on the hilt of its long sword.

"Brick Break!"

"Sirfetch'd!"

With a shout, Sirfetch'd swung the sword with all its might.

Bang!

This strike sent the large Hariyama crashing to the ground.

Renji shouted at Hariyama, "Hariyama, give it your final move!"

At the same time, Natsume ordered, "Step back, Swords Dance!"

Lying on the ground, Hariyama sprung back up, its large hands striking forward.

Pop~Bang!

Reversal, attacking with all its strength!

Additionally, the more severely injured a Pokémon is, the more incredible power it can unleash when using this move.

Natsume had checked Hariyama's data and knew it had this move.

Thus, Natsume speculated that at this moment, Hariyama would definitely use Reversal to counterattack.

Pokémon battles are never turn-based.

Battle strategies involve predicting the opponent's moves and the rhythm of their attacks.

Some trainers who excel in strategy might even set traps with moves right from the beginning of the match.

These are the key factors that determine a victory!

Hariyama's move missed.

Sirfetch'd successfully performed Swords Dance once again.

"You actually predicted my plan."

Renji's expression turned serious.

He thought to himself, "For Natsume to become a regional-level gym leader at such a young age, it seems that luck alone in obtaining a Pokémon like Dragonite isn't enough."

"Being able to calmly analyze the battlefield situation like this is truly genius."

Natsume calmly said, "Sirfetch'd, let's finish this battle."

"Brick Break!"

"Sirfetch'd!"

This time, Sirfetch'd charged straight at Hariyama.

"Hariyama, use Protect!"

Hariyama spread its arms wide.

A protective barrier quickly rose up.

"Sirfetch'd!"

Sirfetch'd smashed the shield down onto Hariyama's sturdy arms.

Bang!

The shield shattered!

The long sword swung down!

Boom!

With a deafening sound, Hariyama collapsed to the ground once more.

This time, Hariyama could not get up again.

"Come back, Hariyama."

Renji took a deep breath and recalled Hariyama.

"Thank you for your efforts."

Sirfetch'd achieved a battle victory, gaining 58,982 experience points.

Sirfetch'd leveled up to level 52 with 198,982/245 experience.

Natsume looked at Sirfetch'd and said, "Sirfetch'd, there's one more battle. Are you up for it?"

"Sirfetch'd!"

Sirfetch'd was now full of spirit.

Finally feeling comfortable.

Renji pulled out a new Poké Ball. "For the final match, I’m counting on you, Cyclizar!"

"Cyclizar~"

With a red beam from the Poké Ball, a level 49 Cyclizar appeared in the battle arena.

"Cyclizar, use Dragon Pulse!"

This Cyclizar was quite unlucky.

Because it was now facing a Sirfetch'd that had already used Swords Dance twice!

"Sirfetch'd!"

Sirfetch'd, after two Swords Dances and a level increase, was at its strongest point.

"Cyclizar!"

Cyclizar took a deep breath and unleashed a massive shockwave toward Sirfetch'd.

Sirfetch'd stood behind its shield.

"Iron Defense!"

Bang!

The Dragon Pulse was completely blocked.

Sirfetch'd remained steadfast.

"Cyclizar, Quick Attack!"

"Cyclizar!"

Cyclizar rushed swiftly toward Sirfetch'd.

Seeing this, Sirfetch'd threw its shield directly at Cyclizar.

Bang!

The shield collided with Cyclizar.

Cyclizar slid backward.

Sirfetch'd quickly moved forward, catching the shield as it shot up into the air, and charged in front of Cyclizar.

"Brick Break!"

Bang!

The Fighting-type move was already double effective against Cyclizar, and combined with the power boost from Swords Dance, this strike made Cyclizar lose its ability to battle instantly!

Sirfetch'd secured a battle victory, earning 18,982 experience points.

Clearly, the difference in Pokémon strength had a massive impact on the experience points gained within the farm.

Rotom watched Cyclizar fall to the ground and blew the whistle to signal the end of the match.

"Cyclizar has lost its ability to battle! The victor is Sirfetch'd and Natsume, the gym leader!"

"Sirfetch'd~"

Renji recalled his Cyclizar. "Thank you for your efforts."

"Indeed, we still have a long way to go on the path of a Trainer."

"Audino~"

Audino stepped forward.

"Thanks for your help, Audino."

Renji handed his Poké Ball to Audino.

Audino would take them aside for healing.

"This is the badge you earned from the Farm gym."

At that moment, Natsume presented Renji with the badge representing a regional-level gym.

He had already passed the gym challenge by holding his own against Infernape.

Renji accepted it with both hands.

He held the badge overhead.

The gym badge gleamed in the sunlight.

This badge was different from the first gym badge.

Its shape resembled an apple tree, with a Poké Ball hanging from it.

Renji put the badge away and said, "Natsume, the gym leader, I will remember today's battle."

"This battle will remind me that there are always greater heights to reach and to maintain a heart that fears no challenge."

Natsume smiled and said, "You're too kind. Now, good luck in the upcoming Eastern Region tournament."

"Yes."

After the battle concluded, the crowd that had gathered began to disperse.

They continued discussing the recent battle with enthusiasm.

"Truly deserving of being the gym leader, Natsume's Pokémon not only exhibit incredible strength, but his commanding ability is remarkable as well."

"After all, he is a regional-level gym leader."

At that moment, a man in a shirt suddenly said, "But then again, it seems like all they do here is battle with Fighting-type Pokémon every day."

"Do you think the Farm gym could one day suddenly become a country-level gym?"

While Houndoom and Pidgey occasionally engaged in battle within the farm, they only did so to release some of their stored energy.

But Sirfetch'd and Infernape battled solely for the sake of battling.

The companion of the man in the shirt said, "That's hard to say. After all, Natsume's true main Pokémon are still Dragonite, Arcanine, and Serperior."

As he spoke, he looked toward Serperior, which was lying on the grass sunbathing.

"Serperior~."

Serperior shot him a glance.

Feeling the gaze from Serperior, he quickly averted his eyes and said, "Cough, cough. In any case, if the Farm gym wants to be promoted to a country-level type gym, it would need at least six Fighting-type Pokémon in total."

"Currently among the Fighting-type Pokémon at the Farm, only Infernape, Sirfetch'd, and Heracross seem to have that strength and potential."

At that moment, Natsume was walking toward Serperior.

He heard the conversations of the tourists.

The death of the Fighting gym leader had not yet been made public.

Once officially announced, the representative of the Japan league for Fighting-type gyms would surely need to be reselected.

When that time comes, it would definitely be a grand event featuring all the Fighting-type Pokémon from across the country.

However, that should already be a matter for next year.

Natsume slowly approached Serperior.

"Serperior~."

Serperior raised its body and nuzzled its soft face against Natsume.

Natsume took out the King's Rock and handed it to Serperior.

"Serperior, you can use this."

Serperior lowered its head slightly as Natsume placed the King's Rock on top of its head.

The special energy contained within the King's Rock began to be absorbed by Serperior.

As Serperior absorbed the King's Rock, its level increased to 72.

"Natsume~"

Kiko's voice rang out from behind Natsume as she walked toward him and Serperior.

Natsume turned to Kiko and asked, "What’s up?"

Serperior shifted its gaze forward.

Serperior saw a cameraman directing a model, saying, "Great, just smile like that~"

The model smiled and posed.

In the battle arena, a new battle was about to begin.

The challenger was a city-level Trainer, and his opponent was Breloom.

A crowd had gathered around to watch the match.

Rotom declared loudly, "The match begins!"

"Serperior~."

Serperior looked at the people and Pokémon around the farm and unconsciously used Glare.

The yellow stripes on Serperior began to swirl, and a wave of overwhelming energy swept out in all directions.

Kiko approached Natsume and said, "Exactly."

Kiko suddenly knelt down in front of Natsume.

Natsume was taken aback, “?”

"Oh no."

Both the cameraman and the model, who were carrying the camera, felt their bodies go weak and, in unison, knelt down.

The two exchanged bewildered glances.

In the battle arena, Pidgey, preparing to attack, suddenly felt a numbness in its body and fell to the ground.

"Pidgey?"

Pidgey looked up in confusion and saw that the surrounding tourists had all knelt down at that moment.

"What the heck, what's going on?"

"I don't know, it just suddenly felt like something was staring at me. I felt really scared, and my body went soft, and I just knelt down."

"Oh wow, I felt the same way."

The tourists all displayed expressions of fear.

"Natsume, the gym leader, what's happening?"

Renji, who was riding Cyclizar and preparing to leave, also fell to the ground.

He looked at Natsume, bewildered.

Natsume glanced at Kiko, who was kneeling in front of him.

Kiko gazed blankly at Natsume.

Natsume then looked at Serperior.

"Serperior~"

Serperior indicated that due to the King's Rock, its power had suddenly increased, and it couldn't control it.

Natsume looked at the crowd of tourists with a hint of embarrassment and said, "Sorry, sorry."

"This is my Serperior using its Haoshoku Haki."