Chapter 283: Battle Invitation

"Julian, I recently got a new partner. Are you interested in having a battle?"

Acacia stepped up to Julian. She still hadn't come to terms with her Articuno losing to Julian's Metagross back then.

Even now, she couldn't let it go. Sure, her high-level Pokémon might not match his, but surely her mid- or low-level ones could.

There was no way all his Pokémon were as ridiculously strong as that Metagross!

"Julian, accept her challenge!"

Before Julian could respond, Ian eagerly spoke up from the side. He knew exactly what Acacia was thinking.

'Foolish woman your plan has already been tried by everyone in the Special Recruitment Class'

He wanted to see Acacia make a fool of herself, though he kept that thought to himself.

Julian actually wanted to decline. After spending many days in the Dragon's Den, all he wanted was to rest and let Slowking help him climb the ranks.

"What's the matter? Don't tell me you're scared?"

Acacia raised an eyebrow, her tone challenging as she looked at Julian.

"Scared? I'll accept for him"

Ian cut in again. He couldn't stand Acacia's smug attitude, which was even worse when she had beaten him in the past.

"Fine"

Julian nodded. The conversation had already gone this far; so he might as well do it.

The three of them headed to one of the Drake family's battle arenas.

With so many family members, there were plenty of arenas on the estate.

On a few of the fields, children around ten years old were practicing battles, shouting commands to their Pokémon.

Though the Drakorian Trainer Association mandated that only those aged 17 or older could officially receive a starter Pokémon, big families had ways around the rule.

If the law said no starter Pokémon before 17, then fine—they would just train their children's battle instincts early using Pokémon owned by the adults in the family.

This loophole ensured the gap between big family trainers and civilian trainers remained significant, despite the regulation's intention to bridge it.

As Ian approached, several children paused their battles and ran over.

"Ian, are you battling that Willow girl again?"

"Ian's going to lose again!"

"Don't say that! Ian told me it's because that girl always fights dirty."

The kids chattered away, their voices overlapping.

Acacia's expression darkened as she glared at Ian. 'This guy really has no shame!'

Ian flushed slightly. The person they were talking about was standing right there.

"Ahem. That's enough! Go back to your battles. It's not me fighting her this time—it's my friend."

He said, gesturing to Julian.

Soon, Julian and Acacia stood at opposite ends of the battle arena.

With plenty of children gathered to watch, the protective barrier was activated to ensure safety.

As Acacia tossed out her Poké Ball, a light blue Pokémon appeared on the field.

Pokémon: Glaceon (Ice)

Level: 32

Potential: Cyan

Ability: Snow Cloak

Held Item: Never-Melt Ice

Gender: Female

Moves: Icy Wind, Tackle, Tail Whip, Swift, Take Down, Growl, Double-Edge, Quick Attack, Agility, Ice Shard, Bite, Ice Fang

TM Moves: Protect, Iron Tail, Shadow Ball, Blizzard, Charm, Dig, Hyper Beam

Egg Moves: Ice Beam, Avalanche, Icicle Spear, Double Kick

---

A Cyan-potential Glaceon. Ian was bound to suffer in future battles.

Even standing still, Glaceon's icy aura created a faint mist around her.

Eevee and its evolutionary forms were highly popular among trainers for their versatility and decent base stats.

Currently, no Steel-type Eevee evolution had been discovered, but Julian would definitely consider catching one if it existed.

"Level 32, huh? Perfect, you're up"

Julian said, tossing his own Poké Ball.

Pokémon: Gastly (Ghost/Poison)

Level: 30

Potential: Purple

Ability: Levitate

Held Item: Toxic Orb

Gender: Male

Moves: Confuse Ray, Lick, Hypnosis, Mean Look, Imprison, Payback, Curse

TM Moves: Screech, Spite, Venoshock, Sludge Bomb, Sleep Talk, Protect, Thunderbolt

Egg Moves: Skill Swap, Dark Pulse, Disable, Perish Song, Poltergeist, Will-O-Wisp

---

A white-colored Gastly appeared, immediately drawing everyone's attention.

"That Gastly looks so cool!"

One of the kids murmured, captivated by its unusual appearance.

The shiny Gastly exuded a unique charm.

Inside the battlefield, Gastly tried floating toward Julian but was stopped by the protective barrier.

'Hah, trying to lick me again,' Julian thought with a smug grin.

Acacia, meanwhile, was starting to feel like she'd made a mistake. Especially when she noticed Ian's smug, gloating expression—she knew exactly what he was thinking.

"Glaceon, Blizzard!"

'So what if it's shiny? My Glaceon isn't any weaker than your Pokémon!'

A frigid gale, laced with snow, surged across the battlefield, plummeting the temperature by dozens of degrees.

But Gastly let out a mischievous laugh before vanishing into thin air.

The Blizzard missed completely. Glaceon's ears perked up, scanning the area for any signs of movement.

One of the toughest aspects of battling Ghost-types was their knack for ambush tactics.

Standing still would only leave them open to Gastly's next move.

"Glaceon, Agility!"

The ground in front of Glaceon had already frozen over from the earlier Blizzard, giving her an extra boost in speed as she darted around the field.

Acacia was hoping that this rapid movement would disrupt Gastly's plans and make its next attack harder to land.

Julian could have chosen to wait. Let Glaceon tire itself out running around—the opponent had no way to locate Gastly anyway.

But such a tactic felt too stupid. Even if it led to victory, it would be disgraceful.

"Gastly, Venoshock!"

Gastly's figure materialized in front of the speeding Glaceon.

"Ice Beam!"

The purple venomous blast clashed with the icy blue beam mid-air. There was no contest—the Venoshock tore through the Ice Beam like paper.

"Glacee!"

Glaceon let out a pained cry as the corrosive energy of the Venoshock seared her pristine fur, leaving ugly, patchy scars.

"Will-O-Wisp!"

Several ghostly blue flames appeared around Gastly, circling it ominously. With a sinister chuckle, Gastly sent the flames one after another toward Glaceon.

Each hit scorched her further, and by the time the Will-O-Wisp barrage ended, Glaceon was lying motionless on the ground.

The battle was over.

"Yes!"

Ian clenched his fist triumphantly, his expression filled with satisfaction as he watched Acacia's stunned disbelief.

'That's right—completely crush this clueless woman'

As the protective barrier dissipated, Gastly flew straight toward Julian at full speed.

Julian's face instantly paled.

"Gast—"

Before he could finish, Gastly's crimson tongue touched against his cheek.

A wave of numbness shot through Julian's body, cutting off his words mid-sentence.

The paralysis effect of Lick wasn't particularly high—just around 20%. But for someone like Julian, whose luck always seemed terrible, 20% might as well have been a guaranteed 100%.

"Julian, are you—uh—okay?"

Ian glanced at him, trying not to laugh at the sight of Gastly floating around Julian, laughing mischievously. A part of him couldn't help but pity his friend.

*****

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