Chapter 93: Come at Me!

A Unovan specialty Pokémon?

"Wait—you're not thinking of catching Hydreigon, are you?!" Gardenia exclaimed.

If you're talking Pokémon that represent a region, aside from the starters, it's gotta be that region's pseudo-legendary.

Kanto has Dragonite, Johto has Tyranitar, Hoenn has Salamence and Metagross, Sinnoh has Garchomp, Unova has Hydreigon, Kalos has Goodra, Alola has Kommo-o, Galar has Dragapult, and Paldea has Baxcalibur.

Now that you think about it, every region except Johto basically has a dragon for its pseudo-legendary, huh?

"No, no, I'm not a Dragon-type Gym Leader, what would I want Hydreigon for?" Caleb waved his hand.

Though if he did happen to run into one, he wouldn't exactly turn it down.

"I'm a proud Poison-type Gym Leader. Of course, I'm going after a Poison-type Pokémon!"

Everyone: "..."

Oh, so you do remember you're a Poison-type Gym Leader?

Because up to now, your team has included stuff like Garganacl, Dusknoir, Gliscor, and Chansey. And while yes, they're toxic in strategy, not one of them is a real Poison-type!

It's like how Lance is called a Dragon Master, but all his Pokémon are Flying-type. The whole thing feels a little off.

"If you're looking for Unovan Poison-types, then there's Garbodor and Scolipede, right?" Gardenia mused.

"Nope, there's one more." Caleb smiled, and in his mind, an image of a familiar, dependable mushroom silhouette popped up.

"There's more?" Gardenia muttered.

A mushroom-shaped Pokémon came to her mind too, though it was facing her in that memory.

"Ugh…"

Goosebumps suddenly rippled down her arms. Sure, that Pokémon was part Grass-type too, but… it just wasn't cute. Definitely not her aesthetic.

Her Breloom was still way cuter.

Then she added, "But do you even know where to find it? We don't exactly have a ton of time to go wandering around."

"Roxie's the Poison-type Gym Leader of Virbank City. She might know. I actually have her contact info—want me to ask her for you?" Glacia offered.

Roxie?

A white-haired punk rocker girl popped into Caleb's mind.

In the Black & White anime, she used just three Pokémon to take on Ash's entire team, and one Koffing swept through half of them.

"No need. I've got my own pro to call." Caleb said as he dialed a number.

When it comes to catching Pokémon, there's no one better than Crystal. As the "Catcher," she definitely knows all the local habitats.

"Moshi moshi, this is Gold." A smug voice answered on the other end.

Gold?

Caleb blinked and checked his phone screen. Nope, it was Crystal's number.

"Gold, I'm looking for Crystal. She's not around?"

"Oh, hey Caleb! You mean Crys? She's in bed," Gold replied.

"In… bed? Just the two of you?"

Caleb's pupils shook like a magnitude-10 earthquake.

You're both just sixteen! SIXTEEN!

"Of course," Gold said casually, before handing the phone to Crystal.

"Hello? Caleb, is that you?" came Crystal's weak voice.

!!!

Bro. What the hell did Gold do?!

"Yeah, it's me," Caleb said, taking a deep breath to steady his nerves. He asked the real question:

"Do you know if there are any Amoonguss near Nimbasa City?"

There was a pause. Then the sound of papers rustling—it seemed like Crystal was flipping through a notebook.

Finally, her tired voice came through: "Got it. South of Nimbasa City, in the forest on the outskirts—there's a whole group of them. I recorded the location back when I visited Unova… cough cough…"

Hearing her sudden coughing fit, Caleb asked, concerned, "Are you sick? That sounds pretty bad."

"No, I'm fine… just need a little rest," Crystal said, trying to sound upbeat. But the thick congestion in her voice betrayed her.

"Make sure you take some medicine," Caleb reminded her.

"Okay."

After the call ended, Gold handed over a cup of cold medicine. "Drink this."

Crystal took it without a word and sipped slowly.

Then Gold grumbled, "Seriously, going to that snow-covered mountain just to find that Snowman Snorlax… now look what happened—you caught a cold."

A vein popped on Crystal's forehead. She turned and snapped, "Like you're one to talk! Who's the one who triggered the avalanche and almost got me buried?!"

...

Thanks to Crystal's tip, the group headed for the forest south of Nimbasa City by car.

They parked at the entrance. The moment they stepped out, the natural beauty took their breath away.

A clear stream babbled through the trees. Lush grass carpeted the banks. Warm sunlight filtered through the leaves above, painting dappled shadows across the forest floor.

"Wow, it's so pretty here! Let's just camp here!" Gardenia suggested excitedly.

Forest? Check. Stream? Check. Grass and sun? Double check. Perfect camping conditions.

Cynthia smiled and nodded. "Not a bad idea. I've got a full camping kit in the car, too."

"I'll set up the tent!" Gardenia volunteered.

"I'll forage for berries in the woods!" Gardenia added with a grin.

As for Caleb, he was heading into the forest to look for Amoonguss—and conveniently, Gardenia's path led the same way.

She knew her way around the woods. With her guidance, they avoided several dangerous spots with ease.

Then suddenly, a thick clump of shrubs blocked their way.

Without hesitation, Gardenia turned to her Breloom. "Breloom, use Cut!"

The mushroom Pokémon sprang forward, its arm slicing cleanly through the dense bush with a sharp crack.

Cut: A slicing move using claws or blades. Often lands critical hits.

Also an essential field move for survival and exploration.

Gardenia tilted her chin proudly. "I've lived in the forest since I was a kid. Stuff like this? No big deal!"

But just as she was going off on her little speech, Caleb silently reached out and pushed her head down while signaling for her to crouch.

"Hey, what are you—" Gardenia didn't even finish before Caleb clamped a hand over her mouth.

His expression was deadly serious as he stared straight ahead.

Following his gaze, Gardenia saw it.

A mushroom-like Pokémon stood in the clearing, its back to them.

Its pale, wart-covered cap resembled a Poké Ball, with large gray stalks supporting it.

Its hands looked like Poké Ball-shaped shields.

And right now, it was foraging—completely unaware it was being watched.