Chapter 120

"Ugh~ What's that smell! Kazuki, what did you do last night?!"

Misty, who had been cuddling with Kazuki before bed, rushed out of the room the moment she woke up and finished washing up, putting as much distance between them as possible.

"What else could it be? Can't you recognize such a classic scent? It's Muk!"

Kazuki picked up Muk's Poké Ball from the table and tossed it lightly in his hand.

Misty took two more steps back in fright, afraid that Muk might suddenly pop out.

"You… Didn't you say you wouldn't keep Muk with you all the time?! Why did you switch it back in again?!"

Kazuki sprayed some perfume given to him by Erika to mask the smell before explaining, "I have a battle with Gary today, don't I?"

"He's using his Poison-type Nidorino, so I'm countering with my Poison-type Muk!"

"An even matchup!"

"I just activated the rotation feature when I woke up!"

"Didn't expect it to arrive so fast!"

In truth, Professor Oak had placed it in a special storage area with other strong-smelling Pokémon, only letting them out for training after dinner each day.

So the moment Kazuki initiated the switch, Muk was immediately teleported over.

"Oh! I see! Well… good luck with your preparations! I believe in you—you can definitely win!"

"I-I'll go wake Suzie up so she can cheer for you too!"

Pinching her nose, Misty dashed out with her hair still a mess.

She sprinted all the way to Suzie's room, banged on the door, and then threw herself onto Suzie's bed, gasping for fresh air.

Suzie, confused, buttoned up the last button of her clothes and picked up a comb, walking over to Misty.

"What's wrong, Misty? Did you and Kazuki have a passionate morning kiss or something?"

After catching her breath, Misty finally calmed down.

"I-I wish it were that!"

"It's… it's Kazuki switching Muk back in again!"

"He's planning to use Muk in his battle against Gary today!"

"M-Muk?!" Just hearing the name made Suzie feel like the smell had already reached her.

"Then… then let's hurry and get ready to cheer for Kazuki!"

"We can just stand farther away if we have to!"

As she spoke, Suzie started combing Misty's hair.

Misty nodded obediently, enjoying Suzie's care.

Once the two were ready, they left the room. By the time they reached the open area in front of the hot spring resort, Kazuki and Gary had already met and were exchanging pre-battle taunts.

Gary crossed his arms, smirking at Kazuki as he announced loudly to the crowd, "Hmph, Kazuki, today you'll witness the true power of my Nidorino!"

"My Nidorino has undergone special training!"

"Its tough horn can pierce through any defense with ease!"

"And its mastery of Poison-type moves is unparalleled!"

"Countless trainers have fallen to it on my journey!"

As he spoke, Gary proudly patted Nidorino's head. Normally, Gary would finish battles against random trainers quickly without saying much. But this being his first match against Kazuki, he couldn't help but show off a little.

Before Kazuki could respond, Misty stepped forward and shouted, "Gary, don't get cocky! Kazuki's Muk is just as strong!"

"That gooey body of his can absorb any attack!"

"And its poison is way stronger than Nidorino's!"

"Kazuki, you can do it!" Suzie chimed in from the side, cheering for Kazuki.

Gary burst out laughing at Misty's words. "Hah! Seriously?!"

"So the Pokémon you're using against me is a Muk?!"

"Kazuki, how could you even catch such a pile of sludge?!"

"How can a lump of garbage compare to my Nidorino?!"

Kazuki just smiled. "Who's garbage? We'll find out after the battle!"

Muk, at level 38, had a clear advantage over Gary's level 33 Nidorino, so Kazuki wasn't too worried about the outcome.

The battle began, with Gary taking the initiative. "Nidorino, use Poison Sting!"

Nidorino's back spikes gleamed as it launched a barrage of poisonous needles at Muk.

Kazuki remained calm. "Muk, absorb the needles with your body."

Muk's gelatinous form rippled like waves, effortlessly swallowing the needles.

"What?! Muk isn't afraid of getting poisoned?!" Gary was stunned by Muk's unconventional defense.

"Gary, underestimate any Pokémon, and they'll make you regret it!"

"My Muk comes from the sewers of an industrial city!"

"Besides standard Poison-type moves, it's also mastered Acid!"

"What?! An extra move outside its usual skillset?!" Gary couldn't believe this unassuming Muk had such hidden talent.

"Nidorino, use Horn Attack!" With his poisoning plan foiled, Gary switched to brute force.

Nidorino charged forward with a low growl—only for Muk to split into several blobs, leaving Nidorino swinging at air.

Both of the traits Gary had bragged about—poison and piercing power—had been effortlessly countered by Kazuki's Muk.

While Gary was still reeling, the scattered Muk quickly reformed and spat a massive glob of sludge onto Nidorino, immobilizing it.

"Nidorino, break free!" Gary shouted urgently.

Nidorino struggled to escape the sludge, only to realize Muk's Poison Touch Ability had already inflicted it with poison, draining its stamina.

"Poisoned?! How?!"

Gary had always found Muk disgusting, with its filthy living conditions, and had never planned to catch one. So when studying Muk, he'd only skimmed the basics.

"Gary, maybe study up on Muk next time!" Kazuki seized the moment.

"Muk, Sludge Bomb!"

A precise blast of toxic sludge struck Nidorino, knocking it out.

"Nidorino is unable to battle! Muk wins!" Misty excitedly declared, acting as referee.

Gary stared in disbelief. "I… I lost… to a Muk?!"

After a moment of silence, Gary chuckled and recalled Nidorino.

"You got me this time, Kazuki. I admit it!"

"I underestimated Muk—didn't do my homework!"

"But next time we meet, I won't lose again!"

"At the Indigo Plateau Conference, I'll be the one standing victorious!"

Even in defeat, Gary kept up his bravado, tossing out another boast.

Kazuki shook his head, praised Muk, and then switched it back.

The moment Muk was sent away, Misty immediately ran over to Kazuki.

But before Kazuki could celebrate, the sound of police sirens shattered the post-battle atmosphere.

Curious, the trio followed the noise to the source.

The commotion was at the reservoir construction site, where Officer Jenny was arresting the foreman and his crew.

"What's going on? Did they get reported for beating up Diglett?" Suzie wondered, watching the arrests.

"Unlikely. Diglett are considered a construction nuisance—taking them out isn't against League rules." Kazuki noted the caps of those arrested, all of whom were site managers.

"Excuse me, Officer Jenny, what's happening here?"

Jenny turned to Kazuki and immediately smiled. "Sorry, have we met before? I feel an odd sense of familiarity with you!"

"Maybe I've just been too busy to remember your name!"

Kazuki's high Justice Reputation made Jenny pause for him.

"I'm Kazuki, a traveling trainer!"

"We haven't met, but I've met many of your sisters. I just wanted to ask what's going on here?"

Jenny glanced at the construction site and explained, "We received orders from above—this reservoir project has falsified documentation. We're shutting it down and taking the managers in for questioning!"

"That's all I can say! I've got to get back to work, Kazuki. You should leave too!"

"If the permits are fake, this site isn't safe!"

With that warning, Jenny hurried off.

"Falsified documents?"

Just as Kazuki was puzzling over this, Professor Oak called.

"Huh? There's signal here?" Kazuki answered.

"Hello, Kazuki!"

"Hey, Kazuki! That special Diglett field should be safe now!" Oak sounded thrilled on the other end.

"I called in a lot of favors last night and finally got the forest protected!"

"One of my government contacts said this reservoir project was never approved—no idea how construction even started!"

"The League will send researchers soon to study that unique Diglett habitat!"

"Long story short, that dam probably won't be built!"

"You can continue your journey without worries!"

"Oh, and your video footage has really impressed the League!"

"You've made me so proud!"

"I wish Gary had half your sense!"

"That brat—turns out he took money from the construction crew to help destroy the Diglett ecosystem!"

"Ugh, never mind! I've got Gary on the other line—time for a lecture!"

No denying Professor Oak's influence in the League—he resolved the reservoir issue in under a day.

With the project shut down, the mission was a complete success.

Kazuki didn't bother dwelling on the shady dealings behind it. He stretched comfortably and opened his system to claim his rewards.

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