“Send out your Pokémon.”

“Go, Gligar.”

“Go, Croagunk.”

Reiji threw Croagunk back out again, but the moment he saw Gligar, he knew this one might be a loss.

The reason was simple. Gligar hard-countered Croagunk.

First came the typing. Gligar was Ground- and Flying-type, so it resisted both Fighting and Poison. Its Hidden Ability was Immunity on top of that.

Croagunk was already at a disadvantage before the battle even started. Its own STAB moves were resisted, while Gligar’s two types both threatened it directly.

This was just about the worst matchup possible. Gligar came in fresh, Croagunk had already fought several rounds, and now it had to deal with a full counter. That was a rough hand.

So how did you break a matchup like this?

Simple. If Croagunk knew Ice Punch, it could flip the whole thing. Ice hit Gligar four times over, and the fight would be completely different.

The problem was that Croagunk didn’t know Ice Punch. That was why Gligar had such a clean matchup into it. Reiji honestly hadn’t expected to see one here.

“Gligar, Quick Attack in, then Acrobatics!” The masked trainer had already figured out Croagunk was running on fumes, so he skipped the posturing and went straight for the kill.

“Croagunk, dodge and hit it with Poison Jab!” Reiji was gambling now. He needed to know whether that Gligar really had Immunity.

Croagunk locked onto the incoming Gligar. Strictly speaking, Gligar couldn’t truly fly. It leapt high and glided, and if the wind was right, it could stay in the air longer—but it still wasn’t true flight.

The masked trainer knew Croagunk was hard to hit cleanly, so he wasn’t counting on Acrobatics landing. It was just the setup.

Sure enough, Croagunk slipped the attack, sprang onto Gligar’s back, and drove a Poison Jab into it, knocking Gligar down to the ground.

Gligar cried out when it landed—but it had gotten what it wanted.

Croagunk suddenly looked down in surprise. One of its ankles had been caught in Gligar’s pincer.

“Hah! Got you.” The masked trainer broke into a grin. The Acrobatics had only been bait. Catching Croagunk had been the real plan all along.

“Gligar, Dig!”

Gligar swung its claws excitedly and dragged Croagunk underground with it.

“Croagunk—” Reiji hadn’t expected that at all. The other guy had really been willing to eat a full Poison Jab just to secure the grab.

At that point, Reiji was almost certain of it. Croagunk’s poison wasn’t doing much because Gligar really did have Immunity. The only question left was whether Croagunk’s venom was stronger, or Gligar’s poison resistance was just that high.

Yes—poison resistance.

Immunity blocked most toxins, but a Pokémon was still flesh and blood. It wasn’t a Rock-type lump of stone that simply couldn’t be poisoned at all. Pokémon with Immunity just had far higher tolerance than normal.

A series of heavy impacts thundered up from underground.

Not long after, Gligar burst back out with Croagunk. It was drenched in sweat by then and breathing hard. It hadn’t fainted, but it looked awful, and the signs of poisoning were already showing.

As for Croagunk—

It had been thrown clear and now lay unconscious on the ground.

“Croagunk is unable to battle!”

With that, the referee announced it to the whole arena.

Croagunk had lost.

“Come back, Croagunk.”

Reiji recalled it, then walked over to the referee to collect his money.

He had fought six matches tonight in total—two with Golbat and four with Croagunk. He had won five and lost one, which meant a net gain of four hundred thousand League coins on top of his original stake.

“Here’s your payout. One hundred thousand principal, plus four hundred thousand in winnings. Five hundred thousand total. You may count it before leaving.”

“Thanks.”

Reiji took the five bundles of cash and prepared to head back. He had done what he came for tonight. There was no reason to stay any longer.

“Your Croagunk was strong,” the masked trainer said as he walked over. He didn’t look down on Reiji at all just because he had lost that last match. “My Gligar was poisoned in the end too. If Croagunk hadn’t been out of stamina already, it might not have lost.”

“You’ve got a strong Gligar too. Let’s do it again sometime.”

Reiji waved and left it at that.

The other trainer had probably stumbled onto Gligar’s immunity to poison by accident. If he kept digging into it, he would eventually figure out the Hidden Ability properly.

So Gligar really had been packing that Hidden Ability all along. Otherwise, the guy never would’ve stepped up to challenge him. Even so, Gligar had still ended the fight poisoned.

Reiji looked at him one last time as he turned away and thought to himself that any trainer who knew how to exploit an Ability properly was never simple.

Then he disappeared into the crowd with the money in hand. He had made a tidy four hundred thousand tonight, and that was enough for him. There was no point lingering in the black market.

If he had stayed even a little longer, someone might have cut him off on the way out.

Because people were already looking for him.

…

After reaching the middle deck, Reiji didn’t head straight back to his room. Instead, he found the ship’s treatment room and paid twenty thousand to have Croagunk and Golbat checked over. Injuries were treated if there were any; if not, the session still helped ease battle fatigue.

The service was good. The Pokémon nurse took one look at how he was dressed and asked no questions at all before treating both Croagunk and Golbat.

Overall, he had no complaints. The price was steep, but he didn’t exactly have the option of skipping treatment.

Once the checkup was done, the nurse told him neither Pokémon had any real problems. One good night’s sleep would be enough.

Only then did Reiji relax. He left the treatment room, released Pelipper on the deck, and rode up to the upper levels. He landed on the balcony outside his room, slipped through the window he had deliberately left cracked open, and brought the others back inside.

Once he was in, he released Croagunk and Golbat again, then laid out a late-night meal for the two of them. Spinarak, Ditto, Gengar, Darkrai, and Pelipper all got food too.

After they had eaten, he recalled Gengar first. That one had a bad habit of sneaking off if he left it alone too long. It had already had its outing tonight, and that was enough.

Then he recalled Golbat, Ditto, and Spinarak as well. In their place, he brought out Kingler. Night watch would go to Kingler and Darkrai, while Pelipper stayed out too.

As for Croagunk—Reiji took out two Fighting Gems.

It was time for Croagunk to evolve.

Croagunk had just eaten Fighting-type Pokéblocks, and now the evolution catalyst in Reiji’s hand was two brown Fighting Gems. To Croagunk, they looked irresistible.

As for Poison-type items—There was no point.

Croagunk’s Poison-type side was already vicious enough. There was no need to keep pushing it further. Even that Gligar with Immunity had barely managed to hold out against its venom. What more did he need?

That Gligar had the best poison resistance Reiji had seen so far. It had even managed to suppress Croagunk’s venom down to ordinary poisoning instead of severe poisoning.

Most other Pokémon didn’t get that luxury. Once they were poisoned by Croagunk, it usually turned straight into severe poisoning. Gligar had held the toxin down, fought underground, and still beaten Croagunk. That was impressive.

Then again, Pokémon with Immunity weren’t exactly common. Off the top of his head, there were only Zangoose, Gligar, and Snorlax.

Well… Poison-types were a separate matter.

And really, why bother using poison on a Poison-type at all?

Just stomp it with Earthquake. That solved the problem much faster.

Croagunk could learn Earthquake eventually, so there was no reason to get hung up on poison every single time.

“Croagunk, bite down on these two Gems and focus on the energy inside them. That should push you over the line.”

Reiji kept his eyes on Croagunk’s panel. After tonight’s battles, its experience had already overflowed. At this point, evolution was only a matter of triggering it.

Anger could do it. A good mood could do it. Absorbing the energy inside the Gems could do it too.

Croagunk had just finished the Pokéblock. It stamped one foot lightly and gestured for Reiji to put the Gems down instead of handing them over directly.

“Here.”

Reiji understood at once. Croagunk didn’t want its poison-coated skin touching him, so he set the two Fighting Gems on the floor.

Croagunk picked them up, slowly felt out the thick energy inside them—And evolved.

White light burst from its body.

The moment Reiji saw it, his heart jumped. After Hanhan, Croagunk had evolved too.

Croagunk’s body stretched taller in an instant, and for a moment it looked slightly thrown off by the new height.

Before evolving, it had only been 0.7 meters tall—barely seventy centimeters. Now, as Toxicroak, it stood 1.3 meters high, already reaching Reiji’s waist.

“Toxicroak, congratulations.”

Reiji didn’t release the rest of the team to celebrate.

It was the middle of the night, and this part of the ship was quiet. The entertainment stayed on the lower and middle decks, not up here. If everyone came out now, they’d make far too much noise. There would be time to celebrate properly later.

“Crab.”

Kingler was already present, and somehow it always managed to be around for moments like this.

“Pelipper.”

From its nest in the blankets near the foot of the bed, Pelipper gave Toxicroak its own little blessing.

“Congratulations.”

Darkrai spoke from the shadows, and only Toxicroak heard it.

Toxicroak answered everyone with a low croak, then headed straight for the bathroom mirror. It wanted to see what it looked like now.

“Toxicroak, you really did get taller.”

Reiji followed it in, smiling.

Toxicroak was a dark blue Pokémon with yellow eyes. Under its chin sat a red vocal sac, and its throat still housed a poison sac. When it made noise from deep in its throat, the stored venom inside it became even more concentrated. Female Toxicroak had smaller poison sacs than males.

Each hand had three fingers tipped with crimson claws. Its legs were thick with muscle. It had three toes on each foot, one red middle toe, and a sharp spur jutting out from the heel.

Those powerful thighs were probably part of its natural strengths. Reiji would need to develop that properly later. In terms of explosive force, it might not end up behind Poliwhirl at all.

Toxicroak gave a quiet nod. It agreed.

It could tell it had grown.

“Toxicroak, you fought well tonight. Keep going. The stronger you get, the less that poison inside you will trouble you.”

Toxicroak was excited after evolving, but none of it showed on its face. It was still the same expressionless frog. You could stare at it all day and never guess what was going on in its head.

That blank face had become a habit long ago. Maybe it would never change. Maybe it didn’t need to.

It already had everything that mattered.

As long as it stayed with Reiji, it had everything it needed.

Compared to being bought and sold from one place to the next, this life was warm in a way it had never known before. It had a home now. It had friends. It had a place to stay.

“Toxicroak, you’re worn out from tonight. Back you go. Get some proper rest.”

Reiji raised the Poké Ball. He had no idea why Toxicroak had gone quiet again. This one had never been good at showing what it was thinking.

Toxicroak nodded, lifted a hand, and touched the Poké Ball in Reiji’s palm. After one last look at him, it turned into red light and returned.

“What a strange one.”

Reiji muttered to himself as he went back to the bedroom and set Toxicroak’s Poké Ball on the bedside table, facing him. He didn’t notice that Toxicroak was quietly watching him from inside.

He lay back on the bed and opened Toxicroak’s panel, already wondering what new surprises the evolution had brought.

[Toxicroak]

[Type: Poison + Fighting]

[Gender: Male]

[Potential: 66%]

[Level: 38.12%]

[Ability: Anticipation/32.68%][Hidden Ability: Poison Touch/35.88%]

Poison-type [Moves: (Poison Jab/33.11%) (Toxic/36.55%) (Venoshock/29.44%) (Poison Sting/9.15%) (Sludge Bomb/6.34%)]

Fighting-type [(Dynamic Punch/22.47%) (Drain Punch/32.24%) (Bulk Up/6.77%) (Low Kick/4.34%)]

Ground-type [(Mud-Slap/33.31%) (Mud Shot/4.35%)]

Unclassified [(Bullet Punch/30.27%) (Protect/34.51%) (Rest/36.72%) (Shadow Ball/15.25%) (Taunt/5.55%)]

After evolving, Toxicroak’s potential had risen to 66%. Not bad at all. That was solid Elite Four-tier potential.

Its level had also climbed to 38. It was close to stepping into the Advanced tier now. Once the Indigo Plateau Conference was over, Reiji could start using Toxicroak to make money.

Seeing that also reminded him that the second string of his “masked” team was nearly at Advanced tier too. That worked perfectly for his money-making plans. If they were too weak, he wouldn’t even feel comfortable sending them out.

Anticipation had changed the most out of all its traits. Its proficiency had jumped all the way into the thirties.

Poison Touch had only risen by eight points, up to thirty-five. That wasn’t because it had grown slowly. It was because Croagunk’s body had strengthened enough to suppress the poison inside it. That was why Poison Touch hadn’t spiked even harder.

And with this evolution, its body had finally caught up to the severe poison living inside it.

That was worth celebrating on its own.

Now that Toxicroak had reached that point, Reiji could move on to the next stage of training.

To avoid getting hard-countered by Gligar again—or by Psychic-types—Toxicroak needed Ice-type moves, Dark-type moves, and Ground-type moves.

That would be its next training direction.

Ice Punch could be learned from Poliwhirl. Dark-type moves could come from Darkrai. Ground-type moves would have to wait until later.

First he would teach Toxicroak everything it could learn from the team’s current move pool. The rest could come after.

As for its Poison-type moves, they had mostly stabilized now. Reiji didn’t need to pay them too much attention anymore, as long as they stopped exploding upward the way they had at the start.

On top of that, evolution had added two new Poison-type moves: Poison Sting and Sludge Bomb.

Its Fighting-type moves had changed quite a bit too, especially Drain Punch, which had jumped by more than twenty points in proficiency. It had also picked up two new Fighting-type moves.

One was Bulk Up, a move that boosted Attack and Defense.

The other was Low Kick, a move that struck at the opponent’s legs and knocked them down. The heavier the target, the stronger it became.

It had also learned two new moves from battle itself: the Ground-type move Mud Shot and the Dark-type move Taunt.

Counting it all up, Croagunk’s evolution had brought four new moves in total. It wasn’t as outrageous as Hanhan’s evolution, but it was still very good.

It wasn’t that Reiji hadn’t wanted to use items on Croagunk’s evolution. Poison-type items simply weren’t suitable. Even if he forced them on Croagunk, it probably wouldn’t absorb them properly. It might even poison itself instead.

Not every Pokémon had Hanhan’s absurd ability to absorb whatever it ate.

Croagunk’s base potential had never been as high as Hanhan’s to begin with. Even when Hanhan hadn’t fully digested those two Advanced-tier items, it could just keep them in its stomach and absorb them over time. Croagunk couldn’t do that.

Hanhan could treat stones like a staple food.

Croagunk couldn’t.

That was the biggest difference between the two.

After finishing Toxicroak’s panel, Reiji closed it. Tomorrow, he could start arranging training for the new moves.

Once Toxicroak learned them, he could bring it back to the black market.

Right now, without Ice Punch or Dark-type coverage, it would be at too much of a disadvantage against trainers who built their game plans specifically to counter it.

From here on, the trip could be split neatly in two.

By day, Poliwhirl and the others could grind experience on the open-air battlefields upstairs.

By night, Toxicroak and the masked team could grind experience underground.

The thought made Reiji laugh under his breath.

At this rate, the entire ship had basically turned into a giant pile of experience points for him—every trainer aboard just another sparring partner for his team to sharpen themselves on.

[End of chapter]

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