Chapter 66: The Lost Chansey
"Return, Pidgeot," Falkner said, recalling his Pokémon. "I'm convinced. This Zephyr Badge is yours."
He handed it to Ryan, who thanked him and accepted it. Cosmog then darted out of his backpack, snatched the Zephyr Badge, and held it up to the sunlight, giggling softly.
Ryan grumpily took it back, saying, "Nebby, stop being mischievous."
Cosmog didn't seem to care and didn't bother returning to the backpack. Instead, it floated above Ryan's head, curiously observing Falkner and his students.
"You're really popular with Pokémon. That one's uncaptured, right? It's traveling with you voluntarily," Falkner said with some envy.
Ryan chuckled and said nothing more. After bidding farewell to Falkner, he consulted his Pokégear and prepared to head toward Azalea Gym. The route would also pass by Charicific Valley, which would be a perfect opportunity for Charizard to visit and train with its own kind.
Gengar's victory this time had been close—too close, especially considering how recklessly it had fought. If it weren't for the Focus Sash Ryan had given it, it would likely have been knocked out in the first match. Ryan made a mental note to train Gengar more carefully in the future.
The Focus Sash ensured that even when taking a potentially fatal hit, a Pokémon could sometimes survive with just 1 HP remaining.
Without it, Gengar would have been defeated in the first battle due to its own recklessness. He shook his head, dismissing the thought. His biggest concern right now was Cosmog's evolution. Ryan had equipped Cosmog with an Exp. Share. Even without any special training bonuses, Cosmog had already reached level 35 and would evolve into Cosmoem at level 43. Carrying it would become a major problem then—he didn't have superhuman strength like some trainers, capable of lifting a 999.9kg Cosmoem.
Well, after it evolves into Cosmoem, at worst he could stay in one place for a few days until it evolved again into Solgaleo, Ryan thought.
As Ryan left Violet City, lost in thought, he was suddenly knocked flying by a pink figure. Landing hard on the ground, he rubbed his aching stomach. He'd been in good physical shape thanks to extensive training with his Pokémon—what could have been powerful enough to knock him over like that?
"Chan-sey!" a familiar voice called out. Ryan looked up to see a Chansey standing before him.
Chansey nodded repeatedly, apologizing profusely. The Egg Pokémon carefully took an egg from its pouch and offered it to Ryan.
Ryan knew about this behavior. Chansey produced nutritious eggs daily, and they were incredibly wholesome and delicious. As a naturally caring Pokémon, Chansey would share its eggs with any injured creatures it encountered.
Ryan accepted the gesture graciously. Besides, with such a delicious and nutritious egg, he could have a good meal. And since this was clearly a high-level Chansey, he was inclined to forgive the accident.
Wait—high-level?! Ryan rubbed his eyes, making sure he wasn't seeing things. Since when did elite wild Pokémon start literally running into him?
"URSARING!" With an enraged roar, a massive Ursaring clutched its lower body and, moving in an odd, pained manner, charged toward them. Upon spotting Chansey, its eyes blazed with fury. Without warning, it fired a Hyper Beam at Chansey, with Ryan caught in the blast radius.
"Oh no! Gyarados, intercept that beam!" Ryan released Gyarados without hesitation, countering with another Hyper Beam.
He glanced back at Chansey and asked, "What did you do to it? It's completely berserk!"
Chansey whimpered timidly, and Ryan instinctively winced. Any male would understand that kind of pain. No wonder the Ursaring had gone into a rage.
"Finish it, Gyarados. Hydro Pump," Ryan said, looking at the Ursaring sympathetically. He hoped this wouldn't leave lasting trauma. Anyone who gets interrupted during... intimate moments and then receives a painful blow to a sensitive area would understandably be furious.
Gyarados's Hydro Pump sent the Ursaring flying, crashing through two trees before finally stopping, knocked unconscious. Ryan threw an Ultra Ball at it, successfully capturing the defeated Pokémon.
Watching the Poké Ball teleport away to his ranch, Ryan turned back to Chansey and said, "Can you tell me how you managed to get into trouble with that Ursaring?"
Chansey began explaining sheepishly, and Ryan's expression grew increasingly exasperated as the story unfolded. Finally, he was speechless. This Chansey was truly exceptional—not only was it incredibly strong, but its ability to get lost was also legendary. It had somehow wandered from Fuchsia City all the way to Violet City. "Are you secretly Roronoa Zoro?" he muttered.
"If you keep going in that direction, you'll end up back in Kanto. Your sense of direction is hopeless. Why don't you travel with me? I can get you back to Fuchsia City eventually," Ryan offered.
Chansey shook its head energetically and pointed in a random direction, clearly intending to continue its "journey."
Ryan's eye twitched. "You've been lost 59 times and separated from your group over 200 times. How have you even survived this long?"
Chansey waved cheerfully and started walking forward.
"You're going the wrong way."
Chansey turned around.
"Now why are you turning around when you were fine?"
Chansey returned to its original path.
"Just try to go straight."
Chansey immediately changed direction and continued walking.
"Turn left here."
Half an hour later, Chansey sat on the ground, its body slumped and exhausted from confusion.
Ryan's mouth twitched. He had given countless corrections in the past thirty minutes. Looking back, Violet City was still visible, only about four or five hundred meters away.
"I can't take this anymore. Let's battle," Ryan said in defeat. "If you lose, you become my Pokémon. I'll carry you places directly—no more walking and getting lost!"
With that, he sent out Pheromosa. Chansey stood up, showing it still had fight left, and charged at Pheromosa with reckless abandon.
"Pheromosa, dodge with Agility, then Triple Kick," Ryan commanded.
Pheromosa instantly moved with graceful speed, dodging Chansey's Double-Edge with a simple sidestep. It then unleashed a Triple Kick combo, finishing with an axe kick that sent Chansey tumbling to the ground. Chansey scrambled to its feet, produced an egg, and used Soft-Boiled, instantly restoring itself to perfect condition.
"Very resilient. Then don't give it a chance to recover," Ryan declared. "Keep attacking with Triple Kick—don't let up!"
Pheromosa immediately sent Chansey flying into the air again, following up with a jumping kick that launched it even higher. Seeing Chansey about to use Soft-Boiled mid-air, Pheromosa's eyes focused intensely. In an instant, it had appeared above Chansey and slammed into it with a devastating High Jump Kick. Chansey fell like a meteor, blasting a massive crater in the ground.
Ryan quickly covered his mouth and nose against the billowing dust and debris. When it settled, Chansey lay unconscious in the large pit, completely unable to battle.
"Go, Poké Ball!" Ryan threw the Poké Ball to capture Chansey, then climbed onto Dragonite to get a better view.
"Come out, Chansey." Ryan released his new team member and used a Max Potion to fully heal it. Chansey immediately perked up, back to its cheerful self.
Ryan smiled. "If used properly, Chansey could potentially sweep an entire team, completely outlasting opponents through attrition."
Pokémon: Chansey
Level: 46
Gender: Female
Height: 1.1m
Weight: 34.6kg
Ability: Natural Cure
Moves: Counter (Egg Move), Double-Edge, Sing, Pound, Soft-Boiled
(End of Chapter)
If you enjoyed this chapter, leave a Power Stone or Review!
P@atreon/Soulforger (45+ advanced chapters)