Chapter 242: Chapter 242: Bullying Romeo with Gengar
Why is the probability of pulling a shiny Pokémon 1 in 24,576?
Because it's exactly 24 times the number 1,024.
To be precise, on average, you'll encounter one shiny Pokémon for every 24,576 [Celestial Pokémon].
But what's so special about shiny Pokémon?
Absolutely nothing.
They're simply a different color.
Still, Nate was confident that people would love them. Shiny Pokémon were like high-end luxury goods—they weren't meant to exploit the poor but to entice the wealthy.
With just a color swap, he could rake in a fortune in Magic Net Coins from the affluent. The cost-effectiveness of this scheme was incredible.
Thinking about it, Nate couldn't help but chuckle and say, "Stop zoning out, Romeo. The battle has started."
"Wait a moment, Nate! Let me take a photo first!"
Romeo opened the Magic Net and activated the camera feature, snapping several photos of Nate's shiny Gengar with an expression of pure envy.
He planned to post them on the forum later—there was no way he was keeping this admiration to himself!
After finishing his impromptu photo session, Romeo shouted with determination, "Let's go, Charizard! Use Fire Dragon's Roar!"
Following its trainer's command, Charizard opened its mouth, gathering flames before unleashing a fiery breath.
This move was modeled after Natsu's Fire Dragon Slayer Magic. When Charmeleon evolved into Charizard, it gained the ability to use powerful moves like Fire Dragon's Roar.
As for its strength… it couldn't compare to the real thing.
"Dodge it!"
Nate finally got a chance to shout this iconic command.
The plump Gengar, towering at three meters but surprisingly lightweight, hopped lightly with its stubby legs, dodging Charizard's fiery attack.
"Shadow Ball," Nate ordered calmly.
With a wave of its tiny arms, Gengar summoned a dark energy orb, immediately launching a counterattack.
This move was inspired by Mirajane's Dark Magic.
Romeo quickly reacted, shouting, "Fly up! Charizard, use Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!"
Charizard flapped its wings, soaring into the air.
But Nate didn't give it a chance to retaliate. With a swift command, he said, "Hypnosis."
Gengar grinned mischievously and pointed its stubby hand at the airborne Charizard.
This move drew on Mystogan's Sleep Magic!
Before Charizard could flap its wings for an attack, a wave of drowsiness hit it. Its consciousness faded, and its eyes shut as it plummeted from a height of over ten meters.
"Huh?!" Romeo shouted in panic. "Wake up, Charizard!"
"Finish it off. Shadow Punch," Nate said without hesitation, showing no mercy to the younger player.
Pokémon tended to adopt traits from their trainers over time.
Just like Nate, Gengar also had no qualms about being ruthless. With a surprisingly nimble leap, it intercepted the falling Charizard mid-air. Cloaked in dark energy, its punch sent Charizard flying out of the arena.
'Boom!'
Charizard crashed to the ground, and the game immediately declared it defeated.
"Return, Charizard!" Romeo called out, recalling his fainted Pokémon.
Romeo drew a new card and waved it forward. "I choose you, Beedrill!"
A flash of white light revealed a massive poisonous bee in the arena.
Standing over a meter tall, it had two large, sharp white needles for arms, with another venomous stinger at the tip of its yellow-and-black-striped tail.
Typically, players couldn't see their opponent's Pokémon levels.
But with Nate's Six Eyes, he could perceive the Celestial Power within a Pokémon and estimate its approximate level.
This Beedrill appeared to be in the level-20s.
"Beedrill, use Poison Sting!"
"Hypnosis."
Gengar let out a mischievous "Kyahaha," stuck out its tongue in a taunting gesture, and raised its hand to hypnotize Beedrill.
Before Beedrill could even launch its attack, it plummeted from midair and fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.
Seeing this, Romeo was struck as if by lightning.
"Isn't Hypnosis supposed to have a low success rate?!"
With his arms crossed, Nate couldn't help but smirk. "That's against Pokémon of the same level. My Gengar is level 50."
"Level 50?! A max-level Pokémon?!"
Romeo was on the verge of tears. He quickly recalled his sleeping Beedrill and sent out his third Pokémon.
"Go, Pidgeot!"
"Hypnosis."
"Does your Gengar know any move other than Hypnosis, Nate?!"
"You've still got three Pokémon left, Romeo."
"I won't give up! Go, Golbat! Use Supersoni—"
"Hypnosis."
With a soft thud, yet another Pokémon succumbed to high-quality sleep.
Romeo clutched his head, wailing, "This is cheating! How is there a move this broken?!"
Nate offered some sage advice: "This is the result of not grinding levels properly."
'What a scam!'
Romeo wept bitterly. Leveling up a Pokémon to max wasn't easy!
"I'm not done yet!"
Wiping his tears, Romeo summoned his fifth Pokémon with determination.
"Believe in the bond between us! Let's go, Pikachu!"
With another flash of light, the iconic electric mouse appeared in the arena.
Nate squinted, analyzing it with his Six Eyes. It wasn't even level 10.
"Hypnosis."
Gengar let out its sinister laugh, baring its fangs as Romeo sank deeper into despair.
Pikachu instantly collapsed, snoring peacefully.
Romeo dropped to his knees in frustration. "Nate, how do you counter Hypnosis?!"
"…You have to believe in the bond between you and your Pokémon. It's just Hypnosis—overcome it with willpower!"
"Bond?"
"That's right, bond," Nate replied, his deceptive pep talk flowing effortlessly. "Levels don't mean everything. Only the bond between you and your Pokémon is the ultimate strength."
"Really?"
"I'm the game's developer. Would I lie to you?"
"How can I build a strong bond?"
"With love," Nate said with a grin. "If you don't pull every Pokémon from the card pool, how can you show your love for them?"
Romeo froze, as if struck by divine inspiration.
"I get it now! I lost this time, but Nate, I'll challenge you again!"
With that, he conceded the match and logged out.
Nate smirked to himself. 'The kid's probably off to ask his parents for money. After all, gacha isn't cheap.'
It's all to motivate Macao, of course. Someone's got to work hard and earn money for his son to pull those cards!
"Return, Gengar."
Nate recalled his Gengar and was promptly kicked out of the battle arena by the game.
…
Reality – Apartment
Nate's consciousness returned to reality, just in time to receive a private message.
Jenny Realight: "Nate!"
Jenny Realight: "Battle me! Pikachu.jpg 😏"
"The receptionist from Blue Pegasus?"
Nate replied.
Sigma Male: "So you're playing Pokémon too?"
Jenny Realight: "I just pulled one~"
'If she just pulled it, that means it's a level 5 starter, right?'
She wasn't even bothering to train her Pokémon and was already challenging him?
Sigma Male: "Internet Battle requires at least 3 Pokémon. Are you an idiot? Didn't you read the patch notes?"
Jenny Realight: "I've pulled more than one! Just battle me already."
Sigma Male: "No. You're too weak. Pass."
Jenny Realight: "Don't underestimate me! 😡"
Jenny Realight: "If I win, you have to join Blue Pegasus!"
'She still hasn't given up?'
Nate chuckled to himself. That receptionist from Blue Pegasus was always scheming to recruit him into their guild. He couldn't understand why she was so persistent.
~~~
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