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"Sanji! Use Seismic Toss!"
WHAM!!!
With a dull sound of impact, a strange-looking Pokémon with a head like a morning glory was suddenly kicked high into the sky by Sanji.
Inside the Celadon Gym.
After navigating through the gym maze and defeating all the trainers, Red nodded with satisfaction, pleased with their progress.
Perhaps because the opponents were motionless and untouchable digital avatars, or maybe because the battle targets were Pokémon instead of beautiful women...
Even Red hadn't expected that in this gym filled with female trainers, Sanji would be able to return to fighting form after just a total of 5 minutes of love-struck distraction.
...
"Use Vine Whip to dodge it!!!"
Facing Sanji's fiery attack, Gym Leader Erika, who possessed normal combat wisdom, desperately issued instructions to save her Pokémon.
Even wrapped in a traditional kimono, her graceful figure still looked elegant and attractive.
But it was too late! Under the effects of Seismic Toss, her Pokémon instantly froze, unable to respond to the trainer's instructions.
Tap-tap-tap-tap—
Rapid footsteps echoed across the battlefield.
Sanji's figure flashed quickly, turning into a black blur as he caught up with the airborne Gloom at incredible speed.
"It's over!"
He smiled confidently with a cigarette in his mouth and a sharp gleam in his eyes.
The next second, sparks suddenly ignited on his raised leg.
"Diable Jambe: Collier Shoot!!!"
Seismic Toss + Diable Jambe + Sanji's leg strength developed over years of training...
A terrifying blow suddenly landed on Gloom's body.
In an instant, a circular blast of air rushed outward with fiery intensity!
CRASH!!!
The unfortunate Gloom, now engulfed in flames, instantly transformed into a flying fireball and slammed directly into the ground.
"Gloom..."
After struggling to let out one last cry, Gloom completely lost its ability to fight. Its eyes rolled back, and it fainted.
"Thank you for your effort, you did your best."
Seeing this, Erika immediately took out a Poké Ball and recalled Gloom, then looked at Sanji who had defeated two of her Pokémon in succession.
"It seems that I underestimated you!"
An icy smile appeared on her gentle face.
Though she was clearly a Grass-type Gym Leader, Red could see the fire of fighting spirit in her eyes.
Erika took out her final Poké Ball, and a mature smile appeared on her lips.
"Now, let my ace Pokémon meet you!"
"Go, Vileplume!"
With a flash of red light, a Pokémon with enormous petals on its head and a deep blue body materialized onto the battlefield.
As soon as it appeared, Vileplume let out a determined cry at Sanji.
"This one's coming in strong~!"
"How about it, Sanji? Can you still hold on!?"
Seeing this, Red grinned and called out to Sanji.
"No problem at all!"
Sanji smiled excitedly, and two blazing flames suddenly erupted from his feet.
This was what he had learned from Zoro over the past few days...
How to channel Pokémon energy moves!
Just as Zoro could integrate thunder energy into his sword techniques, Sanji could incorporate fire energy into his kicks.
This gave him a unique advantage when dealing with Grass-type Pokémon! Every attack resulted in super-effective damage against Grass Pokémon, with a high probability of inflicting a burn status.
With this technique, Sanji had defeated the trainers in the Celadon Gym without difficulty, successfully gaining enough experience to level up!
But...
"Be careful, the Pokémon you're facing is fully evolved, and it's different from the previous Grass-types!"
Although Sanji was brimming with confidence, Red, as his trainer, had to offer a warning.
At the same level, fully evolved Pokémon were significantly more powerful than their pre-evolved forms.
Of course, with certain exceptions.
"Understood!"
After hearing Red's special reminder, Sanji nodded immediately.
He was level-headed and not an arrogant fighter.
But for some reason, every time he used the flame-enhanced kick technique, he felt an inexplicable tingling throughout his body.
Having escaped from the Vinsmoke family at a young age, Sanji didn't realize this sensation was a precursor to the awakening of the hidden genetic powers in his body.
Though true awakening was still far off, this was enough to prove that Sanji's...
Future held great promise!
The battle was about to begin! With flames wreathing his feet, Sanji moved instantly. Although he hadn't yet mastered Shave after several days of practice, his movement speed was much faster than before! In the blink of an eye, he reached Vileplume's position.
He led with a blazing flying kick.
However, Erika, now familiar with Sanji's fighting style, wasn't about to sit back and accept defeat.
She immediately waved her sleeve and commanded: "Vileplume, use Toxic!"
"Plume~!"
Faced with Sanji's fiery attack, Erika chose not to dodge, but instead allowed Vileplume to meet the challenge head-on!
In an instant, thick purple liquid sprayed from the center of Vileplume's massive flower.
The move Toxic could severely poison enemies, causing escalating damage over time.
When used by a Poison-type Pokémon, this move had a 100% accuracy rate!!! And Vileplume possessed the dual typing of Grass and Poison!
Splash!
The thick purple fluid sprayed directly into Sanji's face.
Before he could react, excruciating pain shot through his body.
But he still connected with his kick! THUD! Under the tremendous force, Vileplume was sent flying backward.
Yet in the next second, Sanji suddenly froze and dropped to one knee.
"Sanji, are you alright?"
Red asked with concern.
Sanji slowly stood up, his body suddenly taking on a disturbing purple hue that seemed to be intensifying.
As the Gym Leader, Erika smiled knowingly: "Toxic is a status condition that causes progressively worse damage than regular poison."
"Your fighter won't be able to hold out for long!"
"The battle isn't over yet!"
As if provoked, Red shouted enthusiastically:
"Don't give up, Sanji!"
As he spoke, he quickly reached into his backpack, pulled out an Antidote, and threw it toward Sanji on the battlefield.
During Pokémon battles, while trainers couldn't directly intervene, they could use various items to aid their Pokémon.
This was permitted by the rules!
Red called out anxiously: "Sanji, drink it!"
"Cure the poison status!"
However...
"Ha! Do you think I'll make it that easy!?"
Erika, on the opposite side, had clearly anticipated Red's move.
After all, they were both trainers—who didn't carry a few healing items in their bag? She extended her slender fingers and commanded, "Don't let them succeed, Vileplume, use Petal Dance!!!"
"Vile~!"
Though it had taken a fiery kick, Vileplume wasn't severely injured thanks to its robust constitution. It immediately lowered its head and aimed the center of its flower toward the airborne Antidote.
The next second, a flurry of sharp pink petals shot out like knives, shattering the Antidote in mid-air.
"It's useless! Did you really think I'd let you heal your fighter so easily?"
Seeing this, Erika let out a delicate laugh and hummed softly.
But what she didn't expect was...
The destruction of the Antidote didn't cause the opposing trainer to look disappointed.
Instead, a sly smile appeared on Red's face.
"Oh, is that so!?"
Red raised his head slightly, looked directly at Erika, and quickly ordered: "Sanji, use Seismic Toss!!!"
"What!?"
Erika's expression suddenly changed.
But Sanji acted instantly.
Although the toxic damage was steadily eroding his body, Sanji wouldn't fall so easily!
"AAAAHHHH~!!!"
Sanji let out a determined roar.
Stimulated by the pain, he moved even faster!
Taking advantage of Vileplume's Petal Dance distraction, he suddenly dashed in front of the Pokémon like dark lightning.
A bright light bloomed at Sanji's feet, and then a raging flame erupted.
Though Seismic Toss was normally a Fighting-type move, it perfectly suited Sanji's combat style. After Flame Charge, High Jump Kick, and Brick Break, it had become the final move in Sanji's arsenal.
BOOM!!! In his severely poisoned state, Sanji unleashed an unprecedented flying kick through the Seismic Toss technique, sending Vileplume flying into the gym wall.
If the gym weren't an indestructible building, Red would bet...
Sanji's powerful attack could have kicked Vileplume clear across town!
"Incredible!"
Seeing this, Erika let out a surprised gasp.
But she knew...
This battle was reaching its conclusion!
"While you're weakened, we'll finish this!"
Red immediately ordered again:
"Sanji, one more Seismic Toss!"
"End this!"
"My apologies, lovely Erika-san!"
WHOOSH!!! Blazing fire erupted from the soles of Sanji's feet again, increasing his speed another notch.
Before Vileplume could fall from the wall, Sanji had already leaped up and aimed directly at the descending Pokémon.
Then...
"Flaming Grill: Bouquetière Shot!!!"
The raging flames suddenly swept across like a blooming rose.
This time, Vileplume was struck by both the impact and the burning effect of the flames.
Combined with the previous attacks and two powerful Seismic Tosses...
Even Grass-type Pokémon, known for their endurance, couldn't withstand such an onslaught.
Vileplume's eyes rolled back as it lost consciousness.
At the same time, two notification messages flashed before Red's eyes:
[Vinsmoke Sanji defeated Gym Leader Erika's Vileplume and received: Experience Points +868.]
[Mission Complete, Evaluation: Excellent.]
[Additional Reward: Experience +434.]
A brilliant light suddenly enveloped Sanji's body.
Sanji, who had only reached level 31 not long ago, gained enough experience from this battle to level up once again.