Pokémon: I’m Really Not a Team Rocket Spy

"Focus Energy!"

The young man stood at the back, commanding his Machop.

Focus Energy allows a Pokémon to enter a state of heightened concentration, significantly increasing the chance of landing critical hits.

If Maki remembered correctly, Machop could learn a move early on that had a high critical-hit rate.

"Dragon Dance!"

Maki didn't mind his opponent using a boosting move like Focus Energy. After all, even if every attack hit critically after using it, the overall damage boost would barely match the benefits of Dragon Dance. Not to mention, Dragon Dance also boosts speed.

As for whether this would draw unwanted attention, Maki was no longer concerned.

Sure, a Charmander knowing Dragon Dance was a rarity, but at least in the city, no one would dare make a move openly. As for the wilds… well, who was hunting whom might be an entirely different matter.

"What?!"

The young man was visibly shocked that Maki's Charmander could use Dragon Dance. Envy flickered in his eyes as he hastily issued another command to his Machop.

"Machop, rush in with Karate Chop!"

Karate Chop, with 50 base power, has one simple effect: a heightened critical-hit ratio. Combined with the Focus Energy effect, the move essentially guarantees a critical hit.

Normally, powerful boosting moves like Dragon Dance take longer to execute compared to moves like Focus Energy.

Take, for example, the Kalos region's Xerneas and its signature move, Geomancy. Even if a Pokémon used Mimic or Sketch to replicate it, the time required to gather energy for the move would be extraordinarily long.

From an objective standpoint, the young man's choice made sense—Machop could easily interrupt Charmander using its speed advantage.

Unfortunately, he hadn't accounted for one critical factor: Maki's Charmander had inherited Dragon Dance as an egg move, and with guidance from a Dragonite, its proficiency with the move had reached an exceptional level. Even during a battle against Lance's Dratini, Dratini had failed to interrupt Charmander's Dragon Dance. Against this Machop, there was no chance.

"Fire Fang—counter the attack."

Maki's voice remained calm. The moment Charmander completed a Dragon Dance, the battle was essentially decided. Maki doubted this Machop knew Bulk Up. Even if it did, he wouldn't allow it the chance to use it.

Machop closed in, delivering a downward Karate Chop, but before it could connect, Charmander caught it in its jaws. While some of the move's force still struck Charmander, the interception prevented its full power from being unleashed.

As Charmander held onto Machop, Maki began muttering to himself, much like he had during his battle with Lance's Dratini.

"Don't burn it… don't burn it…"

Luck wasn't on Maki's side, however. Machop bore the Guts ability, which boosts Attack when afflicted with a status condition, while ignoring the attack-reducing effect of burns. If Charmander's Fire Fang inflicted a burn, Machop's offensive potential would increase dramatically.

"Machop, keep using Karate Chop!"

This is where having hands comes in handy. With one arm caught in Charmander's jaws, Machop still had another free. The young man was determined to capitalize on the Focus Energy boost, spamming Karate Chop to make the most of it.

Maki wondered aloud if Machamp, with its four arms, deserved an ability called "Loving Hands" as a joke.

"Throw it off!"

Charmander, unlike Mawile with its two mouths, could only hold one arm at a time. With a flick of its neck, it flung Machop away, interrupting its second Karate Chop.

Unfortunately, as if responding to Maki's fears, the bite mark on Machop's arm began to show signs of a burn.

Maki muttered an exasperated curse under his breath.

Today, Maki learned an important lesson: Lady Luck has a cruel sense of humor.

As Machop's burn status became evident, its Attack noticeably increased rather than diminishing—a clear sign of its Guts ability.

Unlike Maki, who was now resigned, the young man seemed completely unaware of what had just happened. He stared at his Machop, confused as to why its condition seemed to improve after being burned.

"Luck works in mysterious ways," Maki sighed.

"What luck! That Charmander's Fire Fang managed to burn it!"

"Luck? That's pure misfortune! Machop's clearly got the Guts ability—this is bad luck through and through!"

Hearing the crowd's commentary, especially someone calling him lucky, Maki silently cursed them to always burn Guts Pokémon with Fire-type moves, paralyze Quick Feet Pokémon with Electric moves, and poison Poison Heal Pokémon with Poison moves.

"Use Ember."

Despite Machop's enhanced offensive capabilities, Maki knew it meant nothing if Machop couldn't land a hit.

With the speed boost from Dragon Dance, Charmander darted around the battlefield, making itself impossible to catch. The burn continued to chip away at Machop's stamina until it finally fainted. Charmander had won without breaking a sweat.

"That Charmander's movements were so nimble!"

"Well, it did use Dragon Dance—it's to be expected."

"Did you notice, though? Charmander used Dragon Dance so quickly—it's like it's mastered the move."

"Really? I didn't catch that."

…

Ignoring the murmurs from the audience, Maki glanced at the adjacent battlefield. With twelve arenas in the competition, battles started whenever a field opened up.

For instance, in Arena 10, a Bulbasaur and a Gloom had been locked in battle since Maki arrived. The judge overseeing their match looked like he was on the verge of passing out from Gloom's stench but was stubbornly holding his ground. Maki couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for him.

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