Pokemon: Spiritual Master

January 20th, clear skies.

At the Lily of the Valley Conference, the matches to determine the Top 16 from the Top 32 were underway.

The atmosphere was electric, with every seat taken and the crowd roaring with excitement.

Cynthia sat in her seat, nibbling on a plump Gengar-themed cake.

"Boss lady hasn't had ice cream in a while, has she?" Aaron's ahoge perked up as if he had made a groundbreaking discovery.

Flint crossed his legs. "As Johan-sensei would say, 'It's winter. Cut back on ice cream and drink more hot water.'"

"But doesn't eating too much cake make you gain weight?" Bertha questioned, puzzled. "If boss lady gets fat—"

He puffed up his cheeks to mimic someone gaining weight, his mind already picturing a chubby Cynthia. Instantly, he felt a chill down his spine.

He stiffly turned his head.

Aaron and Flint had already bolted to Steven's side without him noticing. Aaron even gave him a subtle thumbs-up.

Resting on Bertha's shoulder was a scythe gleaming coldly in the light, mere inches from his neck.

"Garrr! (▼皿▼#)"

"Bertha, are you always this brave?" Even Steven couldn't help but lower his voice.

A woman's age and weight—two of the most dangerous topics—were things even he wouldn't dare touch.

Flint nodded knowingly. "It's fine, you get used to it. He won't die."

With that, he turned his gaze to the battlefield through the large floor-to-ceiling windows.

Under the deafening cheers of the crowd, Johan and his opponent for the day, Remo, stepped onto the battlefield.

Because of Remo's "provocative" actions the day before, the audience was especially hyped today.

Johan, as usual, remained composed, smiling and waving at familiar faces in the crowd.

On the other hand, Remo exuded confidence, greeting the audience with an air of self-assurance.

"So bold! I love it!"

"That's the spirit! Take down Johan-sensei, and we'll make you a general!"

"Finally, someone dares to challenge Johan-sensei again!"

Both trainers took their positions.

Remo, dressed in an outfit reminiscent of Orochimaru, with face paint and a paper umbrella in hand, looked like a fusion of Jiraiya and Orochimaru.

He arrogantly pointed his umbrella at Johan, his face full of confidence as he declared:

"Today, we will absolutely defeat at least one of your Pokémon!"

...??

The audience nearly tripped over themselves.

Sure, they were expecting some trash talk, but wasn't this a bit too extreme?

Their goal was simply to take down one of Johan-sensei's Pokémon?

But thinking about it...

It actually made sense.

After all, in this tournament, Johan had never actually let a single one of his Pokémon faint. He had only switched them out.

Johan smiled and nodded.

"Good luck."

Newer fans were touched by how kind Johan was, while veteran fans were already mourning for Remo.

They weren't afraid of Johan having a stern face—they were afraid of him smiling like that.

"Trainers, send out your Pokémon!" The referee signaled.

"Go!" Remo closed his umbrella and slung it over his shoulder while throwing out a Poké Ball. A burst of red light revealed his Pokémon.

Conkeldurr!

Two heavy concrete pillars slammed into the ground with a thud. Conkeldurr flexed its muscular arms, its gaze fierce and focused.

Remo had done his research on Johan—well, plenty of "experts" online had analyzed Johan's battle patterns.

They all came to one conclusion:

Johan-sensei had a "hidden compulsion"—he liked to send out Pokémon in a certain order, either from weakest to strongest or in the order he had caught them.

In his last battle, he had used Charcadet, a Pokémon that had never appeared on the battlefield before.

That meant today, he was likely to send out Kubfu.

Against a Fighting-type like Kubfu, Remo chose to go head-to-head with Conkeldurr to wear it down!

Under the watchful eyes of the audience, Johan released his first Pokémon.

A Pokémon with drooping head crests and a gentle smile hopped out of the Poké Ball, exuding warmth and friendliness.

Indeedee!

Big Sister!

"Ayeee~ (❁´◡`❁)"

Indeedee gracefully bowed to both Conkeldurr and Remo, as if greeting customers at a café.

For a moment, the entire stadium was stunned.

"Indeedee?!"

"So polite! AWSL!"

"Wait, isn't this one of the employees from Johan-sensei's café?!"

"Holy crap—this is straight-up mockery! He didn't even send out one of his main Pokémon; he just threw in a staff member!"

A...staff member?

Remo's expression stiffened.

Was Johan looking down on him that much?

He gripped his umbrella tightly.

Unforgivable!

But then, realization hit him.

If it was just an employee, didn't that mean he actually had a chance to defeat one of Johan-sensei's Pokémon?

And Indeedee was known for being a support Pokémon.

How much firepower could a support Pokémon possibly have?

This was his chance!

Hummmm—

The moment Indeedee appeared, a mystical energy spread from its body, covering the entire battlefield.

Psychic Surge activated! The battlefield was now a Psychic Terrain!

"Battle, begin!" The referee announced.

"Conkeldurr, use Hammer Arm!"

"Ka-kaah!!"

Conkeldurr gripped its concrete pillars and charged forward, each heavy footstep shaking the ground.

Johan's smile remained unchanged as he calmly commanded:

"Indeedee, Expanding Force."

"Ayeee~"

There was a hint of excitement in Indeedee's voice.

Finally! A real battle!

She was actually a bit thrilled.

Hummmm—

A surge of immense psychic power exploded from Indeedee, covering the battlefield in an instant.

As Conkeldurr charged, it suddenly felt an overwhelming force bearing down on it.

The sheer power crushed it within seconds.

"Ka-kaah!"

With a cry of agony, Conkeldurr collapsed to the ground with a loud thud.

For a brief moment, the entire stadium fell silent.

Even Remo stood frozen.

"Conkeldurr is unable to battle!" The referee declared.

"Ayeee~"

Indeedee politely bowed again, her eyes filled with innocence.

Huh?

I didn't even use that much power... how did it go down so fast?

The audience finally erupted into chaos.

"One-hit KO?! Conkeldurr just got obliterated?!"

"How can a Pokémon be this polite?"

"A polite one-hit KO?! That's too polite!"

Meanwhile, veteran fans who had seen Indeedee's battles online finally remembered—

This Indeedee was known as the seventh Battle Frontier facility boss Pokémon!

Remo took a deep breath, realizing his strategy had failed.

Without hesitation, he sent out his second Pokémon.

"Go, Bouffalant!"

A massive buffalo-like Pokémon with an enormous afro emerged.

Bouffalant, the Bash Buffalo Pokémon—a Normal-type known for having enough impact force to derail trains.

"Hey, Bertha, it's your relative!" Flint joked.

Bertha: "..."

Conkeldurr had been weak to Psychic, but Bouffalant had no such weakness and had high special defense.

"Use Head Charge!"

Bouffalant lowered its head, its afro glowing red as it charged full speed at Indeedee.

Its impact was far more terrifying than Conkeldurr's.

But Johan remained calm.

"Indeedee, don't worry. Expanding Force again."

"Ayeee~!"

A surge of Psychic energy flooded the battlefield once more, boosted by the Psychic Terrain.

BOOM!

The ground beneath Bouffalant shattered, forming a perfect square indentation.

Bouffalant collapsed instantly.

Silence.

Then—

"Another one-hit KO?!"

"This Indeedee is insanely strong!"

"And so, this is what happens when you provoke Johan-sensei… Smiling politely while destroying you!"

Remo swallowed hard.

Was it too late to apologize?