Pokemon: Spiritual Master

Galar Region, Isle of Armor.

"Master, Johan's Kubfu evolved." Leon's voice came through the phone.

"I saw it, little Leon." Mustard replied, holding his phone in one hand and a bag of chips in the other while lounging on the sofa, watching the live broadcast.

He was clearly thrilled that Kubfu had evolved.

Maybe now, that little guy wouldn't need to come back to the Isle of Armor?

"But Master, didn't you say Kubfu needed to clear the Tower of Two Fists to evolve?" Leon asked, confused.

Mustard chuckled, "The Tower of Two Fists is just a test of their martial prowess. That little rascal… already climbed it."

"It already did?" Leon was stunned.

"Yep."

Back then, Kubfu had stormed the Tower of Darkness in the middle of the night and read the Scroll of Darkness—but didn't evolve.

Then, the next morning, it ran over to the Tower of Waters and read the Scroll of Waters.

After reading both scrolls, it still didn't evolve.

Instead, it learned both Single Strike Style and Rapid Strike Style techniques.

Other Kubfu would accumulate enough experience, then read the scroll to grasp their chosen technique.

But this one? It flipped the script entirely.

It mastered the techniques first—then realized it hadn't built up enough energy to evolve.

Of course, compared to other Kubfu, its progress wasn't actually slow. It was just that every Kubfu had different "capacities" for growth.

"So, did it evolve into a Single Strike Urshifu or a Rapid Strike Urshifu?" Leon asked.

"Well, even this old man doesn't know." Mustard's voice carried a hint of mischief.

"Huh?"

Mustard's tone became slightly more serious. "Listen, little Leon, don't get too caught up in labels. An Urshifu's form depends on the techniques it has mastered. But if it has mastered both…"

Leon took a sharp breath.

In the end, an Urshifu's style was determined by the techniques it wielded.

Whether Single Strike or Rapid Strike, their base stats were the same.

If it had mastered both techniques…

Could it switch freely?

Crunch, crunch—

Mustard popped another handful of chips into his mouth. "Come on, little Leon, let's watch the match together."

"Well, I'm watching from Charizard's back, so…"

Back to the battlefield.

Kubfu's evolution into Urshifu had set the entire stadium ablaze with excitement.

Especially after witnessing the incredibly stylish way it evolved—calmly walking out of the flames as if they were nothing—the crowd erupted in thunderous cheers.

"Garruu!!"

Urshifu struck a fighting stance, standing strong and energized.

Urshifu enters the battlefield!!

If Kotetsu from the anime could keep regaining stamina through evolution, why couldn't Urshifu recover by evolving too?

Kabu's expression was more serious than ever.

He admired Johan and Kubfu's relentless fighting spirit and respected their dedication to battle.

But admiration aside… he was still their opponent.

The pressure from Urshifu wasn't just because it had recovered—it was because the Urshifu standing before him was far stronger than before.

Not only had Urshifu fully recovered from burns and reset its lowered defenses, but its sheer presence alone was overwhelming.

"Centiskorch, Will-O-Wisp again!"

Centiskorch, too, could feel Urshifu's immense pressure.

But it didn't hesitate at Kabu's command.

Three fireballs shot toward Urshifu at high speed.

Johan and Urshifu both smiled slightly.

Urshifu's stance shifted.

It raised both hands and lifted one foot slightly, its expression focused and serious.

"Here it comes," Johan murmured.

"Garruu!!"

Urshifu let out a low roar and punched forward at the incoming fireballs.

Splash—

For a brief moment, it sounded like rushing water.

As Urshifu's fist struck the fireballs, a deep blue aura of water surrounded its fist.

A punch, a side kick, a spin, another punch!

With smooth, flowing movements, Urshifu shattered all three fireballs.

Then Johan commanded:

"Aqua Jet!"

Splash—

This time, the sound of water was even clearer. Water flowed around Urshifu's body, enveloping it as it charged toward Centiskorch at high speed.

Fast!

Kabu's heart skipped a beat. "Centiskorch, Burn Up!"

[Burn Up: A powerful Fire-type attack that burns away the user's flames, temporarily removing its Fire typing after use.]

Clearly, Kabu wasn't entirely sure about Urshifu's new abilities.

But from their brief exchange, he suspected that this Urshifu might now have a Water typing.

Burn Up would not only deliver a powerful strike—it would eliminate Centiskorch's Fire weakness to Water attacks.

However…

BAM!!

Before Centiskorch could unleash Burn Up, Urshifu had already closed the distance with Aqua Jet!

Johan swung his arm. "Surging Strikes!"

Rapid Strike Style Secret Technique: Surging Strikes!

A move that guarantees a critical hit!

"Garruu!!"

Urshifu's sharp eyes flashed as it unleashed a flurry of rapid punches, each surrounded by spiraling water.

As Urshifu's fists struck Centiskorch's burning body, steam rose into the air.

BAM! BAM! BAM!!

Three heavy impacts.

"Fffuuu!!"

With a final cry, Centiskorch crashed onto the ground—unable to use Burn Up in time.

The entire arena fell silent.

Until the referee announced: "C-Centiskorch is unable to battle!"

"Whoa!!"

The audience erupted in shock.

"A-A one-shot?!"

"Crap, he's actually sweeping the whole team!"

"Water-type moves?! Did Kubfu gain the Water typing after evolving?"

With a Water typing and Water-type attacks, Kabu's situation had changed drastically.

As a Fire-type specialist, he had clear weaknesses—Fire is weak to Ground, Rock, and Water.

His team did include countermeasures—like Scovillain, a Grass/Fire Pokémon that resisted all three of those weaknesses while benefiting from the sun.

But Scovillain had already been defeated.

Kabu had studied Johan's team and knew Johan didn't usually use Water, Ground, or Rock-type Pokémon.

He just hadn't accounted for Kubfu evolving.

Who would have?!

"This is a Rapid Strike Urshifu—Fighting and Water! Fire-types are in trouble now!"** Lucian said, sneaking glances at Flint.

Flint, having just witnessed Urshifu's raw power, opened his mouth to respond—but found himself speechless.

Urshifu stood proudly in the arena, its fur flowing with confidence, exuding an aura of unwavering dominance.

Johan… you've betrayed the revolution.

"Urshifu's fighting style reminds me of Cynthia's Garchomp," Aaron mused.

Yeah, no kidding. It was one-hit KO after one-hit KO.

"Garrr."

Garchomp let out a low growl, neither confirming nor denying the statement.

Kabu's expression was grim as he sent out his fifth Pokémon—Salazzle!

A sleek, black-scaled lizard Pokémon, standing on two legs, with red markings on its belly and an intoxicating aroma in the air.

Salazzle, the Toxic Lizard Pokémon, Poison/Fire-type! Only female Salandit could evolve into Salazzle, and the pheromones it secreted were highly valued in rare perfumes.

Though Salazzle looked fragile, it held its ground.

But Urshifu didn't care about its opponent's appearance.

"Garruu—"

For the first time since the battle began, Johan took the initiative.

"Surging Strikes!"

"Salazzle, Protect!"

Salazzle immediately created a green protective barrier—trying to block the attack.

However—

Something shocking happened.

Urshifu's water-infused fist pierced right through Protect and slammed into Salazzle.

BAM! BAM! BAM!!

"A one-shot victory!" the announcer stammered. "Urshifu ignored Protect completely!"

Unseen Fist.

Because Urshifu's Ability was Unseen Fist.

A stunned silence swept through the arena.

Kabu and Salazzle had clearly been caught off guard.

Unseen Fist.

[Unseen Fist: If the user's attack makes contact, it bypasses Protect and similar defensive moves, dealing normal damage.]

This was one of the reasons why Urshifu dominated battles in the games.

It completely ignored defensive tactics—a sheer, overwhelming force.

Clearly, both Kabu and Salazzle had underestimated this.

Now, with only one Pokémon left—Ninetales—Kabu's chances of a comeback were slim.

In the end—

"Garruu!!"

Urshifu stood tall in the battlefield, roaring toward the sky.

A complete sweep!!

"Johan wins!!"

"Unbelievable!!"

"Urshifu is unstoppable!!"

The crowd erupted in cheers, celebrating the stunning one-versus-six victory.

Who would have thought?

Kabu, a former Gym Leader and one of the strongest contenders in the tournament, had been completely swept!

It wasn't because Kabu was weak.

In fact, the sheer strength he had shown only made Johan and Urshifu's win even more incredible.

Johan had swept teams before, but this victory had shocked everyone the most.

The stadium was electric with excitement.

Johan and Kabu walked toward the center of the battlefield, shaking hands as Johan smiled.

"Just lucky."

Kabu twitched slightly at that.

"Haha…" He let out a dry chuckle.

Sure, he was the one who had asked Johan to go all out.

But this level of "all-out"…

This was way too painful.

A complete sweep? And he was supposed to believe that was just "luck"?

Still…

Kabu had learned something from this battle.

Watching Johan and Urshifu's unyielding determination, he reflected on his own journey.

He had once lost his Gym Leader title due to arrogance.

But after today—it didn't feel so devastating anymore.

Because just like Urshifu…

He could evolve, too.

He could grow stronger and reclaim what was his.

"I've learned a lot," Kabu said sincerely. "I look forward to our next match."

"The kind where you give me a badge and a TM?"

They exchanged knowing smiles.

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Powerstones?

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