Pokemon: Spiritual Master

"Guzma is switching Pokémon—entering the field is Orbeetle!"

At first glance, Orbeetle looked like a seven-spotted ladybug, but beyond its beetle-like shell, it also had a humanoid body, complete with arms, a torso, a waist, and legs.

Orbeetle, the Seven Spot Pokémon. A Bug/Psychic-type known for its incredible intelligence, making it one of the smartest Bug Pokémon.

The moment Orbeetle landed, its eyes glowed faintly with psychic energy—it had just scanned Dragonite's held item—a Sharp Beak!

"Orbeetle, Trick Room!"

Guzma, with both hands still in his pockets, had learned his lesson from before. This time, he went for immediate control.

Buzz—

With the flapping of Orbeetle's wings, a twisted, transparent force field spread outward, reversing the speed order.

But Dragonite remained unfazed.

Its body shimmered white, and it rushed toward Orbeetle at extreme speed.

"That's Extreme Speed!" the announcer shouted. "Priority moves like Extreme Speed are unaffected by Trick Room!"

Plus, Orbeetle was already fast—so Trick Room didn't give it a huge advantage anyway.

BAM!

Orbeetle was knocked backward by Dragonite's charge.

But Guzma didn't panic—he even chuckled slightly and ordered:

"U-turn!"

BZZT!

Orbeetle's thin, translucent wings vibrated rapidly, its body glowing pale blue as it spun around and rammed into Dragonite.

As long as the attack landed, Orbeetle would be recalled to its Poké Ball, allowing Guzma to send out a new Pokémon.

"Did he teach every single one of his Pokémon U-turn?"

"Wait, if every Pokémon uses U-turn once per switch, couldn't he just wear down his opponent little by little?"

"This strategy is kinda dirty… it's got Johan's signature style."

Infinite U-turn switching?

If Stealth Rock was on the field, Guzma's team would be in big trouble.

But Johan had already identified Guzma's game plan—there was no way he'd fall for the same trick twice.

As the saying goes—"The same move won't work twice against a Saint Seiya!"

Johan calmly commanded: "Air Slash."

"Draaa~!"

Dragonite's small wings flapped rapidly, summoning a violent gust that carried two bright white blades straight toward Orbeetle.

BAM! BAM!

A dull impact sounded.

CRACK!

A crack appeared on Orbeetle's shell, and as it let out a pained cry, its body suddenly stiffened—

Flinch!

U-turn was forcibly interrupted!

Huh?

Guzma's expression froze.

Was this a mixed-attacker Dragonite?!

And its luck was this good?!

"Orbeetle flinched!" the announcer's voice boomed excitedly. "It looks like luck is finally on Johan's side!"

"Wing Attack."

Johan's voice sounded again, and Dragonite flapped its wings, striking Orbeetle with another blow.

BAM!!

"Orbeetle is unable to battle!" the referee immediately announced.

BOOM!!

On the giant screen, one of Guzma's Poké Balls turned gray.

Johan secured the first victory, and the crowd erupted in excitement.

"Trying to play dirty against Johan? Useless!"

"I hereby declare Johan the true master of underhanded tactics!"

"He actually got lucky for once—I'm so mad!"

Dragonite hovered in the air, its expression unchanged.

Luck?

That was pure skill.

Just basic mechanics—no need to overreact.

"Nice one!" Flint punched the air in the VIP box. "That punk was getting cocky—make him pay!"

…Flint calling someone else cocky was pure irony.

On the battlefield, Guzma expressionlessly recalled Orbeetle.

Normally, he would scold his Pokémon for losing, but this time, he didn't.

In his mind, Johan had just gotten lucky.

There was nothing to criticize.

Guzma pulled out another Poké Ball, his expression more serious than before.

"Crush it, Vikavolt!"

A buzzing "zzzt" sound filled the air as a large, blue-shelled stag beetle with golden sparks crackling around its pincers appeared on the field.

Vikavolt, the Stag Beetle Pokémon. A Bug/Electric-type.

Clearly, this was a counter specifically prepared for Flying-types.

Vikavolt had extremely high Special Attack, but its biggest weakness was its low Speed.

However—

With Trick Room in effect, everything had changed.

"Vikavolt, Discharge!"

"Kurrraa!!"

Vikavolt's underbelly glowed golden, its massive pincers crackling with electricity.

BOOM!

A terrifying surge of electricity erupted, engulfing the battlefield in a blinding golden light.

But at that moment—

FWOOSH!!

A massive surge of red-hot flames erupted from Dragonite's direction, colliding with the electricity.

The two forces clashed violently, sending shockwaves through the air.

It was Dragonite's Flamethrower!

"The flames successfully neutralized the electric surge!" the announcer called out.

Guzma gritted his teeth.

But then—

As Vikavolt's electric attack faded, a golden, thread-like wave of energy suddenly rushed toward Dragonite.

"By using Discharge as cover, Vikavolt has launched an Electroweb!"

But—

A matching golden thread shot out from Dragonite's side.

Both Electrowebs collided midair and exploded.

BOOM!!

The golden sparks scattered like a spider's web dissolving in the wind.

"Ohhhh! Johan seems to have predicted the Electroweb and countered it with one of his own!"

Using moves to counter moves instead of dodging—this was a classic strategy among veteran Trainers.

Guzma took a deep breath.

He hadn't expected all his strategies to be countered so smoothly.

His eyes narrowed sharply.

There's no other choice—time for a direct confrontation!

At least, with Trick Room still active, I still have the upper hand!

"Thunderbolt!"

Guzma finally raised his hand, slashing it through the air.

BZZT!!

A thick bolt of electricity streaked toward Dragonite.

"Dodge with Extreme Speed!" Johan frowned.

Guzma was right—as long as Trick Room was in effect, he held the advantage.

If Johan wanted Dragonite to avoid taking unnecessary damage, stalling out Trick Room was the best option.

But then—

"Chase it down!"

Buzz—

Vikavolt's wings vibrated rapidly, chasing after its own Thunderbolt!

A sinister grin spread across Guzma's face. "Charge!"

Vikavolt reabsorbed its own Thunderbolt, supercharging itself with energy!

Though this strategy caused it some recoil damage, it also boosted its next Electric-type attack.

Johan's eyes narrowed.

Self-charging… wouldn't that cause a short circuit?

In this overloaded state, Vikavolt was now extremely dangerous—a single Zap Cannon could be devastating.

But Zap Cannon's accuracy was abysmal—even Guzma wasn't reckless enough to rely on it.

Instead, he went for a safer choice.

"Battle is destruction—Discharge again! Flatten the battlefield!"

BZZZZT—

Golden electricity exploded outward, tearing through the battlefield, cracking the ground beneath it.

There was no dodging this one.

Johan sighed, his eyes sharpening.

If we can't dodge, then we'll fight head-on.

"Dragonite, Fire Punch!"

Dragonite flapped its wings, spinning midair before diving straight into the golden storm of electricity.

ZAP!

Sparks crackled against its scales, but over half of the electricity was absorbed by its protective skin.

Multiscale activated—reducing the damage by half.

Relying on its natural durability, Dragonite rushed toward Vikavolt, its chubby fist ablaze.

BAM!!

Vikavolt was sent flying.

At that moment—Trick Room faded.

The battle momentum instantly shifted.

"Chase it down—again." Johan's eyes gleamed.

BAM!!

Despite Guzma's desperate attempt to dodge, Vikavolt was just too slow.

"Vikavolt is unable to battle!"

BOOM!!

Another Poké Ball on the screen dimmed.

Score: 2-0.

Guzma clenched his teeth and recalled Vikavolt.

But without hesitation, he threw out his next Poké Ball.

"Guzma's fourth Pokémon is—Pinsir!"

Johan smirked coldly.

"Next."

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Powerstones?

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