Staring at Tinkaton, Steven pursed his lips.
Johan's Tinkaton couldn't be viewed simply as a Steel- and Fairy-type Pokémon—it knew Steven's Pokémon far too well.
After a brief pause, Steven tossed out his third Poké Ball.
"Then I'll rely on you, Claydol!"
From the burst of red light emerged a Pokémon that resembled a mysterious black clay jar adorned with strange ancient patterns and eerie red eyes encircling its body.
"Claydol, the Clay Doll Pokémon. Ground- and Psychic-type. Said to have emerged from an ancient, highly advanced civilization 20,000 years ago—Rotom!"
Psychic/Ground—bad news for Tinkaton, and not a Steel-type either.
Seeing Claydol, Johan recalled Tinkaton without hesitation.
"Come back, Tinkaton."
In its place...
"Garruu!"
Urshifu returned to the field, sternly fixing its gaze on the jar-like Claydol, one foot planted, fists poised, eyes intense.
"Mr. Johan has called Urshifu back again!" the announcer shouted, though tinged with doubt.
Urshifu's condition… wasn't exactly great.
While its aura seemed fierce, it was facing a fresh opponent—Claydol—and it had just lost the first-move advantage due to the switch.
"Claydol, Psychic Terrain!"
Steven waved his hand, issuing a sharp command.
Though he didn't fully understand Johan's reasoning, he recognized the opportunity: Urshifu wasn't in its best shape.
Buzz—
A warped, shimmering field expanded from Claydol's body, psychic energy thickening the air as the terrain flooded with power.
"Urshifu, Waterfall! Close the distance!"
With the sandstorm finally over, Urshifu's water moves now surged unimpeded.
Whooosh—
A massive torrent formed beneath its feet, launching Urshifu toward Claydol.
But Psychic Terrain nullified priority moves like Aqua Jet—Urshifu couldn't outspeed under these conditions.
Claydol, deceptively round and seemingly slow, floated rapidly upward thanks to its Levitate ability, narrowly dodging the charge.
"You can't hit me!" it seemed to mock.
"Steven and Claydol are using telepathy to coordinate!" Caitlin exclaimed from the stands, a gifted psychic herself.
Even the fastest commands couldn't compete with the instantaneous transmission of thought.
"Steven is taking this battle seriously—he's at 120% focus!" Flint commented.
But Johan and Urshifu? They had their own form of connection.
Buzz—
Aura flooded the battlefield.
Urshifu missed narrowly, the water just grazing Claydol's feet.
"Wait—Waterfall can miss?!"
"Just Johan things…"
Boom!!
Invisible force gathered at Claydol's core and fired downward—a powerful, unseen blast aimed at Urshifu.
Yet Urshifu sidestepped with graceful precision, narrowly avoiding the blow as it left a crater in the ground.
"That was Zen Headbutt!" Leon, providing commentary, identified the move.
Even an invisible, high-accuracy psychic strike couldn't hit Urshifu—its evasiveness shocked the crowd.
But from Urshifu's and Johan's perspective, those invisible psychic waves were practically blinding. Dodging them was instinct.
"Luck or skill?" fans wondered.
Steven narrowed his eyes, launching another strike.
"Claydol, Psychic!"
A radiant beam of psychic energy shot forth—but Urshifu surged forward, cloaked in dark energy.
"Pursuit!"
It tore through the psychic blast like it wasn't even there and smashed its fist straight into Claydol's face.
"Garruu!! zzz"
With a roar, it sent Claydol crashing to the ground.
"One-hit style," Leon muttered.
As a disciple of Master Mustard, he recognized it immediately: this was Single-Strike style Urshifu!
But hadn't it been Rapid-Strike before?
Yes—and that was the problem.
Urshifu had switched between styles mid-battle.
Rapid-Strike is Water/Fighting; Single-Strike is Dark/Fighting.
And Dark is immune to Psychic.
Leon had heard stories of Johan's Urshifu from Mustard—but seeing it change in the middle of combat? That was unprecedented.
Steven looked stunned, then sighed and smiled.
"Of course, Teacher…"
Johan remained composed.
Urshifu's style-switch hinged on one thing—whether it was asleep or not.
And with aura powers and total trust, putting Urshifu into a brief meditative trance was trivial for Johan.
Boom!!
Claydol hit the ground hard, kicking up dust.
"Claydol, Earth Power!" Steven commanded telepathically.
Still conscious, Claydol stirred and unleashed a rumbling ground-type blast toward Urshifu, who was now airborne.
Bad news—no footing meant nowhere to dodge.
But Johan merely smiled.
Urshifu, still in meditative calm, suddenly opened its eyes.
Whoosh—
Water swirled beneath it—Aqua Jet gave it an aerial foothold!
It narrowly avoided the Earth Power blast and dove toward Claydol.
"Grass Knot!"
Green vines erupted from the ground, trying to trip Urshifu.
"Garruu.zzZ"
Still serene, Urshifu danced through them, its eyes closed, then shattered them with a flick of its fist.
Darkest Lariat!
BOOM!!
Claydol's psychic shield crumbled instantly, and the punch sent it flying like a cannonball.
"Claydol is unable to battle!" the referee declared.
"Garruu!!" Urshifu exhaled a trail of mist and stood tall.
The crowd went wild.
"Dude! One punch?!"
"This Urshifu is broken!"
"Of course it is—it's a legendary!"
"Johan really brought a legendary to the tournament—he's definitely the 'Beast Trainer'!"
The stadium echoed with chants.
Leon was on the phone mid-broadcast. His phone had a Macro Cosmos sticker.
"Yes, Master Mustard, I'm watching," came the old man's voice.
"That Urshifu, well... Johan did beat me, the Fighting Master, after all~"
"…Little Johan?"
"HAHAHAHA—LITTLE JOHAN!"
The audience cracked up.
"Turns out the Fighting Master isn't Johan—it's Little Johan!"
Johan's glare could've cut steel. He stared straight at the commentary booth.
Leon. You're next.
Urshifu had now taken down two of Steven's Pokémon—Cradily and Claydol.
It wasn't Steven's fault—it was just that Urshifu's ability to switch styles on command was completely busted.
Had it been Deoxys, everyone would've flipped tables by now.
Steven recalled Claydol, sighed, then smiled.
"Well played, Teacher."
But he wasn't done yet.
He tossed a fourth Poké Ball.
BOOM!!
Dust exploded on the field as a hulking metal beast emerged.
Aggron!
The massive armored Pokémon let out a deafening roar.
"GROOOAAAR!!"
"Is Steven… countering with a quadruple type disadvantage?" Flint looked baffled.
"No," Lucian said. "Steven must have a plan."
Aggron—Steel/Rock-type. 180 base Defense. But 4x weak to Fighting!
Facing Urshifu?!
Johan narrowed his eyes—then returned Urshifu.
"Come back."
He wasn't going to risk it.
Urshifu had done enough. Facing Aggron now might only wear it down more.
He had a better option.
"Go, Dragonite!"
"Draaa~!!"
The plump, glossy-scaled Dragonite soared into view, its belly bouncing slightly.
"Mr. Johan sends out Dragonite!"
The two dragons stared each other down.
Steven massaged his brow. "Still as cautious as ever, Teacher."
But Aggron had better odds against Dragonite than Urshifu—especially with Ice Punch and Rock Slide.
"Aggron, Rock Slide!"
BOOM!
The ground erupted, hurling boulders skyward.
"Dragonite, Extreme Speed!"
ZING!!
Dragonite blitzed forward in a blur, shattering rocks as it smashed toward Aggron.
CRACK—
A green protective barrier around Aggron shattered.
"Protect!" Leon gasped. "That was fast!"
But Steven remembered all too well—Dragonite's Extreme Speed had once pierced through like a dragon's final stroke.
He wasn't risking that again.
"Aggron, Ice Punch!"
"Dodge!"
Dragonite narrowly evaded, but Aggron's other fist hit the ground—
ROCK SPIKES!
Dragonite couldn't dodge everything.
CRUNCH!!
Sharp rocks slammed into its belly, leaving cracked scales and bruises.
Leon gasped. "That's why Steven used Aggron!"
Dual-style strikes. One block—then two quick attacks.
If Urshifu had stayed in? It could've been lethal.
Johan winced.
"Good call, Steven…"
But Dragonite's Multiscale ability dulled the pain.
"Dragonite, pull back!"
The dragon soared higher.
"No more playing it safe."
"Hydro Cannon!"
WHOOOSH!!
A massive jet of water roared from the sky.
Steven gritted his teeth.
"Aggron, behind the pillar!"
Aggron ducked, but the blast demolished its rocky cover.
"Rock Slide!"
"Tank it—Thunder!"
BOOM!
Dragonite tanked the rocks.
CRACK-KA-BOOM!!
Lightning exploded onto Aggron's soaked body.
The damage was amplified by the water.
The audience went wild.
"Water Cannon?! Thunder?! THAT accuracy?!"
"He's cheating! That's HACKS!"
"Dragonite's helmet even popped off!! Ban!!"
Johan's grin widened.
But beneath it—he was nervous.
Dragonite's "luck reserve" was scary powerful, but it always balanced out with terrible daily misfortune…
And he'd felt the misfortune creeping in already.
But that was future-Johan's problem.
Now—full send.
Steven knew this couldn't continue.
"Aggron, Dragon Rush!"
ROOOAR!!
Wrapped in a violet-blue aura, Aggron roared and charged like a dragon.
Johan's eyes lit up.
"If it's a dragon you want—Dragonite, Dragon Rush!"
DRAAA!!!
Two dragon-auras—one from the ground, one from the sky—collided in the center of the arena.
BOOOOM!!
The entire battlefield fell silent. A streak of white light carved the space between them.
A moment passed.
Then—
CRASH!!
Aggron hit the ground like a meteor.
"DRAAA!!"
Dragonite hovered, triumphant and panting.
"Aggron!" Steven called.
It staggered, battered, helmet cracked—but still stood.
Johan was impressed.
Steven trusted it, and Aggron proved it deserved that trust.
But still—
"Air Slash!"
SLASH! SLASH!
Two white blades carved through the air—
Aggron flinched.
The timing was brutal.
"Aggron flinched?!"
"That's… dirty fighting, Mr. Johan!"
"You can't flinch Aggron like that!!"
Steven never got to say "Rest."
Because—
"Hydro Cannon. Finish it!"
BOOOOSH!!!
The torrent blasted Aggron out of the fight.
"Aggron is unable to battle!" the referee declared.
"DRAAA!!"
Dragonite howled in celebration, racing toward Johan.
"Nice work, Dragonite—wait! BRAKES!"
CRASH!!
Dragonite slammed into Johan.
A 3-meter-tall, heavy-bellied Dragonite.
"Cough cough…" Johan groaned beneath the wreckage.
The curse had begun.
Still—he patted Dragonite fondly.
"Well done… now please pass me the Poké Ball…"
Dragonite returned happily, wagging its tail.
Steven sighed, returning Aggron.
Luck had played its part. But that didn't diminish Johan's strength.
"…Will he be disappointed in me?" Steven wondered.
But Johan smiled, adjusting his glasses.
"After the match, dinner at my place. I'll cook."
Steven blinked—then smiled brightly.
"Yes, Teacher!"
Johan nodded, then muttered silently:
"You bring the ingredients."
Feeding your Pokémon isn't cheap, Steven.
Just one Aggron costs more than feeding Dragonite.
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Powerstones?
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