Pokemon: I'm a Farmer

"The match between Rex and Cynthia officially begins! This is a 3v3 battle, with both sides allowed to switch Pokémon freely. The match ends when one side's three Pokémon can no longer battle!"

Acting as the temporary referee, Karen excitedly called out the rules.

It was her first time being a battle referee, and she was thrilled—especially since her first gig was for none other than Champion Cynthia. Just thinking about it made her tremble with excitement.

"Go, Spiritomb!"

"Go, Politoed!"

Almost simultaneously, Cynthia and Rex sent out their first Pokémon.

Cynthia chose Spiritomb, a rare Ghost/Dark-type Pokémon said to be formed from 108 malicious spirits. According to legend, it was sealed to a keystone long ago to stop its evil deeds.

Spiritomb's ability was Pressure—it constantly radiated an eerie force, causing its opponents to expend more energy when using moves. If Rex's Politoed couldn't finish the fight quickly, it risked burning through its stamina.

"Politoed, use Rain Dance!"

"Spiritomb, Shadow Ball!"

The commands came swiftly from both sides. Politoed summoned a massive dark cloud, and rain began to pour.

At first, Politoed thought it could dodge Spiritomb's Shadow Ball after using Rain Dance. But as it moved to evade, it realized it was frozen in place.

Boom!

The powerful Shadow Ball struck Politoed squarely, sending it flying and dealing significant damage.

Cynthia had used Psychic immediately after launching Shadow Ball to paralyze Politoed in place—a brutal combo.

"Politoed, use Hydro Pump!"

Once Politoed recovered, Rex gave a new command.

A torrent of water blasted from Politoed's mouth—empowered by the rain and Politoed's recent consumption of rainbow-colored Pokéblocks, the move was more powerful than Rex had expected.

"Spiritomb, Psychic!"

Unfazed, Cynthia responded calmly.

Spiritomb's eyes glowed red, and intense psychic energy radiated from it. The Hydro Pump froze mid-air as if time had stopped.

Then, using its psychic power, Spiritomb redirected the Hydro Pump back at Politoed, sending it crashing once again.

Thankfully, Politoed had the Water Absorb ability. After taking the hit, its wounds began to heal slightly thanks to the water energy.

"So it has Water Absorb. I miscalculated that one," Cynthia remarked with cool detachment.

Once in battle mode, Cynthia's mind became razor-sharp. In just a few turns, she could analyze an opponent's strengths and weaknesses and begin formulating her strategy.

Even after just two exchanges, Rex felt immense pressure—it was like he was being outclassed in every way.

A lesser trainer might have already cracked under the pressure and made poor decisions. But for Rex, this only made his blood boil. Cynthia was clearly the strongest opponent he'd ever faced.

"Politoed, Surf!"

Still riding the adrenaline, Politoed summoned a tidal wave beneath its feet, surfing the crest toward Spiritomb with furious momentum.

"Spiritomb, Dark Pulse!"

As the wave crashed forward, Spiritomb radiated dark energy, sending it hurtling toward Politoed in matching wave-like form.

The two waves collided with explosive force, canceling each other out and stalling Politoed's advance.

"Politoed, Bounce!"

Rex seized the opening—ordering Politoed to leap high from the wave. Launching into the air, it twisted mid-leap and dove straight toward Spiritomb.

Still focused on suppressing the Surf with Dark Pulse, Spiritomb was wide open—and Politoed's foot struck cleanly, sending it hurtling backward.

"Nice move. I guess it's time I take this seriously," Cynthia said with a trace of admiration.

Up to this point, none of Rex's attacks had fazed her, but this one finally left an impression.

"Spiritomb, Hypnosis."

Cynthia raised the stakes.

"Politoed, drown it out with Hyper Voice!"

To counter the hypnosis, Rex commanded an all-out screech. A piercing wail exploded from Politoed's mouth—so powerful that even Rex and Cynthia had to cover their ears. Everyone watching winced at the unrelenting noise.

But to everyone's shock, Spiritomb wasn't affected at all. With its immense willpower, it forced Politoed into a deep sleep using Hypnosis.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief—except Cynthia, who glared at Rex with a rare trace of irritation, as if blaming him for putting her ears through such a painful experience.

Seeing her look, Rex winced and scratched his head—he realized letting Politoed use such a brutal, indiscriminate move may have been a bit much.

"Spiritomb, Dream Eater."

With that, the outcome was sealed.

As Spiritomb siphoned Politoed's energy in its sleep, the Water-type winced and groaned—then collapsed, unable to continue.

(End of Chapter)