Pokémon：Trainer's Gambit

Yuuichi was stunned for a moment.

"Didn't Ivysaur's Hidden Power hit earlier?"

"If you choose to go for a Stall Battle, switching to an offensive approach isn't a wise move," Natsume explained. "Magneton's Ability is Sturdy, and Ivysaur's power isn't enough. It just left an opening."

On the Judges' Panel, Shintaro Master, the Champion of the South Kyushu Championship, echoed Natsume's analysis.

"Still too reckless," Shintaro Master frowned. "The Hidden Power card would've been better played later."

"Young people, they can be impulsive," President Shoya said with a smile. "Who's up next?"

Shintaro Master glanced at the list and raised an eyebrow.

"A student from the Finance Department? And they made it to the semifinals?"

"This is the biggest dark horse of the tournament," Shoya chuckled.

"An amateur making it to the semifinals…" Shintaro Master's tone was cold. "I think the Piplup Cup's prestige is declining."

These non-specialized Trainers, in their pursuit of battle strength, often resort to amateurish and overly harsh breeding and training methods.

Shintaro Master had seen too many such cases, which had led to his stereotypical view of amateur contestants.

But Shoya just smiled. "This isn't your average amateur contestant…"

"His command skills are even more impressive than some Elite Trainers I've seen!"

Shintaro Master frowned, unconvinced.

Shoya chuckled. "You'll see what I mean soon enough!"

...

In the contestant tunnel.

"Make it quick. I've got a bad feeling about this," Natsume muttered through gritted teeth.

Eevee was home alone, and in theory, that shouldn't be a problem.

But the thing is, my Pokémon don't exactly follow the rules of logic!

Sitting in the contestant room, Natsume grew more uneasy the longer he thought about it, his hands and feet turning cold.

He just needed to finish the match quickly and rush home to check on things.

"Haunter!"

Sensing Natsume's anxiety, Haunter nodded solemnly.

Pulling out a Petaya Berry Block from who-knows-where, Haunter tossed it into the air.

"Haunter~(*⊙~⊙)"

Haunter opened its mouth wide and swallowed the Petaya Berry Block whole.

In an instant, Haunter's eyes widened, veins bulging as if filled with blood.

"Haunter!"

Natsume's expression turned odd.

He'd already checked—there wasn't a drop of anything suspicious in that energy booster!

...

Natsume stepped out of the contestant tunnel, and the crowd erupted into cheers.

"Go, Natsume-sensei!"

"Look, Natsume's here!"

After only a few appearances, Natsume already had a fan club in the audience stands, complete with banners.

Natsume couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed.

Turning around, he noticed even his opponent's fans looked excited.

"…Natsume-sensei," Reina blinked, "please go easy on me…"

"I'll try to be gentle," Natsume nodded solemnly.

Pulling out a Poké Ball, a red light flickered, and Haunter levitated onto the field with its signature sinister grin.

The audience buzzed with chatter.

"Gastly evolved!"

"He waited until the semifinals to evolve? That's some serious strategy!"

"Is this all part of Natsume-sensei's plan?"

Shintaro Master took a closer look at Haunter and let out a surprised sound.

"This Haunter… seems exceptionally well-bred."

Shoya also nodded.

"It's probably been less than a week since evolution. I wonder how well it's adapted."

Reina sent out her Breloom.

The kangaroo-like Breloom, with its mushroom cap resembling a hat, was primarily green and beige.

Extending the red claws on its arms, Breloom let out a sharp cry.

At the same time, the System's Pokédex displayed Breloom's data.

[Breloom, Poison+Fighting

Ability: Effect Spore

Moves: Mach Punch, Mega Drain, Stun Spore, Leech Seed, Spore, Bullet Seed, Substitute, Headbutt]

The Effect Spore Ability was tricky, with a chance to inflict random status conditions on the opponent.

Judging from its moveset and Ability, it seemed to have inherited Natsume-sensei's love for dirty strategies.

Natsume pondered for a moment as the referee's whistle sounded.

"Begin!"

"Go, Breloom!"

Reina was excited to battle Natsume-sensei, but her eyes remained sharp.

"Spore!"

From Breloom's neck, a cloud of spore-like particles scattered, enough to make anyone who touched them drowsy.

With Breloom's Effect Spore Ability boosting it, the move was nearly impossible to avoid!

Reina's lips curled into a confident smile, but her eyes suddenly widened.

A ghostly blue Will-O-Wisp bloomed on the field, burning the spores into fluttering blue butterflies!

The dazzling scene drew cheers from the audience.

Shintaro Master looked stunned. "This Natsume… is he also a Pokémon Coordinator?"

Shoya's mouth hung open.

His gaze toward Natsume was filled with admiration.

This guy always manages to pull off something new!

The field was filled with dancing phosphorescent flames, the eerie glow unmistakably Haunter's Confuse Ray!

Breloom felt dizzy, its steps becoming unsteady.

Natsume commanded firmly, "Haunter, Hex!"

"Haunter!"

A thick black mist began to spread from Haunter's body.

As the Confuse Ray dimmed, the black mist grew larger, engulfing Breloom in an instant.

Haunter's sinister laughter echoed as pained cries came from within the mist…

The arena fell silent.

Yuuichi and Kazuya exchanged glances, looking bewildered.

Is this the same Brother Natsume we know?

How did he get this strong in just a month!

As the black mist dissipated, a battered and trembling Breloom stood, barely holding on.

Reina shouted urgently, "Breloom, Mega Drain!"

But just as Breloom struggled to its feet, another ghostly blue Will-O-Wisp erupted on its body!

Boom!!

On the Judges' Panel, Shintaro Master looked as if he'd seen a ghost.

Though Reina was only a high school contestant…

To be completely dominated like this… the gap in strength was just too wide!

What's more, this contestant named Natsume hadn't given Reina any chance to counterattack.

Without even needing to think, his rapid, aggressive style seemed like second nature to him.

"I take back what I said earlier," Shintaro Master sighed. "This is a Trainer with flashy tactics and incredible aggressiveness!"

Shoya was momentarily stunned.

Are we talking about the same contestant?

In the quarterfinals, wasn't Natsume the one who won with an ultra-defensive SubProtect Toxic strategy?

For a rookie Trainer to switch between two completely different strategies so effortlessly…

"These young people are truly becoming more and more impressive," Shoya murmured.

Breloom collapsed in defeat, and the referee blew the whistle.

"Winner, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Natsume!"

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