Team Rocket’s Second-in-Command!

"Woo…"

Beartic let out a pained whimper as the Fire Punch struck its jaw.

The super-effective Fire-type attack inflicted immense damage on the Ice-type Pokémon.

However, Beartic was Jun's ace. Even as its body staggered backward, it struggled to regain control and balance for a counterattack.

But Ditto, having spent considerable time under Luo Yuan's command, had absorbed his battle philosophy: never give your opponent a moment to breathe.

Sticking to this principle, the Ditto-Charizard wasted no time. As Beartic attempted to recover, it unleashed another powerful attack—a blazing Fire Blast erupted from its maw.

The fiery kanji-shaped explosion engulfed Beartic.

Boom!

The deafening blast scattered dust and debris. The impact forced Ditto-Charizard to shield its face with its wings as sand whipped through the air.

When the dust settled, the battlefield revealed the aftermath.

Beartic's once-pristine white fur was now charred black. It lay motionless on the ground, unconscious and unable to continue battling.

The referee waited a moment, ensuring Beartic couldn't stand before raising his flag.

"Beartic is unable to battle. Ditto wins!"

The crowd erupted into cheers.

Luo Yuan's back-to-back victories made it clear that he held a significant advantage over Jun in terms of strength.

Elite trainers like Lance and Lorelei analyzed the situation with sharper insight.

To them, Luo Yuan's victory was all but secured.

Not only was his Dragonite still a major threat, but Jun seemed utterly incapable of devising a strategy to counter Ditto.

It wasn't just one trainer's opinion—this was the consensus among all the experts present.

After all, no one but Luo Yuan knew what Ditto could transform into next. Theoretically, any Pokémon sent out against it could find itself at a disadvantage.

Even if one of them were in Jun's place, their only edge would be their superior experience and tactical acumen—qualities Jun had yet to demonstrate.

---

Jun found himself stuck in a spiral of indecision.

What Pokémon should he send out next?

His hesitation was obvious.

Luo Yuan, however, remained calm, patiently waiting as Jun struggled under the mounting pressure from the audience's expectant gazes.

Finally, Jun clenched his fists and made his choice.

"Go, Crawdaunt!"

"Clack!"

With a sharp cry, a bright red Crawdaunt appeared on the battlefield, its star-shaped crest glinting atop its head.

Jun decided to stop overthinking and went with the obvious counter—a Water/Dark-type Crawdaunt to combat the Fire/Flying-type Charizard.

Luo Yuan watched Jun's decision unfold and shook his head slightly.

His opponent's mental fortitude was lacking.

Using Crawdaunt to counter Ditto-Charizard might've seemed logical, but…

Luo Yuan snapped his fingers.

Ditto's body shimmered and wavered, shrinking and reshaping until it transformed into an identical Crawdaunt.

The shiny Ditto-Crawdaunt stood opposite Jun's Crawdaunt, its light orange hue and purple chin stripes making it distinct.

"..."

Jun grimaced at Luo Yuan's 'copycat' tactic. He found it infuriating, yet there was nothing he could do to stop it.

Still, Jun wasn't without ideas. After observing the previous battles, he believed he'd identified Ditto's weakness: stamina.

No Pokémon could have infinite endurance.

And after the grueling battles against Beartic and now Crawdaunt, Jun convinced himself that Ditto's energy reserves must be running low.

If he could hold out long enough, he might still have a chance to outlast it.

At least, that's what he thought twenty minutes ago.

Now, staring at Ditto-Crawdaunt—still energetic and relentless after twenty minutes of grueling combat—while his own Crawdaunt struggled to even lift its pincers, Jun began to question everything he knew about Pokémon battles.

Could a Ditto really maintain such absurd stamina without any external items?

Jun's crisis of confidence deepened, but Luo Yuan's focus never wavered.

He wasn't worried about Ditto losing to Crawdaunt.

Instead, Luo Yuan saw this as a training opportunity. Crawdaunt served as a sparring partner, helping Ditto refine its battle tactics.

In just twenty minutes, Ditto had adapted to Crawdaunt's fighting style and learned new strategies. Combined with its prior experience, Ditto now moved with even greater precision and efficiency.

Looking at Jun's exhausted Crawdaunt, Luo Yuan decided it was time to end the match.

"Ditto, finish it off."

At Luo Yuan's command, Ditto-Crawdaunt raised its massive claw.

The pincer opened wide, glowing with energy as it aimed directly at Crawdaunt.

Boom!

A blinding yellow beam erupted from the claw—a devastating Hyper Beam.

Jun's Crawdaunt, unwilling to go down easily, tried to resist. It raised its pincers in a desperate attempt to block or dodge the incoming attack.

Reality, however, was unkind.

The Hyper Beam tore through the air in a straight line, slamming into Crawdaunt with unrelenting force.

It had attempted to use Protect, but the move failed. After repeatedly relying on it earlier, the odds of success had diminished.

The explosion from the impact engulfed Crawdaunt, its hardened shell shattering under the intense pressure.

When the smoke cleared, Crawdaunt lay defeated, its energy completely spent.

"Crawdaunt is unable to battle. Luo Yuan wins!"

The referee's declaration was met with thunderous applause as Luo Yuan secured yet another victory.

---

T/N: hehe sorrgee i published the wrong chapters take a few extra to make up for it