Chapter 0612：You Know Your Pokémon Battles Too(Two-in-One)

Sunlight bathed the arena.

The deafening cheers from spectators in all directions shook the stadium.

On the massive screens overhead, four Poké Balls lit up beneath Natsume and Lucian's names.

The Champion League followed a 6-pick-4 single battle format with move restrictions, making strategic choices crucial.

Lucian's burgundy suit gleamed under the sun. Left hand holding a book against his chest, right hand adjusting his lavender glasses, he fought to steady his rising blood pressure.

Calm. Stay calm!

This must be trash-talk strategy.

I won't let Natsume-sensei get in my head!

The roaring crowd faded as Lucian regulated his breathing, a composed smile gradually forming.

So this is the trainer Professor Oak calls "The Strategist."

Sorry.

I've already seen through this tactic!

Natsume tentatively asked: "So... you'll still have to work overtime after this?"

Lucian's smile froze: "..."

"What are Natsume-sensei and Elite Four Lucian talking about?" Gold scratched his head in the noisy stands.

"Probably pleasantries," Silver answered.

"Maybe it's just me..."

Bruno crossed his muscular arms, squinting.

As a martial artist, Bruno possessed acute sensitivity to intangible "energy." For psychic users, this meant Inner Focus; for aura wielders, the Aura flowing through all things.

Bruno keenly detected Lucian's deteriorating condition.

But what could be causing it?

Bruno muttered: "Could Natsume-sensei's psychological warfare already be working..."

Natsume had merely asked out of politeness—

The equivalent of "How's the weather?" small talk.

Yet the "trash talk" strategy activated automatically... This might be the innate ability of The Strategist!

Cheers surged toward the battlefield.

Fans waved leek-shaped cheer sticks while Lucian's supporters brandished banners.

"Go Natsume-sensei, meow!"

The Trio leaned over the railing with merchandise trays, shouting through cupped hands.

As spectators stared, Wobbuffet popped out with a salute:

"Wobbuffet!"

The referee glanced between Lucian and Natsume, silently confirming readiness.

Natsume nodded.

"Gengar~" Opting not to start the match, Gengar cheerfully emerged from shadows beside Natsume, grinning.

Who's ready?

I'm ready!

Lucian studied Natsume, light glinting off his lavender lenses as he regained composure.

As Sinnoh's strongest Elite Four, he'd participated in Pokémon Hunter J's capture operation and quelled Mount Coronet's wild Pokémon riots.

Well-read and erudite, he held deep respect for the strategy-savvy Natsume-sensei.

Yet in Pokémon battles, even scholars must fight with burning passion!

Lucian stood poised with a graceful nod.

"Combatants ready—"

The referee's flag swept down.

"Battle Begin!"

Adjusting his glasses, Lucian smoothly tossed a Poké Ball. Its lid snapped open with a poof, releasing a white streak.

"Bronzong, go!"

The light materialized into an intricately patterned Bronzong hovering midair. Its bronze surface gleamed with ancient luster as crossbeam "arms" extended, crimson eyes glowing faintly.

One of Lucian's signature Pokémon, Bronzong excelled at Trick Room—warping space to let slower Pokémon strike first.

For the heavy Bronzong, Trick Room was perfect crowd control.

Lucian's Bronzong also mastered Gravity, making foes vulnerable to its hypnosis beams.

This strategy had carried Lucian through countless Elite Four matches.

In other words, Lucian's battle style closely resembled Natsume-sensei's: control the field and annoy opponents into submission!

Livestream chats exploded:

"The mind games begin!"

"Lucian's a veteran dirty strategist too."

"Dirty? This is a duel between true battle connoisseurs! (laugh)"

Bronzong levitated calmly on the battlefield.

Simultaneously, Natsume-sensei's Poké Ball arced through the air, glinting in the sunlight as it landed.

"Togepi doo-ee~(o≧▽≦o)"

Togepi landed lightly, tiny hands outstretched.

Gold opened his mouth to speak, but Togebo suddenly appeared beside him.

"Togebo takes such good care of his little sister," Jasmine remarked softly, seated primly in her white dress.

"Togekiss~(^▽^)" Togebo scratched his head with a wing.

Gold: "I—"

"Togekiss? (〝▼皿▼)" Togebo turned sharply.

Gold: (⊙x⊙;)

The arena collectively erupted in "awsl" (adorable overload).

Lucian's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly at Togepi's appearance.

Togepi was even slower than Bronzong... completely negating Trick Room's viability.

Moreover, Natsume might be planning a short-range Baton Pass strategy to buff another attacker!

"...That would be underestimating me."

Lucian smirked, raising his arm. "Bronzong, Earthquake!"

The livestream went wild.

"A Psychic-type Elite Four leading with Earthquake?!"

"Coverage moves... makes perfect sense!"

BOOM!

Bronzong dropped like a meteor, impacting the battlefield like a wrecking ball.

The ground shattered violently, shockwaves roaring toward Togepi like a raging beast, sending debris and dust flying!

"Togepi, Protect!" Natsume commanded.

"Togepi~"

As the quake approached, Togepi stood on the buckling ground like a leaf in a storm, clasping its tiny hands as a emerald barrier shimmered around its eggshell body.

CRASH!

Dust clouds billowed as the arena trembled.

Spectators held their breath, staring at the devastated field.

Amid the spiderweb cracks, Togepi stood unharmed, waving cheerfully as the smoke cleared.

"Togepi doo-ee~ヾ(^▽^*)"

"Togekiss..." Togebo released his stranglehold on Gold, exhaling in relief.

Gold turned to Silver. "If Togepi loses, I might die."

Silver nodded. "You will die."

As the dust settled, Natsume blinked curiously across the field:

"So... you're paying for the arena repairs later?"

Lucian silently activated Psychic to block Natsume-sensei's voice.

An imaginary battle log flashed crimson:

[Lucian has left the chat!]

Seeing Lucian's expression, Natsume felt a pang of kinship.

Like me, Lucian's a man with stories to tell!

Bronzong rose again, eyes glowing crimson as pink Psychic energy surged toward Togepi.

Togepi shuffled backward, rubbing sleepy eyes.

"Togepi...(p-ω-q)"

This was the command Natsume had conveyed through The Power of One:

'Togepi, use Yawn.'

Yawn—delayed but guaranteed sleep!

The perfectly hidden move escaped all spectators' notice.

The commentator remained oblivious, shouting excitedly: "Bronzong's Psychic has Togepi surrounded!"

"Togepi..." Clutching its Eviolite, Togepi endured the attack before recalling into its Poké Ball in a red beam.

Natsume: "Baton Pass!"

No stat boosts, but Yawn had planted its seeds.

Gold crossed his arms smugly. "That strategy? I taught Natsume-sensei!"

Silver: "..."

Green: "..."

Jasmine smiled gently. "Gold has his own strategic talents."

As Lucian hesitated between pursuit and Calm Mind, he suddenly sensed abnormal energy pulsing through Bronzong.

Sleep?

When did—

Realization struck like ice water.

Togepi's Yawn during the earthquake's dust cloud!

With Togepi already recalled, Lucian watched Natsume's next Poké Ball fly—

Bronzong's drowsiness intensifying.

Switch now?

Or gamble on Earthquake predicting his swap?

Time evaporated as Bronzong's eyelids grew heavy.

Lucian adjusted his glasses sharply. "Bronzong, Hypnosis!!"

Hummm—

Bronzong mustered its last sober, intricate patterns glowing as blue beams shot toward the Poké Ball's landing spot—

Precisely where Natsume's next Pokémon would appear!

Lucian's gaze sharpened. As a Psychic-type Elite Four, he too mastered sleep tactics.

Fight magic with magic!

Chat exploded with question marks:

"Raw Hypnosis?! So dirty!!"

"Low accuracy... but against Natsume-sensei? Those odds shift."

Natsume's brow arched. Lucian knows his Pokémon!

Battling was rock-paper-scissors—Hypnosis either hit or missed.

Spectators held their breath like watching a spinning coin—

Commentator: "Natsume-sensei switches to type-advantaged Arcanine!!"

"Arcanine!" The majestic Arcanine emerged—only to be instantly engulfed in blue hypnosis beams.

Before the crowd's stunned eyes, Arcanine's head drooped... then slumped into sleep.

Lucian's Hypnosis had landed!

"Raw Hypnosis actually worked?!"

"Not even Togepi can save this luck..."

"Don't blame Arcanine—Natsume-sensei's the real traitor here!"

CLANG!

As Arcanine slept, Bronzong too crashed to the ground, succumbing to Yawn.

Eerie silence gripped the arena before—

Cynthia's gray eyes gleamed, recalling last night's strategy session:

"Does Lucian favor status moves?" Natsume had asked.

"Indeed. His Bronzong and Girafarig's Hypnosis are particularly troublesome," she'd replied.

She'd only beaten him in the Champion League by sacrificing teammates for Garchomp's sweep.

Cynthia shook her head in silent amusement, her gray eyes glinting as they followed the tense battlefield.

"Arcanine, Sleep Talk!" Natsume commanded sharply.

Lucian's glasses nearly slipped off: ???

[Sleep Talk: Only usable while asleep—randomly selects one other move!]

"Arcanine!!"

The sleeping Arcanine bared its fangs, dreaming of a volcanic battlefield where Heatran emerged from molten paths, spewing steam.

Intense heat radiated as its fighting spirit blazed.

Muscles coiling, Arcanine's mane billowed behind it while orange flames engulfed its body—transforming into a blazing chariot that charged forward with a deafening roar.

Flare Blitz!

BOOM!!

The sleeping Bronzong had no time to react. The impact sent metallic steam hissing from its body as the bronze bell caved inward, violently hurled across the field!

CLANG!

Bronzong crashed down, barely conscious, its intricate patterns faded beneath scorch marks and ash.

The audience stands fell deathly silent, struggling to process the sudden reversal.

Then—the arena erupted.

"You dared to sleep my Arcanine?!"

"Genius counterplay! Sleep Talk Arcanine is here!"

"After his legendary bad luck, Natsume-sensei came prepared!"

In the stands, Tobias pushed back his long gray hair, a cryptic smile forming beneath his cloak.

"I knew it."

He turned excitedly to Darkrai, who looked thoroughly unimpressed in the shadows:

"Natsume-sensei had to bring this move!"

Darkrai sighed. "Suddenly, your card game obsession makes sense."

Lucian calmly recalled his near-fainted Bronzong, adjusting his glasses.

Moves via Sleep Talk often lacked precision—misses were common.

Thus, he'd prepared counters.

But Togepi's earlier restrictions had severely limited his options.

"Troublesome..."

Yet as Lucian murmured this, a faint smile surfaced.

This was why battling Natsume-sensei set his blood alight!

Eyes gleaming, Lucian thrust out his next Poké Ball: "Espeon, go!"

The light revealed a graceful Espeon pacing elegantly, its forked tail swaying as the crimson gem on its forehead shimmered.

Lucian's Espeon had the Synchronize ability—mirroring status conditions like sleep or poison onto foes.

Moreover, its agility allowed it to dodge while counterattacking with psychic beams from its gem!

Lucian's own psychic synchronization further amplified Espeon's prowess.

"Espeon~" The Espeon's cry echoed ethereally, its gem blazing.

In the next instant, Espeon leapt gracefully, gathering psychic energy that coalesced into two razor-sharp blades.

Slash! Slash!

"Arcanine!" Still asleep, Arcanine unleashed a Flamethrower—only for Espeon to nimbly evade and land both psychic strikes.

Within seconds, two deep gashes scored Arcanine's back.

Natsume frowned slightly.

Arcanine's Sleep Talk hadn't rolled Snarl—otherwise, it could've waited out the sleep condition.

Not ideal.

But when Eeveelutions clash, Sylveon-sister deserves the spotlight!

Recalling Arcanine, Natsume spun a Luxury Ball onto the field.

"Sylveon, go!"

Poof!

The ball opened, and Sylveon landed with a nimble leap, ribbons swaying as it surveyed the battlefield with regal disdain.

"Sylveon!"

"Espeon..."

Espeon's forked tail twitched, its crystalline eyes wary.

Lucian adjusted his glasses. "Espeon, Calm Mind!"

That Sylveon's a mixed attacker with insane special bulk.

Best buff first!

"Espeon!" Espeon's crimson gem glowed as sunlight infused its body.

Suddenly—

A white blur shot forward!

Sylveon's ribbons became twin blades as it Quick Attacked at blinding speed!

Lucian's breath hitched.

Close combat's not Espeon's forte!

"Double Team," he ordered. "Shadow Ball!"

Whoosh!

Espeon's afterimages flooded the arena.

"Sylveon!" Sylveon shredded one clone before skidding to a halt.

Every Espeon gathered solar energy, dark orbs forming at their gems.

"Sylveon... (〝▼皿▼)"

Sylveon bared its fangs.

Can't tell which is real? Then hit them all!

"Sylveon, Hyper Voice!" Natsume commanded.

"Sylveon!!"

Pixilate-enhanced soundwaves shattered every clone in crystalline devastation!

The blast struck the real Espeon.

"Espeon!" It winced—yet its Shadow Ball still launched!

BOOM!!

The direct hit engulfed Sylveon in a deafening explosion.

The crowd gasped.

"Beer and iced berry juice here, meow~~" The Trio conveniently passed by.

"Second cup half-price~"

Business boomed instantly.

Green watched enviously.

"Don't be jealous."

Gold produced a sports bottle.

"Brought my own berry juice! ...Mine only, though. Hah!"

As the smoke cleared—

Lucian's brow furrowed, a palpable sense of danger creeping up his spine.

He could tell—their strengths were evenly matched.

Yet Sylveon held the advantage in Special Defense...

Switch now, or end this quickly!

Natsume reached the same conclusion.

"Sylveon, Shadow Ball!"

At the explosion's epicenter stood Sylveon, its snowy fur singed and wounds concerning—

But its gaze remained razor-sharp.

Before its bow, a swirling Shadow Ball gathered momentum, tearing through the air toward Espeon!

"Espeon, block with Psychic!" Lucian commanded instantly.

"Espeon!" Espeon's psychic energy lashed out, attempting to halt the dark orb.

BOOM!!

The violent explosion barely slowed the Shadow Ball—its type advantage carried it forward.

Espeon's gem flared, its Psychic barely neutralizing the weakened attack—

When from the smoke, Sylveon shot forth like a bullet!

"SYLVEON!!"

A brilliant aura of Giga Impact enveloped it—this ribboned drill pierced the battlefield like a celestial lance!

Lucian's expression froze, lips pressing thin.

Natsume-sensei... Since when does Sylveon learn THIS?!

Espeon's pupils shrank—

Reflecting the elegant, deadly blur racing toward it.

CRASH!!

The impact sent Espeon tumbling across the field.

Sylveon landed lightly, lifting its head with Baby-Doll Eyes gleaming triumphantly.

Silence gripped the arena.

Thud.

The referee's flag swept down.

"Espeon is unable to battle!"