Chapter 237:Skill Swap! Tinkatink's Hammer

"Azumarill~"

Azumarill looked like a round, blue, chubby figure.

Its oval-shaped body had limbs that were shorter than its long ears.

This body structure made Azumarill naturally less adept at running compared to other Pokémon.

However, at this moment, inside the Trick Room, Azumarill's speed was astonishingly fast.

Encased in a flow of water, it shot toward Diancie like a cannonball.

"Huge Power Ability, huh? That's indeed a great Ability," Natsume said with a slight smile. "Diancie, Skill Swap."

Diancie gazed at the oncoming Azumarill.

At that moment, a peculiar energy connected Diancie and Azumarill's bodies.

A shimmering light emanated from both of their bodies.

Skill Swap successfully activated.

Bam~

With a dull thud, Azumarill slammed into Diancie.

Water splashed all over Diancie's body.

Facing an Azumarill that had lost its Huge Power Ability, Diancie merely took a step back.

Azumarill, on the other hand, was sent tumbling away like a ball from the recoil of the impact.

Without the Huge Power Ability, even against Diancie, who was doubly weak to water, Azumarill's damage was minimal.

Moreover, Diancie was a Pokémon known for its high defense.

Natsume commanded directly, "Diancie, Rock Slide!"

"Yes~"

Diancie raised its hand, and a massive rock quickly condensed.

At that moment, Diancie felt the energy within its body boiling.

The rock rapidly expanded, soon surpassing the diameter of a small tree.

Boom~

The enormous rock hurtled toward Azumarill.

Azumarill immediately showed signs of panic.

It darted left and right, trying to evade the massive rock, but the rock had already covered all possible escape routes.

Bam~

The Rock Slide descended like a falling meteor.

The sheer force of the impact caused the battle arena's ground to tremble with a deep, resonant sound.

Thick smoke billowed up.

Diancie looked down at its hands, a look of astonishment on its small face.

"Skill Swap is amazing," it murmured.

Natsume then spoke up, "This move is useful, but it's only effective when you understand your opponent's Ability."

"Otherwise, if you end up with an Ability you can't use, it's a waste."

"Yes, Natsume~" Diancie replied earnestly. "Diancie will remember Natsume's teachings~"

As the smoke gradually cleared, it became evident that Diancie's Rock Slide had landed a critical hit.

Azumarill had lost its ability to battle.

"Come back, Azumarill."

Renmi recalled her Pokémon, then looked at Natsume and said, "Gym Leader Natsume, this match... I've lost."

Although Renmi's Zebstrika was still capable of battling, facing Diancie within the Trick Room—and now temporarily possessing the Huge Power Ability—Renmi saw no path to victory.

"The outcome of this match was probably decided the moment Diancie used Trick Room, wasn't it?" Renmi asked.

Natsume looked at Renmi and replied, "To be precise, it was the moment your Zebstrika stepped into the Trick Room."

Trick Room wasn't a move that guaranteed success.

But when Zebstrika charged at Diancie at high speed, it wasn't so much that Trick Room had targeted Zebstrika, but rather that Zebstrika had rushed right into it.

"Battling requires a forward-charging spirit, but it also demands caution in the face of the unknown."

"After all, not everyone reveals everything about their Pokémon upfront."

Hearing Natsume's words, Renmi felt a sudden jolt of realization.

He thought about the upcoming regional tournament he was about to participate in.

In truth, he had already studied the battle styles of many famous seeded trainers online.

He knew their signature moves and battle strategies inside out.

But now, Renmi began to question the information he had gathered.

Was that really all there was to know?

Just like in this battle, Renmi had thought he understood Diancie's moves completely.

"I understand now, Gym Leader Natsume. Thank you for your guidance."

Renmi bowed slightly to Natsume before leaving the battle arena.

Natsume watched Renmi's retreating figure and smiled. "He's quite sharp."

"Having dreams is a wonderful thing."

Diancie, now back at Natsume's side, asked, "By the way, Natsume, what is your dream?"

Natsume called out to Rotom and then began walking off the field with Diancie.

"My dream, huh?"

Natsume gazed out at the countryside.

In the farmlands, hearty grains had turned half-yellow, and the air carried the scent of autumn.

Humans and Pokémon worked busily in the fields.

Children ran and laughed along the ridges.

By the riverbank, some were fishing, while others dozed under the trees with their Pokémon.

In the distance, the sounds of move explosions occasionally echoed from the arena.

"My dream is right here," Natsume said.

As Natsume and Diancie continued their conversation, Tinkatink, holding a hammer, came running excitedly along the ridge toward Natsume.

"Tinkatink~"

Tinkatink stopped in front of Natsume and handed over its hammer.

It was a small pink hammer, its surface covered with Kommo-o scales.

Although Natsume had promised to take Tinkatink to a specialized factory for its kind to craft a new hammer today, Tinkatink had insisted on making one itself.

"Are you asking for my opinion on this?" Natsume asked.

Tinkatink clasped its hands behind its back, looking at Natsume with anticipation.

Natsume swung the hammer a few times.

The hammer resembled a small pink Mjölnir, though the head was irregularly shaped, given that it was pieced together with scales.

"Not bad at all. It feels great in hand," Natsume said, sounding genuinely surprised. "I almost feel like we don't need to visit the Tinkatink factory anymore."

"Tinkatink~"

Tinkatink grinned proudly, then gestured for Natsume to test the hammer's durability.

"Test its durability, huh?"

Natsume looked around with the hammer in hand.

"Natsume," Diancie chimed in, leaning forward. "You can try hitting the diamond on my head."

"It's really hard, you know~~"