Espurr's "Treasury of the King"

"Qiaoxi!"

Togepi flew into a humiliated rage and abandoned all thought of toying with its opponent. Now it wanted only payback. Blue light flashed in its eyes, and it unleashed Psychic.

Bang!

Teddiursa hurtled backward at twice the speed of its charge.

"Ruri."

Yue Jifei touched her lips. "Intercept it!"

She stepped forward. "Dian, I'll take over this battle. I can't keep letting other people protect me. After all, I'm a Trainer too."

"Meow-pa."

Blue light flashed in Espurr's eyes as well as it began fighting for control over Teddiursa.

"Qiaoxi."

Togepi rubbed its reddened cheeks, desperate to find something reflective and check whether its face was all right. Its looks were its livelihood, you know!

"Flamethrower, Psychic, Attract... what other moves does it have?"

Yue Jifei analyzed the situation calmly. "Ruri, Light Screen, Light Screen."

"Meow-pa."

Espurr nodded, then pointed a paw. Two blue barriers immediately enclosed it completely.

"Modified versions?"

A gleam flashed in Dian's eyes as he watched from the sidelines with his arms folded. Those two Light Screen moves originally had a drawback: their defensive coverage was too limited. But Espurr was clearly using modified versions, turning single-plane defenses into protection from every direction.

"Qiaoxi."

Instead, Togepi smiled happily and studied its reflection in the blue barriers, seemingly paying its opponent no mind at all.

What a joke. If just anyone could beat me, how would I have lived so comfortably all this time?

That lazy, dim-witted gray cat? Even three more would just be easy pickings.

"Qiaoxi..."

As it kept looking, its expression darkened. With those two clear red marks on its face, it looked just like a clown.

Boom.

Togepi's formerly black pupils seemed to catch fire as it glared viciously at Teddiursa, whose face was still full of adoration. *If I don't beat