Brute Force Won't Cut It-You Need to Be Flexible in Battle

Once the battlefield was marked out, Munchlax stepped in with reluctance written all over its face. It would rather be eating than fighting. When would it finally get to wander around?

Carmine stopped, turned with a smile, and took out a Poké Ball, one hand on her hip.

"Come on!"

Seeing that both sides were ready, Professor Kukui stepped aside and said with a smile, "If you don't mind, I'll referee!"

"No problem."

"All right. It's a one-on-one battle. The first side unable to battle loses... Begin!"

The moment Professor Kukui finished speaking, Carmine threw her Poké Ball. A flash of red light revealed an electric mouse with fur in three colors, drawing gasps of delight from Mallow and Lana.

Its left side was black, its right side brown, and its middle and lower body yellow. Its black eyes shone brightly, and its pink cheeks were adorable.

Morpeko (Full Belly Mode): The Two-Sided Pokémon. It gets hungry after eating and full after going hungry. Give it more food, and you should be able to win its affection.

"Morpeko, huh? I can't tell how strong it is, so we'd better go all out..."

Mingyou had too little battle experience. His first opponent had been someone like Cliff, so feeling no pressure this time was oddly unfamiliar.

"Munch?"

Munchlax looked down at the electric mouse, which barely reached its belly. It couldn't help pointing a claw at Morpeko and throwing back its head in laughter.

This little shrimp?

"Morpeko!"

Being looked down on brought an instant flash of annoyance to Morpeko's cute face.

Carmine brushed back her hair. Unbothered, she waved her hand and called, "Fake Out!"

"Morpeko!"

No sooner had she spoken than Morpeko lunged forward at lightning speed. Orange light flashed around its hands as it clapped them hard against Munchlax's head.

The attack landed. But...

"Munch..."

Munchlax scratched its head. It hadn't flinched; it had only felt something tap it.

Both Carmine and Morpeko froze at the sight.

"What... It didn't work?"

"Belly Drum!"

Mingyou gave the command slowly. He had more or less figured it out: Munchlax's fur was so thick that it had cushioned the impact of Fake Out.

After all, he was always finding Munchlax's shed fur in the living room. Only someone who cleaned every day could understand that pain...

At the command, Munchlax drew a deep breath and beat its belly. Its Attack shot straight to the maximum, and its whole presence changed.

"Munch!"

"Morpeko!"

Startled, Morpeko quickly reached into the little pouches on either side of its body, pulled out some biscuits, and ate them to calm its nerves. But hungry Munchlax saw everything.

It reacted in a flash, grabbing Morpeko by its stubby legs and turning it upside down. Then it shook Morpeko over and over, like someone trying to get the last crumbs out of a bag of chips.

"Munch~"

Munchlax opened its mouth and caught every biscuit that fell from Morpeko's pouches. There were so few, though, that they barely counted as a snack.

"What kind of battle tactic is that...?"

Carmine stared. Was stealing biscuits allowed now?

"Nobody said it wasn't, did they?"

Mingyou tilted his head, then went on, "I hear Blueberry Academy focuses on teaching Pokémon battles... But I've never had any formal education. I haven't even been to school."

"Even so, I know this much: drilling the same moves at school won't cut it. You have to pay attention to your surroundings, watch your Pokémon and your opponent's, and adapt your tactics!"

He could tell Carmine's approach was a little formulaic—the kind a school would teach. No matter the situation, she opened by hitting the opponent with Fake Out.

You'll try that on anything? Do you think you're the strongest trainer in the universe?

At school, battles were arranged between opponents of roughly equal strength. There was no point in teaching through a hopeless mismatch. Outside school, though, that was something she had to consider.

One look should have told her that Morpeko's size and strength made it unlikely to budge Munchlax. With that risk, she would have been better off starting with Swagger or Thunder Wave to inflict a status condition.

"Remember what I said, whether you want to hear it or not. Don't be so rigid. Use your head, calm down, and think about where you went wrong."

"Where I went wrong..."

Carmine fell into thought. Being lectured again irritated her, but she couldn't deny that the battle had turned against her in an instant. She had run into a tough opponent this time.

Kieran watched in surprise. He hadn't expected anyone to make his forceful sister back down. That was a rare sight...

Professor Kukui also looked at Mingyou with surprise. As a teacher himself, he encouraged his students to think for themselves rather than teaching by formula, so he agreed with what Mingyou had said.

But the battle was still going. With its food supply gone, Morpeko grew anxious and agitated. Its body gradually turned black, its pupils became red, and it clenched its teeth. Its eyes and mouth took on crescent shapes.

"Morpeko!"

Morpeko was vicious in Hangry Mode, willing to do whatever it took to get food. It charged at Munchlax.

Carmine shook her head and snapped out of her thoughts. She thrust out a hand and called, "Aura Wheel!"

"Morpeko!"

Morpeko leaped, summoning a pale blue wheel of energy around itself. Running inside it like a hamster on a wheel, it rushed at Munchlax.

"Body Slam!"

Mingyou snapped his fingers. Unlike before, he knew what moves Pokémon could use. He wasn't about to make the same mistake twice.

Munchlax watched Morpeko race toward it. The instant Morpeko drew close, Munchlax spread its arms and dropped without hesitation.

Morpeko was flattened into Morpeko.rar.

And just like that, the battle was over...

"Oger~"

Hidden in the locust tree, Ogerpon swayed happily as she watched. We won~

"Damn it..."

Carmine recalled Morpeko, gritting her teeth in frustration. But a loss was a loss.

She looked up at Mingyou. After taking a moment to compose herself, she said, "Your name's Mingyou, right? Once I get stronger, I'll come find you again!"

"Please don't. You're not my type."

"..."

Mingyou's offhand reply left Carmine stunned, her brain practically smoking. Kieran couldn't hold back a laugh. Though he knew she might scold him, he turned away and covered his mouth to snicker.

The other spectators couldn't hold back either.

Just as the mood began to lighten, Akari approached from a short distance away, wearing her Summer Camp staff badge. She waved to the siblings and called, "There you are! The administrator needs you for something..."

She trailed off as if she had heard something. Her gaze shifted slightly, and from that angle, she could see Ogerpon still celebrating in the tree.

"Hm?"

"Oger?!"

Feeling that sudden gaze, Ogerpon jolted back to her senses. She tried to move behind the leaves, but in her panic, the Ogre Mask slipped from her hands.

She reached out with a vine to catch it, but she was too late. The Ogre Mask hit the ground, and the sound drew Mingyou and the others over.

"An Ogre Mask?"

Carmine recognized it at once. After all, it was part of Kitakami's culture. Kieran, meanwhile, looked up at the tree, realizing it had fallen from above.

He pointed and said quietly, "There's... something up in the tree!"

With that, he started toward it. Mingyou knew who was in the tree the moment he saw the mask. He hurried over, picked up the Ogre Mask, and glanced up. Sure enough...

His eyes met Ogerpon's as she hid among the branches. Seeing how flustered and nervous she looked gave him a headache, but he reacted quickly. Turning around, he smiled and said, "There's nothing in the tree."

"But I clearly..."

Akari looked up into the tree and spoke slowly...