Final showdown against an all-Pseudo-Legendary lineup? Everyone went all out with their acting!

"A madman with an all-Pseudo-Legendary lineup." Champion Lance's voice echoed through the empty arena.

"I don't care what his lineup is, as long as it doesn't get in the way of my prize money." Lin Hao turned to Charles Goodshow. "Have the money ready tomorrow. I'm in a hurry." With that, he slipped his hands into his pockets and strolled out of the stadium.

The next day, the Main Stadium at the center of the Indigo Plateau was packed with a hundred thousand spectators, their cheers threatening to blow the roof off.

The previous night's attack had been quietly hushed up, and the match proceeded as scheduled.

"Ladies and gentlemen! The moment we've all been waiting for!" the commentator roared into his microphone. "The Indigo League finals!"

"On one side, we have this tournament's greatest dark horse, Lin Hao! On the other, the genius Trainer with an all-Pseudo-Legendary lineup, Tatsuya!"

The crowd erupted. Lin Hao walked to his position and rubbed his sleepy eyes.

Across from him, Tatsuya wore a conspicuous red trench coat. "Bad luck running into me, Lin Hao," he said with a sneer.

"You talk too much," Lin Hao said.

"Arrogant bastard!" Tatsuya gritted his teeth. "I'll show you what an insurmountable gap looks like!"

The referee lowered his flag. "Begin! Each side may use three Pokémon!"

"Go! Tyranitar!" Tatsuya shouted.

Boom! A massive Tyranitar covered in green armor slammed onto the field. The desert tyrant's oppressive presence swept through the stadium. "Roar!" A sandstorm sprang up, blotting out the sky.

The crowd gasped. "He's opening with the Pseudo-Legendary Tyranitar!"

Lin Hao patted the Pikachu on his shoulder. "Go put on a show." He lowered his voice. "Remember what I told you last night. Make it look like you have to work for the win."

"Pika!" Pikachu made an OK gesture, then jumped into the sandstorm.

"You're using Pikachu against Tyranitar?" Tatsuya laughed wildly. "Tyranitar! Use Earthquake!"

Rumble! The entire field shook violently, and enormous cracks split the ground.

Pikachu stood still as the tremors struck, without losing so much as a single hair.

In System Space, Mewtwo snorted. Tremors that weak are only good for loosening Pikachu's joints.

Back in the real world, Pikachu remembered Lin Hao's instructions and screamed at the top of its lungs, "Pika!"

Then it jumped backward on its own, rolled across the ground several times with exaggerated movements, and finally clutched its stomach, feigning agony.

The entire crowd sucked in a breath. "Pikachu has taken a devastating hit!" the commentator shouted.

At the sidelines, May stamped her feet anxiously. "Lin Hao! Call it back!"

Tatsuya looked smug. "See that? That's the difference in our strength!"

Lin Hao watched Pikachu's performance without expression. "That's enough. Fight back."

Pikachu slowly climbed to its feet. With an exaggerated effort, it made its tail glow faintly white. Iron Tail. It stumbled toward Tyranitar, deliberately moving ten times slower than usual.

"You're asking for it! Tyranitar, stop it with Stone Edge!" Tatsuya shouted. Heavy rocks hurtled toward Pikachu.

Pikachu narrowly dodged the rocks, then struck Tyranitar's leg with a "flimsy" Iron Tail.

Thump. The sound was quiet, yet Tyranitar reacted as though struck by lightning. Its enormous body froze, its eyes rolled back, and it crashed to the ground.

The stadium fell silent. The referee stared for three seconds before raising his flag. "Tyranitar is unable to battle!"

The smile froze on Tatsuya's face. "Impossible! An attack that weak!"

Lin Hao yawned. "It probably fainted from low blood sugar."

Incredulous cries burst from the stands. "Talk about lucky!"

Tatsuya gritted his teeth. "Don't get cocky! Go! Garchomp!" His second Pseudo-Legendary took the field! Its savage Dragon-type presence made even the air feel heavy.

Lin Hao recalled Pikachu. "Greninja, your turn." A red light flashed, and Greninja appeared on one knee, its gaze sharp as lightning.

"Garchomp! Use Dragon Rush!" Garchomp became a blue meteor, crashing down with devastating force.

Lin Hao gave a mental command. No one-hit knockouts. Trade a few blows with it. Greninja nodded, deliberately holding back its speed as it charged into Dragon Rush.

Bang! Bang! Bang! The two Pokémon collided repeatedly in midair. Greninja deliberately let itself get knocked back a few steps. Ever the professional, it even clutched its chest and pretended to pant.

In System Space, Ho-Oh's eyes brimmed with disdain. That acting is terrible. The chest-clutching is so fake.

Groudon wholeheartedly agreed. Exactly. It can't even pretend to cough up blood.

On the field, Tatsuya roared, "It can't hold out any longer! Garchomp, finish it!"

"End it. Water Shuriken," Lin Hao said calmly. Greninja brought its hands together and hurled a Water Shuriken with apparent difficulty.

Boom! Water exploded outward. That seemingly ordinary strike sent Garchomp flying straight out of the field, slamming it into the wall and knocking it unconscious.

"Garchomp is unable to battle!" The entire crowd went wild.

"What a thrilling finish! A brutal comeback!" the commentator bellowed. Lin Hao rubbed his temples, speechless. What was wrong with these people?

Tatsuya trembled all over as he took out his final Poké Ball. "I refuse to lose! Go! Salamence!"

His third Pseudo-Legendary! The ruler of the skies! Salamence roared wildly overhead.

Lin Hao took out Charizard's Poké Ball. "Charizard, time for some overtime." White light flashed, and Charizard appeared wreathed in blue-white flames.

"Salamence! Hyper Beam!" A thick orange beam blasted forth.

"Fire Blast," Lin Hao said. Charizard restrained itself as it breathed out a burst of flame, and the two streams of energy collided in midair.

Boom! To sell the effect, Charizard deliberately stepped back half a pace, pretending they were evenly matched. It kept the clash going for a full ten seconds before "barely" mustering enough strength to push Hyper Beam back.

Bang! Flames engulfed Salamence, and it fell from the sky.

"Salamence is unable to battle! Lin Hao wins!" the referee shouted himself hoarse. "The champion of this Indigo League tournament is Lin Hao!"

With tears in their eyes, the spectators rose to their feet and applauded. "An epic showdown!"

"Unbelievable!"

Lin Hao recalled Charizard and walked off the stage.

Steven and Cynthia stopped him. "You're really strong."

"I'm just an ordinary person," Lin Hao said.

Cynthia smiled. "An ordinary person couldn't get Legendary Pokémon to willingly hide in his shadow."