When Nemona's "Strong Mama" (Skeledirge) took the field, Qingyu quickly gave a knowing look.
(Skeledirge)
Qingyu remembered all the Pokémon Nemona had owned before she left Cabo Poco.
Her starter Pokémon, the Pawmi that symbolized a brand-new beginning, the Dunsparce she had caught by chance, and the Paldea starter Pokémon Naranja Academy provided to every new student.
That last one was the Skeledirge standing before him.
Although he wasn't sure whether she had met any stronger companions on her journey, Qingyu felt that, given Nemona's personality, she would let all of them take part in their battle to show him how far she had come.
And things had played out exactly as Qingyu expected.
"Skeledirge is a Fire- and Ghost-type Pokémon, which makes it a real headache for Lucario. Neither its Fighting-type nor its Steel-type attacks will do much damage."
"So, in theory, this matchup gives you an overwhelming advantage."
Qingyu spoke slowly, briefly summing up Nemona's thinking as he gave her a thumbs-up.
"That's exactly the right idea. Now I can understand why you felt you had to take Sylveon down head-on earlier."
In theory, the Fairy-type Sylveon wasn't much of a threat to Skeledirge either.
And the biggest difference between Sylveon and Lucario...
Was, of course, how they dealt damage.
"You want to disrupt Lucario with Will-O-Wisp, completely shut down its fighting power, and have Skeledirge wall it one-on-one, right?"
Qingyu smiled as he spoke, but his words instantly stunned Nemona.
Still, she soon regained her composure.
"That's Teacher Qingyu for you. You've already predicted everything I was thinking?"
"But if that's the case, why did you still send out Lucario...?"
Nemona looked at Qingyu in confusion.
Although she had hardly used her phone to browse the internet since setting out on her journey, she still paid close