Spoink

On the livestreaming platforms, the battle of the century between Gongping and Will had drawn considerable interest from viewers. Enthusiastic viewers had even listed every move Tyranitar and Bronzong had used against each other in their first exchange.

The entire battle had lasted only about three minutes, but the number and frequency of moves used on both sides had been frighteningly high. In past Trainer battles, Pokémon usually traded moves one at a time. Exchanges of attacks at such a high frequency were extremely rare.

Ordinary Pokémon needed some recovery time after using a move. That interval varied in length, and they would be unable to endure using moves too frequently. Yet in the battle between these two Kings, neither side's Pokémon seemed to have that problem.

Some people simply mocked other viewers for their ignorance. The Pokémon of true King-level Trainers not only had formidable physiques, but were also exceptionally capable of handling the expenditure of moves. Otherwise, how could their Trainers have become Kings?

When an ordinary Trainer faced a King-level Trainer, before their Pokémon could prepare another attack after its first move, the King's Pokémon would have already knocked it unconscious with a barrage of moves.

"Oh, I never thought that cold-faced boy would be so strong. I used to think he was just showing off."

In front of a television, a young female reporter watched the repeated replay of Tyranitar and Bronzong's final exchange. She was a little surprised by the Sandstorm King's true strength. He seemed to have some ability after all.

Leaving the viewers' reactions aside, Hippowdon faced Jynx. An Ice Beam shot out rapidly, but Hippowdon blew countless streams of sandy air from its nostrils, blocking the Ice Beam while lazily letting out a Yawn.

Affected by the yawn, Jynx began to sway, but a distinctive heart-shaped kiss suddenly flew out of the lingering fluctuations of the Ice Beam it had just fired, striking Hippowdon head-on.

It was Jynx's Lovely Kiss. That Ice Beam had concealed another of Jynx's moves.

Lovely Kiss met Yawn, and the two guileless-looking Pokémon fell asleep almost simultaneously. As they snored away, Gongping and Will made the same move at the same time, recalling their Pokémon!

Hippowdon's core role on Gongping's team was to set the weather, so he could not waste it on the field. Will's Jynx likewise had other uses, so both men made the same choice.

"You're next, Lucario!"

As the light of the Poké Ball faded, a violent surge of Confusion swept out. At its center, Lucario sat cross-legged. Using Calm Mind to cultivate its psychic power, it seemed even more like a Psychic-type Pokémon than actual Psychic-type Pokémon did.

On Will's side, a purple, piglike Pokémon appeared, squeaking and grinning as it bounced about merrily.

The Psychic-type Pokémon Spoink, a manipulator Pokémon, was the evolved form of Spoink. It used black pearls to strengthen the waves of its mental power, allowing it to control opponents however it pleased.

Lucario raised its head and glanced at the cheerful Spoink opposite it. Unexpectedly disgusted by this Pokémon's fake smile, Lucario flashed in front of Spoink, condensed a Shadow Ball in one hand, and launched it at tremendous speed.

As the Shadow Ball shot out, the jewels around Spoink flashed brilliantly. Power Gem became a laser that blasted the Shadow Ball apart in midair, after which Spoink burst out laughing.

Yet Lucario's attack had not ended. Using Aura to foresee a few brief seconds into the future, it had appeared behind Spoink at some point, with the Shadow Ball still in its hand.

The Shadow Ball Spoink had just shattered was only an illusion created by Lucario.

With its powerful psychic abilities, Lucario had clearly created a special illusion and invaded Spoink's mind at the very start of the battle, making it mistakenly believe that the Power Gem beam had shattered the Shadow Ball.

The spectators had been deceived by the illusion merely because of the afterimages produced by Lucario's high-speed movement. This was also a longstanding habit of Lucario's in battle: it liked creating two kinds of deception at once.

A major reason Scizor and Lucario did not get along was that Scizor disliked Lucario's complicated way of fighting.

Will and Spoink were psychically synchronized. What Spoink saw was also what Will saw, which was why he had been deceived. The Shadow Ball spun rapidly and slammed viciously into Spoink's back, sending it flying under the tremendous impact.

When it fell to the ground, Spoink was covered in dirt. Its earlier superficial smile finally vanished, replaced by a face full of anger.

The jewels around its neck flashed, and Spoink unleashed all its psychic power, turning it into towering waves. Endless psychic power surged forth, as though even the sand and dust in the air were under its control.

So this was why Psychic-type Pokémon in the anime were all so broken. This kind of might really was frightening.

Facing Spoink's fierce psychic fluctuations, Lucario's expression remained unchanged. As it swung a fist, its figure flashed away, appearing behind Spoink. A second Shadow Ball shot out, only for Spoink to turn around and sweep a surge of Confusion toward it.

With an explosive crash, the Shadow Ball rapidly expanded into a gigantic shadow shield. While blocking Spoink's psychic assault, the shadow shield in Lucario's hand transformed into a sharp edge that pierced straight through Spoink's neck.

Its neck severed, Spoink stared at its falling head in apparent disbelief.

My head came off?

"Aah!"

Behind it, its Trainer Will screamed and could not help dropping to one knee, a streak of blood at the corner of his mouth. Then he gritted his teeth and stood up, forcibly rousing Spoink from the peculiar illusion afflicting it.

As Spoink opened its eyes, sweat immediately began dripping continuously from its forehead. Looking up, it saw Lucario sitting cross-legged, using Calm Mind to strengthen itself. All the psychic power Spoink had just unleashed had rebounded onto itself, giving it a nightmare.

"Using Calm Mind to reflect a Psychic-type Pokémon's psychic power?"

Karen stared wide-eyed at Gongping's maneuver on the field, while Agatha shook her head beside her and explained.

"Lucario planned all of this from the very beginning of the battle. Spoink couldn't escape its control at all. What a frightening Pokémon. It's a Fighting and Steel type, yet it's displaying greater power than ordinary Psychic-type Pokémon."

Pryce's expression was grim, but with his wealth of experience, he agreed with Agatha's assessment. "I'm afraid Will has lost this round."

Lucario's strength had exceeded Will's expectations. Enduring the damage from its psychic backlash, Spoink stared fixedly at Lucario opposite it.

"No, this is pushing it too far!"

Spoink charged furiously at Lucario, sending a dazzling Psybeam shooting out around it in an attempt to defeat the loathsome Pokémon before it. Yet Lucario merely raised one palm, and an overwhelming burst of impact energy erupted!

With a bang, Spoink was blasted away. A moment later, it lost the ability to battle.

Spoink's unexpected defeat stiffened Will's expression. Looking at Lucario opposite him, which had strengthened itself twice with Calm Mind, Will deliberated at length before finally deciding to send out his fourth Pokémon.

"Go, Slowbro!"

Slowbro?

A dim-looking Pokémon appeared amid the light of the Poké Ball. Lucario looked up, intending to use its psychic power to probe what Slowbro was thinking, only to discover unexpectedly that its mind was an endless blank.

At that moment, even Lucario found this a little troublesome. This Pokémon seemed as though it did not think at all.