Pokemon: Psychic Master

Thud!!

The red beam from Paul Cozmo's Poké Ball was abruptly bounced back.

Huh?

Gengar stood there with a mischievous grin, wagging its hand at Paul, its eyes glowing dark before gradually fading to normal.

Mean Look.

Even swapping out his Pokémon was now off the table.

Just as the audience had expected… Gengar was starting to act less and less human.

Though, let's be honest — Gengar was never human to begin with.

Before long, Paul's Ursaring fell unconscious under Gengar's Dream Eater, and the referee declared it unable to battle.

Gengar's condition? Not only was it back to full strength, but it also…

"Buuurp~~"

The chubby purple ghost gave a contented burp, patting its belly.

More insulting than damaging.

"Damn! Imagine Paul's mental state right now!"

"Is this really Gengar? It's… terrifying."

"Johan's Gengar has now taken down three of Paul's Pokémon! I'm starting to get a feeling…"

Paul grit his teeth as he glanced at the Poké Ball holding his fallen Ursaring.

Losing three Pokémon already had left him in a tough spot.

However, Paul was known for his cold and calculated demeanor. After a deep breath, he nodded at the referee and threw out his fourth Poké Ball.

"Khrah!!"

The light formed into a Pokémon with a segmented purple shell, two massive pincers, and a flexible tail.

Drapion.

A Poison/Dark-type Pokémon, offering a strong counter to Gengar's Ghost-type attacks.

Drapion was one of Paul's signature Pokémon, having played a key role in his previous victories.

Particularly in the quarterfinals, Drapion had single-handedly taken down four opposing Pokémon.

The audience, who had been worried for Paul moments ago, suddenly regained hope upon seeing Drapion.

"Gengar, do you want to take a break?" Johan asked.

"Ka-kah?"

Gengar gave Johan an incredulous look.

Take a break? After just three rounds?

Absolutely not!

Johan sighed, rubbing his forehead.

I'm worried we'll get mobbed by angry fans when we leave the stadium…

Before Johan could persuade his partner, Paul issued his command.

"Drapion, Night Slash!"

A dark aura surrounded Drapion's claws as it lunged at Gengar with lightning speed.

Night Slash, a Dark-type move, had a high critical hit rate — especially dangerous when combined with Drapion's Sniper ability.

Sniper: "Critical hits deal 2.25x damage instead of the usual 1.5x."

Paul had also prepared Drapion with the Scope Lens item to further increase its critical hit rate.

Every hit Drapion landed was almost guaranteed to be a devastating critical.

If Gengar took a direct hit…

Wham!!

Drapion's pincers made contact —

But Gengar vanished into thin air.

"A Substitute?"

Johan's Gengar had avoided the devastating attack with Substitute, creating a decoy to take the hit.

However, Drapion wasn't deterred.

"Drapion, keep going! Another Night Slash!"

Before the audience could process the first miss, Drapion lunged again —

Only to strike another Substitute.

Again?!

How many times could Gengar use Substitute?

"Drapion, look behind you!" Paul warned.

But it was too late.

Gengar grinned, throwing out a floating, crackling wisp of purple energy.

Will-O-Wisp.

The flames hit Drapion, inflicting a Burn status.

A burned Drapion meant its already halved Attack stat would now be further reduced.

"Drapion, you've trained for this! Shake it off and strike!"

Drapion roared in frustration, but it was clear that the combined effects of paralysis, confusion, and burn were taking their toll.

"Johan's strategy is relentless…!"

Finally, after an exhausting series of failed attempts, Drapion collapsed, unable to continue.

The crowd erupted in whispers.

"Johan's Gengar has taken down four of Paul's Pokémon already!"

"He hasn't lost a single one yet…"

"Are we witnessing another 6-0 sweep?"

Even Paul, known for his composure, looked visibly shaken.

With trembling hands, he sent out his fifth Pokémon.

Electivire.

The burly, yellow-and-black Electric-type Pokémon stood menacingly in the arena, crackling with electricity from its twin tail-like appendages.

It was Paul's secret weapon — the one Pokémon he had kept hidden throughout the tournament.

"Finally… Johan will be forced to switch!"

"No way Gengar can handle Electivire in its current state."

Yet Johan made no move to recall Gengar.

"Why isn't he switching?"

"Is Johan… really going to let Gengar face Electivire head-on?"

"Electivire, Electric Terrain!"

Paul wasted no time activating Electric Terrain, covering the battlefield with crackling golden sparks.

Under Electric Terrain, no Pokémon could fall asleep — nullifying Gengar's Hypnosis strategy.

"Gengar is in trouble now!"

Or so the crowd thought.

Johan, however, remained calm, smiling as he gave his next command.

"Gengar… Pain Split."

In an instant, Gengar shared its remaining health with Electivire, cutting its opponent's stamina in half while fully restoring its own.

Silence.

A deafening, stunned silence filled the stadium.

Until someone finally screamed:

"NO WAY!!"

"HE WAS WAITING FOR THIS THE WHOLE TIME?!"

"PAIN SPLIT?! THAT'S DIRTY!"

The crowd exploded with disbelief and admiration.

Even Paul's usually steely composure cracked.

"Johan… You…!"

Johan adjusted his glasses with a serene expression.

"Paul, the way you treat your Pokémon matters. The bond between Trainer and Pokémon isn't something you can force."

Paul's mind was reeling.

"Electivire, Thunder Wave!"

But it was too late.

Johan gave Gengar a final nod.

"Let's finish this."

"Ka-kah!!"

Gengar's hands crackled with dark energy as it charged up a massive Shadow Ball — far larger than any ordinary one.

The crowd watched in awe as Gengar hurled the giant orb toward Electivire.

BOOM!!

The resulting explosion sent shockwaves through the arena.

When the dust settled, Electivire lay unconscious.

The referee raised his flag.

"Electivire is unable to battle! Johan is the winner!"

A moment of stunned silence —

Then, the crowd erupted into cheers.

"Johan!!"

"GENGAR!!"

"Please, Johan… Can you just be human for once?!"

Gengar, grinning from ear to ear, ran back to Johan, giving him a triumphant high-five.

Johan chuckled, shaking his head.

"How could anyone not love a Gengar like this?"

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Powerstones?

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