Read up to 30 advanced chapters exclusively on my Patreon at - patreon.com/LoverrBoy
---------------------------------
In the world of Pokémon Trainers, there exists an unspoken rule—when two Trainers lock eyes, the battle has already begun.
At this moment, that's exactly the kind of situation Liam and Muramasa found themselves in.
Liam brought Muramasa to the clearing where they had planned to camp earlier. Delia and the other four Pokémon were sitting on a picnic blanket, watching the two Trainers prepare to battle with eager faces.
"This is going to be a battle worth watching. Your Scyther versus my Masamune—let's see which one's stronger. Scyther lives for battle. Facing a powerful opponent is its favorite thing in the world. I hope your Scyther doesn't disappoint me."
Muramasa had put some distance between himself and Liam and then turned around, shouting loud enough for both Liam and Delia to hear. His eyes were brimming with fighting spirit—it was clear he was ready to go.
Liam chuckled at Muramasa's words, then gave a light pat on the shoulder of the Scyther beside him. His tone was also tinged with anticipation as he spoke.
"Scyther, show them your true strength. Let them know who the strongest Scyther really is."
"Scyy!"
Scyther stepped forward at Liam's command, blades at the ready, glaring coldly at his opponent—Masamune, also a Scyther.
"Sha!"
Masamune didn't appreciate being stared down. With a low growl, it stepped forward to meet Scyther. The two Scythers faced off in silence, their gazes locked. Four razor-sharp eyes clashed in midair, sparking an intense, invisible fire.
"Delia, I'll need you to act as the referee. You remember the rules I taught you, right?"
"Yup! Got it!"
Seeing the Scythers already in a standoff, Liam smiled slightly and called over to Delia, who looked like she was enjoying the show.
Delia quickly stood up at his request and ran to the center edge of the makeshift battlefield. After recalling the instructions Liam had given her before, she raised both hands and called out solemnly to the two Trainers:
"Are both sides ready? The battle—officially begins now!"
"Scyther! Use Quick Attack!"
"Masamune! Use Quick Attack!"
As soon as Delia's voice fell, both Liam and Muramasa issued identical commands at the same time.
"Scyy!"
"Sha!"
The two Scythers, already at close range, let out simultaneous growls and became streaks of white light, colliding in an instant. Their blade arms clashed midair, sparks flying with each fierce impact.
"Masamune! Use Air Slash!"
"Sha!"
At Muramasa's command, Masamune leapt back and began slashing its blade arms rapidly. Two sharp wind blades flew from its arms, spiraling through the air in a tricky path toward Scyther.
"Scyther! Use Double Team!"
Liam didn't hesitate. Seeing the Air Slash closing in from both sides, he immediately ordered Scyther to evade.
"Scyy!"
Scyther leaned forward and let out a low growl. His deep green form blurred, and multiple identical copies of him suddenly spread out across the battlefield. His true body vanished among the illusions.
Swish—Swish—!
Just as Scyther's Double Team completed, the Air Slashes arrived—but they only struck two clones, slicing clean through them before flying off into the nearby forest and smashing into two trees, sending bark flying and leaving deep gashes.
"Now's your chance, Scyther! Agility! Then Aerial Ace!"
Dodging the Air Slash, Liam smiled slightly and pointed toward Masamune, shouting his next move.
"Scyy!"
This combination was one Scyther was intimately familiar with. Without pause, he sprang into action.
Across the field, multiple Scythers burst into motion, moving at lightning speed. White light radiated from his form as he darted straight at Masamune, his wings beginning to glow brilliantly.
"It's just illusions! We're not afraid! Masamune! Use Swords Dance as defense!"
Surrounded by the illusionary army of Scythers, Muramasa didn't flinch. He gave a calm, loud command to his own Scyther.
"Sha!"
Masamune struck down one approaching clone with a clean slice to the midsection. Then, holding its blades out flat, it began to spin rapidly, forming a bladed vortex. Any clones that came near were shredded to bits.
With a sharp clashing sound, the real Scyther was finally forced to leap back, crossing his blades in a defensive pose—his attack had failed.
"Nice job, Masamune! Now rush in and use X-Scissor!"
Muramasa spotted Scyther's real body and grinned confidently, immediately giving the order.
"Sha!"
Masamune stopped spinning instantly, his blade arms glowing with thick white energy. With a flash of motion, he was suddenly right in front of Scyther, slashing down with both blades in a cross formation.
"Dodge it, Scyther! Use Counter Slash!"
"Scyy!"
At that critical moment, Liam spoke with calm precision. Scyther stepped into a strange rhythm, his body shifting to the right and narrowly avoiding Masamune's frontal strike.
Then, white light surrounded him as he suddenly accelerated, slamming shoulder-first into Masamune's back, launching him into the air.
"Sha!!"
Masamune cried out in pain as he was blasted away. But even mid-air, his eyes burned with defiance. His glowing blades whipped backward in a counterattack, hoping to trade blows.
But Scyther was sharper—his blades were already raised, intercepting the strike cleanly. Using the impact, he leapt back to safety.
Masamune twisted midair and stabilized himself with a rapid flap of his wings. Hovering now, he turned back to face Scyther, his eyes full of wariness.
Although Scyther has a Flying type, it still takes double damage from Flying-type moves. That last Counter Slash had done real damage.
"That was incredible. I used to think your Scyther wasn't living up to its potential, but now I see it—kid, you're an exceptional Scyther Trainer. Your commands were spot-on. And the trust between you and your Pokémon is admirable. In that last moment, any Pokémon who didn't trust their Trainer wouldn't have held out until the perfect second. That alone proves you're more than qualified."
Muramasa's eyes had widened at the lightning-fast counter. Now, as he looked at Liam, his gaze was full of approval. He nodded with satisfaction.
"…You're giving me too much credit, old man. Honestly, I think we can end the battle here. Both Scythers are amazing. If we keep going, we might cause injuries that aren't worth it."
Liam was a little embarrassed by the praise, but he knew Muramasa meant well. He smiled and stepped forward to speak.
"Hahaha! No need to be modest, kid. Truthfully, I lost this round. If we kept going, my Masamune would've gone down first. You don't have to spare my pride—I can take a little bruising!"
Muramasa burst into hearty laughter, his booming voice echoing across the field. Then he glanced over at the picnic blanket under the trees and remembered something. He turned back to Liam with a smile.
"Were you guys prepping lunch? My Gym's just nearby. If you don't mind, why not come over? I'll treat you all to a proper meal—as a small apology and thanks."