Yozora shook his head. He didn't want to overthink it.
People held different stances in different situations.
Right now, he was simply a Trainer, a challenger. And Sabrina was the Gym Leader. Nothing more complicated than that.
"Go, Machoke!" Yozora sent out his Pokémon.
His Machoke stood tall and imposing, its body solid with slabs of muscle, every contour sharp and powerful.
Though only at the Commander-tier's early stage, Machoke's raw strength rivaled that of high-tier Commanders—perhaps even the peak. Its stamina and defenses were nothing to scoff at either.
Its current abilities: No Guard, Guts, and Adaptability.
Now, with Yozora and Machoke having forged a deep bond, they shared a spiritual link. Through this connection, Machoke had unlocked a fourth ability slot, still awaiting a new trait.
Yozora was hoping for Endurance. With that, Machoke would become not only a powerhouse but also an unbreakable wall—its strength pushed to an even higher level.
"A fine Pokémon," Sabrina smirked, her voice edged with disdain. "High level, strong presence… but to use a Fighting-type against a Psychic-type? I wonder how you even made it this far."
She wasn't wrong.
Psychic-types held a natural advantage over Fighting-types.
Psychic moves dealt double damage against them.
Meanwhile, Fighting moves landed with only half their power against Psychics.
In other words—Psychic-types not only countered Fighting-types, but also resisted their attacks.
On paper, against Machoke, her Kadabra held an overwhelming advantage.
But Yozora wasn't an ordinary Trainer.
Of course he understood the matchup. Even so, he had chosen Machoke for his own reasons.
"Then let me show you the might of Psychic power!"
Sabrina waved her hand sharply. "Kadabra, Psybeam!"
Kadabra raised its spoon, psychic energy surging into it. A violet ray burst forth, streaking straight toward Machoke.
"Bulk Up!" Yozora commanded.
Machoke crossed its arms in a block. Golden light surged at its feet, and its muscles swelled with renewed vigor.
Bulk Up activated—its Attack and Defense both rose sharply.
"Charge in—Ice Punch!"
Frost gathered instantly over Machoke's fist, ice crackling as it lunged forward, swinging straight at Kadabra.
Machoke wasn't particularly fast, giving Sabrina ample time to react.
As the icy fist came crashing down, Sabrina smirked with contempt. "Kadabra, Teleport away!"
Her confidence was absolute.
But then—
Boom!
The thud echoed as Kadabra failed to evade, its face smashed by Machoke's Ice Punch.
It collapsed instantly, knocked out cold before it could even cry out.
No Guard!
Because of Machoke's ability, Kadabra had been dragged into No Guard as well. Its fighting spirit surged, refusing to dodge, standing ground against every blow—only to be felled in one strike.
Over time, Yozora's vision for Machoke had become clearer.
He had designated Machoke as his "Tactical Slayer."
Pokémon that relied heavily on tactics often lacked raw power and bulk.
That was when Machoke came in—dragging them into a straight, no-nonsense brawl.
Forget strategies and setups—real men fought with fists!
Machoke's overwhelming power forced frailer, strategy-focused Pokémon into battles of pure strength, exploiting their weaknesses with his greatest advantage.
Yozora didn't expect too much from him.
In a 6-on-6 full battle, when the opponent sent out a tactical Pokémon, Yozora would counter with Machoke—securing at least one certain victory.
That alone was enough.
After all, Machoke wasn't his ace. Winning one guaranteed point was already worth it.
His true trump cards were Beedrill, Charmeleon, and Golduck.
"…Kadabra."
Sabrina was caught off guard, her eyes narrowing in surprise before her expression hardened.
With a flick of her wrist, she recalled Kadabra and released her second Pokémon.
An elegant creature appeared—Espeon.
Slender, feline, its lilac body shimmered with a mystical aura. Its forked tail swayed gracefully, eyes glimmering with psychic light.
Espeon was one of Eevee's many evolutions.
So far, eight forms were known: Flareon, Vaporeon, Jolteon, Espeon, Umbreon, Leafeon, Glaceon, and Sylveon.
But that didn't mean those were the only possibilities. Who knew? There could be a Dragon-type evolution, or even a Ghost-type.
The world was vast. Unseen didn't mean nonexistent.
Still, if such evolutions did exist, the conditions for triggering them must be exceptionally rare and demanding.
Espeon's method was simple yet profound: evolve during the day with sufficient friendship. At night, the same bond gave rise to Umbreon.
But "friendship" wasn't limited to just the Trainer. It could be with other humans—or even with fellow Pokémon.
Pichu's evolution into Pikachu followed the same principle: love.
The original story told it well—Ash's Pikachu had once been a Pichu.
Orphaned, it was adopted by a Kangaskhan mother. But Pichu's Static ability unconsciously discharged electricity, slowly wearing down the Kangaskhan's health.
As the Kangaskhan mother weakened and lagged behind her migrating herd, Pichu realized it had become a burden.
One night, it left alone. In that moment—its heart awakening to the power of love—it evolved into Pikachu.
Later, it was captured, tamed, and eventually met Ash.
The same with Eevee. Once its bond of love deepened, under the sun it became Espeon; under the moon, Umbreon.
[Espeon] (Psychic-type) — Lord-tier, Gym Leader potential.
"Hmph. If it's raw strength you seek, then this will be your true opponent." Sabrina's gaze was icy as she fixed on Machoke.
Clearly, her experience was sharp—she had already deduced Machoke's No Guard ability, or perhaps recognized it as sheer reckless fervor.
(End of Chapter)