Pokemon: Spiritual Master-Chapter 409: As Dirty as Ever, Professor Johan!

5 bonus Chapter's coming out at 11 AM EST. So I ask that you save you're powerstones until then.

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Chandelure losing the battle made Dino truly feel Johan's strength.

However, he wasn't discouraged. The Trick Room was still active, and Charcadet wasn't in great condition.

So...

After recalling Chandelure, Dino wasted no time. While Trick Room was still in effect, he quickly threw out his second Poké Ball.

"Go, Druddigon!"

It was the so-called "Disgrace of the Dragon Clan", Druddigon!

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However...

Druddigon earned this title for two main reasons.

First, despite having wings, it couldn't fly—while even Garchomp could. That alone made it seem ridiculous.

Second, its base stat total was only 485.

Before Pokémon like Drampa and "Fruit Dragons" appeared, Druddigon had the lowest total base stats among all fully evolved Dragon-types.

But aside from its inability to fly, its Sheer Force ability made its physical attacks terrifyingly powerful. Its only real weakness was its low Speed.

But now... the Trick Room was in play!

That last weakness was completely covered.

"Oh, I get it! Chandelure's Trick Room was set up for Druddigon!"

"Dragon-types resist Fire moves. Plus, with Trick Room in play, is Professor Johan finally going to switch out his Pokémon?"

"Professor Johan, don't be afraid—just go for it!"

"..."

The battle continued!

"Druddigon, Rock Slide!"

"Garrr!!"

Druddigon let out a roar. A massive boulder materialized above Charcadet, forming so quickly that Charcadet had almost no room to dodge.

However, as a Pokémon switched into battle, even with Trick Room boosting its speed, Druddigon still couldn't move before Charcadet—who was already on the field and prepared.

So...

Before Druddigon could act, Charcadet had already hurled a small orange fireball.

It wasn't big, but it was fast. The key was—

Boom!!

The fireball exploded upon contact with Druddigon. It didn't deal much damage, but it left behind faint flickering embers.

Burn status!

Druddigon's attack power took an unavoidable hit due to the burn, drastically weakening its physical attacks!

Only after that did the boulder finally crash down.

Bang!!

The massive rock shattered upon impact with Charcadet, breaking apart into several pieces.

At the same time, the green barrier surrounding Charcadet—Protect—also shattered!

Moves like Protect had priority and weren't affected by Trick Room.

"This time, let's see you block this! Druddigon, Stomping Tantrum!" Dino called out confidently.

To be safe, Dino chose a high-accuracy move that also had area coverage.

With Sheer Force as its ability and, as Johan suspected, the Life Orb as its held item, even with the burn weakening its power, Stomping Tantrum was still a massive threat to Charcadet—who had a double weakness to Ground-type moves.

But Johan simply smirked.

Block? No need.

The earlier Protect was only to ensure that Will-O-Wisp landed properly—just in case his "luck" made it miss. Now that the burn had landed and Druddigon's Attack was lowered...

Fwoosh!!

The flames surrounding Charcadet flared up once more. Like a miniature locomotive, it charged forward, stomping through the tremors caused by Stomping Tantrum.

Flare Blitz!

Boom!

The battlefield erupted in a massive explosion, sending shockwaves across the ground.

Druddigon was knocked backward, its chest now scorched red!

Meanwhile, Charcadet seemingly disappeared into the thick dust cloud.

"So fearless! Even if it faints, it's making sure to deal as much damage as possible!"

"Didn't think I'd see Professor Johan use a second Pokémon so soon..."

"Wait! Look!"

The dust obstructed the audience's view.

And it wasn't just the audience—Dino also struggled to see clearly.

In his mind, Charcadet must have fainted from the recoil of Flare Blitz, combined with the damage from Stomping Tantrum, right?

But before the dust could settle, a fiery red glow flickered within it.

Dino's face changed dramatically. "Druddigon, Sludge Bomb!"

Whoosh—

But before Druddigon could act, a gust of Heat Wave blasted forward, instantly dispersing the dust cloud—right into Druddigon's face.

Heat Wave!

And not just any Heat Wave—it came in surging waves, carrying an odd special energy that made each blast stronger than the last.

Sizzle—

The tiny flames flickering on Druddigon's burned body suddenly flared up.

"Garrr!!"

The scorching heat overwhelmed Druddigon. Its entire body turned bright red, and, unable to withstand the pain, its eyes rolled back as it collapsed.

Druddigon is unable to battle!

Meanwhile, Charcadet was still standing—albeit panting, hands on its knees.

"Wait, what does this Charcadet even eat? How does it have so much stamina?"

Simple.

It was just... eating some charcoal, the highest-grade Pokéblocks, and had absorbed a sliver of the Flame of Life.

Flint sneered from the audience. "Pfft. You guys are clueless. Ever heard of the Flame of Life?"

Conveniently forgetting how shocked he had been when he first learned about it himself.

"Cynthia, Johan's Charcadet hasn't evolved, but its level must be pretty high..."

Fitzwilliam stared at Charcadet, still struggling but standing. His expression turned strange.

"Actually, the scariest part is... I think Charcadet is faking it."

Flint blinked, then suddenly understood. "That makes sense! That's totally something Professor Johan would do!"

Buzz—

Trick Room wore off.

Now, Dino had truly lost any advantage.

But he didn't give up.

He was so close—just a little bit more!

Judging by Charcadet's current state, one more hit should be enough to take it down!

Defeating even one of Professor Johan's Pokémon would be a success!

Clenching his fists, Dino pumped himself up.

At the same time, he sent out his final Pokémon.

"Go, Mandibuzz!"

A large, vulture-like Pokémon with bone decorations took to the field.

"Going for a speed-focused approach now?"

Johan smirked. He knew exactly what Dino was thinking.

"Mandibuzz, Brave Bird!!"

This was it. Everything came down to this attack!

Dino's eyes burned with determination.

"Scraaa!!"

Mandibuzz flapped its wings, screeching loudly as it became cloaked in a blue aura, then dove down at Charcadet at high speed.

"Goka!"

At the last second, Charcadet suddenly straightened up. A golden flame flickered atop its head, and the fire around its body erupted into waves.

"Wait—I KNEW it was faking!" Flint yelled.

The audience gasped in shock.

In the next moment...

"Overheat!!"

BOOM!!

A roaring inferno exploded outward, engulfing the entire battlefield in flames.

The sheer heat was so intense that even the stadium's protective barriers flickered, barely holding up.

The front-row spectators could feel the heat through the barrier.

A thick column of smoke shot up through the open-air section of the stadium—like a volcanic eruption.

The crowd was speechless.

Wait... that was Overheat?

Where was the "Overheat" symbol?

Wasn't Charcadet supposed to be exhausted? How did it still unleash something this strong?!

When the flames cleared, Mandibuzz lay on the ground, charred black, unconscious.

"Goka~"

Charcadet let out a small breath of black smoke, standing still as the battlefield grew silent.

"I get it now! Professor Johan was pretending to be reckless! It was all deception! A complete mind game!"

"That's so dirty!"

"Going all out from the start—Professor Johan is here to take the championship!"

Johan's famous online comment resurfaced in everyone's minds—"I'll crush them all!"

And that's exactly what was happening.

"Winner: Johan!"

The stadium erupted in cheers.

"He's back! I can feel it—Professor Johan is back!"

"As dirty as ever, Professor Johan!"

Dino forced a smile, shaking Johan's hand. "I still have a long way to go..."

Johan patted his shoulder. "Believe in yourself. The future is yours!"

And this time, Johan wasn't just saying it.

Because one day, Dino would almost win the Ever Grande Conference.

He had potential—he just needed to keep pushing forward.

"Thank you, Professor Johan."

Dino's eyes shone with newfound determination.

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