Pokemon: Spiritual Master-Chapter 416: Do You Understand the Value of a ‘Tactical Master’?

"You did well, Stonjourner."

Gordie spoke to the Poké Ball as he recalled his Pokémon, then immediately took out his third Poké Ball.

Without any hesitation, he tossed it forward.

His confidence remained unwavering—if anything, he looked even more confident than before.

As if the previous battle hadn't affected him at all.

"Go, Coalossal!"

This was Gordie's signature Pokémon.

It resembled a massive, bipedal dinosaur, its entire body composed of hardened, jet-black stone. On its back, it carried a coal mound, glowing with a deep red heat, constantly emitting waves of white-hot steam.

Coalossal, the Coal Pokémon, was a Rock/Fire-type.

But truthfully, this wasn't the most ideal typing—it had double weaknesses to both Ground and Water and an additional weakness to Rock.

However, if used correctly...

"The Stonjourner left behind its stones on the field!"

At that moment, the announcer pointed out something most of the audience had overlooked.

As Coalossal entered the field, the scattered Stonjourner's Rocks from earlier began to glow faintly.

"Wait... is he activating Power Spot like this?!"

"Holy crap—so this is how you trigger Power Spot in singles?!"

"Learned it! Learned it!"

The crowd erupted in shock.

Clearly, this was Gordie's exclusive strategy—something most trainers wouldn't even think of. Even if they tried to mimic it, they'd likely fail.

Johan, who had already noticed this earlier, twitched the corner of his mouth.

"Yeah. Figures."

So we're just outright breaking the game now, huh?

This was basically a 2v1.

The Stonjourner's Rocks remained on the field, activating Power Spot, massively boosting Coalossal's attack power.

And yet... Gordie wasn't done.

Adjusting his glasses, he confidently waved his hand.

"Coalossal—Steam Engine, activate!"

"Garrr!!"

The coal on Coalossal's back glowed an intense crimson, and thick white steam gushed out like a raging furnace.

Under this steam boost, Coalossal's entire body became blindingly fast!

Its Steam Engine ability had triggered!

Steam Engine: When hit by a Water- or Fire-type attack, Speed is maximized!

Maximized.

That meant it instantly jumped up by SIX stages!

"Wait—Coalossal hasn't even been attacked yet?!"

"Yeah! How did Steam Engine activate?!"

The audience was confused.

"It's the water!"

But the sharp-eyed announcer noticed something most had missed.

The lingering water from Rotom's Hydro Pumps earlier—Coalossal had absorbed it!

Coalossal had landed right inside a crater left by Stonjourner's Earthquake.

Updat𝓮d fr𝙤m ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com.

That crater was flooded with leftover water from Rotom's repeated attacks.

And now, that water was visibly evaporating—turning into the steam Coalossal was expelling from its back.

"Wait—he can do that?!"

"Alright. I've officially learned something new today."

"Professor Johan is in danger!"

The audience was stunned by Gordie's strategy.

From the very moment he sent out Stonjourner, he had been setting up for Coalossal's entrance.

No—

Even Barbaracle was part of the setup!

He probably intended to get Barbaracle to use a Water-type move on Coalossal... but Johan's Choice Scarf Trick strategy had disrupted his plan.

In single battles, it was rare but not unheard of for two Pokémon to be sacrificed just to set up for a sweeper.

And now—

Coalossal had successfully powered up.

Bzzzt—

Johan sighed at Gordie's setup but wasn't about to sit around and watch.

He wasn't some gentleman who'd let his opponent finish buffing up before attacking.

So, the moment Coalossal entered the field...

A Thunder Wave was inevitable.

Since Coalossal couldn't be burned as a Fire-type, Paralysis was the next best thing.

"Garrr!!"

Hit by the electric current, Coalossal glared at Rotom, its eyes burning red-hot.

"R-Roto... (⊙﹏⊙)ゞ"

Rotom was freaking out.

I'M JUST A CAMERA BOT, MAN!!!

"Relax," Johan chuckled.

"R-Roto..."

He was still smiling at a time like this?! Rotom didn't even dare to meet Coalossal's eyes.

But even so—

Johan's calm and confidence soothed it.

At the very least...

Rotom trusted Johan wouldn't just throw it away.

"Now, it's our turn. Coalossal—Earthquake!"

"Garrr!!"

Coalossal roared and stomped the ground with full force. The entire battlefield rumbled, sending shockwaves racing toward Rotom.

Because the Gravity effect from Stonjourner was still active, Earthquake was the best possible move to use.

"Protect," Johan ordered calmly.

"Roto!"

As the ground split apart, Rotom instantly projected a green energy barrier, blocking the full force of the Earthquake.

Seeing his attack stopped, Gordie wasn't surprised—he simply pressed forward.

"Coalossal—Earthquake again!"

"Substitute."

With a flash, Rotom created a dummy, taking the hit instead.

"Wait, what? Protect—Substitute—Protect?!"

"Is Professor Johan just stalling for time?"

"Didn't that just waste his Focus Sash?"

"Wait, is he trying to wait out Coalossal's Paralysis?"

"Hah! Professor Johan doesn't have luck—he should know that! Third Earthquake incoming!"

The audience laughed as the third Earthquake closed in.

But at this moment—Johan's expression turned serious.

"Drop the Focus Sash. Run to the edge of the field!"

"Roto!"

Rotom immediately threw away its Focus Sash and rushed toward the edge of the battlefield, with Earthquake chasing right behind.

However—

Coalossal's Earthquake was much faster.

"What's he doing?! Dropping weight to run faster?"

"That won't work! Earthquake will still hit!"

"Professor Johan is panicking!"

Johan narrowed his eyes, ignoring the noise.

Even though Rotom was panicked, it still trusted Johan's judgment—even as the battlefield beneath it started cracking.

"Now! Trick!"

Whooom—

Rotom swapped its nonexistent Focus Sash with Coalossal's held item.

A faint clicking noise rang out.

If the announcer had been more experienced, they would have gasped—Rotom had just obtained Coalossal's Weakness Policy!

Weakness Policy: When hit by a super-effective attack, Attack and Special Attack sharply increase!

Rotom's power skyrocketed.

"Roto!"

POWER!!

At the same instant—

"Fly up!"

The moment Johan's voice fell, Gravity disappeared.

Rotom lifted off the ground—

Avoiding most of the Earthquake's damage!

Levitate was back!

And then—

"Hydro Pump!"

WHOOSH—

A raging torrent of water gushed from Rotom's washing machine door, engulfing Coalossal.

Gordie's expression completely changed.

"Coalossal—Protect!"

A green energy shield emerged—blocking the first Hydro Pump.

But—

Johan knew Coalossal would try to Protect.

That's why he waited to get Weakness Policy before attacking.

Crack—

The barrier shattered.

Rotom's second Hydro Pump blasted through.

BOOM!!

Coalossal collapsed.

Silence.

The stadium went completely quiet.

Some spectators had witnessed everything—

But their brains hadn't processed it yet.

The VIP room remained silent for a moment.

Then—

"Brilliant!"

Thorne couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

Most of the spectators had no idea what had just happened, but Thorne, Cynthia, Steven, and the others understood everything perfectly.

"Professor Johan calculated the exact moment Gravity would end," Steven said, shaking his head in amazement. "He timed everything perfectly—just to steal Coalossal's Weakness Policy."

"That's also why he had Rotom run toward the edge of the battlefield and delay taking Earthquake damage," Cynthia added. "If the timing was even slightly off, Rotom might have been instantly KO'd."

"But if he did it too early, Weakness Policy wouldn't have activated."

"The only way to maximize his advantage..."

"...was to trigger Weakness Policy at the exact moment Gravity disappeared—so Rotom could Levitate again and dodge the next attack."

Thorne smacked his lips.

"Man... you call this guy a 'tactical master', but this isn't tactics anymore. This is freakin' wizardry."

The group chuckled.

It was true.

This wasn't just about tactics.

It was Johan's ability to predict, adapt, and execute flawlessly—

Even in a split-second window.

"To call him 'lucky' would be an insult," Steven said.

"He wasn't lucky," Cynthia agreed. "He just played it perfectly."

But then—

Flint raised his hand.

"I got a question."

Everyone turned to look at him.

"How did Professor Johan know Coalossal was holding a Weakness Policy?"

That was a fair question.

Because if Johan had misread Coalossal's held item, this entire plan would have backfired.

Thorne glanced at Flint and smirked.

"A 'tactical master' doesn't need to guess," he said smugly.

Flint: "..."

Johan, if he were here, would have rolled his eyes.

Steam Engine Coalossal carrying Weakness Policy?

That wasn't even a question.

That was basic knowledge.

Of course, he also had the Pokédex scan data as a backup.

"But..." Riley suddenly spoke, his tone thoughtful. "If Professor Johan had just a little bit more luck... maybe Coalossal would have been fully paralyzed earlier, and it wouldn't have been such a close fight."

Everyone paused.

Then, all at once—

They burst into laughter.

Johan? Lucky?

Come on.

Johan had never won a battle of pure luck in his life.

"A brilliant tactical display!"

By now, the announcer had finally caught up with what happened.

After consulting with several experts, he quickly explained the battle's key moments to the audience.

As the explanation spread, the crowd's confusion turned into shock... then awe.

Then—

Excitement.

"Wait, so that's why he threw away the Focus Sash—so Coalossal wouldn't get it!"

"This strategy is insane! If you misread the opponent's held item, you could completely screw yourself over!"

"You guys don't get it. Even if I knew my opponent's item, I still wouldn't be able to pull this off!"

"Not only did Professor Johan predict everything, but he also timed everything down to the second! That's what makes him a tactical master!"

"Okay, now I understand why people call him that..."

"Wait, so what would've happened if Hydro Pump missed at the very end?"

Everyone fell silent.

Then, someone muttered—

"...Professor Johan must've prayed to Arceus."

"Gordie, are you ready for your next Pokémon?"

The referee's voice brought Gordie back to reality.

He took a deep breath.

He had to admit—

He lost fair and square.

His strategy had been strong.

But Johan's improvisation had been even stronger.

Leon was right.

Battling Johan was an opportunity to learn.

He had just been given a real lesson in tactics.

His last Pokémon was still Barbaracle.

But against a double-boosted Wash Rotom...

There was no hope.

A few moments later—

"Barbaracle is unable to battle!"

"The winner is Professor Johan!"

"R-Roto...!!"

As soon as the battle ended, Rotom immediately zipped out of the washing machine, shaking uncontrollably.

It still couldn't believe it.

It just 1v3'd someone.

It was just a CAMERA BOT.

AND IT JUST SWEPT A TEAM.

It wasn't supposed to be strong!

It was supposed to just take pictures!!

Johan walked over and patted its head.

"Good job," he said with a grin.

Rotom twitched.

It had never been this stressed in its life.

"Professor Johan."

Gordie walked over, extending his hand.

"Thank you," he said sincerely. "That was an incredible battle. I learned a lot."

Johan shook his hand with a smile.

"Just luck," he said casually.

Gordie gave him a weird look.

Luck?

Bro.

Johan was literally the most unlucky trainer Gordie had ever seen.

If anyone had good luck that match, it was him—Coalossal didn't get paralyzed a single time despite the Thunder Wave.

Johan had zero luck.

What he had...

Was insane tactics.

But Johan just shrugged.

Deep down, though—

He was genuinely relieved.

Because if that last Hydro Pump had missed...

All his strategies would've gone straight into the garbage.

80% accuracy landing at the clutch moment?

That's not tactics.

That's Arceus showing mercy.

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Powerstones?

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