Pokemon: Spiritual Master-Chapter 562: Gengar – One Ghost, One Battalion!

"Ka-kaah~!"

Gengar immediately leapt out from its Poké Ball, standing beside Johan, black mist swirling around it. In its hands, the mist morphed into the shape of an assault rifle.

Rat-tat-tat—

It opened fire at Leon, who was still striking his signature pose.

Johan: "?"

Leon: "?"

But the crowd was utterly thrilled by this scene.

The smell of gunpowder was in the air—this was the real deal!

"Ahem!"

Another new referee, riding an Aegislash in Shield Forme, descended into the field.

"Both contestants, please prepare!"

His voice echoed throughout the stadium.

Thud! Thud!

On the giant screen, Leon and Johan's portraits appeared on opposite sides, with six Poké Balls each displayed intact.

Leon finally dropped his dramatic pose, his eyes blazing with excitement as he smiled at Johan.

"Teacher Johan! I finally get to battle you again! This time, I'll show you my full strength—let's both enjoy this to the fullest!"

Saying this, he grabbed a Poké Ball.

Johan smiled slightly, lowered his hat brim, spun his wrist, and also took out a Poké Ball, replying calmly:

"As you wish."

Rumble—

The ground trembled slightly as the battlefield shifted, revealing today's terrain for the match: Flat Ground!

"Contestants, summon your Pokémon!"

The referee shouted again.

Leon was first to throw his Poké Ball.

"Go, Cinderace!"

With a flash of red light, a rabbit-like Pokémon appeared, standing upright on two legs, sporting white ears and red fur on its head, its lower half resembling a soccer player's pants. It bounced lightly onto the field.

"Cinderace, the Striker Pokémon, Fire-type. Among all Pokémon, it boasts top-tier burst strength, jumping ability, kicking power, and balance. It can always land stunning, powerful shots—Rotom!"

The first Pokémon was Cinderace, huh?

As Cinderace landed, Johan's Poké Ball was thrown out too.

And appearing on the field—

Ceruledge!

"Goka!"

Ceruledge swung its twin blades lightly, and ghostly blue flames shimmered along the swords.

Cinderace's gaze sharpened, but it kept its easy smile, lightly bouncing on the spot, warming up for battle. Faint sparks flickered around its body, showing its serious attitude.

Both were Fire-types—

An inevitable clash of flames!

"That's Johan's Ceruledge! It can transform into Armarouge too!"

"Two Fire-types facing off—this is gonna be explosive!"

"And Leon's Cinderace is no joke either!"

The audience buzzed with opinions.

Unlike the casual spectators, top Trainers like Cynthia saw much deeper.

"Just judging by initial matchup, Teacher Johan is at a slight disadvantage," Lucian noted, pushing up his glasses.

Cynthia nodded.

Of course, that was only based on the surface; once the battle started, anything could happen depending on their tactics and execution.

"Battle—Start!"

The referee, still astride Aegislash, pulled back to a safe distance.

Leon stood smiling at Johan without making a move—he wasn't planning to take the initiative.

Honestly, throughout the entire tournament, Johan had never rushed an opponent.

But this was the first time an opponent deliberately offered him first move.

Johan understood why.

One reason: Leon was confident he could counter any first move.

Another...

Johan smiled slightly.

In that case, he would accept the "kindness."

"Ceruledge, Shadow Sneak!"

"Goka!"

Without hesitation, Ceruledge swung its blades. A shadow burst from under its feet, darting toward Cinderace at incredible speed.

Cinderace instantly sensed something odd—its Life Orb was acting up.

But at that moment, Leon's voice rang out.

"Cinderace, go in with Sucker Punch!"

Sucker Punch!

Cinderace's eyes sharpened, its body cloaked in a dark malicious aura, and it shot forward like a bullet toward Ceruledge.

If you looked carefully, the red tuft atop Cinderace's head had turned gray-black!

Its typing had changed—from Fire to Dark!

Libero Ability!

Libero: Before using a move, the Pokémon changes its type to match the move.

This unique ability allowed Cinderace to resist Ghost-type attacks (like Shadow Sneak) while its Dark-type move hit Ceruledge super effectively.

And importantly—

Thanks to Libero, Cinderace's Sucker Punch now gained a Same-Type Attack Bonus (STAB)!

This was why Leon had ceded first move.

This was why Cynthia and others thought Cinderace held the advantage.

But—

Johan knew all that too.

He still chose to move first because:

While Ceruledge lacked Ground-, Rock-, or Water-type moves to counter Fire-types,

it absolutely had moves to counter Dark-types!

BAM!!

Cinderace struck first, a Sucker Punch slamming into Ceruledge's chest.

The cursed armor cracked audibly, fine fissures spreading.

Weak Armor Activated!

Johan's eyes narrowed, hiding a slight grimace.

He commanded quickly:

"Close Combat!"

"Goka!"

Despite the painful hit, Ceruledge's speed had sharply risen thanks to Weak Armor.

Before Cinderace could stabilize, Ceruledge launched itself, both blades slicing fiercely.

Bam! Bam! Bam!—

A brutal Close Combat strike!

Cinderace tried to dodge but caught a slash across the shoulder, sending it flying!

However—

Weak Armor + Close Combat = MASSIVE Defense drop.

Ceruledge couldn't take another hit like that.

Thus, Johan pressed the attack!

"Close Combat again!"

Leon, realizing Ceruledge's vulnerability, wasn't backing down either.

"Cinderace, Sucker Punch again!"

Both Pokémon charged!

Johan's Aura merged with Ceruledge's spirit—

Under Aura's influence, Cinderace's lightning-fast Sucker Punch seemed slower.

Ceruledge remained calm.

Intercept!

BAM!!

Sword met Sucker Punch foot—

Blocked!

Leon's heart skipped a beat—he hadn't expected Ceruledge to block that.

Before Cinderace could recover from the surprise, Ceruledge's second blade landed a decisive hit.

Leon swiftly withdrew his Cinderace in red light.

"Return, Cinderace!"

Even with Libero advantage, he had nearly been outdueled!

The audience finally exhaled collectively.

That exchange had been so fast and intense, they hadn't even dared blink.

They barely understood it—

But it was thrilling!

Thanks to commentary from Raihan, who knew both Leon and Johan well, the crowd finally understood the tactics at play.

Peak Youth Masters battle!

Leon steadied himself.

This was Teacher Johan's true strength.

No room for underestimation.

Leon threw out his second Poké Ball.

"Go, Inteleon!"

Appearing was a slender, lizard-like Pokémon, posing dramatically like a secret agent wielding a gun.

"Inteleon, the Secret Agent Pokémon, Water-type. It hides special abilities within its body and can adapt its tactics on the fly—Rotom!"

Galar's Water starter—

Inteleon!

Seeing this, Johan immediately recalled Ceruledge.

With its defense now shredded, Ceruledge wasn't suited for more combat.

Moreover, Water-types could crush Fire-types.

But Ceruledge had already done its job—

Disrupted Libero's advantage and forced a switch!

Against Inteleon—

Johan chose:

"Go, Ka-kaah!"

"Ka-kaah~!"

From Johan's shadow, Gengar eagerly leapt out.

Wearing sunglasses, hands on hips, tongue sticking out,

Gengar struck a pose to challenge Inteleon's spy-like stance.

"Ka-kaah~(▼皿▼)σ"

The crowd erupted.

"Teacher Johan's Gengar!"

"How can a Gengar be so adorable?!"

"Gengar invincible!!"

Apparently provoked, Inteleon whipped out a monocle, snapping it onto one eye.

Item: Scope Lens!

More critical hits!

This confirmed Inteleon's ability:

Sniper!

Sniper: Boosts critical hit damage.

This time, Leon didn't hesitate—

he immediately attacked.

"Inteleon, Dark Pulse!"

Buzz—

Inteleon formed finger-guns, taking aim at Gengar.

The Scope Lens helped it lock onto two weak points:

Gengar's forehead and tongue.

Without hesitation, Inteleon fired two Dark Pulses like bullets.

Gengar just grinned wider.

It even glanced cheekily at Johan:

"Ka-kaah~!"

Heeey, this guy's cheating! Two shots in one move!

Johan just smiled.

Two shots?

Watch this.

"Gengar, Shadow Ball!"

Buzz—

Gengar floated up, black mist surging from it.

Two Shadow Balls appeared—

then a third—

then a fourth!

It hurled them to intercept the incoming Dark Pulses.

Boom! Boom!!

Mid-air collisions!

Inteleon blinked in shock.

Four Shadow Balls?!

At that moment—

Johan's trap snapped shut.

From every direction—

Left, right, above—

multiple Gengars emerged, each with twin Shadow Balls!

Inteleon realized—

Not just clones. Real attacks!

Multiple Gengars unleashed a barrage:

Shadow Ball storm!

Inteleon's eyes widened in horror.

Everywhere it looked: Shadow Balls raining down.

BOOM BOOM BOOM—

The battlefield was consumed in explosions and smoke.

The spectators were stunned.

How could a Gengar spam attacks while cloning itself?!

This wasn't a duel—

This was a one-Ghost artillery barrage!

Gengar, sticking out its tongue madly, gleefully shouted:

"Ka-kaah!"

(Ora ora ora ora!!)

You wanna strike poses?!

You think you can out-pose me?!

Only I, the great Gengar, can pose here!

Later, when Inteleon was interviewed post-battle,

it looked mournfully at the camera:

"Shoo."

Translation:

"I'm supposed to be the agent...

But that guy wasn't throwing Shadow Balls—

He was shelling me with an entire battalion!"

Gengar – One Ghost, One Battalion!

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