"Huff... huff... Jin!"

"Yo, sorry to keep you waiting."

Liko and Friede met up with Jin in front of the Explorers' hideout. Friede looked relatively composed, but Liko was panting heavily, clearly having rushed over.

Next to Liko was Jin's Sceptile, and on Friede's shoulder was a Pikachu known as Cap.

"Sprigatito is in there, right?"

"Yeah, no doubt about it."

"...Sprigatito."

"We'll definitely get it back. I'll support you in every way I can."

"Jin... thank you!"

Jin wanted to reassure Liko, who was worried about Sprigatito, but given the serious situation, he decided not to mention that Sprigatito was comfortably being pampered by the enemy inside.

"So, what's the situation inside?"

"Right. Currently, there's only one enemy inside, Amethio. One of the other two is out shopping, probably for Pokémon food, and the last one is likely watching our ship."

Jin felt a twinge of guilt towards Onia, who was likely being manipulated by Sprigatito's laid-back nature.

"What!? They already know we're here!"

"Yes. So, before they can harm the ship, we need to act quickly to retrieve Sprigatito. For that, we'll need..."

Jin shared his plan with Liko and Friede. The plan was simple: one person would distract Amethio in a battle while Liko and another person, guided by Manectric, would rescue Sprigatito.

"Naturally, I'll be the decoy."

"Wait! You can't do that!"

The moment Jin mentioned being the decoy, Liko instinctively shouted to stop him.

"Liko's right. If we need a decoy, I'll do it."

Friede agreed with the plan but opposed Jin taking on the most dangerous role.

"No, I have to be the decoy. To be clear, Amethio is fixated not only on the pendant but also on defeating me. Friede, he's more obsessed with settling the score with me than with you."

"......"

"The battle between you and Amethio is still unresolved, but he was nearly defeated when he fought me. If I provoke him, he'll definitely take the bait. I'm the only one who can effectively serve as the decoy."

Judging by Amethio's behavior, this was accurate. Despite starting the battle in a dominant position, he was nearly defeated, wounding his pride significantly.

"But!"

"Friede, I need you to protect Liko. If the other two return, you can handle one, and Sceptile can take on the other to protect Liko. This way, Liko will definitely reach Sprigatito. This is the best strategy we have right now."

This conclusion was reached after careful consideration. Jin was not willing to budge unless a compelling counterargument was presented.

"…Fine, I get it. You really don't leave any room for objections, do you?"

"Jin, you called me stubborn, but you're way more stubborn than I am."

Friede and Liko gave Jin exasperated looks, which he accepted without complaint.

(Well... this choice is partly my selfishness too.)

Jin felt a sense of respect for Amethio, who chose to battle head-on without using Sprigatito as a bargaining chip. He also had a personal desire to settle the score, which influenced his decision to take on the decoy role.

After a final review of the plan, it was time to move out.

"Alright! Let's go rescue Sprigatito!"

"Yes!"

Jin returned Gardevoir, who was exhausted from using a lot of psychic power, to its Poké Ball. They headed towards the warehouse inside the facility where Sprigatito was being held. Despite not sneaking around, they encountered neither Amethio nor any Pokémon on their way. However, the moment they entered the warehouse, the lights turned on, and a shadowy figure appeared before them.

"There you are, Amethio."

It was Amethio, the leader who had been targeting Liko from the school to the airship.

"Did you bring the pendant?"

Liko pulled out the pendant and showed it to Amethio.

"Will you return Sprigatito for this?"

"..."

Amethio didn't respond.

(Well, that's no surprise…)

Jin knew Amethio's goal was no longer just the pendant. For reasons unknown, he had declared that he would take Liko along with the pendant. Jin didn't expect him to agree to a simple exchange.

"Alright then. Amethio, let's settle this with a Pokémon battle. Let's finish what we started yesterday. Or are you afraid of losing? Yesterday, we were interrupted, but today we'll battle until there's a clear winner."

"Don't be ridiculous!"

For the first time, Amethio raised his voice emotionally. It seemed he didn't handle provocation well.

"If I win, you'll return Sprigatito."

Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

"If I win, she comes with me along with the pendant."

"Agreed. Liko, Friede, step back."

"Okay... Jin, don't lose."

"Be careful."

Liko and Friede moved away to avoid interfering with the battle. So far, everything was going according to Jin's plan. The idea to settle things with a battle worked because Amethio was fixated on it.

"Go! Ceruledge!"

"Ceru!"

"So, it's Ceruledge... In that case, it's your turn! Milotic!"

"Milo!"

Amethio sent out his familiar Ceruledge, while Jin released a Milotic, a Pokémon with a serpentine body and flowing red fins extending from its head.

"What! Milotic!"

Amethio exclaimed in shock. In all his previous battles, Jin had always used Sceptile. Amethio had assumed that Jin would use Sceptile in this battle as well.

"There's no rule that says only Sceptile can fight. Plus, I have the type advantage."

"Tch!"

"What will you do? If you don't think Ceruledge can win, I'll wait for you to switch Pokémon."

Last night, Amethio had taunted Jin with similar words. Now, Jin was returning the favor. This provocation undeniably ignited Amethio's temper.

"There's no need! Ceruledge, use 'Psycho Cut'!"

"Milotic, use 'Water Pulse'!"

＊＊＊

Before Jin and Amethio's battle began, Liko and Friede quietly moved away. Once they confirmed that Amethio was focused on the battle, they started their mission to rescue Sprigatito.

"!"

However, as the sound of Milotic and Ceruledge's attacks clashing echoed, Liko suddenly stopped and looked back.

"Jin..."

"Liko! We have to trust Jin right now!"

"...Yes!"

(It's okay, Jin won't lose. He will come back safely!)

They needed to rescue Sprigatito as quickly as possible and inform Jin. Then, Jin could escape from this place. For the sake of Sprigatito and Jin, this was the only thing Liko could do. At that moment, Liko had no choice but to believe and act on it.

＊＊＊

The "Psycho Cut" and "Water Pulse" clashed, canceling each other out. Smoke filled the center of the warehouse, obscuring the view of both sides. In the midst of this, Milotic was the first to act.

"Now it's our turn! Hydro Pump!"

"Use Phantom Force!"

A massive stream of water shot from Milotic's mouth towards Ceruledge, but Ceruledge disappeared into a shadow at its feet, avoiding the attack, and reappeared behind Milotic.

"Milotic, it's coming from behind! Use Coil!"

"Milo!"

Though Milotic was momentarily disoriented, it followed Jin's instructions and coiled its body defensively.

"So you managed to block it..."

Milotic's quick defensive maneuver boosted its defense, attack, and accuracy, though it still took some damage.

"Interesting... I didn't expect you to combine evasion and attack like that."

"..."

"Silent, huh? No matter. We'll let our Pokémon do the talking. Milotic, use Aqua Tail!"

"Phantom Force again."

Milotic's tail glowed with water energy and swung at Ceruledge, but once again, Ceruledge vanished into the shadows, reappearing above Milotic with its swords raised.

"Milotic!"

This time, Milotic couldn't defend in time and took the hit directly.

(Amethio's strategy uses "Psycho Cut" for long-range, "Bitter Blade" and "Night Slash" for close-range, and dodges with "Phantom Force" to launch counterattacks. The problem is "Phantom Force.")

The unpredictability of Ceruledge's reappearance made countering extremely difficult.

(I need to stop its movements to win... In that case!)

"Milotic, use Recover!"

Milotic began to heal itself by activating its cells, but this left it vulnerable. Amethio seized the opportunity.

"I won't let you! Night Slash!"

Ceruledge closed in to stop Milotic's recovery, aiming to strike with its swords.

However, at the last moment, Milotic ceased its recovery and twisted its body to dodge the attack.

"What!?"

"Now! Aqua Tail!"

Milotic spun and used the momentum to deliver a powerful Aqua Tail, striking Ceruledge and sending it flying to the center of the warehouse.

"Ceruledge!"

Though Ceruledge endured the attack, it was damaged enough to be brought to one knee. Another super effective move would certainly knock it out.

"Next! Ice Beam at Ceruledge's feet!"

"Milo!"

"Dodge it!"

"Ceru!"

Ceruledge tried to evade the attack, but due to the damage it had sustained, it couldn't completely avoid it. The Ice Beam hit its knee, freezing it to the ground.

(Got it!)

This was exactly what Jin had planned, creating the perfect opportunity to win.

"Let's finish this! Hydro Pump!"

"Don't let it hit! Use Phantom Force to evade!"

Seeing Milotic preparing the Hydro Pump, Amethio commanded Ceruledge to disappear into the shadows, but Ceruledge couldn't move.

"Damn it!"

Ceruledge's frozen leg prevented it from using Phantom Force. It was unable to submerge its entire body into the shadows.

"Break the ice with Bitter Blade!"

Amethio gave a hasty command, but it was too late. Milotic had already started its Hydro Pump.

"Too late! Go, Milotic!"

With its leg frozen, Ceruledge was unable to dodge the Hydro Pump and took the full force of the attack. The powerful water stream shattered the ice and pushed Ceruledge against the opposite wall.

After taking the Aqua Tail and now the Hydro Pump head-on, Ceruledge had no strength left to fight, barely even able to move.

"That's enough, Milotic."

"Milo."

When Milotic stopped the Hydro Pump, Ceruledge slumped against the wall, clearly unable to continue battling.

"Impossible..."

"The match is over, Amethio."

It was clear to everyone who the winner was. However...

"It's not over yet."

"Hmm?"

"It's not over. I'll use this one next!"

Amethio wasn't ready to give up. He recalled Ceruledge and took out another Poké Ball.

"...True, we never said it was a one-on-one battle."

"Exactly! I won't give up until I've defeated you and taken the pendant!"

"...Fine. I still have..."

As Jin began to respond, a Pokémon entered through the warehouse entrance.

"Manec!"

It was Manectric, who had gone with Liko to rescue Sprigatito. The fact that Manectric had returned to Jin meant one thing.

"...So, it worked?"

"Manec!"

(Mission complete. Liko and the others must already be on their way to escape... Oh!)

"Look, Amethio. Something interesting is happening outside."

From the entrance of the warehouse, the outside view was filled with a massive amount of green leaves. This sight reminded Amethio of the Leafage attack he had seen once on top of the airship.

"...No way!"

Based on this scene and the conversation between Jin and Manectric, Amethio was certain that Sprigatito had been set free.

"So, you were just a decoy to reclaim Sprigatito!"

"Exactly. All I needed was to distract you."

Jin's plan to divert Amethio's attention and rescue Sprigatito had succeeded. The use of Leafage indicated that either Zirc or Onia had returned or new enemies had appeared. It was clear there were enemies involved, and having Friede and the others act as escorts was a wise decision.

"Well, it's good I managed to finish the battle before reclaiming Sprigatito. Our last battle was left incomplete."

It was a personal sentiment. The fact that he couldn't conclude the previous battle, despite having the upper hand, was frustrating.

"Do you think I'll let you go just like that?"

"Naturally, you would think so from your position..."

Amethio's eyes conveyed his determination not to let them escape, no matter what. Normally, Jin might have continued the battle, but now he had responsibilities toward Liko, Sprigatito, and Friede.

"But, sorry. We're on a tight schedule... Manectric!"

"Manec!"

"Flash!"

"Manec!"

Manectric stepped between Jin and Amethio and emitted a blinding light from its body. The Flash attack in the dim warehouse was highly effective.

"Ugh!"

Amethio was hit directly by the light, covering his eyes with his hands and dropping to his knees. It seemed he was temporarily blinded.

"Well, we'll be taking our leave."

"Wa...wait...!"

"Don't push yourself. You can't do anything while you can't see."

"Damn it!"

Jin turned his back on Amethio, recalled Manectric and Milotic, and released Salamence instead.

"Salamence!"

"Sorry to keep you working so much, Salamence."

As Jin was about to mount Salamence, he glanced back at Amethio.

"It was a fun battle. I'd like to battle you again someday."

This was his genuine feeling. Amethio was a highly skilled Trainer, and battling him was truly satisfying for Jin.

"But if you come after us again, I won't hold back. I'll defeat you every time until your organization deems you useless."

"Gah! ..."

With that, Jin finally mounted Salamence and returned to the ship. Amethio, unable to see, was left there, devastated.

"Jin... Next time, I will definitely defeat you..."

If his comrades had heard him, they would have been terrified. His voice was filled with unparalleled anger and hatred.

---

Jin's Pokémon Team:

- Sceptile

- Aggron

- Salamence

- Manectric

- Gardevoir

- Milotic

The last Pokémon is Milotic! Finally, a non-Mega Evolved Pokémon. All of Jin's Pokémon have now appeared, but if there are any strong Pokémon in the anime that Liko or Roy don't catch, I plan to have Jin catch them.

// END