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[Pokemon] Chapter 40: VS Spinel Part 2
🕑 Added 2024-08-28 17:53:49 +0000 UTCAs Jin landed on the ground and returned Salamence to its Pokéball, he kept a wary eye on Spinel while approaching Liko to check on her condition.
"Liko, are you okay?"
"Y-yeah. When Beheeyem was about to do something, I thought it was over, but thanks to Gardevoir, both Sprigatito and I are fine."
"Meow~"
(Beheeyem, huh?)
There was no sense of surprise at seeing Beheeyem, given the battle they had yesterday. However, hearing that Beheeyem was about to do something suggested something more sinister had been at play.
Spinel wasn’t like Amethio. Jin had understood that. But even then, he only expected that Spinel would try to steal the pendant somehow. However, Spinel intended not only to take the pendant but also to manipulate Liko's memories and buy enough time to escape.
(Good thing I took extra precautions…)
Last night, after checking on his Pokémon, Jin had predicted an attack from the Explorers and made two requests to Gardevoir.
The first was to activate Synchronize when they left the ship today, sharing Gardevoir's and Jin's vision. This was the same ability they had used when rescuing Sprigatito. Gardevoir, who stayed on the ship, was able to keep an eye on Liko through Jin’s vision.
The second was for Gardevoir to Teleport close to Liko if she ever moved too far from Jin and secretly stay near her. In case of an enemy attack, Gardevoir would hold them off until Jin could arrive.
Because of these preparations, Liko's pendant and memories were intact. Considering the limited information and lack of significant damage, the results were more than satisfactory. However, Jin was far from content.
"You've really done it now," Jin glared at Spinel, his voice laced with bitterness.
"That’s my line. To think you saw through my plan..."
"I only knew something was going to happen today. I still fell right into your trap."
"Oh? Is that so? It seems my subordinates were not quite up to the task of handling you."
Separating Jin from Liko had been within his expectations, but using regular trainers instead of his own subordinates had completely caught Jin off guard. As a result, Spinel succeeded in keeping Jin away from Liko for a critical moment, earning him a strategic victory.
"They were definitely not strong enough to hold me back. But if one of those kids hadn't slipped up, I might still be stuck back there."
It was only when one of the boys let slip that they'd been waiting since morning that Jin realized something was amiss. Without that clue, he likely wouldn’t have noticed Spinel’s trap and wouldn’t have ended the battle as quickly as he had.
"I see... Using amateurs was a mistake, then?"
"No, it was the right call. If you'd used your subordinates or hired trainers, I would've sensed something and never left Liko's side."
People who worked for organizations or moved for money gave off a particular aura. Having experienced many such encounters, Jin had grown skilled at detecting them. By using amateurs who lacked that presence, Jin had been successfully deceived. In that sense, using them was a smart move.
(Even though I knew an attack was coming, I didn’t anticipate that part…)
Spinel had gathered information on them in a short period, used Magneton to disable the ship's systems, and executed this plan. While the result wasn’t perfect, Jin had still been outsmarted to some extent.
"…First, I'll admit it. Impressive."
Despite being his enemy, Jin couldn't help but give honest praise to Spinel's prowess. Although Spinel was troublesome in a different way compared to Amethio, Jin now recognized him as a formidable foe.
"But…"
Spinel looked surprised at the sudden compliment. However, in that instant, he noticed the shift in Jin's demeanor.
"You laid a hand on Liko, and that was your mistake. Now, I'm going to show you the difference in power between us. Are you ready? Because I’ve never been more furious than I am right now."
Spinel could feel Jin’s overwhelming rage and bloodlust directed at him. Even as an executive of the Explorers who had faced many enemies, Spinel almost faltered for a moment but quickly steeled himself, locking eyes with Jin.
"You won’t let me escape easily, will you? Very well. I’ll put aside the tricks for now. This time, I, Spinel, will face you directly. Umbreon!"
At Spinel's call, the previously downed Umbreon stepped between him and Jin, ready for battle.
"Can you fight, Gardevoir?" Jin asked.
"Gar!"
Jin’s Gardevoir stepped forward. Though it had already expended considerable energy protecting Liko, Gardevoir was just as enraged at Spinel. There was no thought of switching out now, and Gardevoir wouldn’t accept it anyway.
Umbreon was a Dark-type, while Gardevoir was a Psychic/Fairy-type. In terms of type matchups, Gardevoir held a significant advantage, though its Psychic-type moves wouldn’t work on Dark-types. Still, Gardevoir had plenty of options to secure victory.
"Let’s go! Gardevoir, Aura Sphere!"
Gardevoir extended both hands forward, channeling the power of aura to form a blue sphere of energy, which it then launched at Umbreon.
"Counter it with Dark Pulse!"
Aura Sphere was a move that never missed, making dodging impossible. The only options were to defend or counterattack. Spinel, concerned about Umbreon taking damage, chose to counterattack, but this decision turned out to be a grave mistake.
"What?!"
As Aura Sphere closed in, it suddenly swerved, dodging Umbreon’s Dark Pulse and continuing its trajectory towards Umbreon. Unable to evade while in the middle of an attack, Umbreon took the hit directly.
"Hmph… this technique is quite useful," Jin commented.
"That move… could it be!?"
Spinel couldn't hide his shock. And for good reason—the way Aura Sphere changed its trajectory was strikingly similar to a technique Spinel himself often employed.
"Yeah, it's your signature move, isn't it? Let’s call this ‘Psycho Aura Sphere,’ shall we?"
What Jin and Gardevoir had done was replicate a combination move Spinel had used in a previous battle, the fusion of Electro Ball and Psychic to create the "Psycho Electro Ball," but this time with Aura Sphere.
"Impossible…"
Spinel muttered in disbelief. He had spent years mastering that technique. He knew all too well how incredibly difficult it was to perform.
After using one move, to then immediately follow it up with Psychic to control it—that’s no small feat. That's why Spinel had divided the task between two Pokémon and could only use that technique in a Double Battle. No, he had to use it that way. Yet, the Gardevoir before him was perfectly executing what Spinel and his team could never accomplish.
"Don’t get distracted," Jin said, breaking Spinel's concentration.
"What!?"
"Double Team!"
Gardevoir floated into the air with its psychic power and used Double Team, multiplying itself countless times in the sky. Both the original and its copies began gathering energy in their hands, preparing to unleash Aura Sphere.
"Umbreon! Attack the real one with Swift!"
If Umbreon took another Aura Sphere, even with its high Special Defense, it would be knocked out for sure. Spinel tried to intercept the attack, but it was already too late.
Both Umbreon and Gardevoir launched their attacks simultaneously. However, Gardevoir’s Psycho Aura Sphere zigzagged unpredictably through the air, knocking out every single Swift star sent by Umbreon.
And that wasn’t all.
"What is this…?"
It wasn’t just the real Aura Sphere. Even the fake ones from the copies twisted and turned unpredictably, all converging on Umbreon. The already difficult-to-counter Psycho Aura Sphere was now attacking from every direction—front, back, left, right, above, and below.
"Umbreee!"
"Umbreon!?"
Overwhelmed by the countless Psycho Aura Spheres, Umbreon had no way to escape or defend. It took the full brunt of the attacks and collapsed to the ground, completely unable to continue fighting.
"This… this is impossible," Spinel muttered.
It wasn’t the fact that he lost the battle that shocked him. Spinel was well aware that losing in battle was always a possibility. What was truly unbelievable was the phenomenon he had just witnessed.
"What… what did you do!?"
"…What are you talking about?" Jin asked.
"Don’t play dumb! Controlling a single Aura Sphere with Psychic might be possible. But there’s no way you could control all the Aura Spheres from every clone with Psychic!"
Spinel’s logic was sound. No matter how powerful Jin’s Gardevoir was, it shouldn’t have been able to master such a complex technique with such precision in such a short time.
But Jin and Gardevoir had activated Synchronize before the battle, allowing them to share each other's vision. Gardevoir could only focus on a few Aura Spheres due to its own limited field of vision. However, from Jin’s perspective, he could see all the copies and Aura Spheres simultaneously. With this information, Gardevoir could control them all using Psychic.
"Figure it out for yourself. I don’t owe you any explanations."
Techniques like Synchronize and Sceptile’s Energy Charge weren’t something that could easily be copied. There was no need for Jin to hand over valuable information to his enemy.
"…Heh… haha… HAHAHAHA!"
Spinel suddenly started laughing after hearing Jin's response. His abrupt change in behavior from rage to amusement only made Jin more cautious.
"What’s so funny?"
"You’re strong. Incredibly strong… It’s a good thing I had a backup plan."
"What!?"
"Jin! Watch out!" Liko shouted.
"What!?"
At Liko's cry, Jin instinctively turned around, only to see a Magneton hovering in the air, aiming a Zap Cannon directly at him.
(Damn it!)
Jin had been so focused on the battle and defeating Umbreon that he had let his guard down. He had completely overlooked Magneton’s presence until it was too late.
Spinel had likely anticipated the possibility of losing to Jin in battle and had strategically positioned his Magneton in advance. No matter how strong Jin's Pokémon were, without Jin himself, their power would drastically decrease. Disabling the trainer’s movement was far more effective than defeating the Pokémon. Regardless of the morality of this tactic, it was undeniably effective.
(…I’ll have to take it head-on.)
Gardevoir had just used a powerful technique, and Sprigatito, who was near Liko, wouldn’t be able to offer any support. There wasn’t enough time to dodge.
However, thanks to Liko, Jin had noticed the attack just before it landed. Being a Pokémon Trainer, Jin had experienced taking hits from Pokémon moves during his journey many times before. He gritted his teeth and focused all his energy on withstanding the Zap Cannon—he could endure it if it was just one hit.
Just as Jin steeled himself, ready to take the attack—
"Noooooooo!"
With Liko's desperate scream, a mysterious light suddenly shot up from her pendant into the sky. Both Jin and Spinel, as well as Magneton, which had been preparing to attack, were all captivated by the light. Then, as if responding to the pendant, the ancient Poké Ball Liko held began to glow, and its latch mechanism transformed.
From it emerged one of the six heroes—Arboliva.
"Arboliva…"
Arboliva, who had appeared, glared at the Magneton targeting Jin and swung one of its arms down. Magneton was slammed into the ground with such force that it was rendered completely unable to continue the battle.
(I was saved. No… this is intriguing.)
"Ha… hahaha… this is amusing! So amusing!"
Ironically, at this moment, both Jin and Spinel were thinking the exact same thing. Although the mechanics were unclear, it was evident that the pendant had responded to Liko's emotions, causing Arboliva to appear. It seemed far too connected to be a mere coincidence.
(I’d love to investigate this more thoroughly… but for now!)
"Spinel, was it? You've lost. You're not going anywhere."
Jin knew he couldn't let Spinel escape after witnessing this phenomenon. Though it was unclear what kind of report Amethio had given, the fact that Spinel had tried to steal Liko’s pendant and memory indicated that, at least within the Explorer’s strike team, Liko wasn’t considered particularly important.
However, if this strange event was reported in detail, Liko's importance would undoubtedly skyrocket. Jin wanted to avoid that scenario at all costs, so he moved to capture Spinel.
"Yes, I’ve lost. Unfortunately, it seems my mission has failed."
Spinel calmly returned Umbreon and Magneton to their Poké Balls and admitted defeat. It seemed that all of his strategies had indeed been thwarted.
"Then…"
"But don’t get the wrong idea. I admit defeat, but I never said I’d surrender quietly."
At that moment, with a faint sound, a wounded Beheeyem appeared behind Spinel.
"What!?"
"Until we meet again. Next time, I’ll be sure to take both the pendant and the girl who holds the key."
With those final words, Spinel vanished, teleporting away with Beheeyem. Any chance of pursuing or capturing him was gone.
"…Got away, huh? I’ll give him credit—he planned thoroughly."
The Beheeyem that Gardevoir had attacked earlier had been gravely injured, but it hadn’t lost consciousness or become immobile. Spinel, foreseeing the potential failure of his mission when Gardevoir appeared, had kept Beheeyem ready for an emergency escape.
(There’s no point dwelling on what’s already happened…)
Liko and the pendant were safe, and for now, that was enough to be grateful for. As Jin turned to head back toward Liko, she ran up behind him and threw her arms around him in a tight hug.
"Liko?"
"...Jin, are you okay?"
"Yeah... I'm fine."
Liko knew that Jin was strong. That’s why when the battle started, she watched without any anxiety. But when it seemed like the fight was finally over, she saw Magneton’s sudden attack.
"...It was scary."
The idea of a Pokémon launching an attack directly at a Trainer was unimaginable to Liko. A powerful move like Zap Cannon used on a person could easily cause serious injury, or worse.
(...I’m used to stuff like that by now.)
During his solo journey, Jin had often recklessly taken hits from Pokémon moves like the one he faced today. This had made his sense of danger quite different from the norm. But, seeing Liko on the verge of tears, Jin couldn’t bring himself to say that out loud.
"I'm fine. I was saved thanks to you, Liko."
"...Because of me?"
"I don't know how, but it felt like Arboliva responded to your feelings and showed up. That’s how I saw it."
"Really...?"
"I can’t say for sure, but probably. Giving you that ancient Poké Ball turned out to be the right choice."
As Jin said this, he gently patted Liko's head and, releasing her from their embrace, walked over to Arboliva.
"Arboliva! Thank you for saving Jin!"
"Yeah, you really saved me."
"...Vaa..."
When Liko and Jin expressed their gratitude, Arboliva responded with a warm smile, gently touching Liko with one of its arms.
"...But I’m sorry to say, we need to leave this area quickly."
They had spent too much time reflecting on their failed attempt to capture Spinel and comforting Liko. A beam of light shooting high into the sky, followed by the sudden appearance of the massive Arboliva, could not go unnoticed in the middle of the city. By now, onlookers were surely beginning to gather.
"Gardevoir! I know you're tired, but can you Teleport us near the ship?"
And so, before the crowd could fully form, Jin and the others made their way back to the Brave Olivine ship after successfully fending off Spinel.
// END
Now, in the next chapter, we’ll finally set sail for the Galar region... or so I planned. But there’s one character I really want to introduce, so I’ll write a little more in the Paldea arc.
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