Chapter 129: Tactics

"Hey! Am, what is your Electrode doing? Why... why won't it just attack head-on?" Ash hopped from one foot to the other, scratching his head in frustration.

"It’s part of the victory," Am replied with a shrug.

Indeed, this was merely to adapt to the tactics ahead of time! Otherwise, given that the Electrode still held a level advantage, it could have easily served as the primary attacker.

After "setting" the dual screens, the Electrode’s style became noticeably more aggressive. While dancing around Pikachu, it even found time to actively ram into Charizard, relieving the pressure on Exeggutor.

With the cover provided, Exeggutor’s skill was ready, yet it did not use it immediately...

"Pikachu!" Ash called out, and Pikachu instantly understood his intent.

Just as Pikachu feinted a dodge, preparing to strike Exeggutor with [Iron Tail], a burst of pollen erupted from atop Exeggutor’s head...

Pikachu twisted his body to dodge, but in doing so, he dipped too low... The [Iron Tail] missed the head and slammed squarely into Exeggutor’s foot instead!

A shimmering light flickered over Exeggutor’s foot—[Reflect] had activated! Pikachu felt his attack pass through a barrier...

"Exegg-egg-egg-egg!" Exeggutor hopped on one leg, three faces contorted in tears. It seemed to have... stubbed its toe? The damage wasn't significant, but it certainly hurt.

"Nice! Dodged it!" Goh exclaimed excitedly from the sidelines. He continued to mutter about "sleazy Sleep Powder" and how "a trainer like that would never have fans." Am glanced at him, briefly considering taking him to find Suicune.

"No!" Brock’s squinted eyes suddenly seemed to gleam. "That wasn't [Sleep Powder]! It was a bluff!"

"What?" Goh hadn't caught on.

Brock explained, "Look at Exeggutor’s three faces... they’re still wearing the same smiling expression!"

He was right. Although the faces were tearful from the [Iron Tail] impact, a close look revealed they were all wearing identical, goofy grins. Exeggutor’s faces only synchronized when a skill was fully prepared; otherwise, there were subtle differences.

"So that was..."

"Just regular pollen," Brock deduced.

Exactly. Without the skill gene activated, the "pollen" could at most induce sneezing or coughing, lacking any sleep-inducing effect. It had tricked Pikachu into landing a [Iron Tail] that dealt only minimal damage.

Just then, Charizard unleashed a [Flamethrower], the heat wave surging toward the still-hopping Exeggutor.

"Hey... Charizard! I haven't..." Ash looked conflicted—his Charizard was clearly still in its rebellious phase.

However, Charizard’s [Flamethrower] did not fully succeed... at least, not as intended!

At the last moment, the Electrode rushed over, positioning itself in the path of the [Flamethrower] to shield Exeggutor! Am’s Electrode was an "Ancient-style Electrode," and like Exeggutor, it was weak to Fire-type moves. Despite being a higher level, its defenses were thinner than Exeggutor’s. Yet, it charged forward without hesitation to block the blast.

As the flames hit, a shimmering barrier enveloped the Electrode—[Light Screen]—mitigating much of the damage. Although the Electrode was sent flying backward by the force, crashing into Exeggutor, it had successfully weathered the attack!

Simultaneously, the Electrode seemed ready to counterattack. As it floated up from Exeggutor, its wooden body surged with electricity, crackling with sparks.

"Charizard! Get out of the way!"

Ash’s judgment was correct. It was clearly an Electric-type move, and the target was likely Charizard—after all, it wasn't a Dragon-type, but a Fire/Flying type.

But "get out of the way" was easier said than done. Charizard didn't even listen to Ash, standing its ground and preparing to retaliate!

The Electrode transformed into a massive "electric ball," zipped rapidly around Charizard, and slammed into its face, knocking Charizard’s head to the side. Despite this, Charizard held firm, not bothering to adjust its posture, and swung its Dragon Claw toward the direction of the attack, hoping to land a hit.

But... Charizard swung at thin air!

The Electrode, maintaining its high-speed electrical state, flew directly back into its Poké Ball and... swapped in Rhyhorn.

"What? It just used a skill, how can it switch..." Goh asked, looking toward Professor Sakuragi, who was acting as the referee.

"It’s a switching move... likely [Volt Switch]," Brock clarified.

After using such moves, a Pokémon’s state can trigger the recall beam instantly, saving the time required for a skill to recharge. In other words, it deals damage while allowing for a safe substitution! The Electrode, responsible for setting the dual screens, was perfectly suited for this—setting the screens, shielding teammates, and leaving the field without putting itself at a disadvantage.

Meanwhile, the moment Rhyhorn "landed," Exeggutor—whose skill had long been prepared—suddenly unleashed a burst of psychic energy, causing the surrounding space to distort.

[Trick Room]!

Exeggutor had held back for this exact moment. Previously, the Electrode was the fastest on the field; using [Trick Room] then wouldn't have been a huge gain and might have disrupted the Electrode’s rhythm, preventing it from leaving with [Volt Switch].

Now, with our fast "Electrode" off the field, the opponent had two fast Pokémon while we had two slow ones... [Trick Room] was a massive advantage! Although it didn't completely invert speed like in the games, it closed the gap significantly—Pikachu and Charizard’s speed plummeted, while Exeggutor and Rhyhorn’s surged.

Furthermore, [Reflect] and [Light Screen] would last for at least three more enemy skill cycles... In an official match, Am would certainly have prepared [Light Clay] to extend the duration of the dual screens.

"A very tactical approach..." Professor Sakuragi mused.

While he had seen more powerful and technically sophisticated battles, for a "rookie trainer," Am not only possessed solid strength but also genuine "tactical thinking." It was vastly different from the brute-force style of most traveling rookies, and the tactical arrangement lacked the rigid, formulaic feel of the academy-trained.

"But Ash still has the advantage, right?" Goh asked, looking unconvinced at Professor Sakuragi.

It was true; in terms of raw stamina, Am’s Exeggutor was in a tight spot, and the recalled Electrode hadn't fared well either—though no one else knew that the Electrode had just "grazed" Am’s trainer-exclusive [Regenerator] ability to catch its breath. On Ash’s side, although Charizard had taken a hit, it was a resisted Electric attack, and Pikachu was in perfect condition—Exeggutor and Electrode hadn't initiated any attacks outside of their skills!

However...

"No, for Ash, the challenge is now severe!" Professor Sakuragi’s assessment was profound.

And it was the truth! With the gap in skill preparation speeds erased by [Trick Room], Exeggutor and Rhyhorn’s combined strength now surpassed that of Charizard and Pikachu. They held a slight elemental advantage, and with the "dual screens" still active, Ash found himself unable to land effective blows on Am’s Pokémon.

The counterattack had only just begun.