Pokemon: Spiritual Master-Chapter 411: A Polite One-Hit KO! (BONUS)

January 20th, clear skies.

Lily of the Valley Conference, Round of 32.

The atmosphere at the stadium was electrifying. The seats were packed, and the crowd roared with excitement.

Cynthia sat in her seat, nibbling on a plump Gengar-shaped cake.

"Boss Lady hasn't been eating ice cream lately," Aime remarked, her ahoge twitching as if she had made a groundbreaking discovery.

Fitzwilliam, casually crossing his legs, replied, "As Professor Johan would say—'It's winter. Less ice cream, more hot drinks.'"

"But eating too much cake makes you gain weight, doesn't it?" Flint asked, puzzled. "If Boss Lady got—"

He puffed up his cheeks, imagining a round-faced Cynthia.

At the same time, a vivid image of a chubby Cynthia eating cake flashed through his mind—sending a chill down his spine.

Stiffly, he turned his head.

Fitzwilliam and Aime had already abandoned him, quietly relocating next to Steven. Aime even gave him a discreet thumbs-up.

Meanwhile, just inches from Flint's neck, a scythe gleamed ominously.

"Garrr! (▼皿▼#)"

"Is Flint always this reckless?" Even Steven lowered his voice.

Age and weight—two of the most sensitive topics for women. Not even he dared to go near them.

Fitzwilliam nodded. "It's fine, you get used to it. He won't die."

Then, shifting his gaze toward the battlefield through the massive glass window, he watched as Johan and his opponent, Remo, stepped onto the field amidst a tidal wave of cheers.

Thanks to Remo's public challenge from yesterday, the crowd was even more fired up.

Johan remained composed, smiling as he waved to some familiar faces in the audience.

Remo, on the other hand, was brimming with confidence, his demeanor exuding self-assurance as he greeted the spectators.

"So bold! I love it!"

"That's the spirit! Take down Professor Johan, and we'll make you a general!"

"Finally! Someone with the guts to challenge Professor Johan again!"

Both Trainers took their positions.

Remo was dressed in attire reminiscent of Orochimaru, his face painted with tribal markings, and he carried an oil-paper umbrella. To an uninformed spectator, he might have looked like a fusion of Jiraiya and Orochimaru.

Pointing his umbrella at Johan, Remo called out with full confidence—

"Today! We will! Absolutely! Take down at least one of your Pokémon!"

...

The audience collectively stumbled, nearly falling over.

Wait. They had expected Remo to talk big.

But this... this was a little too big, wasn't it?

His goal was just to take down one of Johan's Pokémon?

Then again...

Thinking about it carefully—

It wasn't entirely unreasonable.

After all, throughout this entire tournament, Johan had never actually lost a Pokémon in battle. He had switched them out, sure—but none had ever been knocked out.

Johan simply smiled and nodded.

"Good luck."

Newer fans were touched by how kind Professor Johan was.

Veteran fans, however, were already mourning Remo.

It wasn't Johan's serious face they feared.

It was his smiling face.

"Trainers, send out your Pokémon!" the referee instructed.

"Go!"

Remo closed his umbrella and slung it over his shoulder, tossing out his Poké Ball.

"Conkeldurr!"

Two massive concrete pillars hit the ground with a thud, as Conkeldurr—its muscles rippling—locked eyes with Johan's Pokémon.

Remo had done his homework on Johan.

Actually, many self-proclaimed "experts" online had analyzed Johan's strategies.

They had come to a conclusion—

Johan had a hidden tendency.

He preferred to send out his Pokémon in order—from the newest he caught to the ones he had the longest.

Last match, he had used Charcadet, which had never appeared in a tournament before.

So this time, the most probable choice was... Kubfu.

A Fighting-type against a Fighting-type.

Remo had prepared specifically for this matchup, choosing Conkeldurr to go head-to-head with Kubfu, focusing on attrition warfare.

Under the audience's expectant gazes, Johan threw his Poké Ball—

A Pokémon leapt out, its drooping horns framing a gentle, smiling face.

Indeedee!

The big sister!

"Farrr~ (´▽｀)"

Indeedee politely bowed to Conkeldurr and Remo, as if greeting them with a courteous "Welcome!"

Silence.

For a moment, the entire stadium froze.

"Indeedee?!"

"So polite! awsl!"

"Wait... isn't this one of the employees from Professor Johan's café?!"

"Damn—this is straight-up disrespectful! He didn't even send out one of his main Pokémon—he sent a literal staff member!"

Staff...?

Remo's expression stiffened.

Was he... being looked down on?!

He clenched his umbrella tightly.

Damn it!

But then, a realization struck him.

If Johan had sent out an employee—

Didn't that mean he actually had a chance to take down one of his Pokémon?!

Besides, Indeedee was known for its support capabilities.

How much damage could a support Pokémon really do?

This was his chance to make a name for himself!

Buzz—

As soon as Indeedee appeared, a wave of psychic energy rippled outward, covering the entire battlefield.

Psychic Terrain activated!

"Begin!" the referee declared.

"Conkeldurr, Hammer Arm!"

"Garrr!!"

Conkeldurr gripped its concrete pillars, charging toward Indeedee with heavy steps.

Johan's expression remained unchanged as he calmly gave his command—

"Indeedee, Expanding Force."

"Farrr~!"

There was a note of excitement in Indeedee's voice.

Finally!

A proper tournament battle!

How exciting!

Buzz—

A massive surge of psychic energy erupted from Indeedee, covering the entire battlefield.

Conkeldurr, mid-charge, suddenly felt a crushing force—

An invisible weight slammed into its body, completely crushing it under an overwhelming psychic force.

"Garrr—!"

With a thud, Conkeldurr collapsed to the ground.

Silence.

Remo, the referee, and the audience all stared in shock.

"Con... Conkeldurr is unable to battle!" the referee finally declared.

"Farrr~"

Indeedee bowed again, looking completely innocent.

I... I didn't even use that much force. Why did it just fall over?

A beat passed.

Then—

The entire stadium erupted in chaos.

"Did that just happen?! Conkeldurr got one-shot?!"

"How can a Pokémon be this polite?"

"A polite one-hit KO? Damn, that's actually terrifying!"

Meanwhile, some viewers who had seen Indeedee's past battles finally realized—

This Indeedee...

Was the same one that had been dubbed the 'Seventh Frontier Brain's Gatekeeper' in online battles!

Though, to be fair...

Psychic-type moves were naturally strong against Fighting-types.

Plus, Psychic Terrain had boosted the attack's power.

Remo took a deep breath, knowing his miscalculation.

So—

After recalling Conkeldurr, he sent out his second Pokémon.

"Go, Bouffalant!"

A large buffalo-like Pokémon with a wild afro charged onto the field.

Bouffalant, the Bash Buffalo Pokémon.

Its headbutt was powerful enough to derail a train.

"Hey, Flint, it's your long-lost relative!" Fitzwilliam joked.

Flint: "..."

Conkeldurr had fallen due to a type disadvantage.

But Bouffalant was Normal-type—meaning it resisted Psychic moves.

It also had the highest Special Defense among Remo's Pokémon!

"Bouffalant, Afro Smash!"

Bouffalant lowered its head and charged forward, its massive afro glowing red as friction sparked against the air. The sheer momentum of its charge made it seem like a flaming comet about to collide.

The impact force—far greater than Conkeldurr's earlier attack—shook the battlefield with every step.

But Johan remained completely calm.

"Indeedee, don't mind it. Use Expanding Force again."

"Farrr~!"

Indeedee's expression grew more focused.

Since Johan had said not to worry, then that meant—

This opponent still wasn't strong enough.

The psychic threads woven through the Psychic Terrain surged again, amplifying the already overwhelming energy radiating from Indeedee.

A pressure as vast as a mountain slammed down on Bouffalant.

BOOM!

The battlefield trembled.

A perfectly square-shaped indent formed beneath Bouffalant, as though the very ground had caved in under the sheer force of the attack.

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And in the center of that dent—

Bouffalant lay motionless.

Another one-shot KO.

Silence filled the stadium once more.

Even the audience, now having witnessed two devastating knockouts in a row, momentarily forgot to react.

Then—

"WHAT THE HELL?!"

"Another OHKO?!"

"Is this Indeedee a monster?!"

"No—this isn't just any Indeedee—this is the strongest café employee in existence!"

Remo, beads of sweat forming on his forehead, gulped.

Something... felt off.

Indeedee didn't look weak at all.

If anything—

He felt like he was facing a smiling demon.

A demon that was politely obliterating his team.

And the worst part?

It kept bowing after every knockout.

Like it was giving a friendly farewell to his fallen Pokémon.

Remo recalled Bouffalant, forcing himself to stay composed.

Fine.

He had one last Pokémon.

This wasn't over yet!

Taking a deep breath, he pulled out his final Poké Ball.

"Go, Houndoom!"

A black-furred, horned Pokémon emerged, flames flickering at its mouth.

Houndoom, the Dark Pokémon.

Unlike his previous choices, this one was a Dark-type—completely immune to Psychic-type moves!

The audience started buzzing again.

"Houndoom? A smart pick—Psychic moves won't work on it!"

"Wait, does that mean Indeedee is finally at a disadvantage?"

"Hold on... why do I feel like something's still wrong?"

Remo wiped his sweat, then shouted—

"Houndoom, Fire Blast!"

A massive, five-pronged burst of fire erupted from Houndoom's mouth, roaring straight toward Indeedee!

"Indeedee, Psycho Cut."

In the same instant, Indeedee swung its leek like a blade, releasing a crescent-shaped psychic slash.

Even though Psychic-type moves were ineffective against Dark-types—

BOOM!

The force behind the Psycho Cut was so immense that it completely tore through the incoming Fire Blast.

As the flaming explosion cleared, the remnants of the psychic slash struck Houndoom directly.

Houndoom skidded backward several meters, barely managing to stay on its feet.

It was hurt.

Remo's hands trembled.

A Dark-type had actually been injured by a Psychic-type move?!

Wait—no.

That wasn't just a normal Psycho Cut.

That was Psycho Cut empowered by a Choice Band.

Johan finally spoke.

"I see what you're thinking."

"Psychic moves don't work on Houndoom. That's true."

"But who told you... that Indeedee only uses Psychic moves?"

Remo's mind went blank.

In the next moment—

Johan gave his final command.

"Indeedee, Close Combat."

A deep chill ran down Remo's spine.

"WAIT—!"

But it was already too late.

Indeedee's polite demeanor vanished.

Its leek blade spun in its grasp—then it lunged forward at lightning speed.

With fluid, disciplined movements, it unleashed a flurry of brutal strikes.

Punches. Kicks. Slashes.

Each blow landed with terrifying precision—

And every single strike was super effective.

BOOM!

Houndoom was launched backward, crashing into the battlefield's protective barrier with a loud thud.

It slid down, unconscious.

Total knockout.

The stadium fell into absolute silence.

Then—

"THREE ONE-HIT KNOCKOUTS?!"

"WHAT KIND OF INSANE BATTLE WAS THIS?!"

"Indeedee isn't a café employee—it's a final boss!!"

Even Remo himself was frozen in disbelief.

Johan's Indeedee...

It wasn't just strong.

It was absurdly strong.

The referee raised a flag.

"Houndoom is unable to battle! The winner is—Johan!"

A massive roar erupted from the crowd.

"HE DID IT AGAIN!"

"Professor Johan has never lost a Pokémon in this tournament!"

"How is he even allowed to use that Indeedee?!"

Remo, meanwhile, was still in shock.

His entire plan... his strategies...

All of them had been crushed—

By a polite, smiling bird with a leek.

Johan approached him, offering a handshake.

"You fought well," he said with a genuine smile.

Remo hesitated.

Then, forcing a weak smile, he shook Johan's hand.

"...You're terrifying."

Johan chuckled. "I hear that a lot."

Indeedee, ever polite, bowed one final time to Remo.

Remo sighed.

"...Is it too late to apologize for challenging you yesterday?"

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