Pokemon: Skybound

Chapter 634: 634. Falling for the Same Trick, Twice!

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In the battle against Corphish, Feebas was defeated exactly as expected.

However, despite winning, there wasn't the slightest hint of joy on Ash's face. Instead, he felt as though he'd been tricked.

Throughout the fight, Feebas relied on its natural agility as a fish Pokémon, darting through the water to evade multiple attacks. It even managed to land several Tackles on Corphish.

But once Corphish retaliated with its massive pincers, the outcome was decided swiftly.

The battle itself had been far too smooth.

So smooth, in fact, that even though Ash won, he felt strangely unsatisfied almost disappointed.

This was nothing like the battle he'd imagined!

"Kai, your Feebas is way too weak," Ash complained, pouting. "That was no challenge at all! This really doesn't feel like your style."

He wasn't wrong. In Ash's experience, every Pokémon Kai used was incredibly strong strong enough that Ash usually had to fight with everything he had just to barely win. Compared to those Pokémon, Feebas felt… underwhelming.

"My style?" Kai, on the other hand, looked completely relaxed. He chuckled and said, "There's nothing strange about it. Every Pokémon starts off weak. Don't judge it by how it looks now—maybe the next time you face it, it'll surprise you."

Thinking it over, Ash realized Kai had a point. All Pokémon went through a growth phase like this. His mood lightened, and the disappointment faded a little.

After all, no matter what, he had defeated one of Kai's Pokémon something most Trainers could only dream of doing!

Still…

Even with that reassurance, the lingering sense of dissatisfaction refused to fade.

Seeing his expression, Kai smiled faintly. "If that battle didn't satisfy you, how about another one?"

Ash's eyes lit up instantly. He nodded vigorously. "Yes! Bring it on! This time I'm getting serious!"

Rather than pulling out another Poké Ball immediately, Kai pointed to the nearby open field. "Then let's change venues. My next Pokémon isn't Water-type it doesn't need the pool."

Ash had no objections at all. In fact, Kai's calm confidence only made him more excited.

Alright! Different field, different Pokémon—no way he's using Feebas again!

With that thought, Ash took his place on the standard battlefield, facing Kai from the opposite Trainer's platform.

Under his eager gaze, Kai slowly reached into his pouch and withdrew a second Poké Ball.

The moment it opened, blue light flashed—and a Pokémon resembling a floating metallic weight, like a stone gauntlet suspended in midair, appeared before them.

"What's that?!" Ash's eyes shone with excitement. He immediately pulled out his Pokédex.

The device quickly identified it as Beldum, a Steel- and Psychic-type Pokémon.

"Steel and Psychic…" Ash nodded thoughtfully.

Psychic-types were usually powerful, and combined with Steel, this Pokémon sounded like both an offensive and defensive powerhouse. His anticipation for the second battle soared even higher.

That excitement, however, lasted only until the battle actually began.

For this match, Ash deliberately sent out Treecko, a Pokémon he'd only recently caught. While Grass-types weren't ideal against Steel-types, that didn't bother him in the slightest.

But as the fight unfolded, something felt… wrong.

Beldum floated steadily in the air, looking impressive enough, but no matter how it looked at it, its attacks consisted of nothing more than repeated Tackles.

It was somehow worse than Feebas!

Not only did Treecko easily block or dodge most of the straightforward charges, but the wide, open field made Beldum's linear attacks even less effective.

Wait… don't tell me—

Ash frowned and was just about to question Kai when Treecko landed the final blow, knocking Beldum to the ground.

At that moment, even Ash, as dense as he could be, finally understood what was going on.

"Hey!!" he shouted, jumping up and flailing his arms like an angry kid. "You tricked me again!! This is totally not what I expected!!"

"Hahaha!" Kai burst out laughing shamelessly. "How is that tricking you? I only said I'd battle you again I never said what Pokémon I'd use. You're the one who assumed things."

Ash opened his mouth to argue, but the words got stuck.

Kai was right. Before the battle, he hadn't promised anything. Ash had simply assumed that after Feebas, Kai would use a stronger Pokémon.

He'd fooled himself.

Twice.

"Gah—this is so unfair!!"

Off to the side, Brock watched the whole thing and could only sigh.

Unlike Ash, he knew exactly what was going on. Kai was clearly using Ash as a sparring partner to help Feebas and Beldum gain battle experience.

Only someone as pure-hearted as Ash would fall for the same trick twice in a row…

Still, Brock couldn't help thinking that Kai had a surprisingly childish side himself.

Just then, the Beldum lying on the battlefield, still conscious despite being defeated, was suddenly enveloped in a brilliant white light.

The glow instantly drew everyone's attention, even the two kids battling on the far side of the field.

Brock's eyes widened in recognition.

Evolution light.

In battles, it wasn't only the victor who gained experience, but the defeated Pokémon did as well. And if that experience crossed a threshold, evolution could occur on the spot.

Clearly, Kai's Beldum had just met the conditions.

From the Trainer's platform, Kai smiled with quiet satisfaction as he watched his Pokémon evolve.

In stark contrast, Ash slumped forward, his face dark with frustration and a deep sense of being used.

That evolution was thanks to me!!

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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter

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