Chapter 604 - 604: 604. Pure team

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On the other side, Jacob sent out his Haxorus, and it was the Pokémon's first appearance in this match.

Its tall body was covered in hard, yellow armor. Its thick tail swayed behind it, and its crimson eyes glared at Toxapex, giving off a fierce and dangerous feeling. The sharp teeth on its jaw, shaped like a pair of axes, gleamed coldly under the moonlight, making it look as ferocious as an ancient beast.

"Roar!"

Haxorus let out an excited cry, standing ready and waiting only for Jacob's command to strike.

An ultimate physical attacker against an ultimate tank Pokémon — a great battle was about to begin.

...…

"Ashlie has sent out her signature Pokémon, Toxapex. In the earlier rounds, Toxapex performed extremely well, even sweeping through three Pokémon on its own."

"On the other side, Jacob has sent out Haxorus."

"This is the first time we've seen his Haxorus battle, so we don't know its full strength yet. Judging by its appearance, though, it looks very well trained. We'll have to watch closely to see what it can really do."

"The battle is about to begin!"

...…

"Toxapex, use Substitute!" Ashlie called out calmly, ordering Toxapex to use the move Substitute.

As a pure tank-type Pokémon, Toxapex's strategy was simple. It would raise its physical and special defense depending on the opponent, then slowly wear them down using annoying moves such as Toxic, Substitute, and Recover.

...…

Of course, Toxapex was troublesome, but it was not unbeatable. Pokémon like Toxapex are usually very afraid of an opponent that knows Taunt. Since nearly all of Toxapex's key moves were status moves, a single use of Taunt could shut it down completely.

Thinking of Taunt reminded Jacob of another Pokémon, one that was currently training hard back at Dragon Spiral Tower.

It had been many days since he last saw his Noivern.

Still, even without Noivern, Haxorus could learn Taunt naturally as it grew stronger, so for now it could fill Noivern's role on the team. That was exactly why Jacob had chosen to send Haxorus out first.

"Haxorus, use Taunt!" Jacob commanded, almost at the same moment as Ashlie's own order.

...…

As soon as Jacob gave the command, the commentator sighed. "What a shame."

"I'm honestly surprised Ashlie didn't switch Pokémon there."

"You see, Toxapex may be strong, but it's very vulnerable to Taunt."

"And Haxorus is one of the few Pokémon that can learn Taunt naturally through leveling up, without needing a TM."

"Ashlie is a professional Trainer, so she must know this well."

"For her to still have Toxapex use Substitute, knowing the opponent would almost certainly use Taunt, and knowing her Pokémon was slower than his — that's a very risky choice."

"She must have been hoping Jacob wouldn't use Taunt right away, or that Haxorus would be slower than Toxapex."

"But she clearly underestimated Jacob. Many people think he only won the High School Cup by relying on Mega Evolution, but if you look back at his matches in the provincial rounds, you'll see something different."

"Throughout the early stages of the provincial competition, Jacob was known for his sharp tactics, defeating stronger opponents through strategy alone. There's no way he would miss a setup like Ashlie's."

"In fact, sending Haxorus out first may have been Jacob's way of preparing for exactly this kind of plan."

...…

As the commentator spoke, dark-type energy gathered around Haxorus and surged toward Toxapex, sealing off all of its status moves.

"Return, Toxapex."

Ashlie watched the scene unfold, her eyes narrowing slightly. She seemed to have expected this outcome, and the moment she heard Jacob order Taunt, she immediately called her Pokémon back.

"Haxorus, use Dragon Dance!"

Jacob reacted just as quickly. Seeing Ashlie switch out, he wasted no time ordering Haxorus to use Dragon Dance to raise its stats.

With its Speed and Attack now boosted, Haxorus looked ready to sweep the field.

"Go, Sableye!"

Ashlie recalled Toxapex and sent out her second Pokémon, Sableye — a Sableye with the Prankster ability.

Seeing Sableye appear, Jacob felt a flicker of caution mixed with hesitation. A Pokémon with Prankster was never something to take lightly.

He now had two options. The first was to keep attacking with his already-boosted Haxorus, but that risked facing Sableye's Fake Out followed by Encore, which would leave Haxorus unable to use any other move. The second option was to switch Pokémon right away.

Jacob hesitated only for a moment before deciding. "Return, Haxorus."

...…

"Wait, what is he doing?"

"Jacob is actually pulling Haxorus back after just one Dragon Dance? Isn't he being a little too careful?"

"Why is he playing it so safe today? Just push forward! Is there really anything a boosted Haxorus needs to fear? Use Outrage and go for it!"

...…

Jacob's decision confused most of the spectators, but on the other side of the field, it caught Ashlie by surprise, and a faint smile crossed her lips.

Had he really seen through her plan?

There were many skilled Trainers in this world, and Jacob's victory as High School Cup Champion was clearly no accident.

Her plan had gone exactly as Jacob suspected. Once sent in, Sableye could immediately land a hit with Fake Out, then follow up with Encore. Thanks to Prankster, Encore would take priority, forcing Haxorus to repeat its most recent move — Dragon Dance — three times in a row, unable to attack at all.

During that time, Sableye could freely use disruptive moves like Thunder Wave, Flatter, and Will-O-Wisp, building a strong advantage and pressuring Jacob into switching Pokémon.

But Ashlie hadn't expected Jacob to give up his advantage so readily and pull Haxorus back at once.

A reputation like his wasn't built on nothing — he truly deserved the title of High School Cup Champion.

Was this the kind of sharp instinct that made him champion?

So, who would Jacob send out next?

It had to be Indeedee — its ability was a perfect counter to Sableye.

If that was the case, then—

"Sableye, use Light Screen!"

"Go, Indeedee!"

Jacob's voice rang out, and just as Ashlie had predicted, his second Pokémon was Indeedee.

...…