Johan: Let Me Take Command

Even with support arriving soon, Johan and Officer Jenny were facing at least thirty frenzied wild Pokémon!

Among them were powerful ones like Shiftry.

Shiftry, a dual-type Grass/Dark Pokémon, typically resides in remote, densely forested mountain regions. In some isolated areas, tales are told of bird Pokémon that committed evil deeds and were punished by the gods, having their beaks and wings replaced.

It evolves from Nuzleaf, needing the precious Leaf Stone for its transformation.

"Dohtay!!"

Noticing Johan and Officer Jenny, the Shiftry saw its attack blocked by Haunter, which only intensified the red in its eyes.

It immediately stomped on the roof with both feet, cracking it as it leaped toward Johan and Jenny.

With a swing of its arms, two large, sharp leaves sliced rapidly through the air.

Razor Leaf!

"Vulpix, Aurora Beam!"

"Haunter, Nasty Plot!"

"Oowu—"

Vulpix leaped out of the bushes, opened its mouth slightly, and fired a silvery beam from its mouth, freezing the large leaves with frost as they traveled through the air.

"Chu!"

At Johan's signal, Tinkatink gripped its hammer and swung, shattering the frozen leaves before they reached them.

Meanwhile, Haunter completed its "Nasty Plot" boost.

"Arcanine, Flamethrower!"

On the other side, Officer Jenny ordered her Arcanine to release a blazing column of fire at the wild Pokémon closing in due to Shiftry's lead.

Most of the Pokémon here were from Petalburg Woods, many with Grass-type attributes, so Arcanine's flames proved quite intimidating.

Johan's gaze alternated between Shiftry's and Arcanine's Pokédex entries.

[Arcanine]

Type: Fire

Ability: Justified

Moves Known: Extreme Speed, Play Rough, Fire Fang, Flare Blitz, Howl, Helping Hand, Crunch, Payback, Reversal, Flamethrower, Flame Wheel

Mood: Excited, Nervous (It seems we're surrounded)

Status: Excellent (Might have eaten a bit too much at lunch)

Friendliness: 30 (It also likes Vulpix)

Hmm?

Johan glanced at Arcanine.

He hadn't expected Arcanine to like Vulpix too. Unlike the more obvious affection of Growlithe, though, Arcanine's interest was subtle.

It gave Johan the feeling of a daughter eyed by two "golden retrievers."

Now wasn't the time to dwell on such things, though.

More concerning was Arcanine's ability.

"Justified…"

"Dohtay!!"

Shiftry noticed Arcanine's flames obstructing its path and swung out two "Air Cutter" attacks to extinguish part of the fire.

But in Johan's eyes, this move was a golden opportunity.

'Even while frenzied, it retains some reason?'

With this in mind, he issued his command:

"Haunter, Will-O-Wisp! Vulpix, Nasty Plot!"

Haunter gave a sinister grin, raised its claws, and conjured three dark greenish-blue flames. It hurled them toward Shiftry, taking advantage of the pause as it swung "Air Cutter."

"Ka-kah!"

Don't get distracted, you brute!

Sss!!

The "Will-O-Wisp" hit Shiftry, leaving blackened scorch marks on it and inflicting a "Burn" status.

"Dohtay!!"

The injured Shiftry roared and lunged toward Johan and Haunter.

A faint white mist began to swirl around Shiftry's body, which rapidly spun, transforming it into a massive tornado!

Hurricane!

The sheer scale of the "Hurricane" showed that Shiftry was a powerful wild Pokémon.

Moreover, its Grass/Dark type restricted Haunter's potential.

After all, Haunter was more skilled in Ghost moves than Poison moves.

But Shiftry was vulnerable to Ice, making Vulpix the main attacker here.

"Vulpix, Icy Wind. Make that storm ours."

Johan's voice was calm as he directed the battle.

Vulpix, having just finished its "Nasty Plot," looked a bit worried.

Was one "Nasty Plot" boost enough?

Yet, under Johan's command, it didn't hesitate.

"Oowu—"

Snowfall, activated!

The temperature dropped, and sparkling snowflakes began to fall.

The "Never-Melt Ice" around Vulpix's neck glowed faintly, surrounding it in a light mist.

Snow began to mix with the spinning "Hurricane."

As Vulpix blew out another "Icy Wind" to add strength, the frigid wind howled, sharp as a blade!

The intense "Hurricane" began to morph into a "Blizzard."

A layer of frost covered Shiftry, its body stiffening slightly, yet burning with pain from its burn wounds.

"Psychic, send it back!" Johan narrowed his eyes.

"Oowu!"

Vulpix's eyes shone with Psychic power.

While Psychic moves didn't affect Dark-types like Shiftry, they worked on the "Hurricane."

"This…"

Officer Jenny was stunned.

Turning an opponent's move against them?

A man-made "Blizzard"?

But she didn't have time to marvel for long, as the wild Pokémon horde was closing in. Two Ursaring charged toward them, eyes blood-red, as if they were in a Galarian rampage.

"Arcanine, Double Kick!"

Meanwhile.

Tinkatink, looking innocent and harmless, blinked its "pure" eyes, ignored by some wild Pokémon.

However.

When a Zigzagoon dashed past Tinkatink…

Wham!!

As the Zigzagoon later recounted, "Doh-coong!"

It roughly meant it didn't even have time to react before something heavy struck the back of its head, making it feel like its brains were about to spill out.

It never suspected Tinkatink. Its harmless appearance and tiny hammer made it difficult to stay on guard.

Frenzied Pokémon aren't easily hypnotized, as their minds are too scattered to relax.

But Tinkatink had no such issues.

Whether they listen or not didn't matter—one smack, and they were all out cold.

When four Pokémon were down around Tinkatink, though, its "innocent" guise was finally lost.

So it swung freely.

At that moment, Tinkatink became a warrior, even earning a nickname from Officer Jenny's Houndour—"Hammer Sister."

Its hammer…

One touch meant injury; one strike meant defeat.

On the other hand, Arcanine faced significant trouble.

Most of the stronger wild Pokémon were drawn to Arcanine.

"Owoo—"

After forcing its opponents back with a Flamethrower, Arcanine retreated to Officer Jenny's side.

"Arcanine."

Officer Jenny quickly took out a healing spray to treat its wounds.

If this continued… they really wouldn't hold out much longer.

Johan, also aware of Jenny and Arcanine's situation, couldn't help but ask again:

"Is the support still not here?"

"Soon… it should be soon," Jenny said, sounding uncertain.

Johan: "…"

He took a deep breath.

Then said in a low voice, "Officer Jenny, would you let me command Arcanine?"

Hm?

Jenny was taken aback.

Johan was already commanding Haunter, Vulpix, and Tinkatink. Coordinating three Pokémon seemed smooth enough, but adding another wasn't just a simple "+1."

Yet, Jenny nodded after a moment.

"All right!"

Johan then turned to the elderly farm couple, who were watching with concern, eager to help but afraid of causing trouble.

"Sir, could you send Houndour over to help?"

Houndour?

Wouldn't Houndoom be of more help?

Jenny grew increasingly curious.

But trusting Johan, she didn't object. Seeing her acceptance, the elderly couple sent Houndour over.

The inexperienced Houndour was a bit scared.

After Johan gave it an energy cube, it felt much better.

"Houndour, use Beat Up on Arcanine."

Johan patted its head and instructed.

Arcanine: "??"

[Beat Up]: A Dark-type move that gathers allies to launch a team attack. The power depends on the attacker's strength, and the more allies that join, the more strikes it lands.

Arcanine's ability was "Justified."

[Justified]: Boosts Attack stat when hit by a Dark-type move, triggering with each strike in a multi-strike attack.

However, this ability is tricky to use in most battles, as the opponent's moves and types aren't within one's control.

Taking hits from the enemy to boost your power comes at a high cost.

In fact, some of the damage Arcanine had sustained was from Jenny's and Arcanine's previous attempts to "risk it." But timing, moves, and move strength were hard to control.

But if the attacks came from your own Pokémon…

It was a different story.

This was why Johan chose the weaker Houndour instead of the stronger Houndoom.

This is the core of the "Beat Up Strategy."

Combining the move "Beat Up" with the "Justified" ability can instantly max out the Attack stat of a Pokémon with "Justified."

Although it wasn't a "pure" Beat Up team, the core principle was the same.

In fact, in a field battle, the Beat Up team was often more effective than in formal matches.

"Owoo—!!"

Arcanine's "Justified" ability triggered, nearly maxing out its Attack!

With a single Flare Blitz, it knocked out a Mightyena that had been causing it trouble!

'Is this Johan's tactical skill?'

Under such limited conditions, he'd created a core tactic…

Yet, Jenny didn't know that the Beat Up team could be enhanced further, making the strategy even more robust.

Too bad Vulpix still hadn't learned "Aurora Veil," or it would've been even more reliable.

Of course, pairing it with a "Prankster" Whimsicott would be even better.

But although the tactic wasn't perfect, it was more than enough for a horde of frenzied wild Pokémon.

"Tinkatink, ride Arcanine."

"Chu!"

Tinkatink jumped onto Arcanine's back, ice forming on its hammer as it transformed into a giant hammer.

"Arcanine, Extreme Speed!"

"Tinkatink, Ice Hammer!"

"Clean up the field!"

In no time, Arcanine dealt damage while Tinkatink delivered finishing blows, turning their disadvantage around quickly.

Meanwhile.

Haunter and Vulpix had worked together to fully suppress the powerful Shiftry!

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Powerstones?

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