"Hisuian Samurott, get ready for battle!"
"I choose you—Smeargle!"
One was the enduring and sharpened Hisuian Samurott, still bearing the effects of Power Split with a stone-cold glare. The other? A grinning, tongue-lolling Smeargle—beret atop its head, paintbrush-like tail swaying, standing upright like a quirky little artist ready to create chaos on the canvas of the battlefield.
The moment Paul laid eyes on that Smeargle, an uneasy feeling settled in his chest.
Any other Pokémon might not have raised alarm—but Smeargle? That species practically embodied the word dirty when it came to battle tactics.
In the games, Sketch allowed Smeargle to permanently copy almost any move. But in reality, it was even more refined. There were two types of Sketch: Permanent Sketch and Temporary Sketch.
Permanent Sketch functioned much like in the games—moves copied would permanently occupy Smeargle's move slots, with the number of slots increasing alongside its strength.
To date, not a single Smeargle had reached Elite Four-level strength or higher. No known Smeargle had over ten Permanent Sketch slots.
Temporary Sketch, however, was more like a Mimic technique—moves that could be learned on-the-fly after reaching the permanent limit. Smeargle could master them through rigorous practice and improvisation.
In short, Smeargle was especially dangerous in close matchups.
And most importantly—Paul hadn't seen any mention of this Smeargle in Conway's team profile.
That could only mean one thing: this was Conway's secret weapon. It explained why he had been so determined to swap out Froslass with Dusknoir earlier.
"Sacred Sword!"
Paul didn't hesitate.
"Chaaah~!"
Hisuian Samurott surged forward, water swirling beneath him, his formed a blur. The blade along his forearm elongated, glinting like a divine sword as he slashed at the Smeargle.
"Substitute!"
Unfazed, Smeargle grasped its tail like a brush and drew a circle in midair. A glowing, purplish Substitute barrier formed instantly, intercepting the Sacred Sword just in time.
The strike landed—but instead of doing damage, it was fully absorbed by the Substitute. Then, to Paul's surprise, purple toxins suddenly discharged from the decoy, crawling up Samurott's blade in an attempt to infect him.
Samurott immediately flooded himself with swirling water to wash off the toxins. Not skipping a beat, he launched another Sacred Sword, aiming to strike as the Substitute faded.
"Dodge!"
But Smeargle had been trained with precision. Before the Substitute had even fully vanished, its tail slashed across the ground, conjuring a mysterious rift.
In the blink of an eye, it vanished into the void—leaving Hisuian Samurott's Sacred Sword disrupted through empty air.
Phantom Force!
Paul blinked. Just before Smeargle disappeared, he thought he saw a faint flash of white light enveloping it—like it had just powered up somehow.
"Be ready!"
Smeargle had Sketched Phantom Force—Paul didn't expect that, but he didn't panic either.
Several seconds passed before Smeargle reappeared. But instead of going on the offensive, it landed far away, keeping the maximum distance from Samurott.
As soon as it reemerged, its body began to glow again.
Moody activated!
Defense fell. Speed sharply rose!
Paul's expression hardened as the glow intensified.
It was now clear—Smeargle wasn't built to attack. Phantom Force was being used strictly for evasive maneuvers and time-stalling. Its whole strategy depended on dragging out the match so that its Ability, Moody, could ramp up its stats to absurd levels—then go for a single, decisive blow.
Even Substitute wasn't for defense so much as a delay tactic.
To catch a Smeargle like that—one in a million. Paul had to admit, Conway got lucky.
And now that he understood how well-trained and strategically built this Smeargle was, Paul knew: Hisuian Samurott, like the rest of his team, would stand no chance on a first encounter.
"Return."
Without hesitation, Paul recalled Hisuian Samurott and tossed out a new Poké Ball.
"Torterra, you're up!"
Against an opponent like this—one that got stronger the longer the battle dragged on—Paul called upon his most reliable tank.
"RAAAAA!"
The ground quaked as Torterra landed like a living mountain. Without needing orders, it immediately activated its Infinite Growth strategy—a tactic blending sustainability and overwhelming force.
Conway used the time during the switch to let Smeargle Sketch a third move—
"Smeargle, use Quiver Dance!"
"Smea~!"
Smeargle raised its tail high. A brilliant glow burst from it, and the Smeargle's entire aura shimmered as its focus intensified.
Special Attack sharply rose!
After two earlier activations of Moody, Smeargle's current stats looked something like this:
(Sp. Atk +3, Speed +2, Defense +1, Attack -1)
"Frenzy Plant!"
Paul didn't give Smeargle the chance to activate Moody the third time. He went straight for a full-power assault.
"Raaaa!"
Torterra roared. Hardened vines erupted from the ground like a tidal wave of flora, cascading toward Smeargle with crushing force.
"Substitute!"
Smeargle reused its earlier trick, drawing a circle in the air. A Substitute emerged and intercepted the attack once again.
Despite the storm of hardened vines, the Substitute held. After several seconds of relentless assault, Torterra retracted its vines, entering a brief cooldown.
Smeargle's body flashed again.
(Sp. Def fell. Attack rose by 2!)
"Power Split!"
Seizing the moment while Torterra was recovering, Smeargle used a terrifying move—Power Split.
In a pulse of eerie light, the offensive power of both Pokémon was averaged out. Torterra's raw strength dropped extremely—even more than Hisuian Samurott's had earlier.
"Earthquake + Stomp!"
Paul shouted.
Torterra, only stunned for a couple seconds, immediately followed up with a brutal combo. The ground ruptured with a deafening quake, then Torterra slammed down with a heavy stomp, right as Smeargle was recovering from Power Split.
"Smea!"
Smeargle winced—its speed had dropped from the impact, pain flashing across its face.
Still, thanks to Power Split and the defensive boosts from Moody, it just barely endured the hit.
Then, before the tremors ended, its body flashed again—and it vanished back into the void with Phantom Force.
(Speed +2, Attack -1)
Even as Smeargle faded into the alternate space, Paul didn't flinch.
Against most Pokémon, Smeargle would just stall until it hit god-tier stats. Even his Electivire would struggle in a battle of endurance.
But against Torterra and its Infinite Growth strategy?
Smeargle might not have the edge.
"Sunny Day. Prep for Power Whip!"
If Smeargle wanted to hide in alternate dimensions, then Paul would turn the arena into Torterra's domain.
"Raaaa~!"
Torterra understood immediately. The tree on its back fired off an orb of sunlight into the sky. Sunlight blazed down on the battlefield, and green vines sprouted across the terrain—Torterra's special variation of Power Whip, developed through years of synergy between Ingrain and Frenzy Plant.
It was stronger than ever and didn't risk harming Torterra's core like before.
As Smeargle reappeared midair, its figure phasing back into view, Torterra had already locked on—unleashing a fully charged Solar Beam without hesitation. The searing beam tore through the air like a lance of light, ripping across space toward its evasive target.
(To be continued...)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you want to access advance chapters, please visit: patreon.com / PMadz_23