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March 26th, Thursday.
After a full day of preparation, the Psychic-type Master Tournament officially entered its elimination stage.
Since Aiden and Caitlin's match was scheduled last, Aiden could relax in the player lounge, watching other competitors' battles while recovering.
In the first match, Sabrina taught rookie Dexio a harsh lesson.
Though Sabrina herself was young—about Aiden's age—she'd clearly outpaced peers on the battle path.
Even with her terrifying psychic powers restricted by tournament rules, her powerful Alakazam and Wobbuffett still pressured opponents immensely.
Yes—Sabrina's core team included a Wobbuffett…
Seeing it, Aiden blinked in surprise.
Is Wobbuffett strong?
Stats-wise, it was mediocre—low, extremely skewed stats focused purely on bulk. Essentially a punching bag.
But paired with its hidden ability and absurdly "dirty" movepool?
Terrifying, brother.
Especially in singles battles—where it drove opponents mad.
First off, it was the Pokédex's first Pokémon with the Shadow Tag ability.
This ability's value was immense—Aiden had struggled against it in his own streams.
In singles, Shadow Tag trapped opponents—making escape nearly impossible unless they used switching moves or were Ghost-type. They'd have to KO Wobbuffett to flee.
Either way, Wobbuffett guaranteed advantage.
Opponents wasted precious move slots trying to escape. Without escape, they could only attack this "giant sandbag" head-on—as Dexio chose to do.
This was when Wobbuffett' movepool became deadly.
Its Counter and Mirror Coat could deal terrifying damage if predicted correctly—even KO opponents via recoil mechanics.
This seemed like coin-flip luck, relying on chance. But reality was the opposite.
Because Sabrina was a psychic user.
Though tournament rules barred direct psychic enhancement, sensing opponents' energy fluctuations was trivial for her. This created a glitch-like prediction effect.
Predict once—and commands like Encore (locking moves) became effortless.
When Dexio finally crippled this infuriating Wobbuffett… it used Destiny Bond to take his second Pokémon down with it.
As for his final Mega Alakazam? Pathetic before Sabrina.
Her Gengar didn't even need to Mega Evolve—crushing this "old rival" in seconds.
The match ended 3-1, but Dexio's defeat was crushing.
After this first battle, Aiden had one thought—
Sabrina's so unorthodox!
Ignoring Wobbuffett' shenanigans—her Gengar was clearly her prepared Mega, held back as a reserve.
'Three Pokémon, two with Shadow Tag? Too broken…' Aiden facepalmed.
Thankfully, he wouldn't face her soon—likely only in finals.
By then, both would have revealed their cards. He'd see if she'd prepared more surprises.
His own task was simpler—
Reach the finals first!
The next two matches were even more one-sided.
Fellow Psychic-type Gym Leader Olympia was Kalos' powerhouse. If not for her age, she'd be Elite Four material—her battle experience dwarfed young Tate's.
Their battle was a total mismatch. Aiden couldn't even discern Olympia's tactics.
As for Lucian vs. Tulip before Aiden's match…
Elite Four and Gym Leader strength truly differ.
Even as a rookie, Lucian's talent ranked among Sinnoh's best. Beating Tulip was no surprise.
Especially when he pulled out the sunny Trick Room system used against Aiden in online matches—Aiden instantly felt assured.
Youth meant greater adaptability and willingness to try new tactics.
As his second strong opponent after Caitlin, Aiden highly regarded Lucian's strategic thinking.
But before countering his tactics, Aiden had to clear his first hurdle.
After the three matches, Aiden headed to the player tunnel.
Meanwhile, in the stands—
"Hey—hasn't Teacher Azure still not revealed his second Psychic-type Pokémon? Will he use it against Caitlin today?"
"Rumor has it Teacher Azure and Caitlin have personal grudges. I saw them in Mesagoza long ago—with Champion Cynthia. Caitlin's glare at Aiden… she was ready to stab him."
"??? Is Teacher Azure actually a scoundrel?"
"Spread the word—Teacher Azure cheated on Caitlin!"
Gossip buzzed around Cynthia, making her frown unconsciously.
But she didn't reveal her identity—only pondering their words seriously.
"Aiden and Caitlin have a conflict? Over romance?"
"Why doesn't their childhood friend know about this?"
Cynthia shook her head, half-amused, half-annoyed.
'Ridiculous speculation…'
This was a formal match—yet spectators focused on baseless gossip instead of the competitors' mental states.
Disrespectful to the competitors!
"Go get 'em, Aiden and Caitlin!"
At Cynthia's lead, most spectators stopped gossiping, shifting to cheers.
Soon, Aiden and Caitlin emerged from opposite tunnels, standing on the battlefield.
"The final Top 8 match—the long-awaited heavyweight showdown has arrived!"
Commentary booth—DJ Mary, now comfortable in her role, reignited the crowd.
"Will Aiden—the group stage's perfect sweep, dark-horse contender—continue his royal march to semifinals? Or will psychic-user Caitlin defend her honor, halting his advance?"
"What's the answer? We'll know soon!"
After DJ Mary's intro, Lance took over.
"For Caitlin, the biggest problem is… Aiden has only revealed Mewtwo as his Psychic-type Pokémon. Since it's not in the Pokédex, no one knows Mewtwo's capabilities."
"Effectively, both his Psychic-type Pokémon are unknowns—impossible to counter specifically."
"At this point, executing her own tactics may work better than targeting his."
"As for Aiden… let's see how many cards he's holding."
For Lance, commentating Aiden's matches was painful yet fascinating.
On one hand—Aiden's battles were highly entertaining. His unique trainer style explained his massive fanbase.
On the other hand… how to commentate was tricky.
First—Mewtwo's information. The less revealed, the better. Lance focused only on its moves.
Thankfully, Aiden had restraint. So far, Mewtwo hadn't displayed excessively abnormal power that'd expose its uniqueness.
…Though it might just not be fully grown yet.
Second—Lucario. The culprit making Lance's lips twitch constantly.
How do you explain "Lucario used Unseen Fist + Wicked Blow to pierce defenses"?
Younger, less-knowledgeable viewers wouldn't recognize these as retired techniques of legendary trainer Mustard!
So Lance had to gloss over details.
Luckily, most viewers were Aiden's hardcore fans—happy just seeing him win. They didn't mind the vagueness.
What Aiden would reveal next? Lance could only guess wildly to avoid shock.
If not Mega Evolution… today's core tactic must involve his long-hidden Psychic-type Pokémon!
Lance turned back to the field.
"We've known each other so long… but standing as opponents on this battlefield? First time, isn't it?"
Facing the tense Caitlin, Aiden smiled politely as he spoke.
To him, their relationship was always complex. He'd known Caitlin almost as long as Cynthia—technically, a half-childhood friend.
But with Caitlin's tsundere personality, he and Cynthia had loved teasing the golden-haired little girl since childhood.
Over time—and other complicated reasons—Caitlin grew to resent Aiden…
"Hmph."
Caitlin instinctively looked away. Realizing they were mid-battle, she snapped back, staring seriously at Aiden.
"This time, I'll prove to Cynthia who's truly stronger!"
"The weak me of the past is dead. Now I stand here for one purpose only—"
"To defeat you!"
For Caitlin, beating Aiden mattered more than winning the tournament.
With Cynthia watching from the stands, losing wasn't an option.
Plus—her adjustments and counters for this battle. With her best performance, victory's scales had already tipped in her favor before the match began!
'So I'll win!'
Seeing Caitlin's resolve, Aiden shook his head helplessly.
'This one… doesn't she know not to set too many pre-battle flags? Why's she hyping herself up too?!'
"Then… I'll be in your care."
Aiden turned, walking to the field's edge to await the referee's signal.
"Battle start!"
At the referee's whistle and command, Aiden and Caitlin threw their first Poké Balls.
"From Aiden's past habits, his starter's likely Lucario with a Dark-type move. So…"
The moment the battle began, Caitlin recalled patterns from rewatched match recordings.
Lucario's good resistances and Psychic-type counters made it his usual scout.
But by eliminating it first, Aiden would be left with only Psychic-types—greatly reducing threat!
"Go, Gallade!"
The psychic warrior Gallade—resembling Gardevoir but with razor-sharp blades—appeared, catching Lance's attention.
"Gallade—a Pokémon Caitlin never used in group stages. Is this one of her hidden aces?"
"Gallade's combat power is formidable. She's clearly going for an aggressive offense?"
Simultaneously, Aiden's Poké Ball flashed red.
But…
Unlike Caitlin's expected Lucario—
The Pokémon appearing was a horned creature, deep purple and white, much smaller than its opponent.
"Here it is—Aiden's hidden ace! Indeedee?!"
Commentary booth—DJ Mary's voice exploded with excitement.
In group stages, Aiden had also withheld Indeedee. Both sides astonishingly chose to reveal carefully hidden cards from the start—proving how badly both wanted victory.
But Indeedee's appearance confused viewers.
"Indeedee? Why'd Teacher Azure pick this Pokémon? It's way weaker than his Mewtwo…"
"Does Indeedee even battle? I thought it only helped with chores!"
"Teacher Azure uses it often in-game—but mostly in doubles. First time seeing it in singles, offline or online!"
"Instead of an ace… feels like a compromise choice?"
"No—Teacher Azure chose it for a reason. We'll see soon!"
Though puzzled, many fans patiently waited for Aiden to showcase this Indeedee's uniqueness.
If anyone else used it… they'd assume trolling.
But it was Aiden. Somehow, every Pokémon in his hands became inexplicable.
Hope this time's no exception.
"Indeedee~"
Upon entry, Indeedee shook its head.
Its naturally downcurved horns sprinkled psychic energy, merging with the ground and spreading outward.
"Psychic Surge ability—a Pokémon with this ability creates Psychic Terrain on entry, like Mewtwo did earlier. It effectively blocks priority moves from both sides."
"But like weather, terrain effects are mutual. Caitlin's Gallade gains Psychic Terrain's boost too."
As Lance explained, Caitlin on the other side silently clenched her right fist. She pointed at Gallade, revealing the Key Stone ring on her finger.
"Gallade—show our perfect power! Crush the opponent ruthlessly!"
Aiden instantly understood—
'Damn—sending Gallade wasn't just to counter Lucario. She wants to Mega Evolve immediately for fast offense?!'
Against other Pokémon, Aiden might find this troublesome.
But…
'Why Gallade specifically?' Aiden's smile widened.
Caitlin's Gallade might be strong—but Aiden knew one thing:
'She doesn't understand Mega Evolution deeply. She doesn't know:
Sometimes, it's better not to Mega Evolve—not just for certain dragons.'
Pre-Mega, Sharpness ability made Gallade terrifyingly lethal. Now?
No threat!
After two seconds' thought, Aiden commanded decisively:
"Indeedee—use Charm!"
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