Pokemon: Spiritual Master-Chapter 582: Feint or Not, Feint

Without much hesitation, after recalling Ceruledge, Johan grabbed the slightly shaking Poké Ball at his waist and tossed it out.

"It's your turn, Tinkaton!"

"Cha!!"

A flash of red light, and the massive hammer-wielding Tinkaton appeared in the arena.

Facing the Lucario holding its bone club, Tinkaton grinned, revealing a set of pristine white teeth.

Actually, if it weren't for Ceruledge wanting to battle Lucario just now, Tinkaton would have jumped in eagerly.

It wasn't because of any sense of rivalry between Steel-type Pokémon.

To be honest, while Lucario is indeed a Steel and Fighting-type, the amount of metal on its body wouldn't even be enough for Tinkaton to fill the gaps between its teeth.

The reason Tinkaton wanted to fight Lucario was that back when it first started learning how to wield its hammer, Lucario had taught it a lot.

Now...

It was time to test how much it had grown!

"Ruuu..."

Lucario, still holding its bone club, nodded slightly while staring at Tinkaton.

Clearly, Lucario's thoughts weren't too different from Tinkaton's.

Come and try your strength.

"Cha~~"

Seeing Lucario's cool and composed stance, Tinkaton's grin widened. Gripping the handle of its hammer, it mimicked Lucario's stance, gently setting its hammerhead onto the ground.

Boom!!

In an instant, the ground beneath Tinkaton's feet collapsed and cracked. The moment the hammer touched the ground, countless tiny fissures spread, sending up clouds of dust.

Seeing the impact caused by just placing the hammer down, a drop of sweat appeared on Lucario's forehead.

"Ruu..."

It already knew Tinkaton's hammer was heavy, but this was absurdly heavy!

Could such a weapon really be handled by Tinkaton's small arms and legs?

If Johan knew what Lucario was thinking, he would have calmly told it:

That little guy isn't Tinkaton—the hammer is the real body!

"Enough showing off, Tinkaton. Fake Out!"

Even though Lucario's condition wasn't great, its buffs were still active. If handled poorly, things could get troublesome.

Johan had considered sending out Gengar to "steal" Lucario's buffs, but with Lucario's displayed tenacity and powerful aura, it wasn't guaranteed to work.

Moreover, Tinkaton had requested this fight, so he decided to let it have its way.

"Cha!"

Hearing Johan's command, Tinkaton's expression instantly turned serious.

It raised its hammer and swung it out with incredible speed.

That massive hammer, in Tinkaton's hands, seemed as light as a twig, yet the sound of it slicing through the air made it clear—it was absurdly heavy.

"Lucario!" Cynthia shouted.

"Ruu!"

Lucario reacted as quickly as it could, raising its bone club defensively in front of it.

Quick Guard!

Against a priority move like Fake Out, Quick Guard is an effective counter.

But it demands sharp reflexes from both Trainer and Pokémon.

Clearly...

Cynthia had predicted Johan and Tinkaton's strategy to some extent.

"Swords Dance!"

"Cha!"

As Tinkaton chased after its hammer, a metallic ring sounded from its body. Crimson energy surged from its feet, its momentum soaring.

At that moment, Lucario had no chance to stop Tinkaton.

Bang!!

The hammer slammed against Lucario's bone club.

For a split second, it felt like being hit by a speeding train. The sheer impact sent it stumbling back two steps, its bone club bending into an exaggerated curve.

Crack!

Suddenly, a crisp sound erupted from the bone club.

Lucario's eyes widened in disbelief.

The club it had been using to clash with Ceruledge for so long... had just... broken?!

Unbelievable!

In the stands, Flint and the others widened their eyes.

"Why do I feel like Johan's Tinkaton's hammer got even heavier in just a few days?" Flint muttered.

"Indeed, it feels heavier," Lucian nodded.

The group turned to Steven almost simultaneously.

If anyone would know why Tinkaton's hammer got so much heavier in such a short time, it had to be Steven, right?

However, Steven's expression wasn't any better than theirs.

Noticing their gazes, he gave a helpless smile and shrugged.

"I have no idea."

When he battled Johan, his Skarmory was "locked down" by Tinkaton. Even when the match went to the final moments, as long as Skarmory didn't enter the field, neither did Tinkaton.

And honestly, Skarmory and Tinkaton didn't clash that much, so he didn't get a clear sense of its power.

Also...

Even though he was Johan's student and "supplier," this time he mostly provided minerals and diamonds for Tyranitar—not much for Tinkaton.

So, Steven really had no clue what was going on.

Actually...

Since the Top 16, the tournament schedule had slowed down significantly.

During this time, Tinkaton had been anything but idle.

Let's just say it didn't quite smash an entire Plasma Frigate into its hammer, but at least it got part of it in.

The noticeable change was thanks to Raihan's Duraludon "helping" it refine its metal.

Back in the arena...

Tinkaton had already rushed up to Lucario, catching its hammer as it rebounded, swinging it effortlessly toward Lucario again.

"Dodge it!" Cynthia commanded.

Lucario's speed was its advantage; there was no need to take Tinkaton's strikes head-on.

"Ruu!"

Lucario sidestepped, attempting to dodge.

But then...

Simultaneously, grins appeared on both Johan and Tinkaton's faces.

This smile sent a chill down the spines of both Lucario and Cynthia.

Tinkaton's swinging hammer suddenly changed direction, shifting from a vertical slam to a horizontal sweep.

Feint!

This move, something Tinkaton had been able to fool even Gengar with since its birth, was perfected to an art form.

In the games, Feint could only break Protect, but in reality, its applications were far more diverse.

Realizing it was tricked, Lucario had no time to dodge, so it abandoned evasion and rushed forward.

"Close Combat!" Cynthia called out just in time.

"Ruu!"

Lucario slid forward, fists clenched with sharp focus.

Boom!!

Its fists clashed with Tinkaton's hammer, creating a deep, resounding impact. The collision forced the hammer to hesitate ever so slightly.

"Now's the chance! Get in front of it!" Cynthia shouted.

Lucario understood. While the hammer was heavy and powerful, Tinkaton itself was small and nimble.

Johan's eyes flashed.

That's exactly what I wanted!

If Lucario kept its distance and played a ranged game, Tinkaton would have a hard time. But up close...

That was exactly what Johan and Tinkaton had set up—an intentional opening, just for Lucario to charge in.

"Take it, Tinkaton! Gigaton Hammer!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Lucario's fists struck Tinkaton's body. Tinkaton gritted its teeth, groaning with each blow, but its hammer swings never ceased.

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Powerstones?

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