After obtaining number card 18, Ash Ketchum led Mew—still in the form of a Pikachu—through the training grounds in search of the holder of number card 15. With the tournament's structure forcing trainers to challenge only those with specific cards, every match was crucial.
Just two minutes into their search, Ash spotted his target.
A girl stood confidently in the middle of a challenge field. Her Bayleef was locked in a heated battle against a Charmeleon, its vine-like leaves flaring with every movement. Unfortunately for her, the type disadvantage was too much to overcome. After a few minutes of intense combat, Charmeleon's flames proved too powerful, and Bayleef was soundly defeated.
Grumbling under her breath, she handed over the three-thousand-yen challenge fee to her opponent. As she turned around, her eyes landed on Ash and the Pikachu perched casually on his shoulder.
"You want to challenge me?" she asked, raising an eyebrow, her tone sharp with irritation and lingering frustration.
Ash gave a calm nod.
"Fine," she said with a scoff, gesturing for him to take the opposite side of the field.
But Ash paused, eyeing her injured Bayleef. "Aren't you going to send your Bayleef to the Pokémon Center first? It just got badly beaten."
The girl smirked, reaching into her pocket and pulling out another Poké Ball. "Who said Bayleef is my only Pokémon?"
With a flick of her wrist, a red beam shot out from the Poké Ball. It formed into a Breloom—tall, lean, and muscular, its mushroom-shaped head bobbing slightly with each step. It looked ready to fight.
"I've got another Grass-type. And if I win this match, the prize money will cover my earlier loss. Don't worry about me."
Ash gave a small shrug. "If you say so."
He walked to the opposite end of the field and plucked the Pikachu off his shoulder. After whispering a few words into its ear, he pretended to place it back into a Poké Ball, while discreetly switching with the real Poké Ball in his backpack.
"Come out, Quilava!"
With a burst of red light, Quilava materialized onto the field, flames flickering from its back and forehead.
The girl's face dropped.
"Sorry," Ash said with mock embarrassment, "I forgot to mention—I've got a Fire-type too."
The girl visibly winced. It was like watching her own trap backfire.
If I had known this guy had a Fire-type too, I would've gone to the Pokémon Center… she thought bitterly.
But it was too late now. She wasn't about to back down.
"Breloom, use Stun Spore!" she commanded.
Breloom shook its head, releasing a cloud of golden spores that floated toward Quilava, shimmering faintly in the sunlight.
"Quilava, Quick Attack to dodge. And start releasing Smokescreen from your mouth."
Quilava darted across the field with a flash, easily avoiding the spores. As it did, thick black smoke began pouring from its mouth, slowly enveloping the arena.
"Breloom, Iron Head! Interrupt it!" the girl shouted, sensing danger.
With a spring-loaded leap, Breloom launched itself through the smoke, its mushroom cap glowing with steel energy. But Ash remained calm.
"Quilava, keep dodging. And don't stop Smokescreen until the field is completely covered."
For the next several seconds, Breloom chased Quilava blindly through the thickening fog. The arena quickly became a black void. Neither trainer could see inside. But only one trainer remained unfazed.
Ash crossed his arms.
"Quilava," he said coolly, "execute Tactic No. 2."
The girl frowned. "Tactic… No. 2?"
Before she could ponder it further, an eerie sound echoed through the smoke—Breloom's distressed cries rang out, louder and more desperate with each passing moment.
"What's happening?!" the girl cried out, unable to see anything. "Breloom, respond!"
But there was no answer—only more anguished cries.
Finally, she couldn't take it anymore.
"I forfeit!" she shouted, panic and confusion in her voice.
Almost immediately, the cries stopped. Silence returned to the field.
Ash gave a small nod. "Quilava, that's enough."
A few moments later, the smoke began to clear.
What appeared before them left the girl stunned.
Breloom stood completely unharmed, looking around, clearly confused. On the other side, Quilava lay sprawled out lazily, yawning as if it had just woken up from a nap.
The girl blinked. "What… What just happened?"
Ash recalled Quilava back into its Poké Ball and turned to face her, smiling slyly. "It's simple. The screams you heard weren't Breloom's."
She stared at him in disbelief.
"My Quilava is gifted," Ash continued. "It can mimic other Pokémon's cries perfectly. While it was lying down and pretending to be hurt, it just kept screaming like Breloom. You thought it was being attacked, but nothing actually happened."
The girl looked as though she had just been slapped.
"Y-You… You tricked me?"
Ash gave a nonchalant shrug. "You could say that. But it's all within the rules."
Fuming, she shoved her number card 15 into Ash's hand and stormed off, muttering under her breath.
Ash watched her go with a bemused look. "I really don't get it. Her Pokémon's perfectly fine, but she's still acting like I attacked it."
He sighed. "Women. Mysterious creatures."
But despite his confident explanation, the truth was something else entirely.
The one pretending to be Quilava wasn't Quilava at all—it was Mew. Hidden within the smoke, Mew had used Transform to disguise itself as Breloom, then performed exaggerated screams to make it sound like it was under attack. This was Ash's self-devised Tactic No. 2—a strategy that tricked opponents into surrendering without any actual battle.
Mew loved the tactic. It let him avoid hurting other Pokémon altogether.
—
Ash wandered the grounds again, now searching for the owner of number card 12. It took him ten minutes of asking around before he found out where they were—thanks to someone who had just lost their spot in the rankings.
Number 12 was currently battling number 11. Ash observed from a distance. The trainer was clever, always choosing opponents with a type disadvantage. He was Fire-type and avoided the trainers with Water-type Pokémon completely.
While waiting, Ash was approached by another challenger.
It was the holder of number card 17. With numbers 14 and 16 away at the Pokémon Center, his only valid target was Ash.
Ash accepted. After all, each battle meant more prize money.
They quickly found an open battlefield.
The boy grinned confidently, holding up his Poké Ball. "Go, Croconaw!"
A Water-type, Ash noted. He glanced back toward the number 12 battle, still ongoing.
"Alright, let's play."
He pretended to throw a Poké Ball and once again released Mew, now disguised as Quilava.
The boy whooped. "Yes! I've got the type advantage. Let's go!"
Ash smirked. "Quilava, Smokescreen. Prepare Tactic No. 2."
The arena quickly filled with thick smoke.
From inside the cloud, the boy laughed. "You can't see either! Croconaw will smash your Quilava with Water Gun! Type advantage always wins."
Ash remained quiet.
Seconds later, Croconaw's miserable cries echoed from the fog.
"What the—?! Croconaw!" the boy shouted in panic. "Use Water Gun! Fire in the direction of the attack!"
But Croconaw kept howling in pain.
Ash strolled slowly around the edge of the battlefield and came up beside the boy, watching his growing panic with mild amusement.
"Little brother," Ash said, half-serious, half-mocking, "you wanna transfer the money now, or wait until Croconaw completely loses its voice?"
The boy clenched his fists, hesitating.
As Croconaw's cries weakened, he finally gave in. "Fine… I give up."
He reluctantly transferred the three thousand yen to Ash.
Moments later, the smoke dispersed.
Croconaw was standing confused in the middle of the field, perfectly fine. Quilava—Mew—lay relaxed, playfully rolling on its side.
The boy's jaw dropped.
"Wh-What just happened?!"
Ash returned Mew to its Poké Ball and repeated the same explanation he gave the girl before.
The boy looked like he wanted to explode. "Next time… I swear, I'm not falling for this trick again. I'll come back and beat you fair and square."
Ash just waved him off and turned back toward the challenge arena.
If it had been a serious match, he would've had Mew transform into a Grass-type Pokémon and counter Croconaw directly. But this way was more fun—for both of them.
Inside his mind, Mew's telepathic voice chimed in happily. "Master, let's use Tactic No. 2 in the next match too! That was fun!"
Ash chuckled. "Alright, alright. Let's keep using it—until someone finally figures it out."
"Yay!" Mew cheered.
Back at the number 12 arena, the match had just concluded. The Fire-type trainer stood tall, victorious.
Ash adjusted his cap and stepped forward, ready to challenge his next opponent.
Time for another round of mind games.
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