"Nyah—!"
Machamp cried out in pain.
Even though Night Slash, as a Dark-type move, isn't especially devastating against a pure Fighting-type like Machamp, the gap in raw power between them was obvious.
Pawniard's strike had already gone beyond what Machamp could comfortably block.
Night Slash is designed to catch an opponent off-guard and hit vital points—and in that instant, Machamp simply couldn't avoid it. The blow amplified the damage he took.
Reeling from the hit, Machamp dropped to one knee.
Blaziken, who'd been slammed into the ground and felt every bit of that punishment, used the stunned moment when Machamp staggered to wrench its four arms free from his grip. It rolled backward and sprang to its feet.
"Watch out—three o'clock! Two quick kicks!"
Silas's urgent shout cut through the field.
Without hesitation, Blaziken lifted its leg and launched into a Double Kick aimed where Silas had warned. It didn't understand every detail of the situation, but it trusted its Trainer.
Thud! Thud!
Sandslash was flung back.
Having curled up and rolled with its Rollout, Sandslash came bursting out of the ground in the usual combo and tried to ambush Blaziken. Thanks to Yezo's rapid handling of Pawniard underground, Silas was able to get Blaziken into position for a counterattack just in time.
Because of that quick reaction—even though Defense Curl had amplified Sandslash's rolling power—without long buildup, Blaziken's Double Kick was still able to interrupt the roll. Had they waited longer for Rollout to stack, neither Pawniard nor Blaziken would likely have stopped it.
The four Pokémon were scattered across the arena. Sandslash had been kicked far away and was slowly getting back up. Machamp, Pawniard, and Blaziken formed a tense three-way triangle.
After landing the Night Slash, Pawniard immediately backed off—crafty with Dark-type guile but fierce with Steel-type edge—staying close enough to strike again if needed, but not foolishly overcommitting.
"Blaziken—Flamethrower!"
"Pawniard—Iron Head!"
Silas and Yezo issued the commands at the same time, then both felt a chill run down their spines.
Just as they feared, the situation unfolded exactly as predicted.
Blaziken spewed a long column of fire toward the still-unstable Machamp—textbook: when an opponent is staggered and can't retaliate, use long-range output to finish them off. If nothing went wrong, Machamp could be knocked out right there.
But Pawniard lacked any real long-range options; to take Machamp out, it had to close and strike. Yezo therefore ordered Iron Head, and, due to proximity, Pawniard's head glowed white and its bladelike helmet slammed hard into Machamp.
"Nyah—!"
Before Machamp could react a second time, the red Flamethrower struck, and within seconds it lost the ability to battle—eyes spiraling as it collapsed to the ground.
Judged by that alone, their coordination seemed effective: in doubles, if you take one opponent down, victory is typically nearly certain.
But when Flamethrower hit Machamp, its wide-ranging heat inevitably also affected Pawniard. This wasn't a video game with team-damage immunity.
Pawniard was weak to Fire, and even incidental exposure hurt. The little Steel/Dark type scowled at Blaziken.
"Sigh."
Silas and Yezo exhaled in unison. They both knew exactly what had gone wrong.
The core issue was their differing command styles and battle philosophies. Faced with the same situation, they chose different responses—partly because they'd each grown used to their partner's strengths and habits.
Yezo signaled to stop the fight; the two bodyguards recalled their Pokémon and headed toward the medical room. Silas and Yezo did the same, calling back Blaziken and Pawniard. Their team was more exhausted than injured—mostly drained rather than seriously hurt.
"Looks like Blaziken and Pawniard aren't the easiest pair to sync up," Yezo admitted, wearing a worried expression.
"Yeah," Silas agreed, frowning. "Their battle styles are pretty different. Blaziken prefers to close in, apply pressure with close combat, then back off and finish with ranged follow-up. Usually two or three of those cycles and the opponent can't hold on. Your Pawniard, on the other hand, likes continuous, aggressive strikes—force the opponent to reveal a weakness, then finish them in one decisive blow."
"And our selection habits are different too. It's not that one is better than the other—just that we've adapted to our own Pokémon's tendencies," Yezo added.
"Tomorrow's the start of the tournament, right?" Silas confirmed.
"Yes. It's single-elimination, so it'll be quick. As Grandma says, luck is part of strength," Yezo replied.
"So with eleven teams, someone's bound to get a bye in the first round. After that, just one more round and the top three will be decided. That's fast."
As they chatted, they handed their Poké Balls to the support staff responsible for treatment.
"What do you two think? Were our problems that big just now?" Yezo asked the two bodyguards who had battled against them.
You really like asking to be humiliated, huh? Silas thought, his face darkening.
"Uh… actually, it wasn't bad. Both young masters' Pokémon are very strong," one replied after glancing at the other.
'Very strong' basically means 'no teamwork whatsoever,' huh? Silas mused. He got it. Anyone could say those kinds of polite words.
"Teamwork in doubles isn't something that can be built overnight. Normally, it takes at least a year of constant interaction—eating together, living together, even sleeping in the same quarters—and a deep understanding of each other's Pokémon. That's the bare minimum," one of the bodyguards explained.
These weren't just random guards Yezo had picked. They were twin brothers. Silas had noticed that from the start, so their seamless coordination was only natural. Otherwise, no matter how much someone focused on doubles, it was rare to see such perfect synchronicity.
"Tch, we don't have enough time. Guess we'll just have to treat the matches as practice. Looks like we'll be stuck in the arena all afternoon," Yezo said helplessly to Silas.
"Seriously. You'd better buy me a proper dinner tonight," Silas grumbled.
"A5-grade wagyu steak, how about that? Guaranteed you'll be satisfied." Yezo promised with a grin.
And as for ingredients—this was the Bertha's inn. What didn't they have? It wasn't like some shabby roadside inn in a forgotten town. The only issue was the price—most people would never even think of ordering it.
"Alright, alright, let's keep going."
Silas took Blaziken's Poké Ball back from the medical staff and beckoned to Yezo.
"Well then, I'll be relying on you two this afternoon," Yezo said politely to the twin bodyguards.
"No problem at all, young master. It's our duty."
Together, the group made their way back to the battle arena.
"Yo, isn't this little Yezo?"
A slick, mocking voice rang out. From around the corner, a well-dressed young man with oiled hair and a flashy face appeared, covering his mouth with one hand as he chuckled and greeted Yezo.
In that moment, Silas's imagination immediately filled in every cliché of family politics, petty rivalries, and backroom scheming between heirs of powerful families.
"Hey, Daisuke, you're here early this year," Yezo said with a genuine smile. His reaction was completely different from what Silas expected—friendly, even joking in tone.
"Don't even mention it. Last year I came late and my old man chewed me out. Cut my allowance for three whole months. Brutal," Daisuke sighed dramatically.
Then he glanced at Silas. "And who's this handsome guy? Come on, Yezo, aren't you going to introduce me?"
"Don't scare him, Daisuke. This is my partner for the doubles match tomorrow. We were just on our way to train." Yezo spoke with mild exasperation but didn't go into further detail about Silas.
"Alright, alright. I won't bother you then. Good luck, okay~?"
With a wave of his sleeve, Daisuke left as casually as he had appeared.
"That's my uncle's son. Don't let appearances fool you—he's actually a good guy. Married already, too. He's also competing in the doubles tournament this time, though knowing him he'll probably just pull a random bodyguard to partner with."
Yezo explained smoothly, without missing a beat.
"Hah… that's certainly… unique," Silas said with a forced laugh.
"Relax, he won't cause you any trouble."
"Doesn't that sound even creepier when you put it like that? It feels like you're trying to spook me," Silas muttered.
Laughing and teasing each other, Silas and Yezo began their crash-course doubles training.
"I swear, what kind of brainless charge was that? Do you want to test Pawniard's blades with your own head? Next time, I suggest we swap its sharpening stone for your skull."
"Brainless? Didn't you see how perfect that opening was? What about you, huh? Why didn't you have Blaziken cover me?"
"Cover? From that angle? Come on, the proper play was to soften them up with ranged pressure first. Can't you hold back just a little? Stop charging in blind the moment the match starts. Pawniard doesn't have ranged attacks, but Blaziken does!"
In this exchange, Silas—armed with eighteen years of sharp-tongued experience—completely overwhelmed Yezo in verbal sparring.
At least in sarcasm, Silas was unmatched, leaving Yezo visibly irritated.
Still, they kept at it, training nonstop. And as the hours passed, their teamwork slowly began to improve.
They weren't idiots—just unaccustomed. Both had their flaws, but neither was incapable of working with the other.
So ended their first day in Mint Town.
"Alright everyone, since we're all family here, no need to go over the rules again. Step right up and draw your lots."
.....
Hi For access to additional chapters of
Director in Hollywood (40 chpaters)
Made In Hollywood (60 Chapters)
Pokemon:Bounty Hunter(30 Chapters)
Douluo Dalu: Reincarnated as Yan(40 Chapters)
Hollywood:From Razzie to Legend(40 Chapters)
The Great Ruler(30 Chapters)
Join pateron.com/Translaterappu