The No Guard ability does not literally mean a Pokémon cannot defend.
Rather, it means the Pokémon is so fired up, so reckless, that it charges straight in without bothering to dodge—like the honey badger that would rather take a hit head-on than back down.
On the battlefield, following Yozora's command, Machop immediately crossed its arms, tensed its whole body, and braced against Scyther's flurry of blows.
Bulk Up may be a status move, but once mastered, it doesn't require exaggerated poses. Simply tensing the body is enough to trigger it.
In that instant, golden light surged beneath Machop's feet.
The effect of Bulk Up activated, swelling its muscles and raising both Attack and Defense by thirty percent!
If used repeatedly, the effect would stack even further.
But there was no need—after all, A.J.'s Scyther was only at the Senior Level. With Bulk Up, Machop had more than enough power to one-shot it.
"Cha-cha-cha—!" Scyther slashed in a relentless combo, but its strikes barely scratched Machop.
Then, with a roar, Machop swung its arms wide, unleashing a shockwave that sent Scyther flying.
The difference in power was on an entirely different level.
"Finish it! Use Brick Break!" Yozora shouted.
With a sharp whistle of wind, Machop dashed forward in a single leap. Its palm glowed white with gathered power as it slammed directly into Scyther's body.
Scyther screamed, was blasted into the air, and collapsed, unable to continue.
After Scyther's defeat, A.J. immediately sent out Pinsir—only for it to fall to a single Brick Break as well.
"Your Machop is ridiculously strong!" A.J. admitted with admiration. For his third choice, he sent out a Heracross.
He deliberately avoided using his ace. In his mind, this match was just friendly sparring between friends, not a battle he had to win.
Instead of fielding Sandslash, who was at a bottleneck, it was better to give his other Pokémon more training time.
What he didn't realize was that Sandslash wasn't stuck at a bottleneck at all—it had already exhausted its potential…
"Brick Break!" Yozora ordered again.
Seeing Machop charge in with terrifying momentum, A.J. cracked his whip, commanding Heracross to dodge.
After suffering two instant defeats, A.J. knew full well Machop's power was monstrous. He wouldn't dare face it head-on again.
So he chose agility and evasive maneuvers.
But what he hadn't noticed was the invisible battlefield aura surrounding Machop. Like an arena of blood and steel, it warped everything around it.
Heracross's eyes turned blood-red.
Because of Machop's ability, Heracross had also fallen into a No Guard state!
Heracross didn't dodge at all—and was struck squarely by Brick Break, blasted across the field, and knocked out in an instant.
A.J. froze in shock.
"What the—? Out of Scyther, Pinsir, and Heracross, Heracross is normally the calmest! Why didn't it obey me?" he asked, frustrated.
Yozora laughed. "It's not that Heracross ignored you—it's Machop's natural talent. Its aura forces opponents into a state where they can't dodge."
"W-what? Forcing the opponent not to dodge—that's broken!" A.J.'s eyes went wide. He knew some Pokémon had strong innate talents, but this… this was absurd.
Yozora shrugged. "Not exactly. Machop itself also enters the same state—it can't dodge either."
The crowd fell into stunned silence.
So this guy not only charges headlong himself… but drags his opponent into the same suicidal brawl?!
"If that's the case, then against a stronger foe, wouldn't Machop be guaranteed to lose?" A.J. frowned.
"Pretty much," Yozora nodded. "That's why I have to keep strengthening Machop's raw power. With No Guard, there's no strategy—just force against force, body against body. Whoever's stronger wins."
Of course, typing still mattered—being at a disadvantage there could tip the scales.
That was why Yozora's next step was to broaden Machop's coverage.
Machop's movepool had potential—especially the elemental punches: Thunder Punch, Fire Punch, and Ice Punch. If it learned those, its combat power would skyrocket.
But Machop's affinity for Electric, Fire, and Ice energy was weak. Awakening them directly was nearly impossible.
It first needed to absorb enough elemental energy—via Thunder Stone, Fire Stone, and Ice Stone, even mid-grade ones would suffice.
Yozora didn't have any on hand. But Saffron City wasn't far away, and once he found the Battle Soul Cloak, he planned to hit Goldenrod's department store for a major shopping spree.
…
The match ended, and the crowd, reluctant to leave, began to disperse.
But suddenly—a strange Pokémon floated in, stepping into A.J.'s place to face Yozora and Machop.
It looked like a sword, about eighty centimeters long, its blade sheathed in a brown scabbard. In the center of the hilt gleamed a single blue eye.
A blue ribbon trailed from the pommel, its forked end shaped like human fingers.
It was Honedge.
Said to be the swords once wielded by ancient warriors, given life over centuries as spirits awakened within them. Rare even in Kalos, and unimaginably so in Kanto.
Legends claimed Honedge sought out its own trainers, and that those chosen were destined to be rulers.
The Honedge before them wore a torn crimson cloak, like dried blood.
"That Pokémon—it's carrying the Battle Soul Cloak?!"
Gasps rippled through the crowd. They were certain: Honedge was no native of Kanto!
"Honedge, a rare Pokémon. It chooses its own trainer! And those it chooses are said to bear the spirit of kingship!" an informed spectator declared.
At once, all eyes—including A.J.'s—turned toward Yozora.
The Honedge was clearly challenging him. Which meant—it had chosen Yozora!
"Be careful, Yozora," A.J. warned. "In this battlefield of warrior spirits, only the strongest Ghost Pokémon can bear the Battle Soul Cloak!"
The moment he finished, a metallic shing rang out—Honedge unsheathed its blade.
Its scabbard fell away, gripped like a shield by its ribbon-arm. The sword itself gleamed silver, razor-sharp.
[Pokémon]: Honedge
[Type]: Steel + Ghost
[Level]: Senior, High-Stage
[Potential]: Champion
[Description]: A natural monarch among Honedge. With immense power and defense, it wanders in search of a trainer with the soul of a king.
…
"Champion potential?"
Yozora's heart skipped a beat. Another born champion.
In a flash of steel, Honedge lunged without warning.
Its speed increased with every step.
"That's… Autotomize…" Yozora realized.
Autotomize—an exclusive Steel-type move that shed excess weight, boosting speed dramatically.
Clearly, this Honedge had mastered it, using it seamlessly mid-attack as a combo technique.
"Block it—Bulk Up!" Yozora roared.
Boom!
The blade cleaved into Machop's body, leaving it heavily wounded. Machop grunted in pain but refused to yield, countering with Brick Break.
But its glowing palm passed straight through—without leaving a scratch.
Of course. Ghost-types couldn't be touched by Fighting-type moves. Machop's strike hit nothing but air.
Staring wide-eyed, Machop froze. It had never faced such a foe before—how do you fight something you can't even hit?
"Calm down, Machop! Feel its core with your spirit—lock onto its true body!" Yozora shouted.
Machop knew no elemental punches yet. Its entire offensive arsenal was just Brick Break. And Brick Break was useless against Ghosts.
Kangaskhan could hit Ghosts because of its Scrappy ability. But without that… there were only two moves that could reveal a Ghost's true body: Foresight and Odor Sleuth.
Odor Sleuth was generally exclusive to canine Pokémon. But Foresight—Machop could learn that.
Yozora's words were a guiding path, nudging Machop toward awakening Foresight.
Even if it failed, it didn't matter. What mattered was planting the concept, opening the path for growth.
And then—
Blue aura rippled from Machop, spreading outward, locking onto Honedge.
For Yozora, it was Aura.
For Machop, it was ki—the essence behind the power of Fighting-types.
The battle of ki against spirit was about to begin.
…
(End of Chapter)