Valric couldn't help but glance at the floating Rotom Phone behind Peter.
Curiosity flickered in his eyes—
But the moment he heard the word "livestream", tension crept into his body.
He was naturally introverted.
He preferred quiet environments, where he could communicate with Ghost-type Pokémon.
Over time, that gave him a slightly melancholic aura—
And a natural affinity with Ghost-types.
That was exactly why Fantina had chosen him.
But that same personality…
Made it hard for him to perform under pressure.
Especially now—
Facing someone like Peter.
Battle Begins
The referee raised the flag.
"Gym Battle between substitute trainer Valric and challenger Peter will now begin!"
"Format: 3v3. Gym trainer may switch once. Challenger has no restriction!"
"Release your Pokémon!"
"Go—Drifblim!"
"Indeedee, I choose you!"
Two purple Pokémon appeared on the field.
Drifblim floated gently.
Its cloud-like top swayed.
Its stitched X-shaped mouth looked eerie.
Peter casually glanced at the chat.
"Wait… it's not Fantina? Disappointed…"
"No no, this guy looks kinda handsome though 👀"
"Put him in black stockings, instant top tier!"
"Rename stream: 'Only boys allowed' 💀"
"..."
Peter: (°ー°〃)
These viewers had completely lost it.
"Roto, disable chat."
"Understood, Rotom~"
…
"Professor Peter, please go first," Valric said.
"No need to be polite."
"Indeedee—Imprison."
A psychic seal spread across the battlefield.
Valric remained calm.
"Drifblim—use Curse."
A dark aura surrounded Indeedee.
Her expression tightened.
The curse would slowly drain her HP—
Unless she switched out.
Peter raised an eyebrow.
"Indeedee—Encore, twice."
"Drifblim—Protect!"
Both commands were issued instantly.
Valric had planned to scout with Protect.
But—
Peter predicted it.
First Protect succeeded.
Second failed.
Drifblim was trapped in Encore.
Forced to repeat Protect.
They locked eyes.
Simultaneously—
"Return!"
Both recalled their Pokémon.
Peter smiled slightly.
Valric was good.
Against a Normal-type opponent—
Ghost-types struggle.
So Valric chose Curse immediately.
Avoided damage limitationsPrevented Baton Pass setupsForced a switch
Solid strategy.
But—
Peter's prediction forced Valric to use his only switch early.
That alone—
Shifted the advantage.
"Rufflet—battle ready!"
"Go—Froslass!"
A ghostly ice maiden appeared.
Graceful.
Cold.
Deadly.
Whitney tensed.
"Ice-type… will Rufflet be okay?"
"Rufflet—Tailwind and charge!"
"Froslass—Icy Wind!"
Cold air swept across the field.
Rufflet's speed dropped.
Then—
A red flash appeared.
A card materialized.
RED CARD ACTIVATED.
Froslass was instantly pulled back into its Poké Ball.
Valric: "?!"
Referee: "?!"
Livestream: "?!?!?!"
Drifblim reappeared—
Confused.
…
Peter didn't hesitate.
"Rufflet—Brave Bird!"
Blue energy surged.
Rufflet crashed into Drifblim like a missile.
"Driii—!"
Drifblim slammed into the ground.
"Drifblim! Use Destiny Bond!"
"Grab it—Sky Drop!"
Valric froze.
Destiny Bond—
A last resort.
A trade.
But—
Sky Drop's first phase dealt no damage.
By the time Rufflet dropped Drifblim—
Destiny Bond had already expired.
BOOOOOOM—!!
Drifblim hit the ground.
Fainted instantly.
"Why… did Froslass get forced out?" Valric asked.
Peter held up a card.
"Because of this."
"Held Item: Red Card."
"When hit, it forces the opponent to switch out."
"Once per battle."
…
Livestream Explosion
"I'M DONE 💀 THIS ITEM IS ILLEGAL"
"FORCED SWITCH?? WHAT IS THIS META??"
"Red card = instant yellow card + substitution 😭"
"I just came out and immediately died — Drifblim POV"
"My Metapod can finally see enemy #2!!!"
"WHERE DO I BUY THIS?!"
Then—
A rainbow-highlighted pinned message appeared:
I'm-not-a-crybaby-lost-girl:
"Professor Peter's Tactical Shop is now OPEN!
Today's featured item: Red Card
Click the link below!"
Silence.
Then—
Chat flooded instantly:
"YES, MASTER'S WIFE!"
"YES, MASTER'S WIFE!"
"YES, MASTER'S WIFE!"
Peter glanced at Whitney.
She smiled sweetly.
Mission accomplished.
--------------
T/N:
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