Divine Plan? But I'm a Pokémon trainer.

Chapter 390: The moment their eyes met was the signal for the battle to begin, but let's make an appointment for the battleground later.

After chatting across servers for a while, Link finally understood that Mastad wanted an autographed card.

For commercial reasons, Pokémon cards are much rarer than they were originally designed, including those with artist signatures and expansion cards.

Trainer cards such as "Red Challenge" and "Professor Oak's Arrangement" may also have versions signed by some trainers.

During his previous vacation, he even went to the Capital Waterfall—the place where Sakaki's mentality was shattered by Crimson—to ask for the portrait rights and alternate art of the "Boss's Orders" card, and to lock Sakaki up in there again.

Unfortunately, the opportunity hadn't come; Link wasn't Xiang/Qin after all, and after searching for a long time, he still couldn't find any trace of her...

"Of course, no problem. It's just that I don't have any extra cards with me right now. I came in a hurry this time, and my backpack only contains some battle items."

"It's alright, old man, I brought my card and pen!"

The retired champion, once known for his toughness, chuckled and pulled out his alternate art version of the Fire Fox.

"Fu?"

The fox was somewhat surprised.

It had just thought the other party would ask the trainer to sign the alternate painting in Talebagh.

In fact, Mastedt did have this plan originally.

The altered artwork of Talebagh signed by the trainer is a limited edition worldwide. It's rare to encounter a trainer in person, so why wouldn't they sign it?

However, when he saw the fire fox and the Talebages peeking at the moon from the windowsill, he instantly realized which of these two elves was Link's true trump card, the one he had poured his heart and soul into.

That Talebagas clearly hadn't undergone much training; even its previous impressive performances were mostly due to its innate racial traits.

This fire fox, on the other hand, clearly showed signs of extensive training. Its physique and demeanor were the result of countless battles, or perhaps battles that pushed it to its limits.

Based on this one Fennekin alone, Mastedt concluded that the opponent's level as a trainer far surpassed that of the current era. No wonder he was able to directly withstand and overcome Kyogre's "Root Pulse" in a battle.

In that case, it's better to get the signature of your main Pokémon than the signature of a key Pokémon. This is an even rarer and more unique version than the globally limited Alternate Art Talebagh Trainer Signature Card.

Link took the Pokémon cards and pen, and just as he was about to sign them, a sudden inspiration struck him.

"Signing an autograph is definitely not a problem, but given the trainer's style, how about we have a battle first?"

For trainers, the moment their eyes meet is the signal for battle!
Mastedt, who had anticipated this, had no objection and immediately took out his card box.

"I mean Pokémon battles."

"Huh? Oh right, it's a Spirit Battle." After putting the alternate art card back into the card box, Masted said seriously, "But Kobayashi, you've been playing all day. Let's wait until tomorrow morning."

There's a suitable spot inside the Battle Tower, but even if I ask Daigo for help, I'd have to book at least a day in advance, so it's definitely not going to happen tonight.

Despite his post-retirement obsession with video games and the decline in his physical fitness and form, he still gives his all in matches.

Champion of the Kanto and Hoenn regions?

Mastedt promises to bring Kobayashi an unexpected surprise...

……

After Master Ma left, Link, who had intended to rest and recharge, tossed and turned in bed.

Since I can't sleep anyway, I might as well prepare for tomorrow's match in advance.

Masted is likely the strongest trainer he has faced so far, making it difficult for ordinary techniques to work, and he must go all out to seize the opportunity to win.

"Speaking of which, besides the two martial arts bear masters, what else does Master Ma have?"

The impressions of the bear and the tarantula are so strong that they subconsciously make people overlook the others. Upon hearing this, the Pokédex in the corner of the desk suddenly activated, displaying the image of Porygon.

"According to records, Mastedt tends to use Fighting-type Pokémon, and those that appear most often include: Urshifu, Weasel, Kommo-o, Luxray, Corviknight, Lycanroc, etc."

Fighting-type Gym Leader/Champion, but will also use non-Fighting-type Pokémon.

Both Xeno'jiiva and Corviknight are upright and honest Pokémon, stronger than most of the starter Pokémon.

"With 'Intimidate' and physical shields, this matchup will be a bit difficult to defend against."

The single-handed Qinmao and Corviknight are not difficult to deal with. The main problem lies with the two Urshifu, both of whom are Pokémon that can easily tear apart the opponent's lineup after seizing the weakness.

To be honest, Link's singles level is much weaker than his doubles level, and his opponents are no less skilled than him, so it's understandable that I'm a little worried.

"Fortunately, this time Martial Arts Master Xiong will not collude with the likes of Zhenyi Fa, Guding Lu, Gujian Bao, and Tudi Yun."

"Fu?"

There's no need to worry so much. Fu thinks Fighting-type Pokémon are all pretty "clumsy".

No matter how fast or agile they are, they can easily be tricked by superpowers.

If it's really too much trouble, just give it both martial arts bear masters!

"This time won't work. Let the Blazing Roaring Tiger and the Evil Creeper fight the two Martial Arts Bear Masters."

Fire Fox seemed to be deep in thought. Should he let Fu Zai and Peng Peng take this opportunity to further understand the techniques of one-hit and combo styles in the battle?

Link nodded, then let out a long sigh.

There was a time when he actually sent out the same type of Pokémon as Ash to fight head-on.

Sometimes the purpose of a battle is not just to win... the key is to push your own limits.

"Fu!"

But if all else fails, it will try its best to help deal with the two martial arts bear masters, Fire Fox added.

Having confidence is indeed a good thing... Link then looked at Roentgen the Cat, Kommo-o, Corviknight, Lycanroc, and his master Itachi.

He recognized almost none of the last ones, but he had a good impression of the others.

The physical attacker Luxray can be dealt with by Arcanine, but Link thinks that these two Pokémon are unlikely to have much of a chance to fight each other on the field, and will probably mainly rotate between each other.

Kommo-o, a Dragon/Fighting type Pokémon, has obvious weaknesses. Fortunately, his team has many Pokémon that know Fairy-type moves, so he can use Fennekin, Deviljho, and Dolphin to defend against it.

Corviknight likely served as the primary shield in Mash's team, and its "Iron Wall" and "Pounce" attacks were deadly moves that could not be ignored.

Link's team has a lot of physical attackers, so the only way to deal with them is with Fizz.

As for the final Lycanroc, let Arcanine and Dolphin take care of it.

"Wait, I forgot about Master Itachi. What kind of Pokémon is this?"

Seeing that the trainer rarely encountered a Pokémon he didn't recognize, Porygon retrieved its information from the database.

[Master Itachi, a martial arts Pokémon, Fighting-type, with the abilities "Inner Focus," "Regenerator," and "Sacrifice," National Pokédex No. 0620, a fast physical attacker.]

If it makes a strange sound, it's dangerous. It will unleash a rapid barrage of kicks and chops, delivering a fatal blow after a slow, charged attack. When facing a truly formidable enemy, it will bite off the fur on its own hands and discard them to increase its agility.

"I understand. It must have also learned the one-hit style, the combo style, and some kind of 'tail cut' technique."

(End of this chapter)