Natsume-sensei studied Mustard's new team composition.

This doesn't add up…

Mustard's strongest suits were Fighting-types.

Charizard? Sure, he could use one, but it wasn't his style!

Only one explanation made sense.

Natsume saw Mustard's series of green records and immediately raised his eyebrows.

Good guy...Isn't it Leon who is playing for him?

"Knowing Mustard, it's totally possible…"

Natsume muttered, and studied the opponent's starting team composition carefully.

Dragapult, a high-speed killer.

And Cinderace, who has a unique Move "Pyro Ball".

Even by Natsume's standards, this was a ruthlessly meta team.

In both games and reality, only one trainer wielded this duo to perfection:

Galar's undefeated Champion, Leon.

These two Pokémon boasted terrifying speed tiers, capable of securing a double KO in seconds.

And waiting in the back? Leon's ultimate ace—Charizard.

Even for Natsume-sensei, this would be an uphill battle!

Yet, Natsume smirked, eyes sharpening.

My Moe-Moe! is watching the stream right now!

Even if it's Leon piloting this team… I'll crush it anyway!

"Damn, Mustard's running a ranked-climbing squad now?!"

"This team's disgustingly optimized!"

"That speed stat's insane… Even Chlorophyll Venusaur can't keep up!"

If Dynamax were allowed, Cinderace's Max Airstream would turn Dragapult into an untouchable specter.

Chlorophyll Venusaur? Helpless.

But stripped of gimmicks, this battle would test pure fundamentals.

Both trainers honed their focus to a razor's edge.

On-screen, Tyranitar's roar shook the battlefield as sand whipped into a frenzy.

The pseudo-legendary stood firm against Leon's leads, its presence unshaken.

Beside it, Dusclops loomed like a mummy, its single eye glowing crimson.

Battle start!

With blistering speed, Dragapult soared skyward, hurling a Shadow Ball straight at Dusclops.

Cinderace lunged through the sandstorm, High Jump Kick aimed at Tyranitar's jaw!

Fans gulped.

If these hit, Natsume-sensei's leads might just get wiped!

Then—Natsume's command cut through the tension.

"Ally Switch!"

"OHHH, CLASSIC NATSUME-SENSEI MOVE!"

"Starting off this dirty?!"

"It's not dirty—it just neutered their damage output!"

What should've been a double KO twisted into chaos.

High Jump Kick phased through Dusclops—zero damage.

BOOM!

Tyranitar tanked the Shadow Ball, eyes burning as it roared: "TYRANITAR—!"

"Rock Slide!"

Boulders rained down as Tyranitar's spiked armor gleamed.

Dragapult narrowly dodged.

Cinderace? Annihilated.

Leon frowned. "No early Trick Room… just Ally Switch?"

"What kind of person—"

He massaged his temples. "First turn Ally Switch?!"

The stream exploded.

"HOLY CRAP, TYRANITAR'S A BEAST!"

"THIS IS A WAR GOD!"

"NO WAY, HE PREDICTED NATSUME-SENSEI TOO!"

With Cinderace down, Natsume exhaled, ordering Dusclops:

"Trick Room!"

But Shadow Ball struck first, leaving Dusclops hanging by a thread.

He didn't fall for it? Natsume blinked.

Most opponents would've panicked and switched targets.

Leon? He only cared about the Trick Room setter.

"Tch!" Leon gritted his teeth.

Not finishing Dusclops… That's gonna bite me.

Natsume snarled: "TRICK ROOM—ACTIVATE!"

A warping glow engulfed the field.

Venusaur entered, ready to spread Sleep Powder chaos.

Tyranitar's Rock Slide crashed down—blocked by Dragapult's Protect.

Kommo-o, Leon's pseudo-legendary replacement, endured the hit—

Then unleashed Close Combat.

Tyranitar? 4x weak to Fighting.

One shot. Gone.

This time, Natsume hadn't used Ally Switch.

Or maybe Leon predicted he wouldn't.

Or—

High-level mind games are never simple.

Unlike the wholesome "you attack, I attack" of low-tier battles…

Natsume groaned: "Ally Switch giveth, Ally Switch taketh away!"

THUD.

The sandstorm faded. Tyranitar, once unstoppable, was down.

Kommo-o, barely standing, had flipped the momentum!

Leon exhaled.

Master… Your dragon really pulls through!

Behind him, Mustard's eyebrows shot up.

First—he'd never seen Leon, a battle tactician, pushed this hard.

(Note: Leon's movesets and team config scream "competitive player.")

Second—his Kommo-o just stole the spotlight!

"Huh." Mustard scratched his head. "Leon's better with my dragon than I am…"

The back-and-forth raged on.

Natsume barked: "Venusaur—Sleep Powder on Dragapult! Dusclops—Night Shade to clean up!"

Dusclops' shadowy grasp finished Kommo-o.

Venusaur's powder fluttered—blocked by another Protect.

Natsume's eye twitched.

"DOUBLE PROTECT?!"

"I thought only luck-based trainers like Ash pulled this garbage!"

"Since when are you this cheesy, Leon?!"

Chat erupted.

"PFFFT—NATSUME-SENSEI'S LUCK STRIKES AGAIN!"

"LEON'S LEARNING FROM THE BEST (WORST)!"

Cynthia rested her chin on her hand, her brow unconsciously furrowing.

This wasn't just about probability.

With the double Protect stalling out the clock, Trick Room was about to fade.

Once it did, Dragapult's speed—paired with Charizard's firepower—

Would overwhelm Natsume-sensei's heavy space-reliant team!

Both Leon and Natsume-sensei counted down silently in their minds.

The moment the timer hit zero—

Their commands rang out simultaneously.

"Dragapult, Shadow Ball!"

For a split second, Leon stood tall on the battlefield, sending out his unbeatable ace.

He hurled the Poké Ball with a snap: "Charizard—Heat Wave!!"

"Charizard!" The fiery beast spread its wings, soaring above the field.

Dragapult's slit eyes gleamed coldly as it gathered pitch-black energy in its maw.

Natsume's lips curled into a faint smirk.

"This isn't just a Sandstorm team."

BOOM!

Dusclops fulfilled its final duty, blasted away by the raging Shadow Ball.

Just like Leon—

Natsume-sensei sent out his last Pokémon.

Torkoal, with its Drought Ability!

The tortoise lifted its head with a bellow, a scorching sunwheel rising behind it.

The clouds parted. Sunny Day activated!

"This is the Sun-Sand Team's second form."

Natsume's smile sharpened, his gaze icy.

"Venusaur—Sleep Powder!"

The blazing sunlight supercharged Venusaur's Chlorophyll.

In an instant, the bulky space attacker—

Transformed into a high-speed killer.

It outspeed even Leon's Charizard!

Leon clawed at his purple hair in frustration. "This tempo shift… is insane."

Sleep Powder fluttered down. Charizard's wingbeats faltered—its Heat Wave fizzled.

"Putting one to sleep, then the other—since when was Venusaur this broken?!"

"Natsume-sensei, you said you never relied on sleep tactics?!"

Back on the field—

Dragapult's Shadow Ball smashed into Torkoal's armored shell.

Torkoal retaliated with a devastating Eruption, engulfing both of Leon's Pokémon.

"Venusaur—Solar Beam!"

KABOOM!

Under the sun, Venusaur's bloom erupted, a searing light cannon obliterating Dragapult.

Charizard shook off sleep, wings beating as it took to the skies.

"No panic."

Natsume nodded. "Charizard's weak firepower couldn't possibly KO Torkoal—WAIT, WHAT?!"

Leon barked: "Charizard—Scorching Sands!"

A torrent of superheated sand swallowed Torkoal whole.

4x weak to Ground, Torkoal was instantly wiped out.

Natsume's face twisted.

Right… Gen 8 gave Charizard new coverage moves—

Of course Masuda's favorite gets all the buffs!

Now, only Charizard and Venusaur remained.

The livestream chat, usually chaotic, fell dead silent.

Even Natsume-sensei's fan group watched in grave tension.

Gold, who'd snuck back into the stream, croaked: "These two… are monsters."

Blue Oak frowned. "This doesn't feel like Mustard's style at all…"

Red tilted his cap slightly, a smirk tugging at his lips.

Venusaur versus Charizard…

The familiar matchup dredged up old memories.

Natsume-sensei… You won't let me down, right?

On the battlefield—

Leon inhaled deeply.

His palms were slick with sweat.

But—the battle wasn't over!

"Charizard—Heat Wave!" Leon commanded.

With type advantage, one hit would erase Venusaur.

Natsume-sensei's counter?

"Sleep Powder," Natsume said flatly.

Left hand: Sandstorm team. Space-controlling Tyranitar, brute-force offense.

Right hand: Sun team. Chlorophyll Venusaur, tactical sleep spam.

This was the Sun-Sand Team's final form!

Venusaur's petals quivered. Sleep Powder drifted down—

Charizard succumbed to slumber!

"Venusaur—" Natsume's voice cut like steel. "Solar Beam!"

A radiant beam pierced Charizard's chest.

The screen flashed: [VICTORY].

The livestream exploded.

"HOLY SH*T THAT WAS PEAK BATTLE!"

"Natsume-sensei 'can't use weather teams' MY ASS—HE JUST DROPPED TWO!"

"GRASS BEAT FIRE? REVERSE-SWEEP GOD!"

"Ally Switch, Trick Room, Sleep Powder… THIS is why we watch Natsume-sensei!"

"Double Protect vs. double strat—LEGENDS ONLY!"

"NATSUME-SENSEI IS HIM!!"

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