Chapter 4: Winning a Pokémon Battle Without Using a Pokémon

Guangtai finally saw the enemy hidden within the artifact clearly!

A sword? No, it was a Pokémon!

The Pokémon that had appeared in his basement was indeed a Ghost-type, and looking at its appearance... wasn't this the very same ancient blade from before? The patterns on it were now clearly visible, the dirt had flaked away, and its shape had even undergone a significant change.

Guangtai recognized its true identity at a glance. If his memory served him right, it was:

"Honedge, Steel/Ghost type, classified as the Sword Pokémon."

"It is said that the soul of the deceased resides within an ancient sword, reborn. It attaches itself to humans to drain their life force..."

Thoughts surged in his mind, coalescing into information:

[Artifact Event: [Ancient Visitor]]
[Event Description: The true form of the seemingly tattered ancient sword is a Pokémon. It is deeply displeased that you took its gemstone and treated it as a trophy. It is now attempting to reclaim the gem and knock you out.]
[Event Reward: Unique knowledge and craftsmanship.]

Compared to Guangtai’s tension, Honedge was even more flustered! It was supposed to be the one initiating the battle! Was this human not quite right in the head? Why did his Ghost-type moves feel like they were barely scratching the surface?

"Yo! (•へ•́╬)!"

After confusion came anger, and after anger came discomfort. The Cleansing Incense was starting to take effect. Honedge felt extremely uncomfortable here, triggering an urge to flee immediately!

Taking advantage of this, Guangtai opened the voice recorder clipped to his chest!

*Crackle... snap!*

A harsh, crow-like Pokémon cry was played back as an insult—it was likely the sound of a Murkrow, common throughout the Johto region. While the recording of the Murkrow’s squawking couldn't cause physical damage, the grating noise made Honedge feel dizzy. Combined with the repellent aroma of the incense, it felt completely overwhelmed.

Guangtai seized the opportunity to pull a Poké Ball from his waist pouch, throwing it forward in a "pitching" motion. The ball hit Honedge squarely; a flash of red light enveloped it, and it was pulled inside!

At the same time, Guangtai produced a mud ball wrapped in green leaves.

A Sticky Glob—a near-extinct item in the modern era. Although the crafting method wasn't overly complex, the primary materials were difficult to obtain, and with the evolution of Poké Balls, such items had gradually faded from the stage of history.

But just because it had faded didn't mean it wasn't useful. And as it happened, he knew how to make these marvelous little gadgets! Throwing one at a Pokémon could slow its movements and force it to reveal an opening.

The ball wobbled twice, and unsurprisingly, Honedge broke free. The Poké Ball was sent flying, and Honedge was furious. However, at that exact moment, the Sticky Glob hit the blade of the sword with pinpoint accuracy!

The impact landed true, causing Honedge to stagger in a daze once more! The move it had been preparing failed instantly; it felt as if the world were spinning, and its body was coated in sticky residue.

"Pressing the wake-up"—getting close to suppress an opponent before they had fully recovered from their stun—was a tactic frequently used by players in *Pokémon Legends: Arceus*! The first ball wasn't meant for capture, but to force movement and find an angle. The real battle began only after the Pokémon broke out!

Infinite, continuous suppression!

Meanwhile, taking advantage of Honedge’s disorientation, Guangtai used another Poké Ball. He threw it with considerable force, striking Honedge right on its single eye!

Honedge’s vision went black instantly!

(A thudding sound!)

Struck right in its only eye!

(＞口※)☆!

With a flash of red light, Honedge was sucked into the ball. The Poké Ball barely paused in Guangtai's hand before settling—it didn't even wobble!

Critical capture!

As for Honedge’s final thought, it was... *If you're so tough, don't aim for the eye!*

The battle ended quite quickly. From the surprise attack to the moment the Poké Ball hit the ground, Guangtai was even a bit dazed. It wasn't until a while later that his tightly wound nerves finally relaxed, and he sat down on the ground in disbelief.

"I won a Pokémon battle today without even using a Pokémon... My luck is quite good!"

He had won because he was fully prepared! Still, Pokémon were indeed terrifying creatures; appearing suddenly in his basement and trying to attack him!

The thoughts in his mind gathered into information:

[Crafting Event Settlement: You encountered an ancient treasure and discovered its true form as a Ghost-type Pokémon. The creature seemed somewhat careless, and in its negligence, it was defeated and captured by you. Through this contact, you have gained some understanding of the nature and state of Ghost-type Pokémon.]
[Knowledge Gained: 1]
[Basic Spirit Medium Knowledge: You can now understand and transcribe some ghost languages. Your spiritual resilience has increased, granting you the conditions to use spiritual power, so you will no longer be easily affected by spectral energy.]
[Craftsmanship Gained: 1]
[Unique Charm Crafting (D+): Charms crafted by you will have different special effects depending on the materials used. Each effect can only be triggered once.]
[Through crafting, you can obtain the items "Cleansing Charm" and "Cursed Charm."]

Guangtai breathed a sigh of relief, his mood brightening. With this Spirit Medium knowledge, he would no longer fear harassment from Ghost-type Pokémon. Although the new craft was only D+ rank, the description made it seem quite extraordinary.

Still, these kinds of random events were a bit dangerous.

After Guangtai left the basement and closed the door again, the "E-shaped eye" reappeared on the wall.

*Human... defeated a wild Pokémon with his bare hands?*

*...The scent of the incense still lingers... quite uncomfortable.*

*A peculiar human. Needs further observation...*

The E-shaped eye peeled off the wall and floated to the door. A spiritual vortex appeared in front of it, and then it passed through the door, disappearing into the vortex.

At this moment, Guangtai had arrived in the living room and opened the Poké Ball.

"Come out, Honedge."

"Oh, saying that line feels quite satisfying. I've wanted to try saying that for a long time!"

This was his first time capturing a Pokémon. Since ancient times, the method of capturing Pokémon had been the same. With the invention of the Poké Ball, trainers would defeat a Pokémon in battle and then capture it. Some Pokémon would even voluntarily make a combat vow, promising the trainer, "If I lose, I will become your Pokémon," to which the trainer would passionately respond, "Don't worry, I won't lose!"

But what if you didn't have a starter Pokémon?

The people of the ancient Hisui region used their robust bodies to interpret their own method of capture: throwing a massive amount of Sticky Globs and then using special "Gigaton Balls" to physically knock the Pokémon unconscious... and force the capture!

Although that was the behavior of a few individuals and couldn't be generalized to everyone...

In the era before devices like Poké Balls, Pokémon would also acknowledge certain people through battle and become their loyal companions, staying by their side and beginning cycle after cycle of long-lived companionship. Or, through certain devices, they would forcibly restrain Pokémon to serve humans.

After being released, Honedge stood still for a while, seemingly still dazed from being hit in the eye. Honedge was still brooding over the eye incident, thinking that it was fortunate it was a Steel/Ghost type, so the eye wasn't that vital. If it had been a normal Pokémon, it probably would have...

"Yo...?"

Honedge slowly turned its body. Its blue eye finally began to regain its focus. It stared straight at Guangtai and let out a low, drawn-out "Yo"—as if it were brewing some words but hadn't quite let them out yet.

That was until Guangtai, somewhat cautiously, pulled out another green Sticky Glob!

"Oh, you want to fight again?"

Honedge seemed to snap out of its trance, shaking and reflexively drifting away!

"Yo...!"

That thing hits too hard, I can't take it! I've had enough of this experience, take it away!