Lady Lilligant leapt into a victory dance, and as her stats skyrocketed, Grimsley was startled!
Not only was this a Pokémon he had never seen before, it was also a move he had never seen!
That said, the more he looked at Hikaru, the more familiar he seemed, so Grimsley began to think hard.
Think fast, use your head!
He was sure he had seen the person before him somewhere!
It should have been…
"Virbank City's Pokéstar Studios showcase! On the TV broadcast!"
Grimsley finally remembered. "The super guitarist of the Awas Band!"
"Oh?" Hikaru blinked in mild surprise.
Up to now, plenty of people had recognized him, but they usually knew him through Team Plasma—or through his artworks.
Grimsley, however, knew him through a concert.
It seemed this scion of a fallen noble house wasn't all that interested in "fine art" or "Team Plasma."
"But even if I recalled that, it doesn't help in a battle. I didn't show my Pokémon at the concert."
"True enough." Grimsley shrugged. "But afterward, while chatting with acquaintances, I happened to hear about you."
"Marshal told me you're a master of Fighting types! A martial arts master!"
"I suppose you could say that." Hikaru didn't deny it, while Lady Lilligant's Victory Dance stacked again—her offense and speed climbed to a terrifying level.
Grimsley's Bisharp, however, was extremely cautious and did not attack, as if recalling some nightmarish memories from the dream world.
No matter how strong it was, it was 4× weak to Fighting and 2× weak to Fire.
If its dream-world memories were right… This Lady Lilligant—this unmatched beauty among Pokémon—was not only a Fighting expert, she should also know Fire-type moves!
That came from the mouths of those wild Pokémon, from Calyrex, and from that water dragon.
Absurd as it sounded, he'd also heard she once used "Role Play" to copy "Flash Fire," which had earned even the steel troops' respect.
And a Fire-type attack could be achieved with Sunny Day and Weather Ball!
That—was simply a matter of talent!
At the time, he'd only half listened and paid it no mind. Now, he had no choice but to analyze frame by frame!
"Gruh!"
Oooh—Bisharp even closed his eyes!
[Looks like I can only betray my spirit and resort to a win-at-all-costs approach!]
Unlike most Bisharp, Grimsley's was quite chivalrous—an outlier among his kind. But in the face of a stronger foe…
Does chivalry help?
"Snatch!"
Against an opponent building stats, Grimsley had his own way to fight!
With Snatch, if another Pokémon successfully uses a self-buff or a beneficial field move that turn, you immediately steal the effect!
Victory Dance… is mine now!
The steel general shut his eyes tight!
Beautiful martial lady, don't call me underhanded!
To pursue victory by any means—this is merely a "return to primitive morality"!
Oooh—what tremendous power!
O god, are you watching?!
This is the power that summons victory!
Attack, Defense, Speed—surging upward. There was actually a move this strong in the world!
"Torment! Mean Look!"
At the same time, Grimsley naturally wouldn't allow Lady Lilligant to keep stacking that dangerous Victory Dance. A formless Dark aura settled over her, preventing the same move from being used twice in a row! Bisharp's eyes flashed with pitch-black light, cutting off Lilligant's escape and switch option—the target hit would be forced to stay put!
He fired off three actions in one breath. In a turn-based game that would be illegal—but Lady Lilligant showed no intent to counterattack, and Hikaru also understood that, unlike his "gambler" job class, Grimsley tended to choose stable lines in a real fight.
In other words, in battle, he wasn't the kind of hopeless coin-flipper. He wouldn't even pick a 95% move. Which is to say…
"You have terrible luck in battles, don't you?"
Hit right in the heart, Grimsley's face soured.
Isn't triple-miss a thing that happens all the time?
The opponent lands three Fissures in a row, my Hypnosis misses three in a row, 95% ≈ 0—these things happen even if you're not a hopeless gambler!
"Bisharp, Knock Off!"
Once the setup was complete, Grimsley moved instantly—and the fully boosted Bisharp finally opened his eyes!
There is no joy or sorrow left in my heart!
This slap—carries my utmost resolve!
Pa-pa-pa-pa-pa—
Bisharp balked.
"Uh?!"
"Can't 'knock' it off now, can you? Love using Mean Look? Then enjoy going Encore into it!" Hikaru snapped his fingers. Lady Lilligant twirled through a strange dance and—at some point—an odd shimmer had settled over Bisharp.
"Is that… Encore?" Grimsley blanched, then offered a wry smile. "Good grief, are we seriously going to compete over nothing but status moves this round?"
The two hadn't so much as traded a clean hit. Both sides were focused on stopping the other from acting—and on stealing each other's boosts!
Grimsley: "You're not what you look like. With such a beautiful lady at your side, you actually have her run such dirty tactics… It's a desecration of beauty!"
Hikaru: "Not at all, Grimsley-san. You, sir, are the true connoisseur here. It's my first time seeing someone open with Snatch. Not a gambler—you're a bandit!"
After this "mutual business praise," the match stalled.
Bisharp, locked into Mean Look by Encore, couldn't use anything else—his eyes had gone entirely black. Lady Lilligant, on the other hand, didn't mind at all that her boosts had been stolen.
She flicked her leafy arms. Under Grimsley's curious gaze, her eyes lit; her blossom-crown gleamed. She muttered to herself for a moment… and then abruptly raised her stats again!
Lady Lilligant used Psych Up!
Make your stat changes the same as your foe's!
My boosts? Your boosts? They're my boosts again!
Grimsley was shocked, but he gritted his teeth and said:
"However, my Bisharp's whole body is edged like a blade. If you use a Fighting move, you'll take serious damage in return!"
This—was how living ecosystems changed battling!
Like an Alolan Dugtrio has quake-resistant structure—no, like an Alolan Pokémon designed to absorb impact. (In short, real anatomy matters.)
Bisharp's body was covered in razor edges. Pure "close-quarters" attacks would injure the striker as well—even without a trait like Iron Barbs!
"In general, yes. But there are ways to avoid the blades."
"Lady Lilligant."
"Axe Kick!"
Hisuian Lilligant flashed in front of Bisharp at blinding speed, raised a snow-white leg high, and drove a crushing kick down onto Bisharp's forehead!
At the same instant, the Fighting Gem in Lady Lilligant's headdress burst into fierce light!
But this wasn't an ordinary "Fighting Gem"!
It was an Ancient Fighting Gem!
"Mm. By 'ancient' I mean, the Gem before the nerf."
In Generation V, all Gems boosted move power by 50%!
Version-lag perks!
Bisharp did have a massive brow blade, but most of that spot was a smooth helm plate!
And Axe Kick hit with Close Combat-tier might!
"Grruh!"
Bisharp's eyes went glassy. A colossal force seemed ready to shatter his helmet—and even crack his Leader's Crest!
He felt the power pierce straight through his body. His final thought was…
Bisharp shed bloody tears!
This is… the other face of a world that no longer honors chivalry!
Bisharp is unable to battle!
"Hey, seriously?!"
His ace fell to a single blow. Yes, the opponent had stacked boosts and used an unconventional, type-advantaged attack—but for an Elite Four member, this was still a blow to the face!
Grimsley's expression hardened as he looked at the red berry that had rolled to the ground.
Chople Berry.
When struck by a super-effective Fighting move, it halves the damage once.
Using a Fighting Gem to push through the Chople's mitigation, huh… It also shows just how massive that lady Pokémon's strike truly was!
"All right—Fake Out!"
Grimsley's second was Liepard, a Unova regular. But just as that slapping paw snapped toward Lady Lilligant's face, a stronger Leaf Blade cleaved in to meet it!
A swift counter!
Pak! Liepard's Fake Out not only failed to have its intended effect—it was countered by that quick Leaf Blade, took a heavy hit, and immediately flinched!
Lady Lilligant followed with a relentless stomp-dance!
Close Combat!
Trading away both defenses for overwhelming power, she all but erased Grimsley's second Pokémon.
Liepard wasn't really one of Grimsley's true aces—it usually served as a lead scout. And unlike the Prankster Liepard players love, Grimsley's Liepard had either Limber or Unburden!
In a real-world battle, that was how you preserved blazing speed: Limber ignores Paralysis, and Unburden doubles Speed when the held item is lost!
This time, Grimsley truly froze, then spread his hands helplessly.
"The gambler's curse has shown up!"
Sometimes, when luck is good, you keep winning. When luck is bad, you keep losing.
That— is gambling.
"Very well, very well… but I never retreat in battle."
"Even in a bind like this, there's always a chance to come from behind!"
"O goddess of victory, smile upon me… My last Pokémon—I place my fate in you!"
"Let the game begin!"
Hikaru thought back: Grimsley's roster was almost entirely Fighting-weak. Even with resist berries, they suffered when faced with counters.
In theory, Hikaru vaguely remembered Grimsley having a Honchkrow.
Honchkrow's Flying typing 4× threatens Hisuian Lilligant; it resists Grass and doesn't fear Fighting.
Surely it wouldn't be a sand setter Tyranitar—or a Krookodile that's weak to both Grass and Fighting.
So the last one was…
"Absol?!"
The white, roaring big cat strode in—a regal, handsome terror. It was the dream cat of countless players, the original "beast of disaster"!
A face like a legendary, but not the fate of one.
There were rumors that Game Freak had "disaster-beast anti-fans" on the inside, leaving Absol in an awkward spot balance-wise.
After Mega Evolution, its abstraction rose even further—power didn't remain, only style.
Handsome? We paid power for it!
Even so, Absol once had a glorious phase of "crazy ambush" builds. Still not the easiest to use, but one of the fiercest looking Pokémon to stride into battle!
Grimsley snapped his fingers. "Normally, I'd go Honchkrow. But in this situation, I'll wager my title as an Elite Four."
"Yes—this is a wager!"
"So you, too—bet with me! Bet on my first move!"
Absol might not be strong on the ladder, but in real combat, under an Elite's training—and with that bizarrely wide movepool—you could never be sure what it would pull out. And…
Hikaru knew he couldn't possibly remember the full movepool of every single species. Not even the true "knower," Plumeria—no, even someone like the all-knowing Plantina—could do that. (In short: nobody knows everything.)
"Hey! Don't fight here! This is a scenic park!"
Hikaru and Grimsley's duel finally drew security, but the tourists were watching with relish and chorused, "Come on, it's fun!" which left the guards awkward.
Grimsley removed his headwrap. The moment the guard saw him, he snapped to attention!
"Apologies, Grimsley-san—didn't recognize you at first!"
"No problem. I'm handling a challenger. Please keep the crowd safe." Grimsley nodded.
"Yes, sir!"
Chest out, salute done—the guard immediately began organizing the onlookers!
After a beat of stunned silence, the crowd erupted.
"What? That's Elite Four Grimsley?! How are we seeing him here—why?"
"Dear Arceus, he's every bit as handsome as the rumors… I want to marry him!"
"I just got a high five from the Elite Four. I won't wash this hand for a week."
"Ahem," Grimsley muttered inwardly.
If you don't wash for a week, you may actually be courting misfortune.
By contrast, Unova's tourists adored this "beautiful man of the Elite Four." That melancholy, mysterious aura made him a dream lover for countless girls—indeed, a slayer of hearts regardless of gender.
Accordingly, their attitude toward the challenger—Hikaru—was decidedly unfriendly.
"What the heck, who dares challenge an Elite Four? He's gonna be bawling in a minute!"
"Grimsley-san is the strongest Elite Four. I'll always support you!"
"Knock that cocky kid flat! Turn it all around even with one Pokémon!"
The frenzied fans cheered, blithely forgetting that Grimsley was currently on the back foot.
Seeing Hikaru's faint helplessness, Grimsley smiled slightly.
"Public identity brings its own headaches. But they're not wrong about one thing."
"In Pokémon battles, even with only one left, it's possible to turn the tables."
"That dance of gambles and mind games—that's the fun."
"Yeah? I feel the same." Hikaru did agree. In old 6v3 singles, 1v3 reverse sweeps happened all the time.
"I'm glad you see it my way." Grimsley smiled and nodded. "Then—let's gamble!"
As the words fell, his aura shifted.
Hikaru: "Encore!"
Grimsley: "Wrong guess—Detect!"
Absol blitzed up to Lady Lilligant and blanked the control—keeping itself safe from most incoming moves!
"An attack next!"
No doubt—Absol closing in behind a Detect meant close-quarters pressure. But shouldn't close combat favor Lady Lilligant?
Meet it head-on!!
Hikaru gave the mental command to probe with a move—but Absol's eyes flashed again!
"Wrong again—Psych Up!" Grimsley called the order in that split second!
Attack, Defense, and Speed—sharply up!
"Close Combat!"
Lady Lilligant spun forward and drove a blow into Absol!
Only for a tremendous force to crash into her at the same moment!
A faint flash crossed Absol's eyes, and blade-winds lanced from fore and aft!
"Wrong again! Punishment!"
Grimsley swept his arm wide.
Punishment scales with the target's boosts—the more the foe has raised, the higher its power!
Base power 60, +20 per positive stage on the target!
Previously, Lady Lilligant had used Psych Up to reclaim the boosts from Victory Dance.
Attack +2, Defense +2, Speed +2—so Punishment's power was—
180!
Grimsley laughed, buoyant. "That's gambling. Sometimes you keep losing—but when your luck turns, you keep winning!"
Hikaru's eyes narrowed. "Attack link—Protect!"
Grimsley: "You guessed right—Assurance!"
Absol's dark wind slashed against Lilligant's Protect barrier. With Assurance, if the target has already taken damage this turn, the move's power doubles!
Hikaru: "Dark types love to kick you when you're down. I've seen this one plenty!"
"In that case, next is…"
Grimsley: "Thunder Wave!"
A soft current rode the air-blade and arced into Lady Lilligant. Hikaru's gaze shifted. Grimsley's did as well.
Here it comes. The next RPS. The next gamble.
Hikaru: "Facade!"
Grimsley: "I guessed it—Sucker Punch!"
As Lady Lilligant primed Facade—its power boosted when afflicted—Absol's Sucker Punch shot through the window and clipped her first!
With Speed halved, her former advantage turned into a liability. The tide flipped almost in an instant!
Now this Absol had not only copied Lady Lilligant's stat buffs, it was also throwing out all manner of weird tricks!
"The deeper the movepool, the harder it is to predict—which makes for real rock-paper-scissors, real gambling."
"Exactly! That's the joy of battle gambling!" Grimsley's whole being was alight. "Then the next RPS!"
Hikaru said nothing—he linked with his partner psychic-to-heart. Grimsley wasn't surprised.
Psychics all fight like this.
Too bad—I'm a Dark-type maestro!
Grimsley: "Me First!"
Me First—boosts the move's power by 50% and lets you pre-empt the attack your foe intended to use!
"It's an attack move—you lose the guess!"
(End of Chapter)
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