The weight of every gaze around her crashed down at once. Shock. Curiosity. Disbelief.
Add Iono's running commentary on top of that, and Rika's pressure spiked sharply.
So this was the strength of a challenge-facility Boss from another region.
As expected, even a "weak" Pokémon in their hands could never be underestimated. Thinking back on it, why had she opened with Fissure right away?
Was it to intimidate him with a show of force?
Or because she'd been impatient to display her power?
Looking at it now, her opponent clearly had experience dealing with first-class Ground specialists. So… had he started setting up this entire tactical line the moment he'd heard that her specialty was Ground?
To achieve something in battle, stoking your own fighting spirit was necessary.
But if it flared too high, it would only cloud your judgment.
"I got careless. I rushed to take out his first Pokémon, and he turned that against me."
Rika drew a deep breath, making no attempt to cover up her blunder. Forcing herself to calm down, she focused on Riolu's condition.
As strong as that Riolu was, it wasn't in good shape anymore.
To unleash Reversal at maximum power, it had deliberately not dodged Fissure. As a result, it really was a candle in the wind now. Its remaining HP was almost gone.
Real battles, after all, were not the neat numbers generated by the Battle Company's simulators.
When a Pokémon was at the edge of exhaustion, its body slowed down. Its movements got sluggish. Just like a human, in a state of extreme fatigue or near-collapse, it was very hard to launch an effective counterattack.
Yet that Riolu was still forcing itself to stand, wringing the very last drops of strength from its small body.
Also… what was that light she'd seen in its eyes a moment ago?
Rika had no intention of underestimating Riolu, but at this point, surely he would rotate it out, right?
The two remaining Pokémon on that side: one Steel, one most likely Ice.
Ice was one of her weaknesses, yes, but it was also famously frail.
She could win.
She would win.
Rika murmured those words under her breath, working hard to reset her mental state.
The battle wasn't over yet.
Riolu shifted into another attacking stance.
Here it comes.
Beside Rika, Clodsire let out a soft, lazy cry.
"Use Surf!"
Against a Riolu in such dire condition, she only needed to tank one more hit. And Surf was not a random choice.
Information on Copycat was limited, but not nonexistent.
Many of the examples came from Kanto and Johto Pokémon.
Mr. Mime, for instance, had been one of the early mainstays of Copycat usage. Then there was Sudowoodo, that oddball Johto Pokémon obsessed with mimicking others. Though you could see Sudowoodo in Paldea now as well.
Copycat did not copy moves without limitation. It could only copy the last move used in battle, whether by ally or enemy.
Most replication-type moves worked like that.
A surging wall of water roared across the field.
"Wait… it didn't use Copycat again?!"
This was the perfect opportunity for another heavy Reversal into her Clodsire, and yet Riolu had held back instead of firing off one more finishing blow?
What could it possibly do with that tiny sliver of HP?
Maybe it would try Protect, but…
Clodsire wasn't resistant to Fighting. On the contrary, as a swamp-dwelling Pokémon, Clodsire was weak to Water. It was one of its oddities.
He should have realized that by now. Ground + Poison typing. Anyone who claimed to be a master of competitive battling couldn't not know that Clodsire feared Water.
Use Copycat.
Rika willed it in her heart.
If Riolu used Copycat, it would respond with a massive Surf.
And her Clodsire's ability was Water Absorb.
When struck by Water-type moves, it took no damage, and instead recovered HP.
The wave finally subsided. There was no sign of Riolu at ground level. Rika blinked, then snapped her head up.
You've got to be kidding.
"Woooow! Th-this is incredible!"
"Everyone, what on earth are we even seeing right now?!"
Iono bounded up and down, and even as the "host," she stared wide-eyed.
Was this a joke?
That Riolu… was flying?
"That move is Magnet Rise, right?!"
At the sound of Iono's question, Rika's mind snapped out of its daze.
Hikaru supplied the answer.
"That's right. You really know your stuff, Miss Iono. As expected of an Electric-type Gym Leader."
"That is Magnet Rise. It's nominally an Electric-type move, but research has shown that plenty of other Pokémon species can learn it too."
Sparks crackled around Riolu's body as it hovered in midair like it had transformed. With Magnet Rise active, it was immune to Ground-based moves.
Prankster. Priority Magnet Rise.
"I see… I see!"
"That's amazing. That's so strong. There was even that trick on top of everything else!"
To everyone's surprise, the one shouting now was Rika herself, still buried in shock. Her pupils were narrowed, shoulders trembling, expression almost broken. Iono, who was busy keeping the atmosphere alive, and Kofu, who had been stunned into silence, both started to worry.
Kofu frowned.
"Miss Rika… she'll be all right, won't she?"
Then he glanced back at the shattered paving stones and winced with genuine pain.
A single battle, and they'd almost demolished Artazon's streets.
He was hurting too, in his wallet and in his soul.
"Yahaha~ Rika-onee-chan is suuuuper bad at dealing with opponents that can float or fly, you know! But I'm pretty sure what you're seeing right now is her excited mode, yeah~?"
Iono had been around Rika more than most. She could tell that Rika wasn't acting out of fear or distress.
She was wildly excited.
Probably.
"Put simply, it's like in games when the boss reaches phase two. Rika-onee-chan is entering Phase 2 now!"
"Still, it's true… almost no one would ever expect a Riolu to use Magnet Rise! Tehee~ This is so out of left field! No wonder he was the final Boss of the Black Skyscraper!"
In normal language: his moveset was outright bizarre.
In normal ladder play, who brought such "pointless-sounding" moves?
But in real battles, "being airborne" let you dodge a whole host of attacks. That was why Flying-types, and anything that could take to the air, had a built-in advantage.
Rika barked out a laugh.
"That's it. Hoo-ha-ha! You're good! You're really fun!"
Her gaze grew more and more feverish.
"So you let Riolu fly instead of using Copycat. No priority Reversal, no priority Surf. That's because you also saw through my intentions, right?"
Hikaru nodded.
"Clodsire's possible abilities are Poison Point, Water Absorb, and Unaware. It lives on pond and swamp bottoms, and when attacked, it thrusts out thick spikes from its body to retaliate… that's Poison Point."
"In the exchange just now, it never used Poison-type moves or caused any related status. Then it used Surf."
"Using Water Absorb as a reversal trap is a classic high-level pattern."
Rika grinned.
"Knew I couldn't hide anything from someone like you. My Water Absorb has tricked so many challengers."
"But that Riolu is just about at its limit now, isn't it? How long can it keep flying like that?"
Her words said one thing, but there wasn't a trace of carelessness in her eyes. Her brain was racing.
If Riolu could fly, it might also have Ground-type coverage.
Dig. Yes. Those little dog-shaped Pokémon practically always learned it. Maybe it could go even further…
"Are you trying to use Earthquake with that Riolu?"
Hikaru rubbed his chin.
"Huh? You could tell? As expected of a Ground specialist."
"Very few people know Riolu can learn Earthquake."
Rika chuckled.
"I'm very familiar with Ground energy. That strange hovering posture… you were planning to dive straight down from the air and blast out an Earthquake, weren't you?"
Their back-and-forth left the two Gym Leaders staring at each other.
"Eeeh? Riolu can not only fly, but use Earthquake too?! This is the first I've heard of it! Being good in the air and on the ground… that makes this species pretty amazing, doesn't it!"
"I always thought it only became really strong after evolving into Lucario. But wow, the way he's using Riolu today is incredible…"
The onlookers broke into heated discussion. Paldeans might not treat battling as their main occupation, but the Artazon Art Festival had still drawn plenty of Paldea Academy students. Summer was, after all, treasure-hunting season.
Hikaru also noticed the students along the roadside.
Even if Clavell wasn't the current principal anymore, the structure of the annual fieldwork periods hadn't changed much.
Paldea Academy's curriculum still felt like it was almost random. Students weren't strictly restricted most days; they could wander wherever they liked.
"Come back, Riolu."
Hikaru recalled Riolu without attacking. The reason was simple: Riolu really did only have a single attack left in it.
The Copycat tactic had real limitations in the field. HP was a real problem.
Even if one more blow would have…
No.
Hikaru remembered that Clodsire had access to the egg move Recover. This particular Clodsire's origin was unknown, and Rika herself still looked full of confidence. It wouldn't be surprising if she'd given it Recover.
Even if she hadn't, Clodsire could always run Rest + Sleep Talk.
"Awoo…"
Riolu panted, retreating to the sidelines. Walking Wake lobbed it a Berry, but the blue-furred pup waved it off.
The battle wasn't over yet. Eating a Berry to restore HP would break the rules.
It just needed to catch its breath.
"Ka-don!"
Charcadet dashed up, heart pounding with excitement. That entire fighting style had blown its mind.
It couldn't learn Reversal, of course. But Riolu told it that battle methods were similar across the board. The key was to internalize the underlying ideas.
Even if you couldn't land a max-power counterattack, you still had Grudge, Destiny Bond, Mean Look. Combined with those kinds of support moves, you could pull off astonishing plays too.
"My second Pokémon: Archaludon."
Hikaru glanced back. Having finished its stone snack and eaten its fill, the dragon strode forward in great, clanking steps. In the sunlight, its alloy body gleamed with a holy silver shine.
The fed version of me and the unfed version of me were not the same tier.
"Archaludon…?"
Not only Rika, but also Iono and Kofu, all reacted to the name with the same confusion.
They dug through their memories. As far as Gym Leaders and League staff knew, the only related species discovered so far was "Duraludon" itself.
And Duraludon was…
"…supposed to be non-evolving. That's not right, is it?!"
"This is incredible! Something all the regional Professors certified as unable to evolve… you're telling me it actually does have an evolved form?!"
Iono rushed up near Hikaru. She'd just sniffed out another gigantic headline.
Rika, however, was thinking of something else entirely.
"If Bisharp had an evolution too…"
That was something Geeta had muttered under her breath when Rika was leaving the League building once. She'd found it puzzling at the time.
So that's what she meant?
"Exactly. In Unova, we discovered that Duraludon has an evolved form: Archaludon. It requires a very special alloy to complete the evolution."
"So, let's put its strength to the test."
"Facing Steel-type, I can play to my strengths. But come back for now, Clodsire."
Rika recalled Clodsire. Its Poison typing was bad into Steel, and many of its moves wouldn't be effective here.
Which meant…
"Let's go, Donphan!"
The tire-like elephant rolled onto the field with a heavy thump.
Pure Ground-type Donphan had gray skin as hard as rock, shrugging off ordinary attacks with ease. The one Rika used had relatively short tusks, which marked it as female.
"Donphan, Great Tusk's 'future form,' and Iron Treads' 'ancient form'… just kidding."
Compared to its two "cousins," Donphan's role in competitive play was roughly like the relationship between Misdreavus and Flutter Mane.
In other words… thoroughly outclassed.
"Earthquake!"
Ground-type move pools were actually pretty poor, but Ground's offensive coverage was excellent, which meant Earthquake was the second most powerful Ground move after Fissure.
As for Headlong Rush, not many Pokémon could learn it. Below that you had Earth Power and High Horsepower.
The whole field roared as the ground shook. The Earthquake that Clodsire hadn't managed to unleash now erupted from Donphan, made even more devastating by the same-type bonus. People might complain about Donphan being strictly worse than Great Tusk and Iron Treads, but its Attack stat was still a hefty 120.
Boom.
Artazon's cobblestones exploded, the shockwaves pounding against Archaludon's body with a deafening rumble.
Iono's clear commentary in the background made Rika's confidence surge back.
"Yah-hoo! It works! As expected, Ground moves are super effective on Steel-type Pokémon!"
"Everyone, remember this! Type matchups matter a lot! After that insanely strong Riolu left the field, this battle has finally shifted fully into Ground versus Steel! Who'll come out on top?!"
"Will it be our new Elite Four, Hikaru-shi? Or everyone's beloved Rika-onee-chan?!"
Rika didn't say anything, but the surrounding cheers were loud. It turned out she was quite popular with the crowd.
Almost no one was shouting for Hikaru.
Naturally so. She was Paldea's Elite Four, and he wasn't even officially appointed. Their own "civil war" would always have the locals backing the familiar face.
Even so, that kind of support meant very little in a battle.
The pressure radiating off her opponent hadn't diminished in the slightest.
Archaludon's mouth dipped open and its body rocked backward like it was about to fall. Then its eyes snapped wide.
Hmph. The dragon's metal lips curled in a crooked smirk.
Who did they think this was?
Its silver body erupted with dazzling light, swallowing the entire battlefield. The ensuing blast of force was so violent it nearly knocked the spectators off their feet.
Before making its move, it hurled the power of the last attack it had taken right back at the attacker, with interest. The harder you hit it, the harder it hit you.
Eat my Metal Burst.
"Ha—ah!"
Donphan had not expected such a savage counter to follow its Earthquake. It was blown skyward on the spot, while Archaludon thundered forward in heavy, pounding steps. Its running gait might have looked ridiculous, but the silver radiance around it only burned brighter.
"My Archaludon's ability is Stamina. Every time it's hit, its Defense goes up."
"So… it's time to get started."
Started? Started what?
Rika had no idea what this Pokémon was capable of. Even so, she had no intention of backing down.
"All right, whatever move you use, whatever ability you've got… I'll experience it firsthand."
"Donphan, get up! Hang in there! Take it head-on!"
Rika's heart hammered against her ribs, heat rushing through her veins.
She had the uneasy sense that her expression must be twisted and wild by now, but that didn't matter.
She'd spent too long working overtime for the League, and battling challengers who were, frankly, boring. It had been ages since she felt this fired up.
Just take it. No matter what that thing used, they would meet it face-on.
They had their own "comeback" trump card.
That Archaludon, whatever its plan was, was raising its Defense and then charging. That almost certainly meant it was setting up for something.
Probably some move that calculates damage based on Defense instead of Attack.
She'd just witnessed too many surprises. One more weird move wouldn't faze her. In fact…
"This is just like when I first set out on my journey as a Trainer."
"When everything was fresh and unknown. All the different Pokémon, their abilities, moves I'd never seen before… all those battles that made my heart pound…"
"I really, really love this feeling."
"Come on, Donphan! Show that alloy dragon our strength!"
"Use Counter!"
Counter.
Take the damage of a physical attack from the foe…
Then send it back at double strength.
By now, Archaludon had finished powering up.
Iron Defense, Iron Defense.
Time to press the attack.
The impact this time was no weaker than the earlier Metal Burst. A shockwave of Fighting-type power tore across the field. Body Press, the unique move that calculated damage from Defense instead of Attack, finally appeared before loyal Paldea.
Body Press had enormous symbolic significance in Paldea. Although it had debuted in Generation 8, the strongest "defense deity" of that era hadn't been able to learn it. Then in Gen 9, a whole host of Pokémon, including the King of Shields, gained access to Body Press as a buff.
That was why people said Paldea's true nature was "Body Press."
Donphan took a massive hit. Its entire body quaked, its bones feeling like they were about to shake apart. In the instant the alloy dragon slammed into it, it nearly blacked out.
But.
Donphan refused to collapse, if only so Rika wouldn't be sad.
Rika clenched her fists, whipping the atmosphere of the battle to its peak.
"Show that alloy dragon our power!"
"Use Counter!"
Counter.
The damage of the physical attack you just took…
Reflected back at double the strength against the same target.
[End of Chapter]
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