Get up. Hang in there.
Hikaru frowned.
He had thought Paldea was a land of heroes and prodigies. There really shouldn't be freaks like Ash Ketchum running around here.
And yet, this refined-looking Elite Four lady was pulling off bond-based "miracle tech" too.
"But considering Endure is a feature that was only implemented in Generation IX, it actually makes sense that Paldeans can trigger it."
Ash could only be called ahead of the curve, that was all.
Even so, she was still missing one last piece: "Quick, dodge it!"
"Guu, guuho!"
Archaludon clearly hadn't expected something like that. After taking a Bide, it nearly exploded on the spot!
I spend my whole life reflecting other people's damage, and today someone reflected mine right back at me. This is outrageous!
All those rocks I ate weren't for nothing! How can I fall at a time like this!
Archaludon trembled, then twisted its alloy body hard.
A surge of silver light roared across its frame. With a boom, Archaludon's twin "claws" smashed down right in front of Donphan's body!
Body Press. Let me crush you with pure pressure!
"It can still move. No, wait. You didn't even give it an order?"
Rika was shocked by Archaludon's sheer sturdiness, and she saw its Defense rise again!
Stamina. What kind of Ability is that? The longer it fights, the harder it gets?
Even Revenge, a Fighting-type move that should check it, couldn't take it down?
"…But." Rika's eyes flashed.
Her Donphan still had one strange Egg Move.
Ever since she became an Elite Four member, she rarely got to land it anymore, but today was exactly the moment to bring out this hidden trump card!
Pinned under Archaludon's pressure, Donphan's rocky hide was nearly being flattened. That alloy dragon's "claws" looked smooth, with no sharp protrusions at all, but only now did Donphan finally understand why they were shaped like that.
S-So much pressure!
But.
"Donphan!"
Hearing its Trainer's voice, Donphan finally unclenched the back teeth it had almost ground to dust.
Now. Use the move I've been saving. I held on until this moment for exactly this.
"Endeavor!"
Deal damage, and make the opponent's HP become the same as your own HP!
And hearing that command, Hikaru couldn't help but complain inwardly.
That wasn't in Rika's move pool during her "skill test" at all.
She even pulled out something as nasty as Endeavor. That could only mean this Elite Four lady had truly been forced into phase two.
After all, she was the third Elite Four-level Ground specialist after Giovanni and Bertha.
And besides those three, the only other top-tier Ground experts were Clay and Hapu. And Hapu still wasn't even an Island Kahuna yet. She was basically just "a strong person among the crowd," and there were plenty of those.
Elite Ground-type Trainers weren't rare, but people who could take Ground to the absolute limit were.
Still, it was interesting. A Ground-type Elite Four's trump card wasn't even a Ground move. Was it because she'd already used Fissure at the start?
Ground's move selection is pretty shallow, so that's understandable. The biggest culprit is Zygarde. Out of the already-limited Ground moves, it hogs three all by itself!
And a bunch of the others are exclusive or pseudo-exclusive. Honestly, the future of the Ground type looks bleak.
An invisible force welled up from Donphan as it used everything it had to shove Archaludon back.
After the tire-elephant finished doing that, it fell with peace of mind.
My mission is complete.
Iono's voice rang out, layered over the crowd's cheers.
"What a fierce exchange! Back and forth with neither side giving an inch. Are these two actually evenly matched?!"
"That was an insanely strong Endeavor, forcing Archaludon down! Unbelievable. Even a fortress as iron-walled as that is looking battered and broken, but mighty Ground still hasn't broken through the steel-forged high wall!"
Yeah. It still hadn't broken through.
In Rika's narrowed gaze, that Archaludon started sleeping.
Rest. Restore HP to full, and heal all status conditions.
"Clodsire. Rest!"
Rika seized the opening, sent Clodsire back out, and used Rest as well.
"Both sides going to sleep, huh." Brassius rubbed his chin. The scene was hard not to laugh at, but he unexpectedly sensed a kind of artistry within it.
That's right. The artistry of sleep.
In other regions, there are paintings and sculptures depicting humans and Pokémon asleep together, and those works are filled with aesthetic value.
"In the moment before sleep, the day's concerns are cast aside. Listen to the wind, sometimes fast, sometimes slow. Sleep's multiple themes recur throughout art history: myth, dreams, religion, death, rest, consciousness, healing, immaculate purity."
Mela said, "Brassius-san, what are you even talking about?"
Brassius pointed at the battlefield.
"Mm. Something about sleep and painting. Look. Just a moment ago, it was an unbelievably fierce clash, and now it's suddenly calm and quiet. Whether it's Archaludon or Clodsire, the way they sleep looks so peaceful and comfortable."
"In far-off Unova, there seems to be a fairy tale about Pokémon dreams. When Pokémon sleep, what do they dream of?"
Mela thought for a moment.
"Ah, true. If you look closely, their expressions are relaxed. The battle also… stopped. It's so quiet."
"Wooo, is this art training time?! As expected of Brassius-shi, the nature-worshipping artist!" Iono flapped her coat sleeves, lively as ever. "Both Pokémon on the field are asleep. As a recovery move, Rest's sleep duration isn't fixed, so whoever wakes up first is going to launch a powerful offensive!"
"Right now, the situation is that Rika-neesan only has one Pokémon left, super dangerous!"
"So who's going to wake up first… Oh! Clodsire woke up!"
Amid the roaring cheers, Clodsire opened its little dot eyes.
Archaludon was still in its resting state.
But Rika gave an unexpected command.
"Clodsire. Yawn!"
Iono said, "Huh?! The opponent is already asleep, and you still used Yawn?"
Rika said, "No. That Archaludon is about to wake up!"
"I take naps with Clodsire all the time, so we've always had a good handle on sleep timing. That also means we can sort of tell when other Pokémon are about to wake up."
"That Archaludon is waking up right now!"
Rika's judgment was spot-on, and even Hikaru was surprised.
The moment Archaludon woke up matched her timing perfectly.
"You…."
Hikaru really wanted to complain.
People in Paldea are insanely good at the weirdest things!
And then, Hikaru saw the Tera Orb in Rika's hand.
That black, translucent, Poké Ball-like item was the precious tool used to Terastallize Pokémon.
"If I don't do it now, I won't get another chance. Clodsire, rise up!"
The Tera Orb erupted with dazzling light. Paldea's unique Tera Battle finally revealed its true face.
Crystalline energy burst outward, wrapping Clodsire before exploding away. A "Ground Tera Jewel," like a cross-section of the earth itself, appeared atop Clodsire's head like a crown!
"This is Paldea's unique battle method: Terastallization!"
"You're always pulling out stuff I've never seen before, but Terastallization is definitely something you've never seen, right?!"
Rika was fired up.
But Hikaru thought: of course he'd seen Terastallization. Not only had he seen it, he'd played with it too.
After Terastallizing, Pokémon shine like gemstones. A crown-like Tera Jewel appears on the head or other body parts, and the surface of the body glitters like cut crystal.
Terastallization happens because of Tera energy seeping up from beneath Paldea's ground.
In simple terms, it changes a Pokémon's type.
However.
The most important point is that the Pokémon's original types and their same-type attack bonus do not disappear.
Meaning: defensively, damage is calculated using the Tera Type, but offensively, the Pokémon gains an additional same-type bonus from its Tera Type, while the same-type bonuses from its original types remain unchanged.
And if the Pokémon's Tera Type matches one of its original types, then that type's same-type bonus becomes 2×.
"Rika's Tera Type is Ground. It didn't change. This is purely to boost Ground-type STAB power!"
"Yawn took effect."
The instant Archaludon woke up, it was immediately dragged back toward sleep by Yawn. Its eyes spun in circles as drowsiness flooded in again.
In battle, Yawn is a key tactic used to force the opponent to switch. Pokémon like Torkoal often use Yawn to pressure swaps.
Hikaru didn't say much and recalled Archaludon. Even with Iron Defense stacked to six stages, after Terastallization, Clodsire's STAB Earthquake would still deal heavy damage, and…
Hikaru noticed a layer of sand clinging to Clodsire.
Soft Sand. Further boosting the power of Ground-type moves!
"That looks like something I sold her… Right. That Clodsire definitely ate my breeding food."
Archaludon lacked effective recovery. It couldn't just sit on the field and sleep forever. Hikaru figured later he should teach Archaludon Sleep Talk.
That way, even if it got forced asleep, it could still keep outputting damage.
This time, he'd let it go.
And besides.
He had to give "Pao-pao" some room to shine.
Chien-Pao had been unable to hold back for ages, hopping left and right in the back, anxious as can be. After watching Archaludon sleep to restore its HP, Pao-pao's disappointment was written all over its face.
It had finally gotten its turn, and now it might not even get to enter? No. Please don't.
"In battles, when a teammate unexpectedly pulls off a one-versus-two or one-versus-three and causes other teammates to never see the field, that's also an essential flavor to appreciate. That's what you call the unpredictability of battle."
"But now, it's your turn. Pao-pao!"
"Pao!"
Chien-Pao entered the field with a classic roar and a sharp exhale, stretching its body as it took on that spined-dragon posture. Its tail spun like a little pinwheel, whirring loudly!
"Pao-pao. Taunt!"
"Ha!" Chien-Pao hissed at Clodsire!
Wow.
After carbon-based and silicon-based, we've discovered a brand-new species of "haki-based" lifeform.
Commence the assault!
Clodsire was provoked. It fell for Taunt! Status moves were sealed!
"Hey, isn't this a perfect matchup? Felines are best at making people mad. One second, three hisses, straight out of the gate!"
In his head, Hikaru composed a quick senryuu:
[Brave cat and brave man.]
[Hiss into Taunt, pure "sportsmanship."]
[I won't hiss, though.]
With that, Hikaru commanded Chien-Pao into a true offensive stance.
With no status moves, 2× weak to Ice, and only base 20 Speed, Clodsire was basically a lamb waiting for slaughter.
Well. In theory.
But because this was a ruleless match, Clodsire could still pull out some "high-morals" moves from its pool. Like right now.
Rika suddenly laughed.
"Poison Sting!"
There it is. It's started.
Clodsire's classic Substitute-Protect-Poison style. Without Toxic, it had to rely on Poison Sting.
Maybe because of Terastallization, it wasn't holding Black Sludge.
And if we're talking about the true founder of Substitute-Protect-Poison, Pokémon like Gliscor are the real pioneers!
Clodsire kept spitting out needles, pfft pfft pfft, and Pao-pao dodged swiftly with its nimble body!
The cheese snow leopard let out a mocking sound!
Poison Sting has a 30% chance to poison, and the needles landing on the floor formed patches of toxic sludge, indirectly limiting Pao-pao's movement.
As Pao-pao kept dodging, it realized the surrounding stone tiles had all been stained with poison, and Brassius's face turned completely black behind them.
Mela said, "Brassius-san, is this avant-garde art too?"
Brassius said, "I'm filing a complaint with the League!"
"I-I'll reimburse you! Don't worry!" Rika could only turn back and awkwardly soothe Brassius, but she really did feel embarrassed about wrecking Artazon's venue like this.
But it was the final critical moment now. Who cares about any of that!
"Now. Clodsire, use Slud…"
"Sludge Wave!"
Along with Brassius's shriek, Iono's hype-chanting, and Rika's embarrassment, the final big move was unleashed.
Sludge Wave attacks all Pokémon around the user and may poison them. Its range hits everything on the field it can reach, excluding itself!
"I refuse to believe this snow leopard can fly too!"
Rika figured something that outrageous wouldn't happen twice. She had never even seen a Pokémon like this before, anyway.
And this time, just as the Elite Four lady expected…
Pao-pao could not fly.
Hikaru gave Chien-Pao a command.
Don't move. Just use…
Pao-pao's eyes sharpened. It hissed once, standing its ground.
Splut.
It took Sludge Wave head-on and immediately entered a purple poisoned state!
"Good!" Rika's morale surged. "I finally caught you!"
Once it's poisoned, this is Clodsire's domain!
"Clodsire, use…?!"
Rika was about to issue the next command when she suddenly saw a string of terrifying black aura spiraling around Clodsire. Those dreadful negative emotions, thick with hatred, condensed into dark power and slashed away at Clodsire's life force!
"What is this?"
She had already seen plenty of new moves today, but meeting something even newer still made her freeze up.
Rika's head throbbed. Her heart hammered hard in her chest!
Hikaru said, "Ruination. It triggers a catastrophic calamity and halves the target's HP!"
"Next… Avalanche!"
If you've been hit by the opponent's move, you can strike back with 2× power!
Avalanche is used the same way as Rock Slide. In places without snow, it conjures huge masses of snow out of nowhere. In places with snow, it becomes even more terrifying.
Great chunks of snow formed from nothing, and the fierce cold froze the sludge on the ground solid!
Diamond stardust. Avalanche!
"Don't let Pao-pao's frail build fool you. It can play defense-and-counter too."
But Rika took a deep breath.
"Clodsire. Taunt wore off! Use Protect!"
The two sides clashed violently. Under the overwhelming bombardment of Avalanche, Clodsire immediately raised a powerful Protect. Being a defensive Pokémon, its Protect spread wider and held stronger.
Protect needs training too. Generally speaking, defensive Pokémon use Protect more effectively, otherwise you end up with situations like Paul's Electabuzz "not being able to protect."
Though it blocked the snow, Clodsire still got half-buried, but Rika seized the timing.
"Don't underestimate me! Rock Tomb!"
A move similar to Rock Slide and Avalanche: Rock Tomb! It likewise hurls many rocks at the opponent, but focuses more on sealing their movement and lowering their Speed!
An Ice-type Pokémon can't not fear Rock. There's no type more fragile than Ice!
After Rock Tomb…
Watching Chien-Pao dodge left and right, running out of footholds, Clodsire used the barrage to smash apart part of the snow wall in front, and Rika delivered her final command.
"Venoshock!"
Splash the opponent with special poison. If the target is poisoned, the move's power becomes 2×!
"Why is everyone using double-power moves… And Venoshock is supposed to be Roxie's signature move. An Elite Four Ground specialist's ultimate technique turning into Poison again, huh."
Even Hikaru shook his head and complained as the snow began staining into a sinister purple and toxic fumes rose.
Then don't make contact. Simple.
In the instant intense cold gathered, Pao-pao whipped up a raging blizzard. The violent storm of snow swallowed the sprayed toxins whole, and Clodsire immediately began to wobble under the brutal freezing assault!
If it weren't for that absurdly high Special Defense and HP, it would've gone down already!
Chien-Pao still didn't know Sheer Cold, or it could've become "the god of Sheer Cold in charge of ancient Greece" right now.
Hikaru said, "So. Is it okay if I use the move working adults are good at?"
Rika said, "?"
That line sounded familiar…
That Chien-Pao…
"Crap. Larry!"
The instant Rika realized it, the snow leopard had already pounced right in front of Clodsire!
The move working adults are good at!
Pao-pao used Facade!
When you're poisoned, paralyzed, or burned, Facade's power becomes 2×.
This was the final doubled strike!
Pao-pao slashed forward, tension maxed out, its body stretched straight as it launched like an arrow. It became a cat-arrow in midair!
You want me to avoid its edge? Let it taste the Sword of Ruin!
"Ha!"
(End of Chapter)
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