"Not bad. Very good." Shielbert nodded repeatedly and lifted his glass for a small sip. Just thinking about the two Unown he intended to capture made the corners of his mouth rise. He praised, "As expected of you, Rose. You always handle things with such calm."
"It's all thanks to your guidance, Mr. Shielbert." Rose raised his glass too and clinked it lightly with his.
He watched Shielbert finish the red wine in one smooth motion. He only pretended to drink his own, and the wine in his glass didn't drop at all.
After Shielbert emptied his glass, he let out a satisfied sigh.
"Such good wine. Ever since you brought me this kind, I can hardly drink anything else. Rose, this is truly refined. When you go back, remember..."
He stopped suddenly. His sentence drifted off and hung uselessly in the air. He tried for a long moment but couldn't recall what he had just been saying.
He placed the empty glass on the table in front of him and asked with confusion, "Rose, what was I talking about?"
Rose smiled and reminded him gently. "You mentioned Mr. Sordward's temper being a bit unstable."
"Oh..." Shielbert sighed again and continued speaking. "That guy always shouts and argues. No manners at all. Completely lacking in refinement. How can he compare to the people of Sinnoh or Hoenn? And to think he's my own brother. Honestly..."
While he went on and on, Rose topped up his glass again.
* * *
On the battlefield, Drakloak and Mawile faced each other in tense silence.
The huge crowd grew increasingly unsettled as well. Most of them were not very skilled as trainers and struggled to read the flow of the match.
A few spectators asked the ones beside them who looked more experienced.
"Does this mean… Shiro has the advantage? That Drakloak looks really strong. Since they're both at Elite-level, shouldn't a Dragon-type be stronger than its peers?"
"Quite the opposite." A Hammerlocke Gym Trainer in a white uniform shook his head. "Mawile's Steel type resists Dragon moves. And that Mawile... belongs to Gym Leader Opal."
The surrounding audience immediately perked up at the revelation.
"Gym Leader Opal's Mawile? What's so special about it?"
"I heard it has some secret combination of ability and item that lets its moves hit far harder than normal." The Gym Trainer spoke with a hint of uncertainty.
"...You heard?"
"He's a trainer from a gym. Should be reliable."
"I don't care. I'm supporting Shiro!"
"Well, I'm supporting Ms. Opal!"
"You son of—"
Before the argument grew worse, both Pokémon on the field moved at the same time.
"Mawile, jump and use Iron Head!" Opal commanded at once.
Mawile pushed off the grass with a light jump and shot straight up, rising tens of meters until it was level with Drakloak.
Its round yellow head and the long maw behind it shone with a metallic gleam as it struck forward.
But Iron Head still had a brief pause before impact, and Mawile had no way to adjust itself in midair. It tilted as much as it could, but the attack only grazed Drakloak's tail.
Shiro quickly searched for a way to win.
Right now Mawile had overwhelming power. Its Steel typing also gave it a natural advantage against Dragon moves. Drakloak was at a disadvantage in every way and its chances of winning were low.
But it could fly, giving it a clear edge in dodging.
In a battle, even the smallest advantage could become a path to victory.
Opal, on the other hand, did not view the situation the same way. To her, the fight was already decided.
So what if Drakloak could fly? Mawile still had its own ways to rush forward and strike.
In the blink of an eye, both trainers made their choices.
"Drakloak, use Dragon Pulse!" Shiro shouted.
Opal heard the command and smiled. She called out without any hesitation.
"Mawile, use Sucker Punch!"
Sucker Punch allowed Mawile to lunge at its target instantly, but it only worked if the opponent used an attacking move. That was why Opal waited for Shiro's order before giving her own.
Yet after a brief flicker of dark light across its body, Mawile stayed right where it was.
Sucker Punch had failed.
Opal froze for a moment, then she noticed Drakloak hovering in the air and swaying its body in a strange rhythm, like it was performing a dance.
It was using Dragon Dance.
Before she could fully process it, Drakloak finished the move. Its speed rose again, and its power increased.
Her opponent had baited her.
Shuro had called for Dragon Pulse, but used Dragon Dance instead.
Opal's face flushed. In decades of battling, she had never met someone this shameless. He actually faked his command.
What she didn't know was that aside from herself who rarely left the quiet town of Ballonlea, almost everyone already recognized Shiro's trademark trick. Every competitor, every Gym Leader, even some of the audience knew it well.
Leon and Raihan were both practicing the technique.
Neither of them possessed psychic abilities, so they could not command silently. But if they could make their opponent hesitate for even a second, unsure of what they would do next, they could take control of the match.
In a high-level battle, a single moment of advantage could become the final push that decides everything.
Frustrated, Opal threw caution aside and yelled, "Mawile, use Stockpile!"
Stockpile let a Pokémon gather power, strengthening its defense and special defense.
Her plan was simple. Mawile already had more than enough damage output. She only needed to stack its defenses and make it untouchable.
If Drakloak tried to play a long-distance game of attrition, one mistake would end it. And if it dared come down to attack, Iron Head would show it what a real move felt like.
Shiro did not hesitate.
"Dragon Pulse!"
Drakloak gathered a ball of blue energy in its mouth and fired it with crushing force. The air around it trembled as it shot forward.
Mawile charged its move fast, yet the Dragon Pulse struck just as the Stockpile was about to finish. The attack hit with perfect timing, interrupting the buildup completely.
Opal nearly swore out loud. This time Drakloak did not use Dragon Dance. It used a real Dragon Pulse exactly as commanded.
How was Shiro giving commands? By sheer thought?
She had no time to dwell on it. A prickling urgency rose in her chest.
She had never trained Mawile in baiting moves. She always issued a command and expected the exact move to follow…
**
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