"Frogadier, Water Pulse. Absol, Psycho Cut."
"Fro!" "Sol!"
In the battle arena, Frogadier suddenly kicked off with force, dodging Quilladin's incoming Rollout attack.
Then, while spinning stylishly midair, it launched the freshly condensed Rasen- cough… Water Pulse in its right hand straight toward the opposing Slurpuff!
At the same time, Absol's Psycho Cut also flew out, targeting that same Slurpuff.
"SLURPUFF, DODGE IT QUICKLY!"
Slurpuff heard the Trainer's command… but clearly had no mastery of the sacred technique known as "Evasion."
With a full 'I can't do this' expression, the panicked Slurpuff was first drenched by the Water Pulse, then sent flying directly by Absol's Psycho Cut.
Just then, Quilladin sluggishly brought its Rollout to a stop, and turned to see its teammate getting launched sideways right past it.
"Qui… QUILL!"
Quilladin was first startled, then extremely enraged. At that moment, its Trainer's command came through as well, prompting it to unleash Pin Missile at Absol without hesitation.
"Absol, Detect. Frogadier, Aerial Ace."
After all, Quilladin was still a second-stage Starter Pokémon, so its Pin Missile wasn't weak by any means. But with Detect, Absol easily dodged the dense barrage of Pin Missiles.
Frogadier took the chance to close in on Quilladin, unleashing a flurry of sharp Aerial Ace slashes!
"Slurpuff and Quilladin have both lost the ability to battle. Absol and Frogadier win. The victor of this Double Battle is Trainer Sato!" the referee announced with a 'serious' flag wave.
On the opposite side, the equally chubby Trainer dejectedly recalled their Slurpuff and Quilladin, then quietly stepped down from the stage.
Sato called Frogadier and Absol over, lowering his head to check their condition while waiting for the next challenger to step up.
Yes, in order to train Frogadier and Absol, Sato had voluntarily joined the battle event organized aboard the cruise ship, a warm-up session for his Pokémon.
Down below, the Shadownight Gym members stood in a row, each holding a cup of fizzy sugar happiness~ Leisurely watching their Leader style on rookies.
"Ugh~ Boss won again. These matches are so boring when you already know the outcome…"
Mark sucked on his straw and made a snide comment. The only one present who could keep him in check was Joseph; but Joseph clearly wasn't in the mood to bother with him.
Which only made Mark act out even more…
"Hey! What if there's some 'hidden expert' on the ship who's fed up with Boss showing off and decides to jump in, and… oh! A new challenger's on stage."
Akira and the others perked up slightly. Under their casual gazes, a female Trainer stepped onto the stage and immediately sent out a Mid Elite Heliolisk and Pangoro.
Whoosh~ Whoosh~ Whoosh…
Akira and the others instantly turned to look at Mark. It wasn't the first time they'd witnessed his freakishly accurate "predictions", so instead of being surprised, their eyes were filled with amusement.
"…Huh? Why're you all staring at me? I didn't say anything just now! Absolutely nothing!"
Mark blinked his wide, sparkly "Jigglypuff" eyes, trying to cute his way out of it.
"Could it be I misheard~? But my tablet just so happened to press the record button… let's play it back and see!"
Sia said on purpose, pulling out a tablet like a magician revealing a trick; its fluctuating screen clearly showing a recording file.
"AHEM!"
Suddenly, Sina also silently pulled out a voice recorder, the flashing red light making Mark feel incredibly targeted.
Next, Akira, Ponyo, and Sosuke all brought out their own recording devices, and under Mark's stunned gaze, each of them moved to press playback!
…Even Lotta had been secretly handed a recorder by Sia, forcing her aboard this "pirate ship."
"YOU-YOU-YOU GUYS…!" Mark clutched his chest and ran behind Mama Joseph with a face full of anguish, looking like he never wanted to play with them again.
And in the next moment… Joseph also pulled out his phone, which was likewise still recording.
"Yeah, I also pressed it by accident~"
Mark: ...!!!!!!!!!!
From beginning to end, none of them had actually been worried about Sato.
A "hidden expert," to their Gym Leader, was just a slightly larger EXP bag…
Sato didn't have time to pay attention to his companions' antics down below, because the two Pokémon before him were no pushovers.
It wouldn't be difficult for Frogadier and Absol to win, but it definitely wouldn't be easy either.
"Now, battle start!"
"Pangoro, Comet Punch! Heliolisk, Thunderbolt!"
As soon as the match began, the Trainer launched a fierce assault; and the two Pokémon she sent out held absolute type advantage!
"Frogadier, Aerial Ace. Absol, Psychic."
Sato wasn't slow to respond either. Since the opponent wanted to rely on type advantage, there was no way he'd let that plan succeed.
Absol's Psychic and Heliolisk's Thunderbolt were launched almost simultaneously.
Heliolisk targeted Frogadier, but its Thunderbolt was intercepted midair by Psychic.
Meanwhile, Frogadier unhesitatingly rushed Pangoro to intercept.
Aerial Ace frenzy vs. Comet Punch barrage!
Thunderbolt vs. Psychic clash!
The first to reach their limit was Absol, whose level was still the lowest, having yet to reach the Elite stage.
Even under the influence of Psychic, Heliolisk's Thunderbolt continued to surge restlessly. But Absol knew very well that the only thing it had to do now was block Thunderbolt with everything it had until Frogadier and Pangoro's battle reached a conclusion.
On the other side, Pangoro and Frogadier had already entered an intense close-quarters fight.
Frogadier was extremely agile, and the power bursting from its small body was in no way inferior to Pangoro's. Its Protean Ability gave Aerial Ace the benefit of STAB.
But Pangoro had higher defenses. Though it looked bulky, it wasn't sluggish at all.
Its only drawback was that Comet Punch had low early damage, and Pangoro had already been forced into Frogadier's rhythm.
And that… was deadly!
"FROOOO!"
Frogadier let out a loud cry, landing a powerful Aerial Ace back-kick directly to Pangoro's relatively vulnerable neck, knocking it to the ground!
Only then did Absol stop channeling Psychic in exhaustion, but by now, Frogadier had plenty of time to evade Heliolisk's Thunderbolt.
"Close the gap, Hydro Pump."
"Heliolisk, Quick Attack to intercept it!"
"Absol, Me First."
Me First: Execute the move the opponent was about to use ahead of them, with a 50% boost in power!
Absol struck first with Quick Attack before Heliolisk could move, intercepting its charge once again.
Frogadier truly lived up to its title as the "Little Tyrant of the Breeding Center". Its combat decisions were decisive, and it trusted Absol completely, even though Absol had once defeated it!
To Sato, that trust was something truly rare and valuable.
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200 PS - CH