"Sato, this Weavile of yours… wasn't raised from the start by you, right?"
Sinnoh Region, Forest.
Fujin stood side by side with Sato, watching the two Weaviles fiercely sparring in the distance.
"Yeah. When I caught it, it had already reached Peak Elite. Its survival instincts in the wild were incredibly strong."
"Mmmh. No wonder. Its mive tree seems a bit… off," Fujin nodded in understanding.
Then he added, "The Weavile line has always excelled in physical Attacks. That's determined by their species' natural traits. Although every Pokémon is unique, there's no denying that each species has a growth path best suited for them. The general direction is consistent.
A Weavile that specializes in Special Attack might appear stronger early on, but in the long run… it won't even reach half the results for double the effort."
Just as he finished speaking, one of the Weaviles was suddenly sent flying backward, crashing into a tree before slowly sliding down.
…It was Sato's Weavile.
---◓---
Back in the arena, Meganium's Frenzy Plant surged toward Weavile almost instantly. The thorn-covered brambles, densely intertwined, made one's scalp tingle just looking at them.
Sato suppressed the memories flashing through his mind and gave a command: "Ice Punch."
"Wea…"
Weavile's response was soft, but its blood-red eyes were filled with determination.
'So what if the move tree is crooked? I'll straighten it myself. I, Weavile, have never lost to anyone!'
A seemingly ordinary Ice Punch struck out, colliding first with the nearest Frenzy Plant vine.
What happened next was shocking.
Those charging Frenzy Plant vines suddenly froze in place, as if they had been hit by Disable.
A thin layer of frost coated them, yet it felt like an impenetrable steel wall, stopping the wild brambles dead in their tracks!
"Weea!"
Another light cry, still steady. Weavile raised its other claw, now glowing brightly white, and struck out with force!
Focus Punch!
Craaaack… Crack-cra-crack…!
Shattering sounds erupted and grew louder. The frost had taken root deep into the Frenzy Plant vines.
As the ice shattered, so did the Frenzy Plant, collapsing and fading away!
---◓---
"Weavile… you feel it too, right? Blizzard is getting harder and harder to power up." Sato spoke as he treated the injuries on Weavile's body.
Weavile quietly raised its bone claw, staring at the icy shimmer along its edge, its mind blank with uncertainty.
Since it was young, it had always prided itself on being better than others of its kind at Ice-type Special Attacks. That talent had made survival in the wild almost effortless.
Even after meeting Sato, its furious, raging Blizzard had remained its trump card for clutch reversals.
Until it reached Elite Four level, and so did its opponents… Blizzard stopped working.
Just then, Sato's hand rested on Weavile's head, gently stroking the crest of feathers there.
"It's alright. We'll keep practicing Blizzard, but it's also time to develop new signature moves. Ones better suited to you, moves that can still turn the tide in desperate moments."
"…Wea?" Weavile looked up with wide eyes, full of confusion.
"Leave it to me. Don't worry," Sato smiled, as two words quietly echoed in his heart.
'Enchant it.'
---◓---
On the battlefield, the newly grown grasses still swayed gently in the breeze, as if everything were calm and peaceful.
Meganium and Weavile locked eyes across the field. The former was full of shock; its strongest move had been shattered head-on, a blow that shook its confidence deeply.
There was even… a faint sense of fear.
As for the latter, it wore a crooked, mocking grin; and it had clearly sensed Meganium's fear!
Fear meant defeat!
"Weavile."
Without needing Sato's command, Weavile had already surged toward Meganium with explosive speed. Dark-type energy, black as ink, coiled around its claws, which then slashed viciously at Meganium's most vulnerable neck area.
Night Slash!
"Meganium, Reflect!"
"Mega!"
Meganium was rattled, but upon hearing its Trainer's voice, it immediately found its anchor.
A golden Reflect barrier wrapped around its body. The otherwise fatal Night Slash was instantly halved in power.
Meganium staggered back from the hit but didn't go down. Seeing that Sunny Day was still active, it immediately began to use Synthesis!
With Synthesis taking effect, Meganium's injuries began healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
But in the very next moment, Weavile transformed into a shadow, dashing past Meganium in a blur!
…The expected pain never came, but Synthesis was forcibly interrupted!
No! It had been stolen!
Weavile's body now flickered with a strangely warm green glow.
Snatch: a Dark-type status move that takes over an opponent's healing or stat-boosting move as its own.
Synthesis had been stolen directly by Weavile!
Sato's lips curled upward. To see a planned tactic execute smoothly with great results… there was no better feeling.
If Ice Punch -with its dual physical and special attack properties- was Weavile's long-refined, tailor-made secret weapon.
Then this Snatch counter was a strategically crafted move Sato had prepared specifically for Elite Four Sen.
How many Grass-type Pokémon specialize in defense but also rely on recovery and inflicting annoying status effects?
Snatch was made to shut down Meganium's recovery ability!
With Synthesis gone, Solar Beam -being straightforward and direct- couldn't hit Weavile at all.
Sunny Day became useless, and Meganium had no way to resist Weavile's relentless attacks!
Even worse, under the threat of Snatch, Sen didn't dare command Meganium to use Reflect or Light Screen repeatedly, fearing those would be stolen too.
In the end, Meganium could only fall in an extremely stifled and frustrating manner.
"Meganium is unable to battle. Weavile wins! Elite Four Sen, please send out your next Pokémon!"
The first result was in. The audience instantly erupted. How had the clearly dominant Meganium been defeated so quickly?
On the field, Elite Four Sen calmly recalled Meganium, then suddenly smiled at Sato.
"You studied me~"
"Going all out includes researching your opponent beforehand," Sato replied coolly on the surface, but silently added in his heart: 'Including asking my junior to research you for me. Sosuke… mm, your data gathering is excellent.'
"Then this is perfect. Time for me to bring out the big guns!" Sen grinned widely and, without hesitation, threw out his next Poké Ball.
A flash of blue light… and a large silver spiked disc appeared on the battlefield.
Grass/Steel type: Ferrothorn!