Despite Roserade's battle instincts telling it that simply dodging wouldn't be enough, it chose to follow its Trainer's command out of trust.
It moved like an elegant dancer wearing a mask and cloak. The red flower on its right hand and the blue flower on its left each extended vines toward a nearby boulder.
The thorned vines quickly wrapped around the massive stone.
The next moment, Roserade swung through the air, the vines acting like grappling hooks, pulling it across the battlefield.
Watching Roserade move farther and farther, and seeing Pidgeot still charging up Hurricane, Silas realized he had held back a little.
If he had started gathering wind from the beginning to amplify it into a full Hurricane, Roserade would have had very few options to dodge.
Still, this didn't prevent Pidgeot's Hurricane from hitting Roserade. The all-encompassing wind did not care about distance.
The intense gale swept violently across the battlefield. Even the commentators had fallen to the ground, taking cover in a small protective corner.
Flying-type moves like Hurricane were no joke.
At this moment, Nina finally came to her senses:
"Roserade, use Ingrain!"
Having missed the chance to interrupt Pidgeot at the start, Roserade had no way to counterattack or deal damage. The only viable option was to endure the attack.
By planting itself deep in the ground, Roserade could stabilize its posture while recovering health through Ingrain—the best possible response in this situation.
As for the side effects of Ingrain? Nina had no time to think about them now.
"Shh…"
Amid the raging Hurricane, a barely audible sound of roots piercing the earth could be heard where Roserade had planted itself.
Tiny ochre roots spread from Roserade's yellow feet, weaving into a tangled network that anchored its small, slender body firmly to the ground.
The swirling dust and yellowish sandstorm-like winds enveloped Roserade, hiding it from view.
No one could see Roserade clearly—except for Pidgeot. Its sharp eyesight allowed it to perceive details that humans could not.
Silas glanced at the subtle signals Pidgeot sent—a code only he and his Pokémon could understand and nodded in acknowledgment.
The remnants of Hurricane gradually faded.
"Swift!" Silas commanded again.
Nina had barely glimpsed Roserade's shadow and hadn't even realized it had endured the attack.
Still, it was predictable: Roserade's extremely high Special Defense and the healing from Ingrain were effective. Plus, Pidgeot's offensive power was not outstanding.
Roserade's condition, however, was not perfect. Its green body and white rose-like "hair" were covered in scratches and marks.
A scattering of yellow star-shaped energy shots flew toward the stationary Roserade.
At this point, any move would hit—it was immobilized from using Ingrain.
However, physical contact attacks were immediately ruled out.
Nina's Roserade had the standard ability combo: Poison Point (normal ability) and Technician (hidden ability).
Poison Point could inflict Poison on contact.
Technician boosted the power of weaker moves.
This combination, along with Roserade's moveset, made it dangerous if Pidgeot got too close.
Among ranged moves, Swift was easiest to control in terms of intensity. The damage depended on how much energy the user put into it.
Silas wanted to avoid dealing excessive damage—this was a battle tournament, not the wild.
The energy projectiles of Swift sped toward Roserade, which was panting and trembling from the previous Hurricane.
"Roserade!"
Roserade cried out in pain.
Wait… it didn't faint? Silas raised an eyebrow.
Looking closely, faint green light flowed from the ground into Roserade's body.
The healing from Ingrain had restored some of its vitality. Silas thought that Nina's luck was quite good, though her mental composure was a bit shaky.
Nina reacted faster now
"Roserade, use Energy Ball!"
She had to act quickly—otherwise the round could end prematurely.
No sooner had she spoken than a green orb of energy formed in front of Roserade.
Roserade pressed its hands forward, launching the Energy Ball into the sky.
Thanks to Ingrain, it could rapidly gather life energy from the environment. The normally slow Energy Ball now felt almost instantaneous.
Pidgeot, still recovering from its previous attack, watched the rapidly approaching Energy Ball, unshaken despite its momentary stiffness.
"Bang!"
The energy ball struck its soft feathers. Pidgeot exhaled the breath it had been holding.
To be honest, a Grass-type Energy Ball did very little damage to Pidgeot. Exaggerating a bit, the energy Pidgeot expended using three or four Hurricanes far exceeded the damage from that single Grass attack.
Silas snapped his fingers.
Pidgeot understood.
The yellow projectiles of Swift streaked once again toward the ground-bound Roserade.
Although Roserade immediately attempted to break free from Ingrain after firing Energy Ball, the move's effect was not easily undone—even by Roserade itself.
Roserade had just lifted one leg when the Swift attack struck repeatedly.
Fortunately, its other leg had already rooted. Unfortunately, it exhausted all its energy in the process and could no longer continue battling.
The commentators hovered in their flying rig to get a better view. The referee, showing respect, waited until the commentary was finished before raising the blue flag, signifying Silas's victory.
Nina withdrew Roserade, her movements stiff and awkward.
"You should trust your Pokémon. Even if you gave up, they didn't," Silas said unconsciously.
Nina's hesitation became obvious when Roserade emerged from the Hurricane.
As a Trainer, failing to trust your Pokémon when they still have a good chance to fight is not behavior befitting a competent Trainer.
Mistakes in commands or brief lapses in focus are one thing—but a Trainer must always believe in their partner.
Just as Pokémon will act on trust even if the Trainer gives the wrong command, a Trainer should trust that their Pokémon will always have their back and achieve the desired outcome—rather than prematurely giving up like Nina had.
Nina stood motionless on the command stand, completely blank.
The referee subtly shook his head—it was the first time he had encountered such a psychologically fragile Trainer.
Trainers who make it to the main arena have experienced countless failures; even an unexpected defeat should not provoke such a reaction.
Clearly, it was a human problem.
"Thank you. I will," Nina said softly. If not for Silas's sharp ears and the referee being close by, the words would have been inaudible.
"Then, show them what you've got, Shiftry!"
Before Silas and the referee could process her odd thanks, Nina had completely recovered from her earlier slump and energetically sent out her last Pokémon.
"Women… are they always so unpredictable?" Silas and the referee simultaneously thought.
"Shiftry~!"
A familiar red glow emanated from the Poké Ball, and a large, imposing, brown Pokémon appeared on the battlefield.
Its long, fluffy white mane covered most of its face. Its long ears and elongated, pointed snout gave it the appearance of a mythical Germanic elf—or a Pinocchio-like creature—with teeth constantly clenched in a fierce expression.
Its hands, composed of three large leaves, were its primary weapons. Its feet, shaped like traditional Japanese geta, caused an unusual gait, but its speed was unaffected, and it moved through the forest as if it belonged there.
The "Forest God", Shiftry.
The nickname alone spoke to its power—the title of "God" was not given lightly.
Its fan-shaped leaf hands could generate Hurricane of Level 11 intensity, surpassing many Flying-type Pokémon.
As a Grass/Dark-type, Shiftry was not as vicious as rumors suggested; it was extremely loyal.
Its Dark-type nature manifested in battle as excellent timing and strategy. Shiftry could read opponents' minds and act preemptively, making it a very formidable adversary.
Silas quickly re-entered battle mode.
"Pidgeot, Agility."
Although tricky, Silas had already mentally declared himself the winner.
Shiftry's power relied heavily on terrain. Outside a forest environment, its speed was less impressive. Even if it could predict and act first, it wasn't insurmountable.
In simple terms, high mental concentration can anticipate moves, but if the mind outruns the body, that's when things get dangerous.
Moreover, Pidgeot had a type advantage over Shiftry.
As Silas called out his command, Nina ordered Shiftry to attack:
"Shiftry, Icy Wind!"
...
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