Hop recalled Wooloo, gave the Poké Ball a confident wipe with his thumb, then clipped it back onto his belt and took out another one.
"Heh, now it's his turn!"
He tossed the Poké Ball, and to everyone's surprise, a new Pokémon appeared on the field
Raboot!
"Huh? Your Scorbunny evolved?"
Yuri looked surprised at the Pokémon standing center stage, hands tucked into the pouch on his belly, bouncing lightly on the balls of his feet, ready to spring into action at any moment.
Not long ago, he had still been a Scorbunny. And now, in the blink of an eye, he'd evolved.
"Ha ha ha, yeah! Scorbunny well, Raboot now he's been working really hard lately, and just yesterday he evolved! You'd better step up your game, Yuri, or I'll leave you in the dust!"
"Hmph. Talk to me again after you win this match."
Yuri snorted playfully, then tapped Sobble on her shoulder. The little lizard was crouched there, and Yuri smiled as she turned to her.
"I'm counting on you for this one, Sobble."
"Sobble…!" (Got it…!)
Seeing that the opponent had evolved first gave Sobble a bit of a jolt. But rather than hesitate, she accepted the challenge without a moment's pause. Hooking her tail around Marie's arm, she launched herself off and landed nimbly on the field.
Though timid by nature, Sobble wasn't the type to avoid a fight. After all, she was one of the Galar starters personally entrusted to Yuri and Hop by the Champion himself.
And facing a familiar opponent only seemed to fuel her fighting spirit more than fear.
"Sobble!" (I won't lose to you again this time!)
Raboot, recognizing his longtime rival, pulled his hands out of his pockets and stood straighter. Gone was his usual slouch. He remembered all too well the sting of past defeats Sobble's type advantage had always put him on the back foot.
But now, this might be his chance to turn the tables.
"Sobble…" (I-I won't lose either…!)
Evolution brought a substantial power boost. Even with a type disadvantage, Raboot's enhanced stats gave him the edge. It was anyone's match, but Raboot clearly held the advantage.
Marie, observing from the sidelines, was familiar with the starter trio's general strengths. With Raboot's evolution came the move Flame Charge, and that alone could be a real headache for Sobble.
"Flame Charge, Raboot!"
"Whirlpool! Block him!"
Yuri's command was crisp and confident. Sobble might still be shy, but thanks to their recent training, her special attacks had improved drastically. Being timid didn't mean she hadn't been putting in the work.
Her Whirlpool now lived up to its name.
A swirling vortex, large enough to trap a grown person, burst into life. Guided by Sobble's control, it churned furiously as it surged toward Raboot, who was racing forward cloaked in flames.
Splat hiss
Raboot had underestimated Sobble's precision. He couldn't dodge in time and charged straight into the vortex. A surge of water and a cloud of steam erupted around him, completely swallowing his figure from view.
Sobble, standing at a safer distance, remained untouched.
But Yuri didn't dare relax. Hop's expression remained calm too calm. He wasn't even slightly rattled, as though he had absolute faith in Raboot.
Splash
Suddenly, beneath the sound of swirling water, a sharper splash echoed out. Bursting from the mist, Raboot emerged, cloaked in white light, dashing toward Sobble with astonishing speed.
"Sobble! Protect!"
"Sob…!"
Sobble reacted a beat faster than Yuri, thanks to her connection with the Whirlpool. But Raboot was too fast. Before Sobble's barrier could fully form, he crashed into her.
Thud
Sobble's small body was hurled backward by the sheer force of the impact. Raboot didn't let up.
"Double Kick!"
"Watch out!"
Before either trainer's words had fully landed, the two Pokémon collided again.
Pop
A faint shimmer, like the sound of a bubble bursting, signaled that Sobble's Protect had finally activated. Just in time, it blocked both of Raboot's kicks.
Then, just as Raboot was about to follow up, the remnants of the Whirlpool, still spinning faintly, re-engaged. Sobble, with a subtle pull of her energy, reactivated it to trap Raboot again buying herself a brief moment to recover.
The maneuver caught Hop by surprise. In that short span, Sobble had redirected the lingering Whirlpool and managed to get Protect up just in time to defend against Double Kick.
How had Yuri trained her to manage energy flow that precisely?
Whirlpool might be a continuous move, but that didn't mean it could just follow the target around the battlefield on its own. That level of coordination came from focused practice.
Maybe Sobble's timid personality was exactly what pushed her to favor long-range control. She'd probably been training this technique nonstop.
Funny enough, she handled Whirlpool better than even Water Gun, which she'd known since the beginning.
"Nice! Keep it up! Water Pulse!"
Seeing Sobble in top form, Yuri couldn't help but beam. She'd been worried earlier, but Sobble clearly wasn't afraid. Facing her longtime rival, she looked more determined than ever.
"Flame Charge again! Burn that Whirlpool away!"
Hop's approach was much more straightforward whether it was confidence or recklessness was anyone's guess. But Raboot responded like he'd been set on fire himself.
"Raboot!"
Wrapped in water and frustration, he let out a powerful shout. Flames erupted from his body, stronger than before.
Boom!
Like a sudden eruption, the fire exploded outward, shattering the Whirlpool and vaporizing it into thick mist that flooded the battlefield.
"Sob…!"
Sobble winced at the sweltering air. She hated the heat, but the battle wasn't over. Her Water Pulse was already charged. She fired it through the fog toward the most likely direction Raboot would emerge from.
That was exactly what Hop had counted on. The hot steam disrupted Sobble's sight and sensitivity. Raboot's vision wasn't perfect either, but he had a slight edge.
"Hide your presence, then Quick Attack! Follow with Double Kick!"
Raboot dimmed his flames and vanished into the fog. A flash of white streaked through the mist as he lunged, angling to the left of where Sobble had been aiming.
The moment Water Pulse missed, both Yuri and Sobble realized something was wrong.
"Use Whirlpool for defense!"
There wasn't time to activate Protect. Yuri gambled everything on the move Sobble was most comfortable with, hoping it could launch before the next strike landed.
Sobble understood instantly. Water surged around her in a protective spiral once more. At the same time, Raboot, cloaked in white light, burst from the mist and appeared in Sobble's line of sight.
In that instant, he leapt high and swung both legs down in another fierce Double Kick.
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