"…"
Faced with the scene before her, Anon hesitated. It hit her then—she might be the only sane one here.
But her hesitation made Takamatsu Tomori panic. Without a word, she scooped up Piplup and bolted from the area like a startled wild Pokémon.
"Huh?" ×2
Why'd she suddenly run off?!
Seeing her vanish, Satoshi and Anon didn't stop to question it. They chased after her, Satoshi's eyes flashing with resolve. He reached out just in time to catch up to Tomori—
Only for a black-haired girl to suddenly step between them, shielding Tomori behind her with a sharp, protective glare.
"Tomori, are you okay?"
"Who are you two? What do you want?!"
Shiina Taki turned and gave Tomori a quick glance filled with gentleness, then immediately returned her full focus to Satoshi and Anon, her tone laced with distrust and hostility.
Like a lioness protecting her cub, her posture radiated protectiveness that left Satoshi and Anon both momentarily at a loss.
[What the hell's with this woman? Doesn't she know my darling Satoshi and Tomori are friends?]
Satoshi ignored Furiko's commentary and tried speaking calmly, hoping to ease the tension.
"We're friends of Tomori. But who are you?"
"Hah? You two?" Taki's eyes narrowed, clearly unimpressed. Her irritation only seemed to grow.
Satoshi had never seen a girl this hostile before. She reminded him of Cerulean Gym's Gyarados—fierce, snappy, and not in the mood for conversation.
Not that he meant to throw shade at Misty… but this girl seemed even more volatile than her. There was no reasoning with her.
I kinda want to battle her now…
That thought rose in Satoshi's chest, unbidden.
[Yeah! Let's show her our power, then smack her butt after we win! That'll teach her!]
Stop that. What's fun about smacking girls?
Isn't battling Pokémon more fun than that?
Satoshi kept a straight face as he mentally silenced Furiko.
The tension hung heavy. Clearly, there was no easy way out of this one.
Tomori, still behind Taki, didn't stay there long—she darted off again with hurried footsteps.
Step, step…
"Tomori—" Taki moved to chase her, but Anon quickly grabbed her wrist, stopping her in her tracks.
The result: even more awkward silence. All three of them were left frozen in place, while the one they were arguing about had already fled the scene.
"What's your problem? You looking for a fight?" Taki turned to Anon with a scowl, pulling out a Poké Ball.
Satoshi, far from alarmed, actually perked up with interest.
Furiko's earlier nonsense might have been absurd, but it had reminded him—he hadn't had a real, gritty battle yet.
He'd skipped the earlier fight with Anon and Tomori due to their Pokémon's condition, but now?
Now he wanted a battle. Wanted to put this girl in her place.
"If you're picking a fight, I'll take you up on it," Taki challenged. "Win, and I'll tell you everything you want to know about Tomori. Lose, and you owe me a favor—anything I want."
Finally. That's what I've been waiting for.
"No problem!" Satoshi agreed instantly.
...
The three of them ended up back at RiNG, reserving a battle field. Or rather, Taki didn't need to reserve it at all—she worked part-time here, so her usage was free.
On the field, Satoshi and Taki stood opposite one another, both gripping their Poké Balls. Satoshi's annoyance had been simmering for some time—he was ready to go all out from the start.
"Go get her, Satoshi~! Teach that brat a lesson~!" Anon sat off to the side, cheering loudly and waving her arm with enthusiasm.
It almost looked like she was rooting for her boyfriend in a school sports event.
[Exactly! Smack her hard! Right on the—]
Seriously, what did I do to deserve all these lunatics?
Satoshi ignored the background noise and tossed out Raichu's Poké Ball.
"It's all yours, Raichu."
"Rai-rai~"
He trusted Raichu completely. Even though most of its moves were physical, Satoshi had trained it for a hybrid build.
After all, in this world, the concept of "base stats" didn't really exist—nor did EV training.
Base stats could serve as a rough guideline, sure—but EVs? Completely irrelevant.
That meant a ton of Pokémon were actually viable as mixed attackers.
Special attackers could carry physical moves to cover their weaknesses, and physical attackers could surprise with special coverage.
Raichu, as a hybrid, was even better suited for this kind of versatility.
"Go, Heracross."
Taki's partner hit the field—Bug/Fighting type Heracross, standing tall with its massive horn.
It wasn't weak to Electric, and it wasn't a direct counter to Raichu either—but Heracross's raw strength was terrifying. It could rip trees out by the roots with ease.
Satoshi frowned slightly.
He'd have to avoid close combat at all costs.
Still… Bug-types were notoriously underwhelming.
Suddenly not so nervous anymore.
"Heracross, use [Pin Missile]!"
The moment she called out, Heracross locked eyes with Raichu. Dozens of gleaming silver spikes shot through the air like tiny drills.
Okay wait—that's way too many! Is this even legal?!
Satoshi resisted the urge to shout.
"[Quick Attack] to dodge!"
Raichu blurred forward, narrowly avoiding a barrage of spikes. But there were too many—Raichu was grazed by a few.
"Rai—!" Raichu winced but managed to stay upright. Heracross had already closed the gap.
"[Brick Break]!"
The Bug-Type raised its heavy forearm, lunging in from the air to crush Raichu before it could retaliate.
"Jump with your tail—then use [Nuzzle]!"
Just like Pikachu did in the anime, Raichu flipped off its own tail with acrobatic grace, avoiding the incoming strike as Heracross's arm smashed into the ground, cracking it wide open.
In that moment, Raichu zipped to Heracross's side and pressed its cheeks against it—releasing a jolt of paralyzing electricity.
"Wait, what?!"
Anon gawked as Heracross's body seized up from the shock.
"Heracross, get away!" Taki shouted, growing anxious.
But Heracross's arm was still lodged in the earth. The paralysis slowed its movement—it couldn't pull free fast enough.
[Paralysis]: Halves speed and gives a 25% chance of being unable to act.
Turns out, exploiting a Pokémon's traits wasn't that hard after all.
Lesson learned.
But the fight wasn't over yet.
Satoshi grinned.
"Now—[Iron Tail]! Drive it down!"
Raichu spun, its tail glowing metallic silver. With brute force, it slammed Heracross repeatedly into the ground.
Each hit landed like a hammer. Heracross had no room to breathe.
"[Megahorn], straight into the floor!"
Taki shouted, desperate. Heracross used its horn to shatter the ground beneath, finally breaking free and tumbling backward in a roll.
Not fast enough.
"This ends now—[Thunderbolt]!"
Raichu charged up and blasted Heracross at point-blank range.
BOOM.
Heracross's body was struck head-on. Sparks surged through its body as it hit the floor with a heavy thud.
"Heracross is unable to battle! The winner is—Satoshi, from our team~!"
Anon jumped up with a wide grin, throwing her hands in the air.
"Awesome job, Raichu!"
"Rai-rai~"
Satoshi high-fived Raichu. Raichu nuzzled his face—just enough to mildly paralyze him.
Not that it mattered.
Paralysis is nothing. I'm a Super Rookie, remember?
"And thanks for the cheer, Anon."
"No problem~ Ehehe~ Now, Taki, don't you think you owe us an apology?"
Anon strutted over to Taki, smug smile on her face. Taki clenched her fist, resisting the urge to punch her.
You didn't even win—why are you so smug?!
"…Sorry."
Taki mumbled, turning away, refusing to make eye contact. Which only made Anon even more pleased.
This can't be happening…
"Hm? I didn't hear that~?"
"…SORRY!!"
Taki finally shouted, humiliated, tears brimming in her eyes.
Satoshi watched the exchange and let out a tired sigh. Then he and Anon left the scene together. It was getting late anyway.
"…So what is their relationship with Tomori, anyway?"
Taki slumped down onto the ground.
Step, step…
A tap on the shoulder interrupted her thoughts. She turned, confused.
Brown hair. Deep blue eyes.
It was Nagasaki Soyo.
Taki recognized her—her former teammate.
But this Soyo looked… more terrifying than she remembered.
I'm going to end you.
Soyo's azure eyes darkened to jet black. She stared down Taki like a predator sizing up her prey. The air grew heavy.
She grabbed Taki by the collar, her knuckles turning white with pressure.
"Soyo…? What's wrong…?"
Taki felt frozen, like prey caught in a hunter's gaze.
Soyo's lips curved into a smile. Cold and calm.
"Pokémon battle. You will accept, right?"
"…Huh?"