Torracat, the unevolved form of the cosmic-level Pokémon Incineroar—its power could only be described, in Satoshi's eyes, as beyond broken.
As one of the strongest starter Pokémon in doubles, Incineroar had ranked among the top three in usage during both the Sword & Shield and Scarlet & Violet eras. Its performance was nothing short of stellar.
Absolutely legendary…
WolfyVGC!
Unfortunately, this world's competitive scene leaned toward singles, not doubles.
And in singles battles, Incineroar wasn't quite that overpowered. So Satoshi wasn't overly panicked.
But even so, Torracat had one edge over its final evolution—
Speed.
"Torracat, use [Shadow Claw]!"
"Meow—!"
Torracat's claw sliced through the air, leaving behind a trail of icy-black arcs—like blades in the darkness, tearing the atmosphere apart.
"[Quick Attack]—dodge it!"
Satoshi issued his command without hesitation.
In a flash, Froakie blurred like a bolt of lightning, narrowly slipping past Torracat's incoming attack. Its [Quick Attack] was pushed to its absolute limit.
"Chase it!"
But Torracat was fast. Extremely fast. It closed the distance again in an instant, smothering Froakie with unrelenting pressure.
This was where Torracat outpaced even Incineroar—its base speed stat was 90, while Incineroar's was only 60.
Froakie's speed stat of 71 couldn't compete, and given the level gap, being overtaken was only natural.
[Aaaahh~ Host, that furball's scary! It's all over Froakie—he hasn't even had a chance to fight back! (｡•́︿•̀｡)]
"Froakie—lay down some [Bubble] on the ground! Create distance!"
There was no way Satoshi would let Froakie take Torracat head-on when the level difference was this steep.
Time for the classic technique—
NIGERUNDA YO!!! (Run for it!!)
Froakie cleverly launched bubbles across the ground behind it, forming a slick barrier in Torracat's path.
"Meow?"
Torracat stepped right into it. A sudden loss of footing sent it skidding along the surface, unable to control its momentum.
"Now—[Water Pulse]!"
A blue ripple of energy gathered in Froakie's palms. At Satoshi's command, it hurled the pulse straight toward Torracat. The wave surged forward like a crashing tide.
"Meow-ha!" Torracat was struck hard by the blast. It cried out as it tumbled backward, a spray of water flying into the air.
[Oof... 10/10. My precious Satoshi, ilysm~]
Quit glitching out over here!
Even though the attack had landed, Satoshi wasn't about to let his guard down.
After all, Torracat was already getting back on its feet. Raana's expression hadn't changed at all—just like a cat's. Calm, curious, vaguely amused. It was... weirdly cute.
"[Scary Face]~"
Torracat's expression contorted. Froakie, who had just been keeping its distance, stiffened at the sudden wave of menace—its body freezing up with fear.
Its speed dropped sharply.
[Scary Face]:Lowers the target's speed by two stages.
Honestly, it felt just like the earlier [Intimidate]—Satoshi could only imagine how horrifying it'd be if Torracat used [Baby-Doll Eyes] on top of all this.
But he didn't have time to daydream—
Because Raana was already giving her next command: Torracat was charging in with [Shadow Claw] again.
If it hit directly, Froakie would be down for sure!
"[Protect]—block it!"
Satoshi called out. Froakie raised its arms, and a green barrier materialized around it in an instant.
"Meow-ha—!"
Torracat's shadowy claws smashed into the shield, but [Protect] held strong.
This wasn't some [Gigantamax] move or [Z-Move], after all.
In this meta, [Protect] was practically untouchable.
Even in competitive play, it was a foundational move—nearly every Pokémon could learn it.
(Except for those two Urshifu variants that broke the entire game by bypassing it...)
Torracat's claws slid off the barrier, doing no damage.
Satoshi didn't miss his chance.
"Now—[Water Pulse] again!"
"Hmph~ Interesting boy. Torracat, use [Flame Charge]! Close the distance!"
Froakie conjured another ripple of pulsing blue energy. The wave surged forward, fast and furious.
"Kero!"
"Meow!"
Just as [Water Pulse] closed in, Torracat launched [Flame Charge]. Fire exploded across its body as it charged straight toward Froakie.
The two attacks collided at point-blank range, triggering a burst of steam and pressure.
The whole battlefield erupted in heat and mist, casting a dazzling veil of vapor across the arena.
"Holy crap, are these two really students?"
"They haven't even fully evolved their Pokémon, and they're still putting on a show like this?!"
"My Pokémon could pull that off too!"
"Show me."
A crowd had gathered to watch the battle, but Satoshi and Raana only had eyes for each other.
Huff... huff...
As the steam began to clear, Froakie and Torracat stood in place, both panting—clearly worn down.
Just from Froakie's breathing, Satoshi could tell: the repeated [Quick Attacks] earlier had drained a lot of stamina. There hadn't been much damage per se, but the level gap...
One more hit and Froakie would be done.
Which meant—
The next move decides it all!
"Torracat—[Flame Charge] again."
"Froakie, jump back—and then hit it with [Water Pulse]!"
Torracat exploded forward once more, [Flame Charge] accelerating it even faster. The move's speed-boosting effect kicked in again as fire roared around its body, heating up the battlefield.
Froakie leapt backward, keeping its distance—and in one swift motion, unleashed another [Water Pulse].
"Meow?"
As Torracat charged straight ahead, it slipped once more—on the leftover [Bubble] from earlier.
In that moment, Froakie struck.
[Water Pulse] slammed into Torracat's chest, extinguishing the fire and blasting it back.
"Meow…"
Finally, Torracat collapsed, unable to continue. The battle was over.
"Torracat is unable to battle! Froakie wins! The victor is... the boy in the hat!"
A student referee raised a flag, officially declaring Satoshi the winner.
"Awesome job, Froakie—you did amazing out there!"
"Kerokero!"
Satoshi dashed over and scooped Froakie into his arms, beaming with pride.
While Raana had kept her attention on Froakie, Satoshi had already studied the terrain—and used Froakie's [Bubble] skill to set a trap for this exact moment.
If Raana had noticed, he would've lost his one and only shot at victory.
But the results spoke for themselves.
"I lost..." Raana blinked in surprise, but recovered quickly. She recalled Torracat without complaint.
"Raana, will you join our team?"
Still basking in his win, Satoshi approached her and brought up the agreement.
Team performance mattered most—and who knew if Anon had managed to recruit anyone on her end.
"Mm. You're an interesting boy~ Buy me another matcha parfait, and I'm in."
"No problem!"
Satoshi and Raana hit it off instantly—which didn't go unnoticed by a certain someone in the crowd.
"Who's that girl? Aion, do you know her?" Soyo's voice was laced with a dark undertone, her eyes locked on the pair.
"Huh? No, I don't... Why, Soyo-chan? You okay?"
"I'm fine…"
Except for the fact that my boyfriend just got stolen. I'd like to initiate Mortal Kombat.