Raichu had the type advantage over Milotic—Electric versus Water—and in Satoshi's eyes, they were about equal in power.
But Sakiko looked calm, entirely composed. Not the slightest trace of panic.
"Milotic, use [Dragon Pulse]."
At her command, a surging wave of violet-blue energy burst from Milotic's mouth, rushing toward its opponent.
"Counter it with [Thunderbolt]!"
"Rai... Raichu—!"
Satoshi called out, and Raichu released a powerful surge of electricity. The two attacks collided midair in a brilliant explosion.
BOOM!
The clash was deafening. Wind howled as leaves were blown astray, dust kicked up into the air. Energy burst outward in waves, shaking the trees and rustling the grass and stones across the battlefield.
Both sides were dead even. Neither gained an upper hand.
In yesterday's battle between Hachiman Umi and Wakaba Mutsumi, Satoshi had picked up a thing or two about type interactions.
Dragon resists Electric.
Raichu's [Thunderbolt] had STAB (Same-Type Attack Bonus), boosting it by 1.5×, but since Electric was resisted by Dragon, the effectiveness was still balanced.
Meaning—if they were clashing equally now, Raichu's Special Attack was likely far higher than Milotic's.
"Use [Dragon Pulse] again!"
"[Thunderbolt]!"
Given the current exchange rate, two [Thunderbolts] should be enough to KO Milotic—but not if they stayed in this endless long-range duel.
It would just be a drawn-out trade of [Thunderbolt] and [Dragon Pulse].
But Raichu had one advantage over Milotic.
Speed.
With a base speed of 110, Raichu was significantly faster than Milotic's 81—especially relevant in single battles, where speed could dictate everything.
[Host, finish her off!]
"Raichu, use [Quick Attack]! Get in close!"
Satoshi had no intention of dragging this out. A prolonged trade wasn't true Pokémon battling.
Raichu shot forward like a streak of lightning.
But Sakiko smiled.
"[Twister]."
"Rai?"
Raichu dashed forward—only to be halted by a powerful swirling cyclone. Milotic's [Twister] whipped up a ferocious windstorm that blocked Raichu mid-charge.
Worse—it threw Raichu back a full ten meters, slamming it into the ground.
[Damn—host, she set a trap!]
"In that case—[Thunderbolt], straight into the [Twister]!"
"Into the [Twister]?!"
"Raichu—!"
Raichu gathered its strength and launched [Thunderbolt]—not at Milotic directly, but at the swirling vortex.
Golden lightning curled into the cyclone, dancing along the winds until it drilled deep into its core.
"Raaaghhh—!" Milotic screamed in pain as electricity pierced the [Twister]. Its body convulsed from the impact.
Wait... that actually worked?!
Is this even legal?!
Sakiko stared, stunned.
She'd expected a direct clash—not this absurd maneuver. Satoshi had used the battlefield itself to redirect his attack.
But to him, this was nothing special.
In the anime, Pikachu had once run through a water vortex by using electricity to ride the current—so having Raichu electrify a [Twister]? Totally normal.
Besides, real tornadoes often generated lightning too.
My buddy—Raichu!
Don't think too hard!
The cyclone twisted wildly, electricity threading through it like a glowing net. The storm grew unstable—then began to dissipate.
"Milotic, stop and use [Recover], quickly!"
"[Nuzzle]!"
Milotic stopped the [Twister] and immediately glowed with a white light, healing its wounds.
But by then, Raichu was already in front of it—gently brushing against Milotic's scales.
A jolt of static. Milotic tensed—paralyzed.
[Paralysis]: halves a Pokémon's Speed, and gives it a 25% chance to fail any move.
Satoshi's favorite status condition.
Effective? For a Super Rookie like him, the answer was...
Meh.
"[Dragon Pulse]!"
"[Thunderbolt]!"
Unfortunately, paralysis didn't trigger this time.
The two powerful attacks clashed once again, shockwaves sending both Pokémon flying.
"[Recover]—Milotic?"
Sakiko saw her chance and ordered another heal.
But Milotic was too slow. Paralyzed, and naturally sluggish, it couldn't move faster than Raichu.
"[Quick Attack]!"
Satoshi's eyes sharpened as he raised his hand. This was it—the final phase.
"[Iron Head]—block it!"
"Use [Iron Tail]!"
"Rai—!"
Raichu burst forward, its tail shimmering silver with metallic energy. Milotic responded in kind, its head glowing with [Iron Head].
Steel clashed against steel.
CLANG—CLANG—!
"Raichu!" "Huuuaahh!"
Raichu landed a clean hit—Milotic cried out and staggered from the blow.
But it still stood. Resolute.
Satoshi couldn't help but admire it.
"You're strong. Really strong. Raichu—let's finish this with one last [Thunderbolt]!"
"Raichu—!!"
The thunderclap split the air, static filling the arena.
Sakiko paled.
"Milotic, Dragon Pul—huh?!"
Milotic twitched—and didn't move.
[Paralysis] had finally kicked in.
It couldn't act. It had to take the full brunt of [Thunderbolt].
The crackling energy surged through its body, until finally—
Milotic collapsed.
"Milotic?!" Sakiko rushed over in alarm.
"Dang... I might've gone too far." Satoshi scratched his head, wincing. He hadn't expected paralysis to hit right at the crucial moment.
He hurried over to check on Milotic's condition.
But just as he stepped forward—
[Hehe... We did it~~ Satoshi, my sweet Satoshi~ (drools) I'm thinking naughty thoughts~~]
Stop glitching out on me!!