On the open field in the park, Ryoko's battle had ended, yet the crowd showed no sign of dispersing.
Clearly, high-quality battles like this weren't common, so when they happened to catch one Trainer, of course they'd try to convince them to stay for another round or two.
"One more battle! One more battle..."
As expected, the crowd began chanting spontaneously. Ryoko looked flustered as she glanced at the crowd packed shoulder to shoulder… how was she supposed to get out of here?
"Well, there's no Trainer to battle right now, so I can't do much," Ryoko said with a helpless laugh.
"How could there be no one? Petalburg City has no shortage of Trainers, right, everyone?"
"Yeah!" practically everyone responded in unison.
But after the chorus of agreement, no one actually stepped forward.
After all, Ryoko's strength had been on full display. While many wanted to test themselves against a strong opponent, no one wanted to embarrass themselves in front of a crowd.
"I'll go! I'll go!"
Suddenly, an excited voice broke the awkward silence, and the crowd eagerly turned their heads.
"This one... doesn't seem too bad?" said the friendly neighbor auntie.
"Looks like a filler. Maybe just a rookie who doesn't know fear," the stubborn shopkeeper uncle commented.
"Mommy, that big bro's hairstyle is so cool! When I grow up, I want to have the same spiky hair!" a little boy exclaimed with excitement.
Smack!
"That's just a bird's nest on his head. If you're ever that lazy, I swear I'll beat you within an inch of your life!" The fierce mom began disciplining her peculiarly brained son.
"Hope he lasts a while, this way we can enjoy more of Ryoko's moves," said a fan, no doubt.
Regardless of what others thought, Mark eagerly ran up and, under a barrage of hostile and disapproving stares, shook hands with Ryoko.
"Let's start the match. One-on-one… should be fine, right?" Ryoko blinked as she spoke with a serious tone.
"Of course!" Mark nodded and jogged to the opposite side of the field, tightly gripping a red-and-white Poké Ball in his hand.
"Battle Start!"
With two crisp cracks, the Poké Balls opened and Arbok and Torkoal appeared simultaneously on the field.
Sato and Joseph watched the two Pokémon with interest, clearly looking forward to how they would perform.
"Arbok, Glare!"
"Torkoal, Iron Defense!"
Arbok raised its upper body, and its cold, venomous eyes locked fiercely onto Torkoal, as if transmitting some invisible energy.
But Torkoal's execution speed for Iron Defense was far beyond Arbok's expectations. The moment Ryoko gave the command, it had already withdrawn into its shell, and the black shell visibly became even more solid.
Glare required direct eye contact with the opponent, without it, the move would have no effect. So in this opening exchange, Ryoko had the upper hand.
"Torkoal, Flamethrower!"
"Arbok, move- keep moving!"
Flamethrower howled across the field, but this time it was Arbok's turn to show off its agility. With a smooth S-shaped sidestep, it easily evaded Torkoal's attack.
"Toxic!"
Ryoko pressed her lips together. She knew that Toxic was practically unavoidable, so she didn't even bother commanding Torkoal to dodge. Instead, she chose to counter with the same strategy.
"Torkoal, Fire Spin!"
No doubt about it. Though Torkoal moved slowly, the speed with which it executed its moves was astonishing.
Whether it was Iron Defense, Flamethrower, or now Fire Spin, every time Ryoko gave a command, it was executed in an instant.
Just as Arbok finished using Toxic and barely had a second to bask in it, Fire Spin roared in and engulfed it completely, trapping it inside.
"Arbok, Venoshock!"
"Torkoal, Fire Blast!"
The two moves collided midair, but Fire Blast easily overpowered Venoshock and pushed through.
While Venoshock's power does double if the target is poisoned or badly poisoned, that only matters if it actually lands.
In a head-to-head aerial clash like this, Venoshock's power simply couldn't match Fire Blast.
This was a total domination in terms of combat style.
On the sidelines, Joseph and Sato both wore serious expressions… this Trainer named Ryoko was definitely not ordinary. It was strange they'd never heard of her before.
In the last battle, Zangoose specialized in close-range combat, and Ryoko had Sceptile defeat it using that same close-range style.
Now, Mark had clearly assumed Ryoko favored direct aggression and lacked flexibility in tactics.
But reality delivered a sharp slap to everyone's assumptions. Whether facing Glare, Toxic, or Venoshock, Ryoko had shown astonishing adaptability.
Throughout the match, Torkoal hadn't used any particularly fancy moves, yet it consistently countered Mark's tactics and gradually built up its advantage.
Looking at this shoulder-length, simply dressed girl who gave off no aggressive aura, Sato suddenly found himself wanting to battle her too.
Back on the field, Mark took in how Arbok had been continually suppressed, and without hesitation, switched up his strategy.
"Arbok, Dig!"
"Torkoal, Bulldoze."
"Tooorkoal~"
Torkoal let out a cry, then suddenly leapt into the air, its limbs glowing with intense Ground-type energy as it slammed down hard onto the ground.
Not quite Earthquake, but even more effective.
Still, Mark didn't look the least bit anxious, he'd anticipated what would come next. Right on cue, the ground beneath Torkoal collapsed.
Thrown off balance, Torkoal was forced to cancel Bulldoze and struggled awkwardly in the hole.
In the next moment, Arbok burst out from a deeper underground layer, smashing upward into the one soft spot on Torkoal -its belly- as it erupted from the ground.
"Arbok, follow up with Aqua Tail!"
"Cha!"
While Torkoal flailed midair in a free-fall, its stubby limbs swinging helplessly, Arbok on the ground whipped its tail around. A swirling current of water condensed around it, and with precision, it lashed Torkoal hard.
"Torkoal, Rapid Spin!"
Ryoko, who had been silent up to now, suddenly gave a sharp command. Anchored by her voice, Torkoal quickly pulled in its limbs and began spinning rapidly, dodging the follow-up Aqua Tail by mere inches!
"Whoa!"
The crowd erupted into cheers again. The offensive and defensive maneuvers on both sides had been too impressive, and Torkoal's airborne spin had caught everyone off guard.
It just looked plain awesome!
Of course, the results from Arbok's sudden tactical shift were just as refreshing, the one-sided suppression by Torkoal had been cleanly broken through.
Sato and Joseph exchanged a glance, both clearly pleased with what they saw.