Bang! Bang!
Under the astonished gazes of the crowd, rings of poisonous bubbles appeared on Torkoal's body, while flames erupted from Arbok at the same time.
Then, instead of launching the expected final moves, both Pokémon were taken down in one blow by the negative effects afflicting them.
The battle ended in a rather rushed state, leaving both Mark and Ryoko a little dumbfounded. Then they both smiled wryly and recalled their Pokémon into their Poké Balls.
"This one's just a tie. I was about to win, though," Mark said with some unwillingness as he walked up to Ryoko.
Ryoko just smiled. The battle was already over, there was no point in being competitive now, it simply wasn't her personality.
Still, she understood why Mark felt that way. After all, the damage from Fire Spin was far less severe than from Toxic, especially as time went on.
It was a shame, though… Torkoal had indeed built up a decent advantage in the early stage. Plus, it had used Iron Defense, and its natural defenses were excellent, so it had managed to hold out for quite a while.
At that moment, the crowd -never tired of watching a "good show"- began shouting again, hoping Ryoko would have another match.
"My Torkoal was badly poisoned. I need to take it to the Pokémon Center first, sorry everyone," Ryoko gently explained to the spectators.
Hearing that she needed to treat her injured Pokémon, the crowd knew better than to insist, and they sensibly cleared a path.
"Thank you, everyone!" Ryoko said politely, which made the crowd feel even more embarrassed, but improved their impression of her even more.
"I'm heading to the Pokémon Center too, let's go together," Mark said, walking beside her proactively.
Ryoko tilted her head slightly and glanced at Mark. Seeing the clarity and sincerity in his eyes, she smiled and nodded.
"Oh right, I've got two other friends~ I'll check if they want to come along," Mark added before dashing off to Sato, leaving Ryoko smiling in mild exasperation.
Soon enough, Sato and the others joined them, turning into a temporary group of four.
Along the way, after getting to know each other, they realized they were all about the same age, and quickly began chatting cheerfully.
"When you had Torkoal use Rapid Spin earlier, your timing was spot on. How did you-"
"The core of Rapid Spin is using your own momentum to rotate, while still keeping the Pokémon from getting dizzy. That's the most important thing…"
Sato and Joseph led the way at the front. Listening to the two chatting so animatedly behind them, they both shrugged helplessly.
However, even Sato occasionally found himself slightly inspired by the insights Ryoko shared in passing.
Still, he couldn't help feeling slightly annoyed. 'Are "prodigies" this common nowadays? Why does it feel like I bump into one every time I turn around?'
Back at the Pokémon Center, Mark and Ryoko handed their injured partners over to Nurse Joy. Sato clearly saw that Ryoko handed over four Poké Balls.
It was obvious Ryoko had fought at least four intense battles in a row and still managed to hold her own in the last match, maybe even edge out a win. It was honestly impressive.
"Want to go out and walk around some more?" Joseph asked.
Ryoko shook her head lightly. She wasn't really familiar with Sato and the others; she had just come along to heal her Pokémon.
Mark didn't want to go out either. Lapras wasn't well-suited for battling on land, and the "skiing-style" movement technique it had been training in lately still wasn't quite refined.
If they went out but couldn't battle, Mark figured it was better to just wait until Arbok recovered.
"It's almost mealtime, let's rest for a bit," Sato made the final call and headed toward the Pokémon Center's lounge.
Ryoko hesitated for a moment, but before she could say anything, Mark patted her shoulder, signaling her to come sit and chat since they had nothing else to do anyway.
"Alright, I'll be right over." Ryoko nodded, accepting the invitation.
Once the three of them had turned away, a thoughtful look briefly flickered across Ryoko's face. She stared at one of their backs, as if something had just occurred to her.
"Come on, Ryoko! I still want to hear more about Torkoal!" Mark suddenly turned around and shouted at her.
"Coming!" Ryoko responded quickly and hurried after them.
"We didn't properly introduce ourselves earlier. I'm Joseph, from the Kalos Region… a very, very faraway place. I'm a Pokémon Breeder," Joseph said first once they sat down.
"I'm Ryoko, from Rustboro City in the Hoenn Region. I'm currently collecting Gym Badges, working toward the championship of the Hoenn League's Ever Grande Conference."
Her tone was calm, yet full of confidence. And based on her earlier battle performance, it was clear she had the strength to back it up.
"Sato, from Cerulean City in the Kanto Region. Gym Leader for Shadownight Gym," Sato added after thinking for a moment.
"I-I-I'm Mark, from Shadownight Town in the Johto Region! Child of fortune, embodiment of luck!" Mark shamelessly introduced himself, listing all his exaggerated "traits".
Ryoko listened to each of them intently. After everyone finished speaking, she smiled and nodded in acknowledgment.
"Sato, you're a Gym Leader?" Ryoko asked the first question that piqued her interest.
"Yeah, but the gym's still under construction. I haven't officially taken the post yet," Sato said, pausing slightly. "But I wouldn't mind having an early match, if you're interested."
"Wouldn't miss it for the world!" Ryoko nodded crisply. Gym Leaders were strong Trainers to begin with. Besides, she had already noticed how Joseph and Mark seemed to defer to Sato.
Mark had already surprised her with his strength, so as their leader, Sato was bound to be even more formidable.
As they chatted, time slipped by and noon drew near. Around then, Arbok and the others had finished recovering.
Even Joseph, who rarely slacked off, had already informed everyone to eat lunch at the Pokémon Center's cafeteria.
Having long grown used to Joseph's gourmet meals, Sato and Mark were abruptly reminded of just how amazing those days were when they had to settle for cafeteria food again.
After lunch, the four of them returned to their rooms to rest briefly. At 1:30 p.m., they all gathered at the Pokémon Center's battle arena.
Sato stood on the command platform. On the other side, Ryoko leapt lightly into the Trainer's box.
"Gym Leader Sato, during our lunch break I looked up quite a bit about you. The more I read, the more shocked I was… so please go easy on me~," Ryoko said with a wink, playfully pretending to show weakness.
"Sure, I'll go easy," Sato replied with a smile, already holding a Poké Ball in hand.