"This battle will be a 2v2 relay match. Each side may use two Pokémon. The match ends when both Pokémon on one side are unable to battle," Joseph, acting as the temporary referee, announced seriously.
"Both sides, send out your Pokémon!"
Bang Bang…
A flash of red light, and two humanoid Pokémon appeared before everyone's eyes.
The golden-colored Cacturne instantly drew everyone's attention. Despite its entire body being golden, it looked even more vibrant and lively than most green-colored Pokémon.
That was the effect of the Grass-type Energy Crystal. Cacturne was in the midst of rapidly digesting its energy, and the Grass-type aura surrounding it was merely the part that had leaked out.
On the other side, Ryoko's chosen Pokémon wasn't as flashy: it was a very composed-looking Shiftry.
Same Grass + Dark typing… 'This was going to be fun.'
Sato's lips curled into a smile. Honestly, if he hadn't already cathed Cacturne, he probably would've chosen Shiftry.
After all, both Cacturne and Shiftry were well worth raising.
"Battle Start!"
The moment the command was given, Sato, Ryoko, and their Pokémon all sprang into action.
"Shiftry, use Fake Out!"
"Cacturne, Sucker Punch."
Bang!
Both moved incredibly fast.
Shiftry lunged forward and was just about to land its Fake Out strike. But Cacturne struck first, its Sucker Punch landing squarely and forcing Shiftry back before it could attack.
How could Fake Out's minor impact compare to the force of Sucker Punch?
As Shiftry was knocked backward, Ryoko instantly realized… Sato had predicted her opening move!
"Shiftry, use Hurricane to relieve the pressure!"
"Shifft!"
Shiftry swept its leafy arms, unleashing a vortex of wind from beneath itself to counteract the force of the blow.
But just as it was about to close in on Cacturne again, the entire battlefield seemed to change.
Cotton… endless cotton… cotton everywhere! While Shiftry was stabilizing itself with Hurricane to avoid follow-up damage, Cacturne had taken full advantage of the moment to deploy Cotton Spore, creating a field of swirling fluff.
The lingering turbulence from Hurricane gave the spores enough lift to swirl and spread throughout the arena.
Shiftry's biggest edge over Cacturne was speed. Now, with Cotton Spore in every direction, that advantage had been completely sealed off.
Cold sweat beaded on Ryoko's forehead. The battle had barely started, yet she was already being overwhelmed… 'Was this the power of the League's strongest rookie?' It truly felt despairing.
"Cacturne, use Pin Missile!"
"Shiftry, use Hurrica- no, use Bullet Seed!"
Sato pursed his lips. Ryoko had zoned out during the battle; trying to counter Pin Missile with Hurricane would have been a huge waste of effort.
Her sudden switch to Bullet Seed resulted in a head-on clash between it and Pin Missile near Shiftry's position, and the resulting shockwave left Shiftry noticeably damaged.
"Drain Punch." Sato wasn't interested in why Ryoko had been distracted, he simply kept pressing Cacturne's assault.
"Huuh... Shiftry, use X-Scissor to meet it head-on!" Ryoko exhaled slowly, as if adjusting her state of mind, then issued the next command.
Sato raised an eyebrow; he hadn't expected Shiftry to know the Bug-type move X-Scissor.
Both Shiftry and Cacturne had a 4x weakness to Bug-type moves. Conversely, that also meant it was very difficult for them to learn Bug-type moves themselves.
Bug-type moves weren't exactly versatile either; among a hundred Shiftry, not even one might know X-Scissor.
The two Pokémon clashed: Drain Punch was 2x effective on Shiftry, and X-Scissor was 4x effective on Cacturne.
But in practice, it was Cacturne who dominated the fight. It landed a right hook to Shiftry's face.
Shiftry crossed its arms, trying to pull off X-Scissor, but before it could finish, Cacturne followed up with a powerful Sky Uppercut.
The move scattered X-Scissor completely, and the "bloated" Shiftry staggered back two steps.
…Only to take another left hook from the charging Cacturne.
Weighed down by Cotton Spore, Shiftry's speed had fallen to a despairing level.
Its offensive attack power was also inferior to Cacturne's. Even with X-Scissor, it lacked the strength to execute it.
It was hopeless.
"Shiftry, retreat. Get out of there! Use Agility!"
"It's no use. Cacturne, Pin Missile!"
Shiftry, heavy and sluggish, backed up a couple of steps and began activating Agility. But in the very next second, it was bombarded by countless glowing white Pin Missiles.
Boom!
Shiftry slammed hard into the ground, unable to get back up.
Even Joseph felt a little sorry for Shiftry, but still announced with a straight face, "Shiftry is unable to battle. Trainer, please send out your next Pokémon."
"You did great, Shiftry. This was my fault," Ryoko said softly as she returned Shiftry, clearly a little regretful.
Then, as she looked back at Sato, her eyes were full of solemn determination.
"This guy's my Starter Pokémon. He'll avenge Shiftry!" Ryoko stared straight at Sato and said seriously, "It's up to you!"
"Blaz!"
One of the Hoenn Region's most popular Starter evolutions: Blaziken.
As a Fire/Fighting-type, Blaziken completely countered Cacturne. Whether at close range or long distance, Cacturne had little hope of doing any real damage.
Just as Ryoko regained her fighting spirit, preparing to use Blaziken to teach Cacturne a lesson, a familiar red light shot out from Sato's platform.
Ryoko stared in disbelief at Sato's seamless switch.
He landed his blow and ran.
How was that fair?
"You… you… you… you…" Ryoko pointed at Sato but was too stunned to speak. After all, even in a 2v2 relay match, one switch was permitted. What Sato did was perfectly legal.
"Go, Zoroark!" After a moment's thought, Sato finally decided to send his "starter".
Since the rest of their travels would take place on land, Sato had already sent his long-exhausted Sharpedo back, and brought Cacturne back in its place.
So now, the one who could effectively face off against Blaziken… was Zoroark.
"ZOOOROH!"
Zoroark let out an excited roar, it had been a long time since its last serious battle. It examined Blaziken carefully, then gave a slight nod.
This would be a fight worth having!