"Tauros!"
In the silent surroundings, only Nemona's worried voice echoed across the Sun Square.
"Tauros is unable to battle!"
Under Director Clavell's judgment, Nemona quickly recalled Tauros into its Poké Ball, a trace of self-reproach in her heart.
She didn't claim to know Teacher Lucas's main team like the back of her hand, but she had often trained against them—especially in the days leading up to the Champion challenge run, when she had spent entire days training with them.
Just like when her Decidueye had faced Ceruledge under her command. Although it hadn't won in the end, it had truly suppressed Ceruledge during the battle.
Yet the Serperior, which should have been roughly equal in strength to Ceruledge, had defeated Tauros in an overwhelmingly unreasonable and crushing manner.
Could it be that the strength they showed during training was still far from their serious level?
Once she realized this, Nemona felt that her earlier actions had been incredibly foolish.
She could have avoided sending Tauros to test the waters and switched to something like Goodra, whose typing was more advantageous. Had she become a little arrogant after the Champion assessment?
She had thought she could stand on the same level as her teacher, forgetting that the other party was a genius who was at least equal to—or even surpassed—her.
Lucas and Serperior's domineering display had directly shattered Nemona's complacency and calmed her restless mindset.
She would challenge Teacher Lucas with the same challenger's mentality as before!
Not by thinking she could prove her growth through brute force alone!
"Ribombee!"
Nemona took a deep breath, quickly replacing the panic in her eyes with focus.
"Not bad. Maintaining a good mindset and not letting temporary gains or losses shake your will—that's what makes a Champion-level Trainer."
Lucas had never been stingy with praise for Nemona's performance. He immediately countered with a big move.
"Leaf Storm."
Most of the moves Serperior excelled at were Grass-type. Although Ribombee could resist Grass-type attacks with its Bug typing, it was still safer than using moves Serperior wasn't as proficient with.
Fierce winds whipped up countless emerald leaves, forming a madly spinning tornado in mid-air.
The sharp edges of the leaves grew even sharper with the surging gale.
Under Serperior's control, the Leaf Storm roared toward Ribombee.
Given Ribombee's small size, it probably couldn't withstand such a violent wind and would suffer far more damage than a normal-sized Pokémon.
Nemona made this judgment instantly and issued her command.
"Block it with Dazzling Gleam!"
Just as she had intercepted Dragapult's Shadow Ball earlier, Nemona once again chose the versatile Fairy-type move Dazzling Gleam.
The next instant.
Colorful light burst from Ribombee's body, and countless straight light arrows collided with and canceled out the Leaf Storm.
After all, this was the first Leaf Storm Serperior had launched, so Ribombee naturally succeeded in blocking it.
Once the Leaf Storm dissipated, red upward waves appeared on Serperior's body. Its Contrary ability activated, reversing the two-stage Special Attack drop from using Leaf Storm into a boost!
Nemona's pupils shrank. Without hesitation, she commanded:
"Quiver Dance!"
If Serperior stacked six stages of Special Attack, taking it down would no longer be a matter of difficulty—it might even sweep the team!
Nemona chose to boost Ribombee as well, looking for an opening to defeat Serperior with type advantage.
Even if she couldn't, she still had Baton Pass as a fallback. This was the best approach.
Just as Ribombee used the aftermath of the clash between Dazzling Gleam and Leaf Storm as cover to begin its mysterious Quiver Dance—
As if he had seen through Nemona's plan long ago, Lucas issued his command smoothly.
"Taunt."
In an instant, Serperior's lips curled into a smirk. Its majestic red eyes glowed with a provocative light as it stared at Ribombee.
The thick smoke was blown away by the sudden gust. Ribombee, in the middle of Quiver Dance, couldn't help but be drawn to the light blooming in Serperior's eyes.
By then, Ribombee's Quiver Dance was nearly complete. Even if Nemona immediately told it not to make eye contact, Ribombee was still captivated by the glow—like a moth drawn to a flame.
An inexplicable rage surged in Ribombee's heart, twisting its cute face into something almost ferocious.
Even the nearly finished Quiver Dance was interrupted.
Down below, the watching Paul's expression shifted slightly. "The Baton Pass tactic… won't work anymore."
Under Taunt, the enraged Ribombee would no longer attempt status moves and would, to some extent, even ignore its Trainer's commands, focusing solely on launching a fierce assault on the opponent.
The Baton Pass tactic had originally been taught to Nemona by Teacher Lucas. He had probably started looking for an opportunity the moment she sent out Ribombee, preparing to catch her off guard at the critical moment.
His strength was already overwhelming, yet his heart was so black—he was full of dirty tricks. It was… just too awesome!
Paul once again strengthened his resolve to become a Trainer like Teacher Lucas!
At the same time, on the battlefield—
"Don't go over there, Ribombee!"
Even though Nemona used the method Lucas had taught her, shouting loudly to the Taunted Pokémon in an attempt to pull it out of its rage and regain a shred of clarity—
Ribombee's attack aimed at Serperior had already been charged and ready.
The Bug-type special move Bug Buzz—an attack with excellent effect against Serperior, one it wouldn't normally dare to tank head-on—was unleashed.
The cyan high-frequency waves constantly distorted the air along their path.
Serperior could have dodged this somewhat inaccurate, rage-fueled Bug Buzz with its speed.
But it remained motionless where it stood.
Just before Bug Buzz was about to hit Serperior—
Amid the uproar, Lucas acted with both hands. His left hand's Poké Ball fired a beam to recall Serperior, while his right hand tossed another Poké Ball high into the air. A petite figure roughly the same size as Ribombee appeared on the battlefield, brushing past the exploding Bug Buzz!
"Mimikyu, Will-O-Wisp."
His command was issued the moment Mimikyu entered the field.
In Lucas's mind, if Ribombee hadn't encountered Serperior and hadn't been Taunted, Mimikyu would have used Disarming Voice against the Quiver Dance-boosted Ribombee.
But since it had luckily run into Serperior, it wouldn't get to experience the super-effective, burn-inflicting Disarming Voice. Though regrettable, Lucas seamlessly switched to the backup move Will-O-Wisp.
Ribombee had already begun preparing a second Bug Buzz. Even though Nemona's shouts had helped it regain some sanity, all it could do was aim the move at Mimikyu—it couldn't stop the attack.
This actually helped Lucas.
Hitting a nimble, fast-flying Pokémon with the not-yet-proficient Will-O-Wisp would have been quite difficult.
"Mimi!"
Mimikyu rubbed the dried stick disguised as a Pikachu tail against its doll costume. In an instant, several ghostly flames appeared and floated toward Ribombee!
At the same time, Ribombee's second Bug Buzz arrived.
The cyan shockwaves that vibrated the air slammed into Mimikyu, kicking up a cloud of dust!
Although Bug Buzz had landed, Nemona felt no joy at all.
She knew Mimikyu's ability inside and out.
The fact that Mimikyu only looked a bit droopy, with no visible injuries even after the massive Shadow Claw had scattered the smoke, proved it.
Disguise had blocked the Bug Buzz, but the flames that ignited on the pained Ribombee were real.
Not to mention Lucas's immediate follow-up command.
"Hex."
This move would have been far more threatening if used by a Ghost-type Pokémon with outstanding Special Attack. Mimikyu, which excelled at physical attacks, wasn't the best fit for Hex.
But under the gap in raw power, none of that mattered much.
The real eye on Mimikyu's belly glowed brightly. A ghostly purple beam shot toward Ribombee like a laser.
Ribombee, which had recovered most of its mobility through sheer willpower, forcibly stopped the move it was preparing under Nemona's command and tried to dodge Hex.
But the beam was too fast, and Ribombee was still in a state of internal conflict. Half the beam still grazed its body and continued outputting damage!
"Bee—!"
Ribombee let out a miserable cry.
The flames that had just subsided flared up again on its body.
Under the burn status, Ribombee's wing flaps stopped entirely. It plummeted to the ground.
"What a shame. If Mimikyu's Special Attack were a bit higher, Hex would have been a true finishing blow."
Lucas thought with a sigh.
One side was enveloped by Hex's attack while its burn was further triggered.
Who could withstand this little combo?
At least a frail Fire-weak Ribombee couldn't.
"Let's end this round. Shadow Claw."
As Mimikyu pounced toward the temporarily immobilized Ribombee wracked with pain—
Realizing there was no hope of a comeback, Nemona gritted her teeth and shouted: "Hang in there, Ribombee! Use Sticky Web!"
At the very least, she had to restrict Mimikyu's movement speed!
"Bee!" Ribombee half-opened its eyes and struggled to prop itself up with its slender arms.
The instant Mimikyu lunged at it, it released a Sticky Web that could effectively lower Mimikyu's speed and agility!
Boom!
The next moment, Mimikyu's wildly dancing Shadow Claws mercilessly struck Ribombee. After the violent impact and dispersing smoke, Ribombee's unconscious form appeared before everyone.
"Ribombee is unable to battle!"
Clavell adjusted his glasses and announced the verdict in a calm tone.
In the crowd, Rika irritably ruffled her hair.
"Nemo-chan has completely fallen into that black-hearted guy's rhythm…"
"Tch, truly merciless."
From this short exchange, rather than the shocking oppressive force of Serperior's earlier crushing victory over Tauros, what Lucas displayed was instead a calm, calculated composure.
Mimikyu's own strength wasn't even that obvious… No, most Ghost-type Pokémon fought this way, didn't they?
This time, after Nemona recalled Ribombee, Lucas also recalled Mimikyu at the same time.
"A normal rotation. Shall we throw our Poké Balls together?"
Lucas smiled as he explained to Nemona. She nodded lightly with a soft "Mm."
Although she had lost the first two rounds quickly, she had vaguely realized something.
Her hard power was inferior to Serperior and Mimikyu, and her tactical thinking was entirely inherited from Teacher Lucas.
It was as if he were warning her—delivering heavy blows to her two lines of thinking in succession while also waking her up.
What were her own characteristics? What was the battling style she excelled at?
It wasn't about flaunting what she had learned from Teacher Lucas—that was just showing off in front of an expert.
Instead, fighting in her own way, using the style she was best at—that was probably the answer.
Seeing Nemona who seemed to have gained some insight, Lucas hid his smile deep in his heart. Together with Nemona after her deep breath, they threw their Poké Balls at the same time.
"Ceruledge!"
"Decidueye!"
Two Pokémon of similar height, both humanoid in shape, faced off on opposite sides of the battlefield.
One was a cool, handsome flaming swordsman; the other was a mysterious, agile ghostly ranger.
This immediately drew cheers from the spontaneously gathered audience around them.
"Both Pokémon look so strong!"
"Go, Decidueye!"
Thanks to the live broadcast, even though they could see Nemona's disadvantage, there were still plenty of people in the crowd cheering for Decidueye.
It was largely because of its performance in the earlier battle against Geeta—especially that beautiful final Spirit Shackle that restricted Dragapult, allowing its teammates to finish the job. It had looked incredibly cool.
At that moment, Nemona recalled the morning when she had commanded Decidueye against Ceruledge.
Back then, it had still fallen a bit short. She hadn't anticipated Ceruledge's Smokescreen, which caused the battle line to collapse and squandered the earlier advantage, leading to the challenge's failure.
This time, Ceruledge would be commanded personally by Lucas!
It was normal to feel uncertain, but even though her fingers trembled slightly from nervousness, Nemona's heart burned with excitement.
She loved challenging her own limits the most!
"Spirit Shackle!"
As if sensing its Trainer's excited emotions, Decidueye spread its wings, grabbed a shed feather that turned into a bow and arrow, and fired it with the belief that it could pierce anything!
"Shaa!"
Come on!
Ceruledge's ghostly flames flickered in its eyes. With its keen vision, it easily noticed that compared to a few days ago, Decidueye's arrow speed was faster and its power more substantial!
The pressure from the Champion challenge run had successfully pushed Decidueye one step further.
But it still wasn't enough!
Ceruledge stepped forward.
The flaming greatsword fused with its arm seemed to have eyes of its own as it intercepted the feather arrow's path and split it cleanly in two!
That wasn't all. Before the initial arrow even arrived, Decidueye had already fired several more in quick succession, all from tricky angles.
Ceruledge remained expressionless as it swung its blade.
The flaming greatsword turned into a sky full of sword shadows, knocking down every incoming arrow.
But taking advantage of the opening while Ceruledge was striking down the arrows, Decidueye—which had already risen into the sky—entered a diving posture and descended from above!
"Shadow Claw!"
As if mimicking the regional form of its own species, Decidueye's sturdy claws glowed with ghostly purple light, carrying an ominous aura as it slashed directly at Ceruledge.
No—it was more like a kick than a slash.
"Come on!"
Lucas's eyes brightened. He commanded Ceruledge to meet the Shadow Claw head-on with its blade.
Decidueye's movements were like a Robin Hood darting freely through a dense forest. It constantly used Ceruledge's own force to leap upward, adjusting its posture with its wings while its sharp hooked claws clashed with the blade, leaving trails of sparks.
If it had been any other Pokémon, it would have quickly fallen into a disadvantage under Decidueye's fierce assault.
Unfortunately, the Pokémon engaged in close combat with it was Ceruledge.
Given how dedicated Ceruledge was to swordsmanship, it would train itself or spar with others whenever it had free time.
From dawn to dusk, it trained diligently without a single day of slacking.
In the past, it had even sparred with the equally skilled Iron Valiant.
Because of Iron Valiant's almost AI-like ability to analyze and counter Ceruledge's sword techniques.
To respond, Ceruledge had optimized based on its experience fighting Iron Valiant and ultimately honed its sword skills to an even higher level.
In another worldview, it would not be an exaggeration to call it "the supreme realm."
In melee combat, Ceruledge had absolute confidence!
As the blade-to-blade fight grew increasingly intense, Nemona was shocked to discover that Ceruledge, swinging its blade, still looked completely composed, while Decidueye had accumulated quite a few wounds.
Even when it managed to break through the defense, the damage Shadow Claw left on Ceruledge's armor was nothing spectacular—extremely limited.
Sure enough, Ceruledge had been holding back during that morning's spar!
The moment she understood this, Nemona no longer hesitated like she had with Tauros. She immediately decided:
"Create distance!"
"Choo-nai!"
As Decidueye responded, it used the force from Ceruledge's incoming swing to boost its height.
Ceruledge naturally wouldn't let it escape so easily. It shattered the ground beneath its feet and leaped high into the air, pursuing Decidueye with lethal intent!
Its cloak fluttered wildly in the fierce wind. Decidueye's calm and focused gaze locked onto the approaching Ceruledge. With practiced ease, it nocked three arrows and fired them almost simultaneously!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Ceruledge blocked all three arrows directly with its blade!
But that tiny window of time gave Decidueye its chance.
"Feather Dance!"
The instant Nemona's command rang out, Decidueye shook its cloak. Countless glowing white feathers rained down from the sky, densely filling Ceruledge's field of vision!
If Ceruledge came into contact with these feathers, it would be like cutting off one of its own arms—its strong physical attacks would be weakened.
Although a bit surprised that Nemona had used Feather Dance at this timing, Lucas immediately provided a solution.
"Fire Dance… Fire Spin!"
Just like the sword technique Lucas had nearly misspoken, Ceruledge twisted its body in mid-air. Holding both blades, it swept horizontally through the air.
The cyan flames on them surged violently!
The massive fiery tornado burned all the glowing feathers to ash. Amid the thick black smoke, the force from Ceruledge's ground-shattering leap vanished. Its body began to fall back to the ground under gravity's pull.
Right at that moment, a figure appeared out of thin air behind Ceruledge, wrapped in heavy shadows, and slammed directly into it!
Just as Lucas could attack using misdirection, Nemona had replicated the idea in her own way, ultimately creating this perfect sneak attack!
Decidueye used Phantom Force to crash hard into Ceruledge's back. Even though Ceruledge had reacted, it had nowhere to brace itself and could only barely swing its blade sideways!
Thud!
This time, it was Ceruledge that was smashed into the ground by Decidueye!
Someone in the crowd covered their mouth. "Could it be—?" A defeat of the first Pokémon.
Before the words were fully spoken, gasps of shock erupted from the audience.
The Decidueye that had just pulled off a beautiful counterattack was about to withdraw when a blade came smashing down from behind, slamming it to the ground!
"What!?"
Even Nemona hadn't expected this sudden move.
Behind Decidueye, within a swirling black mist of an otherworldly portal, Ceruledge calmly stepped out.
Judging from the dust on its armor, it was clear that Decidueye's Phantom Force had indeed hit Ceruledge.
But the moment Ceruledge had been heavily struck into the field, it had used sheer willpower to open its own portal to another dimension. Using Phantom Force, it appeared behind Decidueye and, borrowing the force of its own descent, delivered a devastating blow!
"Choo-nai—!"
The super-effective attack exploded on its frail body. Decidueye, its vision darkening, tried to stand up again from the crater.
It had to win for Nemona!
But at that moment, a pair of greatswords with rising temperature and roiling cyan flames rested on its shoulder.
"Shaa." Well done.
After giving sincere praise, Ceruledge's flaming greatsword came down.
Bitter Blade completely drained Decidueye's last bit of stamina while also restoring Ceruledge to a decent condition.
Ceruledge had never been a fragile swordsman. Thanks to its exclusive stamina-draining move Bitter Blade, combined with the exceptional willpower it had trained through past experiences, it had become a cyan flame swordsman that would keep getting up as long as it hadn't fully lost consciousness—recovering by absorbing the opponent's energy.
In the very end, Nemona should have had Decidueye launch a follow-up fierce attack on the spot where Ceruledge had fallen, rather than withdrawing to observe the situation.
In the crowd, Geeta watched Ceruledge with her arms crossed.
This performance reminded her of a year ago, when Ceruledge had tanked Avalugg's Avalanche and other counter moves, using Bitter Blade to relentlessly hack Avalugg until it fainted.
At the same time, after confirming Decidueye's condition, Clavell took a deep breath and announced: "Decidueye is unable to battle. Champion Nemona, please send out your next Pokémon!"
…