Boom!!
Garchomp's malevolent "Dragon Claw" slammed into Aegislash's shield.
It didn't even leave a white mark, merely pushing Aegislash back.
Garchomp realized that Aegislash's body was unusually heavy, even though it hadn't retreated much.
But Spiritomb wasn't as lucky. Togekiss's charged "Power of the Moon" quietly descended, not only ignoring Spiritomb's "Deceit" but also smashing it directly to the ground.
"This..."
The host was momentarily speechless.
Lance couldn't help but shake his head.
"Hilona's idea is good, using a strategy similar to Natsuhiko's to limit him. But Gardevoir's adaptation to this strategy is clearly not as good as Alakazam's."
"Did you all notice that Natsuhiko hasn't been commanding much, nor using any psychic abilities?" Flint said solemnly.
"The command core. Our academy's advanced battle professor level mentioned that the core's role is not only to connect the team, allowing the synergy to exceed the sum of its parts, but also to take over part of the Trainer's command authority," Kona said hesitantly.
But Lance and Flint understood.
This kind of command core requires extensive training.
It demands a lot from the Pokémon, from every Pokémon in the team.
It's definitely not something that can be replicated by casually grabbing a few Pokémon.
"Are we perhaps a bit behind in team building?" Flint smacked his lips.
"It's not that we're late; Senior Natsuhiko is just too early. He knew early on what Pokémon he needed, what strategies matched, and what techniques to combine," Kona shook her head and continued, "Normally, most people should still be immersed in the joy of capturing new Pokémon."
Kona had considerable authority on this topic.
There were plenty of students at Silver Academy.
They were just starting to build teams, while others didn't have as much awareness or conditions.
"Gardevoir, bind Alakazam!"
Lance and others could see it, and so could Hilona.
She knew that she probably wouldn't be able to beat Natsuhiko with this alone.
Her original intention was to use the "Sandstorm" weather as a Help, creating a pseudo dual core to counter Natsuhiko's mature lineup.
Her strategy was seen through by Natsuhiko from the start, which led to a relatively passive situation.
Thus.
Hilona could only go for the next best option, choosing her second contingency plan.
Using Gardevoir's psychic abilities to bind Alakazam's psychic abilities.
Trying to minimize the impact of each core's abilities.
Bring both their lineups to the same level, then rely on her domineering individual power to challenge Natsuhiko.
In this way, Hilona felt she still had a good chance of winning, at least better than when both cores were active.
While others couldn't see it, Natsuhiko could.
Those invisible superpower threads, extending from Gardevoir and Alakazam, tangled each other.
This was Gardevoir's initiative.
Although Alakazam appeared more composed than Gardevoir.
In the short term, it would probably be hard for it to divert its attention.
Seeing the two Psychic-type Pokémon being pulled away, Hilona visibly relaxed.
Then her expression turned serious as she quickly commanded.
Lucario made the first move, with the "Wave Missile" guided by its dense waveguide energy, rapidly aiming towards Latios, then charging in immediately after.
Hilona's Togekiss unleashed two "Air Slashes" at Beedrill.
She knew that Beedrill's speed made it hard to hit.
But Hilona wasn't aiming to inflict damage on Beedrill.
She wanted to block Beedrill to prevent it from interfering with Lucario, so the trajectory of the "Air Slashes" was carefully designed.
Latios, as far as she knew, was one of the only two Elite Candidate Level Pokémon under Natsuhiko—her first target!
In full team battles, minimizing opponents matters greatly.
Once one side is minimized, the disadvantage will be magnified infinitely.
As long as one operates well without making mistakes, the chances of victory are high.
Infernape unleashed its all-consuming flames, the fire power significantly enhanced by the "Sunny Day" Help. The crimson flames carried traces of dark red, closely mimicking Reshiram's flame techniques.
"Roar——!!"
The arena shook, the ground trembled.
Accompanied by a crisp "crack" sound dispersing a bit of dust.
The raised ground instantly burned red, Garchomp's timely support defense.
A cerulean beam tore through the void, sweeping towards Natsuhiko's Togekiss. Glaceon didn't lag behind the other Pokémon by much.
Hilona either doesn't act or acts decisively and purposefully.
However.
Bang bang!!
Hilona's Togekiss's "Air Slashes" were transformed into mere illusions and foam by Natsuhiko's Togekiss's precise hits.
Beedrill was already on the move, without even glancing at the two crescent blades flying towards it for half a second, trusting other Pokémon to block them.
Beedrill's role in Natsuhiko's team was exceptionally clear.
Its sole focus was offense.
All defenses would be covered or blocked by its companions, acting like a fearless assassin, all for the purpose of attack.
Only attacking provides the greatest Help to the team.
Natsuhiko had once said to Beedrill, "You must trust your teammates completely, remember 'the best offense is defense'."
As Hilona's Pokémon all aimed at Latios, Beedrill, transformed into a golden arc of light, swiftly swept towards Glaceon.