"If you want to challenge me, you must first beat my butler."
Caitlin's voice was ethereal; paired with her floating high in the air and lofty posture, every word left no room for argument.
Darach stepped out at the perfect moment, took a Poké Ball from Caitlin's hand, and scanned the crowd with his eyes.
"Now I announce the Battle Castle rules."
"You may only challenge Lady Caitlin after defeating the castle's butler."
"All right!", James nodded without hesitation, his voice hoarse.
He wanted to buy some time, hoping Axel could arrive before Caitlin's psychic power went out of control.
"Are we starting now?"
Almost everyone stared at Caitlin in shock. In the past, although Caitlin was the master of the Battle Castle, she almost never personally battled. Almost every time the butler fought in her stead. Even after beating the butler and issuing a second challenge, the butler would only swap in stronger Pokémon. But today...
"Miss Caitlin is going to battle in person, they must really value Ryujiro!"
"If I were them I'd value him too, defeating the Battle Tower in one day? I think this is the first time the Sinnoh Frontier's seen that kind of record."
"How exciting!", A man holding a video camera shone with anticipation; his lens pointed squarely at James.
"I wonder if Ryujiro can beat Darach, and then Caitlin the mysterious young lady, and repeat yesterday's feat. If he can, I'll be editor-in-chief when I go back."
"You'd make a hell of an editor, bro. I just fought Darach yesterday. His first Pokémon was Staraptor, it counters Ryujiro's Grass-type. His second was Empoleon, which resists Weezing's Poison-type."
The reporter uncle: "???"
'Damn it, I shouldn't have come!'
Among trainers a bit stronger than average, information about Darach and Ryujiro wasn't exactly secret. After a while of discussion, everyone felt Ryujiro's chances today looked slim. If this were a Gym, Ryujiro might have been able to avoid type disadvantages. But in the Battle Frontier there's no rule like a Frontier Brain letting challengers off.
"All right, begin!"
James felt he'd delayed long enough, if he waited any longer Giratina would be angry, so he spoke decisively. Darach nodded, turned and returned to the castle first. At the same time he clenched the Poké Ball the young lady had just given him. Through the ball's window could be seen a truly massive Gyarados.
'I hope this guy is really as strong as the young lady said. After all, he's been chosen by Giratina.'
'I just don't know how long we can stall. For the young lady, we have to hold out as long as possible.'
While Darach pondered how to slow the match down, he quietly waited for James to take his place at the platform. Once all the spectators were seated, he waved his hand with leisurely calm, "Now I announce: the battle begins!"
"After the countdown both sides will throw their Poké Balls at the same time. The side that throws late loses."
The battle began quickly. Spectators used the brief pause to analyze what each side's lead Pokémon might be.
"Darach will probably send out Empoleon, right? Though Empoleon's resisted by Ryujiro's Grass-type, it's good for joint defense."
"No, no, I think Ryujiro will lead with Victreebel. His Victreebel is countered by Staraptor, but don't forget that Victreebel has some weird evasive technique; it's a fine choice for lead."
Most trainers present had rich battle experience and understood the importance of choosing the right lead. One right step could change the whole match! Both sides threw their Poké Balls. Everyone held their breath, waiting to see who would out-psych the other. But the next moment they were stunned.
James led with Victreebel; Darach led with Staraptor.
'What the ? Just following the roster order one by one? Who's that honest?'
Darach was stunned too, 'This isn't the script the young lady gave me, is it? The young lady clearly said to stall as long as possible. Why does it feel now like the opponent is stalling as well?'
Only James grinned under his hood and secretly laughed, 'This play is solid. Axel must already know about me, that's why the other side is letting it slide.'
Thinking of Axel's strength, James grinned broadly and didn't mind losing the spotlight of world-saver to Axel. You don't have to be the one to save the world, but you must be part of it.
"Victreebel, use Ingrain; hold on as long as possible against Staraptor!"
"Dude, you're going to use Ingrain against a Flying-type? You really want to make Victreebel a target, huh?"
Nearly every trainer present couldn't understand Ryujiro's odd play. Only Giratina, hiding in the Reverse World, fell silent and kept pounding its metaphorical head. When they were captured, James and Jessie had already admitted they were weak. But Giratina hadn't expected someone to be this weak, 'Starting a venture is damn hard.'
And things got worse. Darach didn't seem in a hurry to finish Ryujiro off, either, he let Staraptor keep circling the sky using its flying advantage, rarely employing Flying-type moves that would super-effectively hit Victreebel. A trainer who'd been beaten badly by Darach yesterday felt a little peeved.
"Finish him already! You make the rest of us who lost to you look lame!"
"And besides, if you fight like this we'll still be at it after lunch!"
Seizing the question, Darach paused his Staraptor's commands and stole a few seconds. In a courteous tone he said the most justifiable thing:
"Weren't you saying just now that this Victreebel has a special evasive technique? What if I use my ultimate move and it dodges?"
"Don't worry, we'll feed you lunch in the castle."
After saying that, Darach ignored the others and calmly resumed battling. An hour later Staraptor finally used Brave Bird to take Victreebel's last energy. Just when everyone expected Ryujiro to send out Weezing to mercilessly finish Staraptor, Ryujiro's action once again surprised the crowd. He actually released a Cacnea in front of Staraptor.
"Holy, this guy's throwing the match!"
"Jesus, how much did Darach pay Ryujiro?", Trainers who'd been trounced by Ryujiro yesterday couldn't stand it. If they didn't know the backstory, fine. But now Staraptor's right there on the stage and he's sending out a Grass-type? Even a rookie trainer wouldn't do that. Losing to someone like this would make them look pathetic.
No matter how they shouted, the two on stage didn't react and kept fighting at their own pace. By noon the two had gone back and forth, and finally reached their third Pokémon. Giratina, concealed in the Reverse World, clenched its teeth hard. It looked about ready to devour someone. James's battle mode had become unbearable to watch. Randomly pressing a few voice-command buttons to make a dog step on them would still command better than this.
["James, immediately, at once, release Malamar for me."]
["Let Malamar fight the next match by itself. If you dare give it an order, I'll make you rot alive in the Reverse World!"]
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