The moment Shauntal's tower lit up, Marshal knew she had lost.
From the instant Hikaru appeared on the martial staircase, Marshal had raised his guard to the utmost, not daring to relax for even a moment.
"So you've finally come. Just as expected, Shauntal lost her match."
Marshal's tower looked like a true fighting arena. Under the blazing spotlight, it felt as though countless unseen eyes were lurking in the darkness all around them, creating a crushing, invisible pressure.
"I already heard from Bea. Thank you for guiding her at Challenger's Cave. My first impression of you was not wrong after all. You truly are an extraordinary martial arts master, both in body and in spirit."
Hikaru nodded back at him. "I only gave her a little help."
"It was not little," Marshal said, shaking his head. "After suffering repeated defeats, that girl had fallen into severe internal collapse. I've gone through that kind of moment myself before, so I understand her very well."
"I believe I told you before: although I practice a boxing style from a distant land, I used to be a wandering street fighter. Before I met my master Alder, I thought far too highly of myself. I looked down on every opponent in the world, and in my pursuit of strength, I traveled through every region on earth."
"So then, repeat what I said back then."
Hikaru replied, "What you said was... the strength in one's heart is true strength?"
"Exactly." Marshal nodded. "For her, having a training partner who could point her in the right direction was like the dawn that pulled her out of the abyss. Even in pain, she would have found her way out eventually. But awakening a little sooner is a good thing."
"In battles between Trainers' Pokémon, sometimes you lose. But you must still persist in being yourself. Daily, accumulated training is the road that leads to the strongest Trainer. If you surpass your former self, then that means you have defeated yourself."
"Shopkeeper, let's battle! Grimsley already lit the Dark Tower for you. He claimed he isn't your opponent, so there was no need to continue fighting, and Caitlin has already left you the key that opens the final road."
"Even though you keep saying you aren't good at Pokémon battles, from where I stand that clearly isn't true!"
Hikaru said, "I originally thought we'd meet again at the Iron Fist Tournament. Challenging the Unova League wasn't part of the plan at first."
Marshal replied, "When we meet again there, I'm sure it will feel different once more!"
The spotlights over the arena flared to life.
"My first Pokémon: Breloom!"
The moment Hikaru saw that one, he knew Marshal was completely serious.
Back during the violent clash with the Sages, Marshal had used Breloom too. And for both competitive battlers and collectors alike, Breloom was a Pokémon everyone knew well.
Advancing, it had Technician Mach Punch. Falling back, it had Poison Heal Drain Punch and Spore. It was the very image of a Pokémon that could attack and defend equally well, though after Amoonguss came out, Breloom's usage never stayed as high as it had in earlier generations.
After all, they were both mushrooms, but their roles were different. Amoonguss, with Regenerator and pivoting utility, was obviously the better "big mushroom."
But Breloom never left the competitive scene, and the reason was simple: it could still learn Spore.
That's right. Marshal had once been a street fighter, and had trained in many different boxing styles while traveling through countless regions. Though he was upright and honest now, it seemed the man he used to be was not quite the same.
That was why, among his Pokémon, there wasn't just a Breloom that knew Spore and Grass Knot, but also a Conkeldurr carrying Payback, and a Toxicroak with Toxic and Venoshock.
Even an upright man could carry underhanded moves. It was the side of him willing to do whatever it took to seize victory.
Just like how a hero deck always ended up becoming a "shady hero" deck. Somehow there were always bizarre, dirty cards mixed into it.
"Its Ability is Effect Spore. When it's hit, it may poison, paralyze, or put to sleep an opponent that made contact."
Marshal smiled slightly. "So you really can tell a Pokémon's Ability at a glance. So-called strength is not simply about having a strong body or great power. Releasing the greatest amount of force with the fewest motions, that too is a kind of strength."
Of course, monsters that were pure stat sticks like the giant king of Mount Ross were another story entirely, Marshal thought.
It wasn't only Bea who had gone through crushing defeat. He had gone through it too.
And because of that, he had grown.
Still, Hikaru muttered inwardly, So using an Effect Spore Breloom is what you call growth?
Why not just play Poison Heal instead?
"Using Grass/Fighting against Grass/Fighting. Defeating magic with magic. No one understands the matchup of Grass/Fighting better than I do!"
"Lilligant, dance!"
Hisuian Lilligant, his main force against Marshal, leaped gracefully onto the field in a splendid dance.
Breloom's fist suddenly shot forward.
Priority +1, Mach Punch!
Bang!
"That move...!" Marshal's expression became identical to Bea's the first time she saw Upper Hand.
Hikaru said, "Priority moves are useless. This is Upper Hand!"
"Fighting-type masters always love to strike first, but this move was made specifically to counter priority moves. And Breloom will flinch as well."
Blazing air swelled beneath Lilligant's footsteps.
Aerial Ace!
A light yet powerful, never-missing slicing kick!
Whoosh.
In a flash of red light, Marshal switched Pokémon with lightning-fast reflexes.
Hikaru said, "Grass-type Pokémon are immune to Spore, so it wouldn't have been able to use any spore-based move on her anyway..."
"But that hand speed really is fast."
"Too kind," Marshal answered with a grave expression. "Training in martial arts doesn't only improve yourself. It also sharpens your reactions in battle."
"Breloom is one of my aces. If it faces an enemy it absolutely cannot match, then leaving it in would just be throwing its life away."
"So then, my second one..."
A vicious poisonous strike slammed into Lilligant's body.
"Lilli?!"
The one who had switched in to take Breloom's place was Toxicroak.
For an ordinary Fighting specialist, this one carried the aura of a villain, or at least something shady and low. Even as a fully evolved Pokémon, in terms of fame, image, and representational weight, it was completely overshadowed by its pre-evolution, Croagunk.
Even in the anime, Brock's Croagunk had a fated rivalry with Team Galactic's Toxicroak. In the final battle, one Brick Break instantly dropped that Toxicroak on the spot, making countless viewers cheer for the frog god.
And this one, too, was one of Marshal's hidden aces.
The poison spikes on its forelimbs came from the idea of knuckle dusters fitted with spikes or protrusions, the kind of weapon used together with boxing techniques.
And Marshal just so happened to have practiced a similar martial art in the past.
Marshal said, "That move just now was Poison Jab!"
With same-type attack bonus, an 80-power Poison Jab became 120 power, and against Lilligant it was doubly super effective.
A single heavy blow!
Lilligant's expression turned visibly irritated.
It was rare for her to get this angry, but in that last exchange she should have taken the first round cleanly. Instead, her opponent had suddenly switched out, and in an instant she had fallen into a disadvantageous position.
If she embarrassed herself in front of her Trainer, of course she would be upset.
Meanwhile, the Toxicroak on the other side was trembling a little, yet its gaze remained unchanged. If anything, it carried the wise look of something that had already seen through everything.
"That's the Ability Anticipation." Hikaru's expression turned slightly more serious.
In the games, the Ability was not especially important. It alerted the user if the opponent had dangerous moves: super effective moves, one-hit KO moves, Self-Destruct, or Explosion. The Pokémon with this Ability would shudder and issue a warning.
But in a real battle, there was a strong chance that this Toxicroak had already foreseen all of Lilligant's Fighting-type moves!
Hikaru said, "In other words, it has completely seen through her. It may be trembling, but in reality it holds the advantage."
"Correct." Marshal nodded. "A Pokémon with Anticipation can sense the terrifying moves its opponent possesses. Every move that is super effective against Toxicroak has already been seen through!"
"And once the secrets of a martial art are exposed, it becomes vulnerable to targeted counterplay. For us, too, that is the fruit of training accumulated day after day!"
"It is because we have endured endless beatings that we can see through the patterns of those moves. We can even sense an attacker trying to strike from behind!"
"With the typing disadvantage, and your moves already seen through, are you really going to keep fighting with her?"
Hikaru thought for a moment, then looked at his Lilligant, who had entered a blazing state of fury, and smiled helplessly.
As a Lilligant with a stubborn nature, she usually listened to him very well, but on extremely rare occasions she had a temper of her own.
How long had it been since she had been this stubborn, all the way back since evolving from Petilil?
"That doesn't necessarily mean we're at a disadvantage... Aerial Ace is a move that never misses. Toxicroak may have some way to defend against it... but..."
Under Marshal's wary gaze, Hikaru took a deep breath.
"Dance."
Marshal frowned. "Dance?"
Lilligant began a strange, brilliant dance. Toxicroak was confused, but stayed fully focused, not daring to relax for even an instant.
Even if it was some kind of boosting move, in front of a Toxicroak that had completely seen through the opponent's techniques, it was still nothing, nothing, nothing...
The world in front of Toxicroak's eyes started to distort. Sweat began to break across its skin, mixed with venom. Its concentration frayed, and its body swayed slightly.
And in that instant, Marshal realized something was wrong.
"Toxicroak, snap out of it!"
"Too late. This is Teeter Dance." Hikaru looked at the now staggering, unsteady Toxicroak. "It's confused now!"
Thud.
Toxicroak struck itself in its confusion!
"But confusion won't save you!" Marshal's gaze sharpened. "As long as my Toxicroak still has Anticipation, it will continue seeing through all of your attack routes and techniques! Every one of your Fighting-type moves is already in our heads!"
"Toxicroak, use Toxic!"
Toxicroak stopped hurting itself. It took a deep breath, then began its sequence of attacks!
A terrifying pool of toxic venom shot out with uncanny speed and hit Lilligant dead on.
"Lilli?!" Lilligant was furious now, but even a moment's careful thought would reveal that this poisonous frog truly was an extremely dangerous opponent.
Which was why she absolutely had to take it down.
Hikaru said, "I see. Through years and years of training, and the influence of a different environment... Toxic has gained a new added effect."
"When a Poison-type Pokémon uses Toxic, it becomes perfectly accurate!"
But for Toxicroak to overcome its own confusion and still land Toxic at that moment was itself proof of how formidable it was.
Marshal nodded. "Exactly. When a Poison-type Pokémon uses Toxic, the move cannot miss."
"After Toxic comes Venoshock! If the target is poisoned or badly poisoned, that move's power doubles!"
"Venoshock!"
Marshal's fist shot forward, and Toxicroak's fist shot forward with it.
Then... nothing happened.
Only another splash of poison hit Lilligant, but it had no effect at all.
Because a poisoned target cannot be poisoned again.
Marshal's expression changed.
"That was Encore!"
"Correct! The spotlight's already on you!" Hikaru pointed at Lilligant. "Find your partner!"
"She dances to a mysterious rhythm, forcing the opponent to imitate her motions and change its Ability to match her own! Toxicroak's Ability has now changed from Anticipation to Hustle!"
"Hustle raises Attack, but lowers accuracy! At the same time, now that it's lost Anticipation, you no longer know which move I'm about to use!"
"Lilligant, use Flash!"
As one of the old field moves, Flash could still be learned by a huge number of Pokémon. Hikaru's team was practically full of it. At the very beginning, Torterra had learned it, and later Aegislash and the little knight had learned it too.
Honestly, in the games it was not especially useful, but in real combat it worked almost every time. In that sense, it was very much like Minimize.
As the saying went, by canyon relativity, if your accuracy falls, then my evasion effectively rises.
"Toxicroak!" Marshal's expression shifted. Toxicroak had grown restless as its power surged, yet the confusion still had not ended. Anticipation was no longer working, and because its accuracy had fallen, all its frantic attacks were missing!
Marshal immediately moved to switch again, but Lilligant had already sensed it.
She was not going to let this one escape.
Victory Dance!
Attack, Defense, and Speed all rose by one stage!
Lilligant danced forward in a warlike blaze and drove a kick straight into the bewildered Toxicroak.
Mega Kick!
A 120-power Normal-type move. Toxicroak resisted Fighting-type attacks, but it had no strong resistance to Normal. The matchup was neutral.
After Victory Dance, the force behind that kick was immense. Toxicroak was blasted backward with a thunderous crash and immediately lost the ability to battle.
"That strike... seemed to carry some anger in it." Marshal looked at Hikaru thoughtfully, and once he saw Hikaru's helpless smile, he understood. "So it was your Pokémon's own will... Miss, your movements are very fast."
"Lilli!" Lilligant nodded to Marshal. Though she was still suffering from badly poisoned status, she bent one leaf slightly toward him in open provocation.
"The next one, then." Marshal took a deep breath and focused himself. "Mienshao!"
Many martial artists counted Mienshao among their best hidden weapons. As a Fighting-type Pokémon, it was not only graceful in appearance, but extremely powerful as well. Back in Generation V, both its Speed and Attack ranked among the top.
Its arms struck so quickly they were almost impossible to follow, and it could lash enemies flexibly with the long fur on its forelimbs like whips. If it cried out in its strange, elegant voice, it would unleash a storm of kicks and chops that overwhelmed the opponent in an instant.
"Aerial Ace!"
Mienshao gave a light cry, almost like a role from traditional opera. Then it moved with the speed of the wind.
Against a Hisuian Lilligant with a quadruple weakness to Flying, if Aerial Ace connected, then in a match where the gap in strength was not too great, she would almost certainly go down in one hit.
But Lilligant suddenly took up a strange opening posture, raising one long leg high into the air.
Then she began to spin like a violent cyclone.
A savage storm formed out of nowhere and directly cut off Mienshao's advance.
"Hurricane?! But it doesn't even have wings. How is that possible?!"
Marshal was genuinely shocked.
He truly had not expected a Grass-type Pokémon, especially a humanoid one, to be able to use Hurricane. It simply made no sense.
Hikaru said, "That's right. Hurricane."
"In ancient times, the Hisuian form of Lilligant was called the queen of mountain paths. It lived in cold regions of perpetual snow and traveled alongside fierce winds. That habitat deep within snowy mountains gave it tremendously developed leg strength, and because of that it can learn Hurricane."
"But for my Lilligant... this storm..."
"...is the wind of her homeland, the wind of Sinjoh!"
(End of Chapter)
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