"Primarina, take the initiative—Energy Ball!"
The girl's voice burned with adrenaline as she ordered Primarina to strike first. A green orb bloomed at the end of Primarina's tail; with an elegant flick, she batted the Energy Ball straight at Milotic.
"Milotic—Dragon Tail! Smash it!"
Answering on instinct, Milotic leapt, her tail sheathed in power. Like a clean baseball swing, she knocked the orb into a spray of green fragments.
"Milotic—Ice Beam!"
Even as the shards fell, Milotic snapped her jaws and fired an Ice Beam toward Primarina. Primarina twisted away with fluid grace, the beam carving a glittering line through the sea air.
Both sides settled at once. After that probing exchange, neither Trainer rushed in. The beach fell quiet except for surf and wind—the kind of silence that comes when both battlers want the other to move first, to overextend, to reveal the gap worth punishing.
"Who's got the better odds?" Jace Rowan tilted his head and leaned closer to Auron Vale.
A status pane popped in Auron's vision.
[Pokémon Data]
Species: Primarina
Gender: Female
Types: Water/Fairy
Ability: Liquid Voice (All sound-based moves become Water-type.)
Aptitude: Purple
Known Moves (core): Sparkling Aria, Aqua Jet, Baby-Doll Eyes, Disarming Voice, Icy Wind, Sing, Energy Ball, Bubble Beam, Encore, Misty Terrain, Hyper Beam, Whirlpool, Weather Ball, Surf, Draining Kiss, Surf
Egg Moves: Life Dew, Aqua Ring, Perish Song
Auron studied the list and smiled. "As long as she's careful about Energy Ball, Milotic's got a solid edge. It's a Water-on-Water mirror—both resist Water—but Fairy doesn't resist Fairy. If I were handling Primarina, I'd hold Energy Ball for the finisher."
He lifted a finger, thoughtful. "And in a Water mirror, Primarina's Ability matters. Torrent would be fine, but if it's Liquid Voice, then her biggest mirror trump card—Hyper Voice—doesn't hit as hard into a Milotic built to sponge Water."
Out on the sand, the stalemate broke.
"Primarina—Sparkling Aria!"
"Milotic—Hyper Beam!"
The attacks crossed midair. Hyper Beam hit harder; the sound of it shuddered across the shore. But the recoil locked Milotic in place, chest heaving, unable to budge.
"Primarina—Energy Ball!"
The girl pounced on the opening, trying to cash in for free damage—and with a Grass-type hit that would sting doubly hard.
"Primarina—Energy Ball!"
Emboldened, she pressed the advantage and fired again. But Milotic shook off Hyper Beam's recharge in time. There was no way she'd oblige a second easy hit. She whipped around—Dragon Tail—shattered the oncoming orb, then chained straight into Ice Beam.
This time Primarina couldn't slip it. The beam struck full on.
Unluckily, the ten-percent add-on effect procced. Frost raced over Primarina's body. She froze on the spot.
"Primarina!" The girl's voice spiked with panic. But freeze wasn't sleep—you couldn't just shout a partner awake.
Serena Elm's heart lifted. "Milotic—Dragon Dance, then Iron Tail!"
Milotic flowed up to the icebound form and, under Primarina's wide, helpless gaze behind the frost, danced—body coiling with predatory grace as power surged through her frame. Silver light flared along her tail. One merciless Iron Tail came down like an ax, smashing ice and sand alike. Half the frozen block punched into the beach in a pluming spray.
"Splash!"
With a crackling rush, the shattered ice fell away and Primarina burst from the shallow crater Milotic had carved.
The girl's eyes brightened. "Get some space—Aqua Ring!"
She tried to pull Primarina back and stabilize with recovery. But Serena wasn't about to let her breathe.
"Milotic—Iron Tail!"
Milotic blurred across the sand, caught up to Primarina, and hammered a cruel Iron Tail right across her delicate cheek.
Primarina sailed, crashed, and tumbled twice along the beach—thankfully sand and salt spared her the worst of a hard impact. Even so, when she finally skidded to a stop, swirls spun in her eyes.
"Primarina is unable to battle!" The tenor announcer's voice lifted over the surf. "Let's give it up for both of our lovely Trainers for a spectacular match!"
Applause rolled around the makeshift arena. A deeply tanned man in beach shorts stepped forward through the cheers.
He produced a prismatic shell from his palm and offered it to Serena with a small bow. "Beautiful lady, this is the prize for our Beach Cup winner—a deep-sea shell to set off your beauty. Please accept it."
Serena accepted the shell, its colors flashing like oil on water, and turned it over in the sun, delighted.
While she marveled at the gleaming prize, Primarina's Trainer glanced sideways at it with open envy. The tanned man approached her as well and, as if performing a trick, let another shell—this one strung on a cord—fall into his hand.
"Young lady—brave and beautiful—your courage to challenge is worthy of this lovely beach shell. It may not gleam like the champion's, but it's still a rare treasure."
The girl stared at the shell, almost disbelieving. "There are prizes even for the loser?"
"Those who challenge aren't losers," he said with a gentle smile. "Take it. You've earned it."
Beaming, she accepted the beach shell, scooped up her now-awake Primarina, and spun in a happy circle. Then, solemn as a ceremony, she looped the shell around Primarina's neck and, mimicking the man's cadence, told her partner, "This is the reward you deserve—okay~?"
Watching the two excited girls, Jace couldn't help turning to Auron. "See that? Take notes. If you were like him, I wouldn't have to worry about you."
"Hm?" Auron blinked. "Like who? Like what? And why's it your problem that you're 'worried' about me?"
Jace sighed, spreading his hands. "Alas. My external-brain skill-point build must be scuffed—clearly I dumped all my points into one category."
Auron frowned. "What nonsense are you on about now? I barely understood any of that."
Jace only folded his hands behind his head, hummed a tune, and strolled back toward the beach chairs.
"Auron! Look—do you think this shell is pretty?"
Auron had been about to follow Jace and press the point, but Serena came running over, practically sparkling as she showed off the deep-sea shell in her palms.
He relented and turned to consider it, the shell throwing seven-colored light under the sun.
[Item Info]
Deep-Sea Shell: A shell from the deep ocean. Very pretty.
After a moment's inspection, Auron's expression fell a shade. "It's not the kind of shell you can craft into a Shell Bell. Not much use."
Serena's smile threatened to cloud. Auron caught it and hurried to add, "But it's really pretty. And… it suits you."
(End of Chapter)