Chapter 426:
Initially, Satoshi was unaware of this matter. He was currently on a passenger ship, heading toward the Kanto region.
After serving as a commentator for several major tournaments, he had finally saved up enough money to feel confident about embarking on a journey again.
Through all those commentaries, he seemed to have glimpsed once more the passionate young boy he used to be. Therefore, he decided to temporarily set aside his job as a commentator and once again pursue his dream of being a Trainer. This time, the destination he chose was the Kanto region.
Once aboard the ship, thinking about what was to come, he felt his entire life had regained its momentum.
He even became a bit more youthful and naive in spirit.
"Should I catch Suicune first, or Articuno first?"
A beautiful fantasy flashed through his mind, only to be interrupted by the sound of his phone.
Puzzled, he opened his phone, thinking it might be a message from his family.
Upon opening it, he found it was actually the group chat he had joined earlier.
"Huh? Why is everyone @-ing me?"
Satoshi idly opened the app.
The ship had just departed, so there was still a signal out at sea. Once they traveled farther out, except for Rotom Phones, ordinary electronic devices wouldn't be able to receive any signal.
"@Kondō Satoshi, Bro... Bro! Didn't you say you were traveling to Kanto recently? Look, look! Someone just spotted Kaede's Dragonite and Pidgeot by the coast!"
"Yeah, yeah, Bro! Go check it out! See if it overlaps with your route! Someone said the direction Kaede was flying toward seems to be the Kanto region side. Hurry up, Bro, I'm begging you!"
"If you find them, I'll send you a super big gift, the super huge kind!"
"What in the world...?"
Satoshi was confused. He rubbed his eyes and looked up.
It was at that moment, in the distance, two swift figures seemed to flash past, streaking across his field of vision.
Satoshi: "???"
He was even more bewildered. He looked down again at the messages in the group chat.
He figured he should scroll up and read everything.
After catching up on all the messages, the corner of his mouth couldn't help but twitch.
"Kaede is having a battle with Ice-type Elite Four member Rosaline? And the chosen location is out at sea? On the very sea route I'm taking?"
A series of realizations made Satoshi take a deep breath.
Truth be told, a major reason for leaving the Eastova region to travel and clear his mind was the massive blows his confidence had taken within the Eastova League.
Starting from his very first commentary, he always felt inexplicably tied to a certain someone.
He kept seeing him everywhere.
And, just his luck, every time he was commentating, that guy's maneuvers would often leave him speechless.
It just felt utterly frustrating.
So, he specifically planned to go out and see the world, to broaden his horizons and knowledge, so that next time—if there was a next time—he wouldn't just be left gaping like an awestruck spectator like before.
But now...
"Seriously? I'm about to leave the Eastova region, and you're still following me?!"
Looking at the barrage of urging messages on his phone, Satoshi could only finally type out a helpless reply.
[Kondō Satoshi: Alright, I saw Kaede's Dragonite and Pidgeot. I'm following them now. As for whether I can keep up, that I'm not so sure about...]
[Whoa, Satoshi, you're literally our hero!]
[You actually saw them?! Awesome! Hahaha, we'll finally get to see how Kaede stacks up against the Elite Four Rosaline!]
[Placing bets, placing bets, folks! I'm betting on Kaede!]
[Darn, you beat me to it! Then I'm betting on Elite Four Rosaline!]
...
' Satoshi?'
Just as Sunny Day was being activated, Kaede's Aura power sensed a figure approaching from the horizon.
That familiar Aegislash... and the person riding on it left Kaede somewhat astonished.
Seriously, dude...
Why are you here again?
Over on his side, Satoshi, seeing that the battle hadn't started yet, inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.
Looks like he made it in time.
But making it on time didn't mean his mission was complete. The "mission" his group chat friends had given him was to livestream this entire battle.
Of course, secretly filming a battle between two Trainers of this caliber was something he absolutely wouldn't dare to do.
So, he needed to ask for their permission first.
"Esteemed Elite Four Rosaline! Hayashi Kaede!"
Rosaline looked over, and so did Kaede.
Satoshi shouted out, "Can I use my phone to livestream your battle?"
"Uh..."
Kaede wanted to say, *"You've really outdone yourself, chasing us all the way here to start a livestream,"* but he didn't really mind. He glanced toward Rosaline across from him.
Seeing she also looked indifferent, he nodded toward Satoshi.
"Alright!"
Satoshi's arrival didn't put much psychological pressure on either of them.
Kaede felt that in a battle between Trainers, as long as you gave it your all, that was what mattered; winning or losing wasn't that important.
As for his opponent, being a seasoned Elite Four Trainer, she wouldn't be disheartened by the outcome of a single match either.
In fact, facing Kaede, who was over a decade younger than her, she showed not the slightest intention of going easy.
The moment she saw Kaede's attention return to the battlefield, she immediately issued a command. "Mr. Rime, Role Play!"
[Role Play: The user mimics the target, copying its Ability.]
Hearing this command, Kaede's expression tightened. "Blaziken, Flare Blitz! Interrupt it—"
But his command, at this moment, was far slower than Mr. Rime's light tap on the ice.
Blaziken's Sunny Day was fast. The scorching sky could even make the surrounding air warp with heat.
But Mr. Rime's Role Play was equally swift. It hardly needed any motion resembling Blaziken's before its Ability had already changed. (TSL: Mr. Rime copied Blaziken speed boost ability)
"Mr. Rime?"
However, upon feeling the surging energy within its body, Mr. Rime was taken aback.
What level of Ability energy was this?
Kaede also realized at once that although his opponent was an Ice-type specialist, this Mr. Rime's mastery of Psychic-type moves was also highly proficient.
That made things troublesome.
In Mr. Rime's movepool, besides Role Play, there was another move called Skill Swap. (Skill Swap exchanges the Abilities of the user and the target)
This Mr. Rime's Ability was Ice Body, which was practically useless for Blaziken.
In contrast, Blaziken's Speed Boost was a beneficial Ability for any Pokémon.
The opponent chose Role Play, likely because it had a higher success rate!
But he still had to guard against the possibility of it canceling Role Play and using Skill Swap at any moment.
Not to mention, as a master of spatial moves, Mr. Rime
also knew Trick Room, a move that reversed speed priority.
Therefore, this meant that in this battle, Hayashi Kaede could only have Blaziken take the role of the aggressive attacker.
"Continue with Flare Blitz!"
....
"It's starting, it's starting!"
As soon as Satoshi above started the livestream, a flood of fans rushed in. They were the ones who had heard the news and had been waiting eagerly.
Now seeing the footage, they grew more and more excited.
"Haha, and it's Satoshi commentating the livestream! That commentator from the Pokémon League Conference is definitely qualified enough!"
"Look, look! They seem to have already started fighting!"
" Satoshi, what are you doing? Start commentating!"
"Role Play? What kind of move is that?"
'Damn! No pay, and I still have to commentate. Who knows if I'll even make it back to the ship on time? If I don't, won't I be stranded?'
Watching the stream of comments fly by, Satoshi was inwardly complaining all sorts.
This stretch of sea was dozens of kilometers from land. If these two battled for too long and the ship drifted too far for him to find it, wouldn't he be finished?
But suddenly, a massive helicopter animation effect rose on his phone screen. Satoshi's face first showed confusion but quickly switched to delight.
"Whoa! Thank you, big bro, for the helicopter gift! I'll start commentating right now, right now! The effect of Role Play is a Psychic-type move. After using it, the user's Ability becomes the same as the target's.
You can tell Elite Four Rosaline has done her research on Hayashi Kaede's Pokémon, knowing about Blaziken's Ability. Blaziken is moving, it's not... Whoa, so fast!"
....
Up above, Satoshi had already begun his "work," even taking out the portable microphone he carried.
Down below, the Flare Blitz, blazing across the vast ice field, had already carved a huge trail of water spray. But this spray, even under the Sunny Day, rapidly froze into ice.
Witnessing this, Kaede couldn't help but take another deep breath, while a thought quickly flashed through his mind:
Even during the battle, this Mr. Rime was capable of continuously and steadily infusing energy into the ice beneath to maintain its form.
'Is this the strength of a veteran Trainer's Pokémon?'
The fiery figure streaked across the ice under the sunlight like an arrow.
Just as it was about to reach *Mr. Rime, Rosaline on the opposite side spoke.
Although there was a trace of astonishment at Blaziken's speed in her gaze, she still issued her command with extreme calmness. "Ally Switch!"
[Ally Switch: In battle, switches the user's position with that of an ally.]
Psychic energy transformed into an invisible wave—for the Fighting-type Blaziken, this was the most elusive form of energy. Just as Mr. Rime seemed within reach, in a blink, what lay before it was now just a sheet of ice.
"Behind you! Use Aerial Ace!"
Kaede wasn't the least bit panicked by Flare Blitz missing; in fact, it was almost expected. Almost the instant the positions swapped, he gave the command.
And it was clear Blaziken had held back some strength during this move. It forcefully pushed off the ground, then, flipping 180 degrees in mid-air, attempted to use its legs to bring down the remaining momentum of the Flare Blitz.
But the opponent's reaction was equally swift.
"Double Kick!"
After switching positions, Mr. Rime—whether due to its height or the levitation from its Psychic power—placed its ice cane and its blue feet respectively against the two legs Blaziken was striking down with.
*Thud!*
The violent collision of the Flying-type and Fighting-type moves caused the massive ice sheet below to ripple slightly in the air.
'It's proficient in Fighting-type moves too?'
Kaede was inwardly surprised.
The previous Ally Switch was already surprising enough, because Ally Switch was a move typically used in double battles to swap positions with an ally on the same side.
If a Pokémon held any resistance, the difficulty of performing this swap would become infinitely greater.
Kaede knew the opponent could use this move, but he didn't expect they'd dare to use it so directly.
Was it confidence in Mr. Rime's Psychic power being strong enough to overcome Blaziken's resistance?
Or was it a guess that Blaziken wouldn't resist?
He didn't have time to speculate on the reason.
Because the opponent's Mr. Rime had already used the momentum from the collision to glide upward into the sky.
Regardless, Kaede couldn't allow it any idle time; otherwise, if it set up Trick Room, it would be over.
"Blaziken, chase it! Use Fire Punch!"
"Such a marvelous Ability. Set up Light Screen, then use Psyshock."
A cool, clear voice came from the other side.
Blaziken shot upward, flames flickering on its claws, while the Mr. Rime in mid-air became shrouded in a golden light.
By the time the Light Screen was established, Blaziken had almost closed in right before it.
What utterly shocked Kaede was that while setting up the Light Screen, that Mr. Rime, still in mid-air, also had a subtle, swirling gleam in its eyes.
That was Psyshock. In other words, these two moves were released by Mr. Rime in almost the same instant.
The Fire Punch smashed heavily against the light barrier. Hindered by the Light Screen, the fiery power seemed to sink into a mire.
In contrast, Mr. Rime's Psyshock was released point-blank.
"Blaziken!"
"Mr. Rime!"
Upon collision, both Pokémon cried out in pain.
But clearly, Blaziken suffered greater damage.
The double effectiveness of Psychic-type against Fighting-type, coupled with the significant gap in power levels, left Mr. Rime adjusting its descent with a graceful slide onto the ice. Aside from some scorch marks on its body, it seemed largely unharmed.
Blaziken, however, was sent crashing onto the ice, sending up a large cloud of icy mist.
"Blaziken?!"
Kaede's heart tightened. He immediately extended his Aura power, sensing the situation within the mist.
Inside the mist, Blaziken was already struggling to stand up.
At this rate, if it took another hit, it would likely be knocked out completely.
Sure enough, as the mist dispersed, Blaziken was back on its feet, but its stance was unsteady.
"So strong..."
Looking at the Mr. Rime that still held its ice cane, standing on the ice like a gentleman, Hayashi Kaede couldn't help but sigh in admiration.
This battle was essentially already a loss for Blaziken.
Because in the time it took Blaziken to struggle back up, the opposing Mr. Rime could have easily set up a Psychic Terrain or a Trick Room.
Whether it was Trick Room or Psychic Terrain, in any ensuing phase of the battle, Blaziken would have no chance of victory.
Of course, if Kaede applied his Viridian Power to heal and sustain Blaziken, that would be a different story.
Seeing Blaziken still wanting to fight on, Kaede waved it back. "Come back, Blaziken. I'll make you something good to eat when we get back."
"Blaziken! Blaziken? Blaziken~"
Although Blaziken felt it could still fight, it also knew it probably wasn't a match for the opponent right now. This wasn't some wild battle; it was just a regular Trainer match.
If it couldn't win, Gardevoir would help win it back later. What it needed to do now was go back, eat well, and strive to get stronger so it could fight and win next time.