In the games, a Totem Pokémon—Kommo-o—at full power is basically a +1 to every stat.
A +1 to everything was ridiculous. Satoshi really wasn't confident he could take it down.
And on top of that, it still had ally Pokémo—
"Satoshi, I'll handle the ones next to it. You go all out!" Uika cut him off before he could even finish the thought.
The corner of her mouth lifted into a small smile—she clearly meant to deal with the ally Pokémon for him.
The perfect supportive partner.
Uika's violet eyes glittered with trust—no, more than trust. Something a little too intimate.
Fighting alongside your boyfriend like this was actually pretty nice.
When did Satoshi become her boyfriend… ugh, Satoshi, boyfriend Pokémon!
As for Sakiko—who was that?
Temporarily forgetting Togawa Sakiko entirely, Misumi Uika focused single-mindedly on helping Satoshi.
They'd already come this far. There was only one goal now…
Defeat Kommo-o!
"Yeah. Got it—then I'm counting on you!" Satoshi accepted her support, eyes burning as he stared at Kommo-o.
In Satoshi's judgment, this Kommo-o was very likely Elite Four–level!
With the Totem boost, even the air currents swirling around its body pushed it to an even higher tier.
Win. I have to win. I will win.
That was the only thought in Satoshi's head. He started by recalling all his Pokémon.
If this was a Pokémon battle, then throwing the ball was the only proper way to do it!
He held the Poké Ball that shimmered with light, gave it a small flick—and hurled it.
"Raichu—let's go!"
"Rai!"
Raichu hit the ground—his high-speed support ace. Battle intent filled its eyes, and faint golden sparks leaked from its electric sacs.
If they were going to fight, they had to burn through Kommo-o's boosted momentum first. That was where Raichu came in.
"Raichu—[QUICK ATTACK]!"
"Rai!"
Raichu shot forward like a bolt of lightning, Quick Attack so fast it was hard to track.
Too bad Satoshi's opponent was a Totem Pokémon with all its stats boosted—and strength far beyond theirs!
"Jalaa!!"
Kommo-o's Dragon Claw gathered surging green energy and ripped in. Emerald light flashed with overwhelming force—impossible to ignore.
So fast!
"Use [QUICK ATTACK] to dodge!" Satoshi immediately realized the speed gap and abandoned the idea of winning on raw speed.
Kommo-o's speed was on par with Raichu's Quick Attack. The two crossed in a storm of afterimages, like twin lightning bolts intersecting.
"Rai—" Riding the burst of its Quick Attack, Raichu barely slipped Kommo-o's strike.
"Jaa!!" Kommo-o whipped around and came again, Dragon Claw slashing straight at Raichu.
"[ELECTROWEB]!"
Raichu hurriedly threw up an Electroweb as a shield—but the web was torn apart in a single swipe. It didn't defend much, but it did disrupt Kommo-o's motion for an instant.
"Now—[IRON TAIL]!"
"Rai-chu!!!" Raichu sprang up and brought Iron Tail down.
A silver arc cut through the air, smashing toward Kommo-o—
"Jaa!" Kommo-o reacted instantly, catching the blow with Dragon Claw and stopping it cold.
It can even take that?
Is this Alola's "blessing"…? With that buff, it's just too strong.
Satoshi felt the pressure. With both speed and power outmatched, Raichu could barely get in close—and one clean hit would basically be a knockout.
If he couldn't land that move, there was no win condition!
"Raichu—keep your distance. [SURF]!"
"Rai~" Raichu jumped back as a surge of water erupted beneath it, a roaring wave charging toward Kommo-o.
"Jaa?" One Dragon Claw split the Surf—water spraying up to blot out its vision, giving Satoshi the opening he needed.
"[QUICK ATTACK] in, then [NUZZLE]—right on its cheek!"
"Raichu!"
A flickering blur wrapped Raichu's body as its speed spiked again, lightning made flesh.
It closed the distance in an instant—then lunged, pressing in with a lightning-fast Nuzzle.
"Jaa…" Kommo-o was caught off guard. Raichu found a soft spot, and Kommo-o's body stiffened—paralyzed on the spot.
"Now, Iron—"
"JALAA!!" Before Satoshi could finish, Kommo-o scraped its scales together, erupting into a deafening clatter that shattered Raichu's concentration.
[Clanging Scales]: The user rubs the scales on its entire body and makes a huge noise to attack the opposing Pokémon. The user's Defense stat goes down after the attack.
"Jalaa!" Kommo-o didn't hesitate. Green energy surged into Dragon Claw, and it smashed Raichu away.
"Rai—" Raichu spun through the air, eyes turning to spirals as it hit the ground—knocked out.
Even paralyzed, it's still this fast…
This opponent is the real deal.
All you can say is: fighting without a Fairy-type is miserable!
Which left Satoshi with one thought.
I miss you, Mane-nee!
I really want a Flutter Mane so bad—then I'd have Mane-nee Moonblast Kommo-o right in the ass!
A 4× weakness—Kommo-o would get absolutely bullied.
[By the way, Satocchi, that "problem Pokémon" Mane-nee seems to be ranked second, you know. When you catch it, are you really not going to do anything?
[No 1.: Meowscarada.]
[No 2.: Flutter Mane…]
None at all! Is Pokémon battling not fun enough for you?
"Come back, Raichu. Rillaboom—you're up!" Satoshi recalled Raichu, then immediately threw Rillaboom's Poké Ball.
"Rilla!!"
Rillaboom's heavy body dropped onto the ground with a thud.
Right now, Kommo-o was far beyond Rillaboom—but Satoshi had no intention of giving up.
Because what was Rillaboom?
The legendary Pokémon—Ogerpon's big brother!
Known to the world as the Pretty-Feet Siblings—no, wait, the Grassy Glide Siblings!
Let the Totem Pokémon witness the greatness of the big brother!
"Rillaboom—[ACROBATICS]!" Satoshi slashed his hand forward, momentum surging, and Rillaboom—
"Rillai!" Rillaboom flashed with a bright white sheen and charged Kommo-o, weaving through a string of tricky acrobatic attacks.
"Jalaa!" But Kommo-o opened its mouth wide, and a raging violet-blue pulse blasted out, straight at its opponent.
DRAGON PULSE