An open battle field between Laverre City and the Poké Ball factory.
One good thing about the Pokémon world was that battle venues were extremely common. As long as you wanted to battle, you could find suitable battle locations almost anywhere.
If worst came to worst, the wilderness would work too.
And Drasna was obviously "premeditated"—she had already scouted out the battle location.
In a secluded, empty battle field.
Johan and Drasna stood on opposite sides of the battle arena, each holding Poké Balls, ready for battle.
Originally, Johan had wanted a simple 1v1 format. After all, this was just an ordinary sparring match, and with no audience, winning or losing didn't matter at all.
But Drasna expressed wanting to have a 3v3 rotation battle with Johan.
Compared to 1v1, 3v3 indeed tested a trainer's abilities more, while also significantly reducing the luck factor.
And Johan just wanted to say, luck?
Hah—
What's that? Utterly dismissive.
"Ready?" Drasna opened her eyes, her expression somewhat serious.
"Of course."
Johan immediately threw the Poké Ball in his hand without hesitation. At the same time, Drasna on the opposite side also threw her Poké Ball.
Two flashes of red light.
"Yoji!"
Appearing before Johan was the solid Larvitar, which hit the ground with a dull thud, raising a thin layer of dust.
The first Pokémon Drasna summoned was Dragalge!
It looked like a seahorse with purple skin, surrounded by what appeared to be withered seaweed, with only the red leaves on its head looking somewhat vibrant.
"Dragalge, evolution of Skrelp, Poison and Dragon-type Mock Kelp Pokémon. It has a violent temperament and is extremely territorial. It's a highly toxic Pokémon—dangerous! Dangerous! Rotom!"
Rotom's screen flashed with red lights representing danger.
Dragalge?
Johan raised an eyebrow slightly.
As everyone knew, Fairy-type was extremely effective against Dragon-type, not only dealing double damage to Dragon-types but also being immune to Dragon-type attacks.
And Poison-type was the reverse—it was effective against Fairy-type.
So although it was a Dragon-type Pokémon, Dragalge actually wasn't afraid of Fairy-types; instead, it countered them.
Obviously.
As the "Dragon-type Elite Four of the Fairy Pokémon Origin Region," Drasna had ways to deal with Fairy-types.
However...
Johan hadn't sent out a Fairy-type Pokémon.
"Larvitar?"
Seeing Larvitar, Drasna's reaction was even stronger than Johan's reaction to seeing Dragalge.
She squinted slightly, glancing at Johan.
In at least an Elite Four-level battle, sending out an unevolved pseudo-legendary cub.
Either Johan completely didn't take this battle seriously, or... this Larvitar was extraordinary!
In Drasna's view, it must be the latter.
However...
Strategically despise the enemy, tactically respect the enemy.
So.
Drasna's lips curved slightly. "What a cute little one."
"Yoji! Yoji!"
Sure enough, after hearing Drasna's words, Larvitar got agitated, clenching its small fists and gesturing twice at Drasna and Dragalge.
Where's the cute part! Haven't you seen these fists as big as sandbags!
Johan lightly held his forehead.
Aunt Drasna really was...
But using psychological warfare against a Pokémon Psychology expert's Pokémon—wasn't that a bit too dismissive of Johan's presence?
Strike first!
"Larvitar, Sandstorm!"
"Yoji!"
Larvitar, which had been making a fuss the previous second, immediately dropped its expression upon hearing Johan's command and stomped heavily on the ground.
Bang!!
The ground seemed to tremble slightly, raising a cloud of dust while sand began to fly.
Seeing this, Drasna was somewhat surprised.
She hadn't expected... this little one, despite seeming rash, was quite clever.
Moreover, judging from this Sandstorm, this Larvitar was indeed as she'd guessed—not weak.
Swish swish swish—
Sand filled the air. In just an instant, dust covered the entire field, each grain of sand scraping against Dragalge's body like a small knife, bringing tiny stings of pain.
"Dragalge, move around, Aqua Tail!" Drasna said in a low voice.
Splash splash—
Following Drasna's command, Dragalge immediately moved. Water surged from its body, gathering at its tail.
The water current carried Dragalge, somewhat compensating for its naturally slow movement speed.
Moreover, the appearance of water flow also somewhat alleviated the stinging sensation brought by the sandstorm.
Dragalge began circling around Larvitar, water splashes and wet marks leaving circles on the ground.
"Now!"
Splash—
The accumulated Aqua Tail struck decisively after finding an angle where Larvitar's defense was weak.
"Larvitar, Dragon Dance, dodge!"
"Yoji!"
Larvitar cried out loudly, its body showing some rhythmic movement as it started running on its short legs with this rhythmic feeling.
Dragon Dance?
Dragalge, being a Dragon-type Pokémon, couldn't use it, but Larvitar, being Rock and Ground-type, could?
"Dragalge, Sludge Bomb!"
The whip-like Aqua Tail was narrowly avoided by Larvitar, but the Sludge Bomb that immediately followed from Dragalge's mouth wasn't so easy.
Deep purple sludge laden with poison shot from Dragalge's mouth like a cannonball, rapidly firing toward Larvitar.
"Larvitar!"
Larvitar crossed its arms over its chest, its body faintly showing a metallic luster as it directly faced the Sludge Wave from Dragalge.
Bang!!
The little one was knocked back several steps.
Hm?
Drasna squinted, noticing the metallic coloring that had appeared on Larvitar's body earlier.
Was that Iron Defense?
But Iron Defense was a move that increased physical defense, while Sludge Bomb was a special attack...
"Yoji!"
Larvitar, having finally steadied itself, quickly shook its somewhat numb hands. All the poisonous sludge sticking to them was shaken off, with no intention of seeping in.
Drasna's pupils contracted slightly, then she understood.
So it was using Iron Defense's Steel-type characteristics to prevent poisoning?
Moreover...
This Larvitar was really tough!
Setting aside the poison, even with 4x resistance, Larvitar taking a direct hit and only staggering?
If it were a Tyranitar, Drasna wouldn't be surprised.
Was this really just a Larvitar?
However...
"It's not that simple." Drasna became serious again.
And this time, it was Johan's turn to be surprised, because... poison still spread across Larvitar's body, not from the frontal Sludge Wave, but from the water currents Dragalge had left on the ground while moving!
The water was poisoned?
Poison spread up from its legs.
A Dragon-type Elite Four who was also so good with poison...
"Larvitar, Rock Slide!"
Relying on the speed boost from Dragon Dance, Larvitar steadied itself and immediately counterattacked.
Large rocks flew toward Dragalge's head.
"Dragalge, split it with Aqua Tail!"
Water currents swirled to create a barrier.
Bang!!
The rock shattered instantly, and Dragalge didn't take much damage. When it looked toward Larvitar again, it found the little one had already raised one foot high.
It fell.
Rumble rumble—
The entire ground shook violently, as if the earth was venting its fury. A crack rapidly split from beneath Larvitar's foot, reaching Dragalge in the blink of an eye.
This power...
Earthquake? Fissure?
No, it was Stomp!
Rock Slide had missed, so Stomp's power directly doubled!
And after doubling, Stomp's power was fifty percent greater than Earthquake!
"Dragalge, Waterfall—go up!"
Drasna reacted quickly. Dragalge immediately surged with water, ascending like climbing a waterfall, trying to avoid the impact of this Stomp.
However.
Water was surging upward, but water was also continuously flowing down into the ground cracks.
Boom!!
The Ground-type energy that erupted dealt considerable damage to Dragalge.
"Yoji!"
Seeing this, Larvitar excitedly clenched its fists, cheering for itself, but after the shout, its eyes squinted in pain.
Poisoned.
"Don't let your guard down—it's far from over."
Johan's voice echoed in Larvitar's mind.
After all, the little one was too far behind Drasna's Dragalge in level. Even with Ground-type's double effectiveness against Dragalge, it couldn't one-shot kill Dragalge.
Letting it out now was more for "leveling up."
Larvitar nodded heavily, enduring the gradually spreading pain from the poison in its body as it kept its eyes fixed on the dust raised by Stomp.
The next second, Johan's voice exploded in its ear.
"Protect!"
"Yoji!"
The current Larvitar was no longer the little one that had just been born not long ago. Its coordination and chemistry with Johan was very high. Just as the words rang out, it raised a green barrier.
Boom—
A terrifying water column erupted from the rising dust.
This was clearly the Water-type ultimate move, Hydro Pump!
Crack!
Under the rushing water's impact, Larvitar's Protect barrier shattered.
"Dragalge, Scald!"
Drasna waved her hand, no longer daring to underestimate Larvitar in the slightest.
After the dust settled, the somewhat exhausted Dragalge continued spitting water, but this time it was scalding hot water!
[Scald: Sprays the opponent with scalding hot water, with a chance to inflict burn status!]
Larvitar was a typical physical attacker. The poison status was manageable—it could barely endure it—but burn...
"Larvitar, Roar!"
"Yoji—!!"
Larvitar pointed at Dragalge and roared without mercy, releasing sound waves that seemed to form circles, lowering Dragalge's Special Attack.
At the same time.
A red beam shot out, hitting Larvitar before the hot water could reach it.
Pokémon switch!
Johan gripped the Poké Ball, looking at the heavily panting Dragalge, nodding slightly as he spoke to Larvitar inside the ball:
"You did very well."
To fight like this against an Elite Four's main Pokémon in pseudo-legendary cub form was already quite successful for Larvitar.
Moreover, Drasna wasn't just any Elite Four—she was the final Elite Four member of the Kalos region!
If they continued fighting, Larvitar might not necessarily be without fighting capability, but this was just casual sparring—there was no need to go that far.
Watching the recalled Larvitar, Drasna couldn't help frowning.
After brief hesitation, she chose not to switch.
Forcing Johan to switch Pokémon first gave her the advantage and initiative.
Johan put away the Poké Ball containing Larvitar and took out a second one.
"Go, Tinkaton!"
"Cha!"
In the red light, the hammer-wielding Tinkaton made a brilliant entrance, raising its hammer toward the opposing Dragalge.
Hey, hello there!
Steel and Fairy-type Tinkaton had an extreme type advantage over Dragalge.
But...
"Dragalge, Scald again!"
Splash splash—
Steaming hot water surged again.
"Cha!"
What goes around comes around!
Tinkaton spun its wrist, and the seemingly massive hammer was easily thrown out.
The scalding water met the metal hammer.
Bang!!
A gap was forcibly torn through the water stream, heading straight for Dragalge.
"Dodge!"
Dragalge almost instinctively moved aside. The terrifying hammer whooshed past its ear with a strong wind.
Seeing this, Dragalge secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
What a heavy hammer that could break through hot water with such impact—how much did it weigh, how much force was behind it?
However, before it could figure it out, Drasna's voice came again.
"Watch behind you! Dodge again!"
But this time, Dragalge obviously couldn't react in time.
Bang!!
The hammer that had clearly flown past it somehow came flying from behind again?
Tinkaton was standing in place without moving!
How was this done?
Drasna watched the hammer fly past Dragalge, then saw Tinkaton open its palm, and the hammer actually curved around behind Dragalge?
It curved!
How was this possible?
Drasna couldn't understand, and Dragalge was even more confused.
Using the hammer to execute Fake Out, putting it in a brief flinching state.
The outstretched Tinkaton also moved, striding forward as the hammer perfectly flew back into its hands!
Leaping high, falling heavily.
Ice Hammer!
Boom!!!
Ice crystals scattered instantly, the ground cracking in layers.
Dragalge was knocked out!
"Cha!"
Tinkaton raised its hammer with a triumphant expression like "a great victory with a great hammer."
At this moment, Johan, standing opposite Drasna and having witnessed the entire process, had a strange expression.
Good, good, good—
The hammer actually "came alive."
Meowth's hammer, right?
Xerneas's Fairy Aura infusion allowed Ninetales to somewhat learn Geomancy, while Tinkaton channeled that vast life energy into its hammer, and then...
The hammer became like this.
This was also Johan's first time seeing Tinkaton battle after it woke up, and his first time witnessing this.
Even though he'd already guessed this in his heart, he still felt it was somewhat strange.
Unexpected.
Not only unexpected for Drasna and Dragalge, but also for Johan.
"Cha~"
Tinkaton held the hammer handle with one hand and gently patted the hammerhead with the other.
Good hammer, obedient hammer~
Johan stared at the hammer for a while, carefully sensing with his aura until he confirmed the hammer made no "response," then he relaxed slightly.
Not alive.
But probably... Tinkaton had mastered some strange ability or technique.
Nothing else to say.
That move just now—the boomerang hammer—was quite cool.
However, after this, Drasna would definitely be on guard.
She'd wanted Dragalge to help expand her advantage, but instead got caught off guard. Not only did she fail to expand the advantage, but she fell into a disadvantage.
Steel + Fairy was hard to handle...
Drasna took a light breath, silently thinking and reviewing.
After brief consideration, she took out a Poké Ball and threw it again.
"Go, Noivern!"
A black and purple bat-like Pokémon appeared in the air above the field, flapping its wings. White fur around its neck swayed in the wind, and its huge ears were extremely eye-catching like two sound amplifiers.
"Noivern, Flying and Dragon-type Sound Wave Pokémon. It has a violent temperament and is hot-blooded, but also has a side that's friendly to humans. In darkness, it can even make Hydreigon fear it, Rotom!"
Johan was obviously familiar with Noivern, as Ash had one in the anime—very cool and liked to show off, but was unfortunately sent to Professor Oak after the Kalos journey ended, as usual.
"Another 'Lance's Delight Dragon'..." Johan murmured.
Flying and Dragon-type Noivern had no type advantage whatsoever against Tinkaton.
Of course, as a Flying-type Pokémon, when facing opponents that couldn't fly, its flexibility and mobility were inherently advantageous, especially since Noivern was incredibly fast.
Just...
"Cha!"
Seeing the Noivern that appeared in the air above the field, Tinkaton's eyes lit up as it turned to look at Johan, pointing at the sky.
A bird! Look, such a big bird!
"Gaah—!!"
This was heard by Noivern, which immediately roared angrily.
You're the bird! Your whole family are birds!
Hey, good hearing.
Tinkaton didn't mind, just lightly rubbing the hammer handle, eyes full of eagerness.
Bird or not, you don't get to decide—you'll have to ask my hammer!
The battle continued!
The sandstorm kept flying.
"Tinkaton, Rock Slide!" Johan immediately waved his hand.
Crack!!
The rocks that Larvitar had broken from the ground earlier saved Tinkaton considerable effort. It directly grabbed a large piece with one hand and threw it out, then gripped the hammer handle with both hands, drawing an arc.
Bang—
The rock shot out like a cannonball, heading straight for Noivern.
"Noivern, Boomburst!"
Drasna also knew the key to this battle—Noivern absolutely couldn't get close to the ground.
Buzz—
Noivern's two ears glowed white, then a terrifying sound wave burst forth. The surrounding air vibrated violently, as if everything in the sound wave's path would be crushed.
Crack crack crack—
The rock Tinkaton had thrown cracked and broke into small pieces under this powerful sound wave's impact, finally being shattered to powder.
The sound wave's power didn't diminish after destroying the rock, continuing to impact toward Tinkaton.
"Cha!"
Tinkaton immediately raised its hammer to protect itself.
However, sound waves were pervasive. Though the hammer blocked some of it, Tinkaton still endured the sound wave's impact, temporarily experiencing some ringing in its ears.
Must say...
Johan seemed to have discovered a bug in real Pokémon battles.
Moves like Noivern's Boomburst—after such a bombardment, Pokémon would likely fall into brief ear-ringing states, so... wouldn't trainers' commands be unheard?
"Gaah!!"
The flapping Noivern grinned.
Let's see you call it a bird or not—
Before it could finish being smug.
Whoosh—
Its ears suddenly picked up the sound of something cutting through air.
Hm?
The next moment.
Bang!!
A huge rock hit Noivern squarely on the head.
What was going on?
Hadn't the rock already been shattered?
Noivern was confused.
"Noivern, dodge quickly!"
Drasna's voice suddenly came.
Whoosh—
Another sound of cutting air.
This time, Noivern finally reacted, dodging to the side as a rock flew past where it had been.
Rock?
Fortunately, its peripheral vision finally noticed the situation below.
"Cha! Cha!"
Tinkaton looked excited, swinging its hammer with one hand while holding a rock with the other, throwing out another piece.
At Tinkaton's feet was a pile of rocks of various sizes, and it could grab another piece at any moment.
Wait!
When did you collect all these rocks?!
And your rock-throwing movements are way too skilled!
So skilled that Noivern's head started hurting.
Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—
Noivern rapidly maneuvered in the air as rocks of various sizes were thrown up from below.
For a moment, the two sides seemed somewhat deadlocked.
Tinkaton was getting more and more excited, more and more happy.
Satisfying, so satisfying!
It had been so long since it had such a happy time hitting birds.
Whether it hit or not was another matter—the harder the target, the happier it got.
While Noivern was busy dodging in the air, it couldn't find a chance to counterattack—can you believe that?
Not just Noivern—even Drasna hadn't expected this battle to develop this way.
"Cha!!"
Tinkaton threw out another rock, glanced slightly after aiming, then quickly repeated its previous actions.
I can fail countless times, but as long as you get hit once and successfully trigger Rock Slide's additional effect, then hehe...
Johan faced Drasna's "shocked" gaze, covering his forehead slightly.
Cough...
This really wasn't trained—it was purely Tinkaton's instinct.
It was just that... their family's Tinkaton was a tiny bit better than other Tinkatons.
Actually, this was also related to Tinkaton receiving Xerneas's Fairy Aura baptism.
Though the hammer wasn't alive, Johan could feel that in Tinkaton's hands, the hammer seemed... lighter.
Previously, Tinkaton needed both hands gripping the handle to make rocks fly this fast, but now... one hand was enough.
One hand swinging the hammer, one hand throwing rocks—the attack speed naturally increased.
Nicknamed—Lance's Nemesis!
Even Ninetales might not match Tinkaton in purely countering "Flying-types."
This couldn't continue!
Drasna also understood the danger this posed to Noivern.
True, Noivern was fast and should be able to hold out for a while, but... constant defense and dodging would inevitably expose problems over time.
A long defense must fail!
Moreover.
Tinkaton and Johan wouldn't necessarily maintain this fighting style forever. Seeing it become an endurance battle between Noivern and Tinkaton.
They would definitely change tactics or rhythm at some point, and then... she and Noivern would be even more passive.
Rather than that, it was better to...
Drasna's eyes sharpened as she waved her hand vigorously. "Noivern, Boomburst!"
Feeling Drasna's momentum and awakening, Noivern found an angle to avoid a rock, then suddenly turned to release a terrifying sound wave impact.
It shattered another rock that was about to get close into powder, forcibly enduring a rock hitting its wing while struggling to maintain its form.
"Tsk." Johan and Tinkaton both clicked their tongues simultaneously.
Elite Four members were indeed Elite Four members.
The timing was perfectly calculated.
Tinkaton disappointedly put down an ice crystal it had secretly condensed. This was something it had gathered using Ice Hammer while throwing rocks, planning to catch Noivern off guard, but the opponent started counterattacking after taking a hit.
However.
Counterattacking was good!
Better than constantly circling in the sky.
"Roar—!!"
Noivern roared, flapping its wings while releasing terrifying sound waves and diving down toward Tinkaton from above.
Close combat time!
"Cha!"
Tinkaton gripped the hammer handle with both hands, the hammer glowing with faint pink light.
"Noivern!"
At this moment, Drasna shouted, intense red light bursting from her hands.
Hm?
Mega Evolution?
Noivern?
No, that's not right!
It was... a Z-Move!
After brief confusion, Johan suddenly realized that Drasna had chosen to use a Z-Move at this moment?
The timing was perfect—truly catching him off guard.
The power released by the Z-Crystal was channeled from Drasna to Noivern.
The Boomburst Noivern was releasing gradually faded, and an incredibly hot flame suddenly surged from its mouth!
Inferno Overdrive!
Damn!
It was even a Fire-type enhanced Z-Move?!
This round.
This round was truly getting shown up by Drasna.
Earlier, Johan and Tinkaton had caught her off guard, and now Drasna and Noivern were returning the favor.
A huge, blazing hot fireball flew toward Tinkaton.
The red fireball reflected even Tinkaton's hammer in fiery red, the scorching heat making Tinkaton's lips dry and mouth sticky.
"Protect!"
Johan's voice timely echoed in Tinkaton's mind.
As an aura user, the biggest advantage was that aura allowed him to observe the entire battlefield and give commands promptly.
As for Drasna not having aura while Johan did—was this cheating?
If I don't use my advantages, wouldn't all my preparation be wasted?
Buzz—
A green barrier appeared on the field for the second time.
Noticing the faint green glow beneath the blazing fireball, Drasna knew Tinkaton had reacted.
She secretly admired the quick reaction of Tinkaton and Johan.
Worthy of being called "Teacher Johan."
However, facing a Z-Move, even "Protect" couldn't completely block it!
Boom!!
The blazing fireball crashed down.
Crack—
A crisp sound came from within the flames as the Protect barrier shattered. The raging flames definitely dealt considerable damage to Tinkaton.
"Noivern, Gust!"
Seizing the gap when the Protect barrier broke, Drasna commanded again.
Fire borrowed wind's momentum.
Though Inferno Overdrive had been released, the flame's burning hadn't ended. With a helping Gust, let the flames become even more fierce!
Of course, controlling the wind's intensity was also necessary—if the wind was too strong, the fire would be extinguished.
Noivern flew beside the burning flames, flapping its wings to stir up wind.
Whoosh—
But just then.
A black shadow suddenly shot out from the flames!
Thud!!
It was the hammer!
It hit Noivern squarely on the head with a clear ringing sound. Noivern was hit dizzy, and the hammer bounced away, caught by Tinkaton as it charged out of the flames.
The next moment.
Tinkaton leaped up, taking advantage of Noivern's brief daze to ride on its back, grabbing one ear while gritting its teeth and raising the hammer.
Play Rough!
Bang—
A burst of cartoon-like smoke with peculiar patterns immediately rose.
"Still this energetic?" Drasna hadn't expected Tinkaton to break out of the flames so quickly.
A few seconds later.
"Cha!!"
Noivern crashed to the ground, its face bruised and battered. Tinkaton rode on its back, one hand grabbing an ear while the other held the hammer against its mouth.
Submit or not!
Noivern's heart was bitter.
Big sister, you've practically shoved the hammer into my mouth—how do you expect me to talk?
Do I still want my teeth?
Obviously.
Though Inferno Overdrive had been Protected against, the damage it dealt to Tinkaton was still significant, though not fatal.
Moreover.
Johan also noticed that some of the burn marks on Tinkaton's body were slowly healing.
The vast life energy from Xerneas actually gave Tinkaton an effect similar to carrying "Leftovers"?
Drasna breathed out a long sigh, taking out a Poké Ball to recall Noivern, who was being ridden by Tinkaton.
Both sides specialized in catching each other off guard, but she still fell behind.
In pure command and reaction, there were some gaps.
The stronger one became, the more one could feel the benefits brought by powers like aura and psychic abilities.
Specialized in information advantages.
With Noivern recalled, Tinkaton hurriedly examined its hammer, seeing no signs of melting, and patted its chest with relief.
Good, good...
"Well done, Tinkaton." Johan praised.
"Cha?"
Tinkaton turned its head with an extremely loud voice, putting its hand by its ear and leaning in to listen.
What did you say? Can't hear you, speak louder, didn't you eat?
Johan: "..."
He lightly adjusted his glasses, somewhat exasperated.
Must say.
It was good he knew aura—otherwise, if it were someone else with a Pokémon, if the Pokémon didn't have certain autonomous abilities, it would be hard to say.
Sound wave attacks really had something.
Seeing Tinkaton's cute appearance, the originally stern-faced Drasna couldn't help but "pfft" laugh out loud.
"Teacher Johan, your Pokémon are all more adorable than the last."
"Ha, haha..." Johan laughed dryly.
If you knew how much trouble this bunch could cause normally, you wouldn't so easily use the word "adorable" to describe them.
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Powerstones?
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