"Go, Rhyperior!"
Auron watched as Rhyperior landed on the field, bristling with battle-ready aggression. Rhyperior's information flashed before his eyes at once.
Pokémon: Rhyperior Gender: Male Type: Rock / Ground Ability: Sturdy (A Pokémon with this ability will retain at least 1 HP after taking a hit while at full HP, preventing it from being knocked out.) Aptitude: Orange Basic Moves: Heavy Charge, Slam, Defense Curl, Rollout, Rock Polish, Sandstorm, Harden, Rock Fall, Knock Down, Heavy Stomp, Jade Crush, Stealth Rock, Rock Blast, Flamethrower, Brick Break Inherited Moves: Body Lighten, Arm Hammer, Million Ton Punch, Fury Claw
"Defense Curl into Rollout? And it learned Flamethrower specifically to counter Grass types."
"Swish!"
The flag dropped. The battle began!
"Rhyperior, Stealth Rock!"
"Clawitzer! Nasty Plot!"
Auron smiled slightly. This round, he needed to change up his approach entirely. Clawitzer going toe-to-toe with Rhyperior in close combat would be the single worst decision he could make.
Rhyperior's high Physical Attack and high Physical Defense meant that once they closed the gap, Clawitzer wouldn't survive even two hits of Arm Hammer.
But Clawitzer had more than one way to play. With Nasty Plot in the arsenal and Clawitzer's not-insignificant Special Attack stat, he could function perfectly well as a stationary cannon.
This Nasty Plot TM disc was something Auron had only been able to obtain after advancing part of his Mega Evolution research rewards and trading them in at the institute's treasury.
"Nasty Plot?" The stocky kid visibly blinked. Clawitzer used Nasty Plot? What was that even supposed to mean?
It was common knowledge that Clawitzer and Steel Cannon Shrimp represented two entirely different development paths—one Physical Attack oriented, the other Special Attack oriented.
But Clawitzer's ability, Adaptability, combined with its not-at-all-shabby Special Attack stat, proved that Clawitzer could actually function as a Special attacker without any real issue.
"Defense Curl, Rollout!"
If he couldn't figure it out, there was no point trying to. Rhyperior's Defense Curl into Rollout was something very few Pokémon could withstand head-on.
Auron watched his opponent stubbornly send Rhyperior charging forward despite seeing no change in Clawitzer's stance, and couldn't help but laugh. He must not have seen what a lesser-known Pokémon like Clawitzer was truly capable of.
That was right—Clawitzer genuinely was a niche Pokémon in this world.
Because not a single Elite Four member anywhere on the planet had ever used Clawitzer as one of their main team Pokémon, its true potential simply wasn't common knowledge.
But in truth, apart from its durability being somewhat on the lower side, Clawitzer didn't have any particularly glaring weaknesses.
A well-distributed base stat spread, combined with the boost from Adaptability, kept Clawitzer's damage output at a solidly high level. Add in the setup options provided by Dragon Dance, Swords Dance, and Nasty Plot—along with Water-type and Dark-type offensive coverage—and it became abundantly clear that Clawitzer's role was that of an attacker. A relentless, head-down attacker.
Yet in the public eye, Clawitzer was seen as a Pokémon that lived and died by Physical Attack alone. Its Special Attack was considered essentially negligible. That was precisely why the stocky kid hadn't bothered switching Pokémon and had gone straight into Defense Curl and Rollout.
"Surf!"
Just as Rhyperior came barreling in at high speed, the very moment before it was about to close the distance, Clawitzer raised a massive wave and sent the still-rolling Rhyperior flying off the field.
"Rhyperior!"
The stocky kid stared in shock at Rhyperior, who had been blasted clean out of its Rollout state. Rhyperior now gazed across at Clawitzer, who remained completely unfazed.
What the hell—Clawitzer was supposed to be a pure Physical Attack specialist. How was its Special Attack this strong, too?
Rhyperior slowly pushed itself back to its feet, breathing hard, fixing its gaze on Clawitzer. A flicker of fear crept into its eyes.
"Clawitzer, Dragon Dance."
"Return, Rhyperior. Go, Wrestling Eagleman!"
Auron and his opponent gave their commands at the same time.
"A read?" The stocky kid's mind raced at full speed, desperately searching for any way to turn the tide. Though Rhyperior had barely clung on thanks to Sturdy, retaining just a sliver of HP—against Clawitzer, it might as well have been knocked out already. Unless his Wrestling Eagleman could take Clawitzer down right now, then in a two-on-one situation, there might still be a chance to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
"Wrestling Eagleman, Cross Slash!"
Watching Wrestling Eagleman come hurtling toward Clawitzer at high speed, both hands sweeping down in a crossed pattern, Auron didn't so much as flinch.
"Clawitzer, block it with Shell Blade!"
Auron was calm. Clawitzer was calm. Both claws snapped open in an instant, white-hot blade-light flaring to life along their edges. Raising the glowing claws high above his head, Clawitzer met the strike dead-on and held firm.
But simply blocking wasn't enough. Wrestling Eagleman, using the very force of Clawitzer's resistance as a springboard, executed a clean flip in midair and brought both hands slicing down at him again.
Clawitzer continued to deflect with Shell Blade, absorbing the next blow.
In the span of just a few heartbeats, the two Pokémon had already exchanged several strikes—though it was Wrestling Eagleman doing all the attacking and Clawitzer doing all the defending.
Then, just as Wrestling Eagleman came plunging down from the sky once more, Auron's eyes lit up.
"Perfect opening—Retaliation!"
"BOOM!"
Clawitzer was sent flying backward by a Cross Slash—but thankfully he hadn't lost the ability to battle. Because as Clawitzer was hurled through the air, a column of dark brown light erupted from his body and shot directly into Wrestling Eagleman.
That column of brown light was the signature manifestation of Retaliation. If Clawitzer had been knocked out outright, the attack would never have materialized—a Pokémon that had lost the ability to battle had no capacity to use a move.
"Wrestling Eagleman!"
The stocky kid let out an anxious shout—but it couldn't change the outcome. The attack that had nearly one-shot Clawitzer was now being returned at double the power, and it was painfully obvious that Wrestling Eagleman took the full brunt of it, collapsing to the ground on the spot.
"Wrestling Eagleman has lost the ability to battle. Contestant, please send out your next Pokémon. Failure to do so within the time limit results in a forfeit!"
After hearing the referee's announcement, the stocky kid's shoulders drooped. He quietly recalled Wrestling Eagleman, then raised his right hand.
"I... forfeit."
"The opponent has conceded. The victor of this match is Auron Vale!"
The referee glanced at the stocky kid. He wasn't surprised by this result in the slightest—even if Rhyperior were to come back out, it wouldn't be able to escape losing.
Auron offered a courteous nod to both the referee and his opponent, recalled Clawitzer, and stepped off the field.
As he walked away, he found himself thinking about the rest of the group. "I wonder how they're all doing..."
"Wait—wait a moment. Just a moment, please."
A breathless voice came from behind him. Auron instinctively turned his head—and found it was the very stocky kid he'd just battled, jogging after him with heaving breaths.
"Uh—what's the matter?"
"Hah hah—I wanted to ask you something. Would that be alright?" The stocky kid spoke between gasps for air, and likely because he'd been running so fast, Auron could clearly see the fine strands of hair plastered across his forehead with sweat.