Sergio waited until both Articuno were high above the open Battle Factory. Once they had taken their positions in the sky, he raised one hand.
"Match, start!"
Natsui and Noland gave their first orders almost at the same time.
"Articuno, use Blizzard!"
"Articuno, use Steel Wing!"
The two Trainers had chosen completely different ways to begin.
Natsui's Articuno spread its wings and filled the sky with freezing wind and snow. The Blizzard grew quickly, covering more and more of the battlefield until both Pokémon were surrounded by white.
Noland did not hesitate. His Articuno used Steel Wing and rushed directly into the storm.
He wanted to force a close-range fight before Natsui could fully control the battlefield.
But that decision immediately put his Articuno at a disadvantage.
The Blizzard made it almost impossible to see what was happening from below. Ash and the others could only make out two blue shapes moving through the snow every few seconds.
Inside the storm, however, Natsui's Articuno was much more comfortable.
It had fought in harsh weather many times before. Instead of trying to search through the snow, it used the Blizzard to hide its movements and stayed away from Noland's direct charge.
Noland's Articuno rushed through the storm with Steel Wing, but it could not find a clean target.
By the time it noticed movement above it, Natsui's Articuno had already changed position.
Aerial Ace came down from above and struck Noland's Articuno across the back.
The impact pushed it lower through the storm.
Noland's Articuno quickly recovered and tried to answer with Water Pulse, but the attack disappeared into the snow without hitting anything.
A moment later, another blue flash appeared from the side.
Ice Beam passed through the Blizzard and struck one of its wings.
Noland's Articuno cried out.
From below, everyone heard the cry, but no one knew which Articuno had been hit.
Max had been gripping his fists since the battle started. He finally loosened them and looked at Ash and the others.
"Who do you think will win?"
Scott shook his head.
"It's hard to say. They're both Articuno."
Ash was not sure either.
"I guess it'll depend on who battles better."
Brock looked at the Blizzard for a few seconds before answering.
"I think Natsui's Articuno will win."
Everyone turned toward him.
"Why?"
Brock explained that being the same species did not mean they had the same strength or experience.
Noland's Articuno had not been battling alongside him for very long. Natsui's Articuno was different. It had already fought many powerful opponents and had experienced battles against other Legendary Pokémon.
Ash immediately remembered Shamouti Island and the Crystal Tower.
Those were only the battles he had personally seen.
There was no telling how many others Natsui's Articuno had fought during its travels.
The difference was already showing inside the Blizzard.
Noland's Articuno tried to use Steel Wing again, hoping to force its opponent into a direct clash.
It still could not catch it.
Natsui's Articuno avoided the charge, circled through the snow, and struck from behind with Aerial Ace.
Noland's Articuno was knocked forward and nearly lost control of its flight.
It managed to stabilize itself, but the scratches across its body were starting to accumulate.
The Blizzard did not last much longer.
The wind gradually weakened, and the thick snow began to clear.
When the two Articuno finally appeared again, everyone immediately saw the difference.
Natsui's Articuno was still flying normally.
Noland's Articuno had several marks across its body, and part of one wing was covered in frost.
The injuries were not serious yet, but the first part of the battle had clearly belonged to Natsui.
Noland frowned.
His Articuno had entered the Blizzard intending to attack, but once the Trainers lost sight of the fight, experience had decided everything.
He did not want that to happen again.
"Keep your distance!"
Noland's Articuno quickly pulled away and created space between them.
Now that he could see the battle clearly again, Noland began directing every movement himself.
"Water Pulse!"
A blue sphere crossed the sky toward Natsui's Articuno.
Natsui only gave a short command.
"Agility."
Articuno moved away before Water Pulse arrived.
The attack passed through empty air.
Noland tried to follow immediately, but Natsui had already taken control of the next exchange.
"Aerial Ace."
His Articuno turned in the air and rushed down from above.
Noland's Articuno tried to move aside, but it was too slow.
Aerial Ace struck its side and knocked it off its flight path.
Noland immediately ordered Steel Wing.
His Articuno forced itself to recover and turned back, its wings glowing as it tried to meet Natsui's Articuno at close range.
This time, Natsui did not let the two attacks collide.
His Articuno moved around the first swing and passed behind its opponent.
"Ice Beam."
The attack struck before Noland's Articuno could turn around.
It was pushed downward again.
Noland gritted his teeth.
He had thought that regaining visibility would allow him to fight normally.
Instead, the situation had barely changed.
His Articuno could attack, but almost every move was being used in response to something Natsui had already done.
It was always one step behind.
Natsui had been watching long enough.
At the beginning, he had only wanted to understand how Noland's Articuno fought.
Now he already knew.
"Don't give it time to recover."
His Articuno immediately increased the pressure.
Noland's Articuno tried to create distance, but Natsui's Articuno followed without letting it escape.
Aerial Ace knocked it higher into the sky.
Before it could stabilize itself, Ice Beam forced it to turn again.
Noland's Articuno was still fighting, but its breathing had become heavier.
The difference between them was no longer difficult to see.
Noland knew it too.
If the battle continued at this pace, his Articuno would only keep taking damage until it could no longer fight.
He needed something that could interrupt Natsui's pressure and give his Articuno time to recover.
"Articuno, use Blizzard!"
Noland's Articuno spread its wings.
Freezing wind immediately filled the sky.
This Blizzard was much larger than the first.
Dark clouds had already gathered above the Battle Factory because of the amount of Ice-type energy released during the battle. With the temperature already low, the new storm quickly became much stronger.
Snow poured through the open ceiling and covered the battlefield below.
The temperature dropped even further.
Ash and the others could no longer stay where they were. They wrapped their arms around themselves and moved away from the strongest part of the freezing wind.
May looked back toward Natsui.
He had not moved.
He was still standing in the command zone while the Blizzard blew directly toward him.
She grabbed a towel and ran back.
But once she got close, she realized she had worried for nothing.
The freezing wind never reached Natsui.
A barrier surrounded him.
Gengar slowly emerged from his shadow with a smile.
"May, you made that trip for nothing~"
May stopped and stared at it.
So Gengar had been protecting Natsui the entire time.
She suddenly felt embarrassed for rushing back with the towel.
She was about to leave when Natsui spoke.
"Don't go."
May stopped.
"Come stand beside me. Watch from here."
She hesitated for a moment, then moved closer.
Natsui did not take his eyes off the Blizzard.
"You're a Pokémon Coordinator, but battles still matter. I don't always know what I should teach you, so just watch. Try to see the battle from my position."
May looked up with him.
The Blizzard had become so thick that it was difficult to see anything more than a few meters away.
The two Articuno were still fighting inside.
Noland had created the storm to escape Natsui's pressure, but it had only taken the battle back into the kind of environment where his Articuno had already struggled before.
Noland's Articuno tried to use the snow to hide its movements and fired Water Pulse through the storm.
Natsui's Articuno avoided the attack.
A few seconds later, Aerial Ace struck Noland's Articuno from the side and sent it deeper into the Blizzard.
It recovered and tried to turn.
Ice Beam flashed through the snow.
The attack did not hit directly, but it passed close enough to force Noland's Articuno lower again.
Even inside the Blizzard it had created, it still could not take control of the fight.
From the command zone, Natsui could only see brief pieces of what was happening.
Sometimes one of the Articuno appeared for a second.
Sometimes there was only a flash of blue light somewhere inside the storm.
Then the snow covered everything again.
Eventually, the Blizzard became so thick that Natsui could no longer tell which Articuno was his.
He stopped giving orders.
Noland had the same problem.
For the moment, neither Trainer could interfere.
The two Articuno would have to continue the battle on their own.
But unlike at the beginning of the match, there was little uncertainty left.
Noland's Articuno was already hurt and tired.
Natsui's Articuno still had much more energy left.
Even before the Blizzard ended, the direction of the battle was already clear.