Satoshi was ready for battle a moment later.
Since this was a hotel, most Trainers present weren't locals from Alola.
In fact, most were students on school trips. With the High School Pokémon League around the corner, they had about half a month left after this trip—and before that arrived, Satoshi had somewhere he absolutely needed to go.
Kalos!
Mega Evolution!
Look at the other regions—each had its own exclusive system: Alola had Z-Moves, Galar had Dynamax, Paldea had Terastallization.
Shouldn't our region have something too?
Reviving Kanto's glory was their duty!
Sure, Mega Stones only existed in Kalos and Hoenn… but that didn't matter.
What mattered was spreading the Mega Evolution system and challenging stronger Trainers!
After all, Dynamax and Terastallization were a hassle—basically "regional self-entertainment." Mega Evolution and Z-Moves were special; those two systems had appeared together in Sun & Moon, and they were incredibly convenient.
Otherwise, school trips wouldn't come to Alola in the first place.
"Hey, that girl's insane—she's on a ten-win streak already."
"Uweh~ Wakaba Mutsumi, the Tamaki Rainbow Gym Leader—she came here on a school trip too?"
"I heard she hasn't lost once lately."
A crowd had gathered, watching Wakaba Mutsumi battle.
"…Roserade, use [GIGA DRAIN]." Expressionless, Mutsumi completely ignored the spectators, easily finishing off her opponent.
The battle instantly captivated Satoshi. The moment Mutsumi's match ended, he stepped straight onto the field.
He wanted just one thing—
To battle Wakaba Mutsumi!
"Mutsumi, can I go next?"
Satoshi took out a Poké Ball and held it up in front of her.
Saki's boyfr—no, the person she liked. He was awfully familiar.
Mutsumi's pupils shifted slightly.
In Ave Mujica, basically everyone knew who Sakiko liked. Whenever Satoshi came up, Sakiko would turn shy—her astonishing "wisdom" had never really tried to hide her feelings.
Mutsumi also knew Togawa Sakiko had more than one childhood friend, and Satoshi was one of them…
If I beat up Saki's boyfriend, Saki won't beat me up, right?
Saki cracks pretty easily.
And most importantly—if Soyo finds out… she'll definitely kill me.
"…Mm. Sure." With those thoughts in mind, Mutsumi nodded.
If her opponent was a Trainer, she shouldn't hold back—just go all-out and take them down!
That's what a Gym Leader does!
It's what Nagasaki Soyo taught her!
Don't worry about how strong the opponent is—go all-out until they're too scared to challenge you again.
"Grass/Poison Roserade, huh? Then I'll go… Rillaboom, it's your turn!"
Satoshi hurled the Poké Ball. It spun through the air, and in the next instant, Rillaboom appeared on the field.
"Rilla!"
Roserade was Grass/Poison. Even though Poison beat Grass, Satoshi still chose to meet Grass with Grass.
Combusken could end this quickly. Raichu and Frogadier wouldn't deal much damage to Roserade. The best fit really was Rillaboom.
Even at a disadvantage, it didn't matter—Satoshi wanted a battle that stirred his soul.
So this is what the person Saki likes is like…
He's completely different from everyone else.
"Roserade, use [PIN MISSILE]!" Mutsumi ordered, her calm voice wavering just slightly. Roserade launched the Bug-type Pin Missile—double damage if it hit Rillaboom.
"Rose~"
Several white, needle-like bolts of energy instantly formed around Roserade, stabbing toward Rillaboom like lightning—fast enough to make spectators gape.
"Use [GRASSY GLIDE] to dodge, then close in on Roserade!"
Satoshi reacted instantly, choosing close-quarters combat instead of long-range exchanges.
"Rilla~~" On the Grassy Terrain, Rillaboom slipped through the Pin Missiles with agile, gliding steps, moving as if skating across the ground.
There were plenty of them, sure—but they weren't unmanageable. And compared to Rillaboom, Roserade's Speed was comparable—90 to 85. Grassy Glide's burst was enough to bridge that gap.
Rillaboom raised its green-glowing drumstick, lined up Roserade, and swung hard.
The club shrieked through the air, power packed behind it—striking Roserade head-on.
Unfortunately, Grass was resisted by both Grass and Poison. A four-times resistance meant basically no damage—it merely shoved Roserade back a step.
"Use [ACROBATICS]!"
"Counter with [POISON JAB]!"
"Rill—!" A faint white light flared around Rillaboom as it charged, slamming an elbow strike down on its opponent with heavy momentum.
"Rose!" After taking the elbow, Roserade instantly retaliated, slashing forward. Purple venom surged forth, spilling into the air as it rushed toward Rillaboom.
Under the impact, both sides were forced back a few steps, breathing slightly harder.
"Fast counter—but not our match." Confidence filled Satoshi's eyes.
We'll win.
A STAB Poison Jab from Roserade's Attack was strong, sure—but in raw power, it still didn't match Rillaboom's itemless Acrobatics.
Which meant Satoshi had the advantage.
"Rill?!" But the purple venom Roserade left behind quickly spread, stabbing at Rillaboom's nerves with searing pain.
Uh… no way.
"Poisoned?!" Satoshi's confidence vanished in an instant.
[Satocchi, unlucky~]
"Roserade, rush in—[POISON JAB] again."
Mutsumi calmly directed Roserade. It flowed into motion, Poison Jab coming once more—
But Satoshi had already found his answer.
"[DRUM BEATING]!"
"Rillaboom—!" Rillaboom hammered out a rapid, steady rhythm on its stump drum. With the beat, two roots surged up from the ground, shooting straight toward Roserade.
"Rose~~" Roserade was caught within the roots' reach. It tried to flee, but their control was absolute—no room to counter. The roots lashed like long whips, striking again and again, pinning it helplessly.
"Use [PIN MISSILE]." Even Mutsumi couldn't help a flash of panic.
Drum Beating was Rillaboom's signature move—she'd never dealt with it before, so it took her a moment to process.
Satoshi was already pressing the advantage.
"[ACROBATICS]—knock every [PIN MISSILE] away!"
The instant Roserade tried to fire, Rillaboom burst forward and swatted each incoming needle out of the air.
Flying-type moves beat Bug, making Pin Missile useless here.
"Rillaboom!" Its body lowered nearly parallel to the ground, white light bursting from its muscles as it cut through the air—and then the elbow strike drove straight into Roserade.
The speed was ferocious. Acrobatics crashed into Roserade and sent it flying.
"Rose~!" Roserade hit the ground hard and lost the ability to battle.