Caitlin's first Pokémon was a bird-type Pokémon.
It was covered overall in green feathers, featuring a black neck, white wings, red claws, and two red plumes trailing from the back of its head.
It was Xatu, the Mystic Pokémon, which legend says possessed the ability to foresee the future and was even worshipped by ancient people in the past.
Ange looked toward the opponent using the Eye of Observation.
Xatu Type: Psychic, Flying Ability: Magic Bounce Gender: Female Level: 46 Moves: Various Individual Values HP: 31 Attack: 26 Defense: 30 Special Attack: 31 Special Defense: 30 Speed: 31
Caitlin was a Psychic-type Elite Four member, so using Psychic-type Pokémon came as no surprise to Ange.
Furthermore, true to being an Elite Four member's Pokémon, this Xatu boasted exceptionally stellar individual values, with everything aside from Attack sitting comfortably above 30 points.
Xatu's base Special Attack stat exceeded its base Attack stat, and its move pool primarily focused on special attacks, meaning a lower Attack individual value had virtually no impact.
However, judging by Xatu's level, Caitlin clearly hadn't taken Ange seriously when deploying it; this level likely wouldn't even qualify it for her secondary team.
Ange glanced at the opposing Xatu, then looked down at his own Komala.
46 VS 93 The gap between them was simply massive!
"Since your name is Ange, you can take the first attack!" Caitlin raised her chin proudly, entirely unaware of the astronomical power gap between Komala and Xatu.
Ange asked, "Are you sure?"
"Of course," Caitlin replied. "Otherwise, Cynthia might accuse me of bullying."
Cynthia: Isn't that precisely what you're doing?
Ange chuckled. "In that case, I won't hold back! Komala, use Iron Head!"
The instant Ange finished speaking, a flash of metallic light washed over Komala's forehead, and a split second later, it transformed into a streaking blur as it charged straight toward Xatu.
Seeing how astonishingly fast Komala moved, Caitlin felt a jolt of panic and hurried to command Xatu, "Reflect!"
Pokémon like Xatu possessed a natural innate talent for mastering Light Screen and Reflect.
"Xatu~" Xatu let out a sharp cry and abruptly spread its wings, causing a transparent barrier to instantly materialize right in front of it.
Komala closed the distance in a flash, slamming squarely into the barrier. Under the astonished gazes of both Caitlin and Cynthia, Xatu's Reflect failed to endure even for a single second.
With a resounding crack, the Reflect shattered into pieces. Xatu was sent flying backward, crashing hard against the protective barrier of the battle arena and instantly passing out from the impact.
The entire surroundings fell into absolute silence. Both Cynthia and Caitlin stared with slightly parted lips, temporarily incapable of recovering from their shock.
The structural integrity of barriers like Light Screen or Reflect, much like Trick Room, scaled directly with the user's level—the higher the user's level, the sturdier the screen, wall, or room would be.
The fact that Komala effortlessly smashed through the barrier generated by Xatu meant its level vastly outstripped Xatu's by a wide margin!
Caitlin finally came to that realization.
Breaking the silence, Ange said, "Miss Caitlin, it looks like I've taken the lead for now!"
Regaining her composure, Caitlin couldn't help asking, "Just who on earth are you?"
Ange looked puzzled. "Didn't I introduce myself already? I'm just a cook from Azoth!"
Caitlin muttered under her breath, suspecting this person might be a "secret weapon" cultivated by the Azoth Kingdom.
At that moment, Cynthia reminded her, "Ria, hurry up and send out your second Pokémon!"
"I know!" Hearing this, Caitlin quickly recalled Xatu before deploying her second Pokémon.
Having learned her lesson from Xatu, Caitlin decided against using a reserve Pokémon to brush Ange off this time around.
Caitlin's second choice remained a Psychic-type, taking the physical form of an infant enveloped within a green cellular membrane.
Reuniclus Type: Psychic Ability: Magic Guard Gender: Female Level: 72 Moves: Various Individual Values HP: 31 Attack: 30 Defense: 31 Special Attack: 31 Special Defense: 30 Speed: 12
This stood as a textbook example of a primary Elite Four Pokémon across all metrics, including level, moves, and individual values.
Its Speed individual value sat at a mere 12, which made it crystal clear to Ange that this specimen had been purposefully bred for specialized tactical builds.
While breeders in the Pokémon world could not completely dictate the trajectory of individual values, they could exercise general control through the study of genetics.
Those Pokémon boasting high individual values were the fruits of generations of tireless breeding efforts carried out by breeders.
Different breeders pursued different research focuses; some specialized in move inheritance, others in Pokémon ecology, while others dedicated themselves entirely to individual value heredity...
Caitlin's Reuniclus was clearly the crowning achievement of a skilled breeder's labor.
The very instant Reuniclus materialized, Ange commanded Komala to launch an offensive.
"Komala, use Shadow Claw!"
Komala's silhouette once again morphed into a streaking blur, appearing beside Reuniclus in the blink of an eye as dark, razor-sharp claws viciously slashed downward.
Reuniclus had zero time to evade and was sent hurtling away by the direct hit.
Caitlin furrowed her brows once more, realizing she had still underestimated her opponent, though a faint smile soon surfaced on her face.
Reuniclus was a remarkably sluggish Pokémon in terms of speed. If it wanted to seize control during a battle, deploying Trick Room stood out as the optimal strategy.
The slower it was, the more fluidly it could operate inside a Trick Room environment.
Clearly, the measly 12 individual value points in speed on Caitlin's Reuniclus had been intentionally bred to synergize with Trick Room.
Since Komala failed to score a one-hit KO, Reuniclus successfully set up Trick Room.
In Caitlin's eyes, now that Reuniclus had successfully deployed Trick Room, the outcome of this match was effectively decided.
A boxy, transparent blue space encapsulated the entire arena, and Komala distinctly felt an intangible binding force descend upon its body.
"Reuniclus, Psychic!" Caitlin commanded with absolute confidence.
Reuniclus radiated a brilliant purple glow across its entire body, and a split second later, Komala found itself seized and manipulated by the psychokinetic energy.
Komala attempted to dodge, but the binding pressure of the Trick Room heavily impeded its movement.
With a deafening crash, Komala was slammed fiercely against the ground, looking somewhat dusty and battered.
"Reuniclus, do it again!" Caitlin intended to press her advantage using the same tactic.
Simultaneously, Ange called out, "Komala, use Double-Edge!"
The very next second after being slammed into the ground yet again, Komala erupted with a dazzling white radiance and charged forward.
This time, its target wasn't Reuniclus, but the physical boundary of the Trick Room itself.
The glowing mass of energy that was Komala smashed violently into the wall of the Trick Room. With a crisp, echoing crack, the entire spatial domain shattered abruptly.
Caitlin widened her eyes in sheer disbelief. "How... How is this possible..."
Double-Edge served as Komala's signature STAB (Normal-type) heavy-hitter; while the user suffered recoil damage, the move boasted a staggering power of 120.
Combined with the 20-level gulf between Reuniclus and Komala, the Trick Room it generated naturally could not withstand Komala's full-powered assault.
Tactics of that nature generally only yielded miraculous effects when both sides stood on equal footing; once confronted with an absolute disparity in power, even the most exquisite strategy proved entirely useless.
"Komala, use Shadow Claw!"
Before Reuniclus could snap out of its shock, Komala's attack was already upon it. Lacking the ability to dodge, Reuniclus could only watch helplessly as Komala's dark-gleaming claws drew closer.
With a miserable shriek, Reuniclus—having taken two consecutive Shadow Claws—finally collapsed to the ground.
Staring at the motionless Reuniclus lying on the floor, Caitlin remained frozen in disbelief for a long time.
Cynthia, acting as the referee, was equally lost in a daze, completely forgetting to remind Caitlin to release her final Pokémon.
After a prolonged silence, Caitlin pulled her gaze away from Reuniclus and fixed a direct stare upon Ange, the last trace of arrogance completely vanished from her eyes.
She had originally assumed that deploying her main roster would secure an easy victory over Ange, only for her calculations to fail yet again.
Where on earth did this guy crawl out from? How could a modest place like Azoth harbor a trainer this terrifying, and why had no rumors ever leaked out before?
Right then, Caitlin's mind was flooded with doubt.
Following a bout of silence, she recalled Reuniclus and released her final Pokémon.
She had to deploy her full strength, otherwise, for an esteemed Elite Four member to be swept three-nil by an obscure trainer would be utterly ridiculous.
With a flash of red light, a Pokémon highly familiar to Ange materialized across from Komala.
"Er-lu~~" The moment the Pokémon appeared, it struck a ready-to-action stance.
That's right, Caitlin's third Pokémon was none other than the Blade Pokémon, Gallade.
Gallade Type: Psychic, Fighting Ability: Steadfast Gender: Male Level: 81 Moves: Various Individual Values HP: 31 Attack: 31 Defense: 31 Special Attack: 30 Special Defense: 31 Speed: 31
Caitlin's absolute strongest Pokémon was Gothitelle, who had previously clashed with Garchomp, but Gothitelle was currently undergoing medical treatment and unable to participate.
Even so, Gallade proved equally formidable; aside from Gothitelle, it stood as the only Pokémon in Caitlin's roster exceeding Level 80.
With a stern expression, Caitlin addressed Ange, "I apologize for my previous condescension and negligence. You are a true powerhouse, and to show my respect, I will fight at full strength!"
No sooner had she spoken than Ange saw her pull a pendant from her sleeve, suspended from which was a glowing Key Stone.
Simultaneously, Gallade revealed a white belt around its waist, embedded right in the center with a Mega Stone.
Caitlin raised the Key Stone in her hand. "Gallade, unleash your power, Mega Evolve!"
Dazzling radiance simultaneously ignited from both the Key Stone and the Mega Stone, the twin lights brilliantly reflecting off one another.
Bathed in the illumination, Gallade's physique began rapidly transforming; the blades on its arms grew significantly larger, and a cape fluttered majestically in the wind, presenting an awe-inspiring and dashing posture that commanded respect.
The light faded, and Mega Gallade made its grand entrance.
Watching the face-off between Mega Gallade and Komala in the arena, referee Cynthia slipped into a daze. She had never anticipated that Caitlin's initial test intended to weed people out would spiral into this current scenario.
"Gallade, Psycho Cut!"
At Caitlin's command, Gallade rapidly swung its arms, unleashing a barrage of pinkish-purple blades of psychic energy that rained down toward Komala like shooting stars.
Clutching its log pillow, Komala relied on its diminutive stature to nimbly weave through the gaps of the incoming Psycho Cuts while rapidly closing the distance to Gallade.
Ange shouted, "Komala, Play Rough!"
Hearing the cue, Komala hoisted its log pillow high overhead and smashed it viciously toward Gallade.
"Er-lu~" Gallade hurriedly crossed its arms defensively.
A massive shockwave erupted from the fierce collision between the two Pokémon, sending the hems of the clothing worn by Ange and the others fluttering wildly in the gale.
With Playrough successfully blocked by Gallade, Komala freed up one hand, unleashing a Shadow Claw targeting Gallade's midsection.
Gallade likewise freed a hand, executing a precise Secret Sword strike to parry the Shadow Claw.
The recoil generated by the clash of Secret Sword and Shadow Claw forced both Pokémon to bounce backward simultaneously. However, Komala quickly thrust out its stubby arm, grabbing hold of Gallade's billowing cape.
Using Circle Throw, Komala yanked on Gallade's cape, whipped it around in a full circle through the air, and slammed it heavily onto the ground.
Boom! A crater was blasted into the earth, with Gallade sprawled out right at the bottom.
"Gallade!" Caitlin cried out in alarm.
Pressing the attack, Komala hoisted its log pillow and lunged forward with Play Rough to smash into Gallade once more.
"Gallade, Teleport!" Caitlin hurriedly warned.
Gallade vanished in a flicker of light, causing Komala's strike to hit empty air and shatter the ground into branching cracks.
Caitlin called out, "Gallade, Psycho Cut!"
As it turned out, Gallade had used Teleport to blink directly behind Komala, launching a surprise attack under Caitlin's guidance.
What Caitlin did not know, however, was that Ange had already tracked Gallade's precise trajectory using Aura, prompting him to warn Komala the exact moment Gallade materialized:
"Komala, behind you!"
Without a second's hesitation, Komala swung the log pillow around to deliver a Play Rough right behind its back.
BOOM!
Gallade's Psycho Cut was blasted away instantly, colliding with the arena's protective barrier in a fiery explosion.
Following that, guided by Caitlin, Gallade continuously used Teleport for agile repositioning, coordinating with Night Slash, Psycho Cut, Secret Sword, and Leaf Blade to mount successive ambush strikes on Komala.
Regrettably, Ange managed to anticipate its location every single time, instructing Komala to dodge cleanly and deliver swift counterpunches.
Gradually, Gallade began panting heavily.
Executing continuous Teleports consumed a massive amount of stamina, a drain that even its high level could not entirely offset.
Realizing she was on the verge of defeat, Caitlin finally unsheathed her ultimate trump card.
Her long golden hair whipped through the air like serpents, while brilliant purple lights flashed within her eyes.
A split second later, Gallade's eyes lit up with matching purple radiance, syncing directly with Caitlin.
In that moment, the mental energies of human and Pokémon merged as one, unleashing an even more formidable magnitude of power.
"Er-lu~!" Gallade let out a skyward roar, causing the ground centered around it to fracture into spiderweb cracks under the oppressive weight of the psychic pressure, rapidly spreading outward in all directions.