Nova, for his part, seemed to be enjoying every second of it.
"Six-on-six? Works for me." He accepted with a cheerful shrug.
Aresdra, looking like she was already regretting this, was guided to the sidelines by the gathering crowd. The field belonged to the two of them now.
"Sandslash, let's go!"
The choice made sense on the surface — a Ground-type up front was a clear counter to what Koga expected Nova to send out. Type advantage, easy read, clean plan.
Except his information was badly out of date. He had no idea Nova had caught a second Pokémon, let alone that Nidorino had evolved into Nidoking just that same morning.
Nova bit back a grin. The opposing Sandslash was only around level 25 — about as close to ideal sparring conditions for Corvisquire as you could ask for.
On the airship, the skirmish with the kidnappers had pushed Corvisquire hard. Both the pokemon it had faced were well above level 35, and while Corvisquire had not beaten them outright, holding its ground against two opponents at once had been no small thing. After two days of rest back in Harmony City, it had reached level 21. With the type advantage of a Flying-type against a Ground-type, taking on a Sandslash just four levels higher seemed like ideal practice — tough enough to matter, but winnable.
Nova found himself thinking that ever since he and Corvisquire had crossed paths, the bird had not had a single easy day. From training bouts against Nidorino to a brutal mid-air fight on the airship, the challenges just kept coming.
He tossed the Poké Ball. Corvisquire burst out in a flash of white light, spread its broad wings, and hovered in the centre of the field — unhurried, surveying everything below it like it owned the space it floated above.
The crowd went quiet for a moment.
Hold on — where's the Nidorino? What is that bird?
There was no time to wonder. Nova called the first move before anyone had recovered.
"Corvisquire, Peck!"
Corvisquire was not the fastest Pokémon on its best day, but Sandslash was slower. Before Koga had even processed what was happening, Corvisquire had already tucked its wings and driven its beak hard into the top of Sandslash's head.
The result was solid, but not clean. Sandslash's base Defense was a wall — its spiny hide deflected and distributed impact in a way that made reckless physical attacks risky for the attacker too. Striking the forehead rather than the armoured back had been the right call; Corvisquire had read that quickly and adjusted mid-dive.
Koga had been caught off guard for a moment, but he was the top first-year at a specialist school for a reason. He steadied himself and started working through his options. A bird almost certainly meant Flying-type. Of Sandslash's moves, Fury Cutter would be resisted, Bulldoze and Dig were useless against an airborne target, and Poison Sting was too weak to matter. That left Slash as the only real option — but Corvisquire was in the air, and Sandslash was not built for jumping.
A calm, experienced Trainer would have switched out and eaten the free hit. But this battle had started as a point to prove, and backing down in front of Aresdra and a crowd of his classmates was not something Koga was willing to do.
He made a decision.
"Sandslash, Defense Curl!"
Nova spotted the plan the moment the move was called. Defense Curl into Rollout — a well-known combination. Rollout was a Rock-type move, which would hit Corvisquire hard, and the Defense Curl would double its already considerable base power. Left unchecked, the attack would keep building in power with each consecutive hit. If the chain landed cleanly, Corvisquire would not survive it.
Solid plan. It just had to land first.
"Corvisquire, Sand Attack!"
Corvisquire swept its wings low, kicking up a cloud of grit from the field, then directed a sharp burst of sand directly into Sandslash's face as it was still mid-curl. Sandslash flinched, blinking, and continued curling on instinct — unable to see clearly, but too committed to stop.
Corvisquire rose higher and used Hone Claws, sharpening its attack and steadying its aim.
Defense Curl complete, Sandslash launched into Rollout. But the accuracy drop from Sand Attack was already working against it, and the pair had clearly not drilled this combination enough for it to come naturally under pressure. The rolling Sandslash veered wide and slammed into the protective barrier at the edge of the field with a heavy thud.
Nova did not break rhythm. "Corvisquire, Tailwind!"
Corvisquire beat its wings in a controlled burst, whipping up a focused current of air behind it. Its Speed climbed noticeably.
Koga refused to call off the Rollout chain. Once Rollout was in motion, stopping it early was its own kind of admission. He called for it to keep going.
Nova held to his approach: as long as Rollout kept missing, every turn was a free setup opportunity. Between dodges, he called for more Hone Claws.
By the time Sand Attack's accuracy reduction had faded, Sandslash had missed six consecutive Rollouts. Corvisquire had used Hone Claws six times.
Its Attack and accuracy were now at their maximum.
Six turns of free setup. If you hand a Pokémon that much time to prepare and then cannot survive the hit that follows — that is simply the result of the choice you made.
"Corvisquire, use Power Trip!"
Dark-type energy surged across the field. Corvisquire let out a sharp, triumphant cry and dove.