"Battle... continue!"
At the referee's command, Ariados and Heracross rushed toward each other, their eyes brimming with Fighting Intent! Edward's expression, however, was far from pleasant. Anything outside his plans was what he hated most.
But forfeiting the match was impossible. The benefits of defeating Sato were simply too great; he could not refuse such temptation.
So Edward could only suppress the irritation in his heart and focus all his intentions on the battle.
Yet Heracross had already fallen into a disadvantage.
On the field, Ariados's white sharp horns, far longer than those of its kind, were wedged right between Heracross's horn.
Screech~ screech~ screech...
Their horns pressed together, sparks even flying from the friction, yet they were nearly evenly matched in strength.
But upon closer inspection, Heracross's hind legs kept scraping against the ground, and its entire body trembled slightly.
Perhaps because all four of its claws were gripping the ground, Ariados appeared exceptionally steady.
No matter what, Ariados, a Pokémon that primarily used poison and was good at sneak attacks, had forcibly held back Heracross, known as the "Bug King."
It was even faintly suppressing it!
"How is it so tough?"
In the stands, White pointed at Ariados, which was locked in a contest of strength with Heracross, seriously wondering whether his eyes had gone blind.
Lance crossed his arms and nodded in agreement.
Ariados was one of the few Pokémon in Sato's team that was not Dark Type.
Yet even without the continuous enhancement of Dark Power, Ariados had never fallen behind, and had even once occupied one of the starting lineup positions.
Not to mention that after absorbing the Poison Dragon Heart, Ariados had not only made up for its racial weaknesses, but had even refined its poison to the utmost limit.
Poison was Ariados's strongest