Under normal circumstances, Ye Lan would have given Rillaboom the advantage in this battle.
They were both Grass-types, so neither had much of an edge in what they could withstand or dish out. What would decide the match was who seized the initiative.
In that respect, Rillaboom's Grassy Surge Ability gave him a clear advantage.
Of course, that assumed the two Pokémon were evenly matched. This wasn't a game, and Ye Lan knew how unusual his two Pokémon were. Since their return from the desert, Serperior's chances of winning had grown much better.
The one thing Ye Lan could still pin his hopes on was how much Rillaboom had improved lately.
"Both Pokémon are now on the battlefield! Let's give them a round of applause!"
"Hiss!"
Facing his companion a short distance away, Serperior looked calmer than he had in any previous battle, but his fighting spirit kept rising.
He didn't know what this battle meant to Rillaboom. To Serperior, though, there was a reason he had to win.
"Uh..." Rillaboom parted his lips and awkwardly sounded out a syllable. It was the call his tribe used to issue a challenge for leadership, meaning they would stop short of seriously hurting each other.
That one sound stunned not only Serperior across from him, but Ye Lan standing on Flying Rotom as well.
"Vee?!"
"Flaa?!"
The two little ones stared in shock. After all this time, they'd finally heard Rillaboom speak!
Leafeon, in particular, had joined the team after Rillaboom and had never heard him say a word. According to Serperior and Whimsicott, when Rillaboom first joined them, he had occasionally spoken to them in short phrases even before his throat had fully healed.
Later, Rillaboom realized that Ye Lan, Serperior, and Whimsicott could understand what he meant without him risking