The deck.
The bikers looked like geese with hands clamped around their necks.
"Uh... uh..."
They looked at one another, bewilderment lingering in their eyes.
Mohawk, their leader, could hardly believe it. Electabuzz's Thunder had never failed him. Apart from Pokémon it wasn't very effective against, it usually took down its target in one hit.
How could it hit Shiny Milotic, do nothing, and then get Electabuzz knocked out instead?
That wasn't right!
The spectators' applause and mocking looks pricked Mohawk like needles, leaving him red-faced. He hurriedly recalled his unconscious Electabuzz, pulled out another Poké Ball, and shouted with a stammer:
"D-don't get cocky! That was only my first! Best two out of three!"
Mohawk used Torment.
His biker underlings refused to be outdone and used Howl on Mohawk repeatedly.
Mohawk's Attack rose!
But neither Mohawk's taunts nor the crowd's scorn for him and encouragement for Baimu could shake Baimu's composure.
"Can you use Recover?" he asked Shiny Milotic, who was eager to go again.
Shiny Milotic tried for a while, then shook her head dejectedly.
"Milo..."
Battles were the most effective way to grow stronger, but learning a move still required a flash of insight. Simply getting hurt in hopes of triggering an epiphany about Recover did not seem to work.
Not enough pressure? A limit to her understanding? Either was possible.
"It's all right. We'll count it as battle experience."
Baimu comforted her softly. He met Mohawk's gaze and was about to accept the challenge when he spotted a crew member struggling to push through the crowd toward them.
Regretfully, he recalled Shiny Milotic.
Crew members did not normally stop Pokémon battles, but a group like these bikers, who clearly looked liable to cause trouble, was bound to be under close watch.
Naturally, they would not let