"It said to let her go first!" Through Diancie's translation, everyone learned that Veranica was being asked to take the field.
Since a battle against a Totem Pokémon was a trial, it naturally had to be tailored to the challenger. Although this Totem Raticate had Elite Four Class strength, it would presumably still give Veranica a chance to pass.
"All right! I'll do it, then!" Veranica took a deep breath and walked up to the Totem Raticate with her Salamence.
"Roar!" Salamence let out an angry roar, sending out a powerful wave of sound, but the Totem Raticate remained completely unmoved and unaffected.
"Squeak, squeak!" At its soft cry, two normal-sized Raticate emerged and charged toward Salamence.
Alolan Form Raticate were different from ordinary Raticate. Their bulkier bodies made them slower and less aggressive, but increased their defensive capabilities.
Their Alolan Form also gave them an additional Dark type, diversifying their means of attack.
"Seriously? One against two? You're not playing fair! Salamence, Breaking Swipe!" The two Raticate closed in fast, leaving Veranica little time to react. Salamence swept its long tail across their path, forcing both of them to stop.
It then fired a Dragon Breath straight ahead. The two Raticate immediately scattered, charging at Salamence again from two different directions.
Both Raticate were strong, with mid-stage Gym Leader Class fighting strength on par with Salamence. But Salamence was now fighting one against two, which undoubtedly made things much harder.
"Use Dragon Claw!" Facing the two black rodents rushing toward it, Salamence raised both claws and slashed hard to either side.
"Squeak!" The two Raticate shrieked, but instead of fleeing, they met Dragon Claw head-on with Crunch.
"Roar!" Salamence growled as two bloody gashes appeared on its claws. Those wounds would severely affect the rest of its battle.
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