On the Battle Court, Qingyu narrowed his eyes as he studied Poppy's somewhat familiar Corviknight.
The Pokémon Poppy had led with last time seemed to have been this big raven, too.
With its Mirror Armor Ability, which nullified and reflected opponents' stat-lowering effects, it was certainly a dependable choice for a lead.
Its Steel and Flying typing also made it difficult for Lucario to handle.
Even with the completely illegal Surging Strikes and Wicked Blow at its disposal, Lucario would have a hard time cracking this genuinely tough nut.
Tsk, looks like I'll have to take Lucario to learn more fighting styles and broaden its coverage!
But there doesn't seem to be a suitable master around right now. If only Mustard's Urshifu had all eighteen types...
Qingyu mused silently, then quickly reined in his wandering thoughts and returned his attention to the battle.
He had picked out two key points from Rika's introduction of Poppy:
First, Poppy hadn't raised her Pokémon herself. She had probably inherited them directly from her parents or other elders.
Second, this child must have improved considerably to serve as the temporary examiner for his unofficial Elite Four assessment and earn Rika's personal endorsement.
In that case, he would have to take this seriously, too.
"Lucario, Aura Sphere."
Against an airborne opponent, Fighting-type moves could easily miss, so Qingyu chose the more reliable Aura Sphere as his opening probe.
Unlike other Fighting-type Pokémon that specialized solely in punches and kicks, Lucario naturally excelled at concentrating aura, giving it some ability to trade ranged blasts. Qingyu considered this kind of attrition tactic important.
"Corviknight, fly up to dodge the attack, then use Iron Defense!"
Poppy gave her orders as well.
Her thinking was straightforward: use the ample space in the air to evade the attack, then have