Lance stared at the glaring word "Defeat" on his screen, his expression filled with disbelief before finally easing into a smile of acceptance.
"I really did lose."
Honestly, halfway through the battle, he had already begun to sense it-he might lose to this team of seemingly feeble Bug Pokémon.
His opponent's tactical skill and predictions had far exceeded his expectations. Every Pokémon on that single team had its own inventive combination.
The Blunder Policy he had given Kricketune at the start was proof enough. It allowed even a Pokémon as weak as Kricketune to disrupt the opponent's tempo as a lead.
Had his opponent been a little luckier, Lance might have found himself at an even greater disadvantage.
There was also the little combination of Protect and Speed Boost, which allowed risk-free boosts and meshed exceptionally well with Baton Pass tactics.
Even the Air Balloon Drapion that had caught him off guard and the Flame Orb Heracross using Final Gambit had left a deep impression on Lance.
What was even more frightening was-
Lance could actually tell that this team wasn't all that cohesive.
If his opponent hadn't seemingly been obsessed with building a team exclusively around Bug Pokémon, its strength would probably have risen several more notches.
Yet even this team, still some distance from perfection, had repeatedly suppressed him in its Trainer's hands, culminating in a spectacular reversal at the very last moment...
He suddenly grew curious about just how skilled his opponent really was.
Judging by the command and creativity this Trainer had displayed, surely he had to be a key figure in the League?
Could this be some Champion's alternate account?
But aside from the one in Unova, surely no Champion would spend time devising strategies for Bug Pokémon...
And it was even less likely that