Skyla's defeat in the first battle did not provoke much surprise among the Pokémon Trainers around them.
After all, Skyla had already said that, in her Imagination Battle, this incredibly cool-looking black Pokémon would indeed defeat her first Pokémon, but would lose to her second.
So, from their perspective, this was a foregone conclusion.
Only the elderly man serving as referee noticed a few clues in Skyla's grave expression and this Greninja's extraordinary performance.
It seemed Skyla really had encountered... an opponent she could not overcome this time.
That was fine, too...
For Skyla, this was not necessarily a bad thing. Perhaps it could put her back on the right track.
Meanwhile, Xia You was also sizing up the Unfezant.
True to its name, Unfezant looked much like a wild pheasant. Its body was grayish-black, and it stood over a meter tall. A pink crest resembling a masquerade mask adorned its head, extending backward into two long, slender streamers that hung behind its head. With golden pupils and grayish-brown eyelids, it looked rather imposing.
Judging by its appearance, this one was probably male.
After all, the females' plumage was nowhere near as vibrant as the males', and their lower bodies were brown rather than covered in emerald-green markings and feathers.
This Pokémon was also said to be extremely intelligent and proud, never growing close to anyone other than its Trainer.
In battle, male Unfezant shook their head crests to intimidate their opponents. They possessed exceptional flying ability and excelled even more at speed.
These were facts any Trainer, especially an experienced one, should know. Moreover, after learning that Skyla specialized in Flying-type bird Pokémon, he had consulted his Pokédex and reviewed them before bed last night.
After all, there were only so many kinds of bird Pokémon in the Unova