"Now, would both sides please send out their Pokémon!"
As the Gym Leader, Falkner naturally sent out his Pokémon first, and his first contender was the Hoothoot standing on one leg on his shoulder!
"Hoothoot, this first battle is yours!"
"Hoothoot!"
Hoothoot flapped its wings and flew to the center of the battlefield. Meanwhile, Falkner's apprentices took their seats in the stands and focused on the field. Their solemn expressions made the atmosphere slightly tense.
Glancing at them, Sabrina walked alone to the stands on the other side and sat down gracefully, her relaxed expression forming a stark contrast to theirs.
On the field, Xia You watched Hoothoot, considering which Pokémon he should use against it.
His fingers moved over his Poké Balls one by one before finally stopping on Gardevoir's.
"Come out, Gardevoir!"
Having decided, Xia You threw the Poké Ball without hesitation.
A flash of blue light passed, and Gardevoir's beautiful figure appeared before Hoothoot.
"Gardevoir..." Falkner folded his arms and examined it closely. "It isn't a Pokémon native to our continent. There really aren't many opportunities to see one."
"That's just how it is." Xia You shrugged. "That's regional variation for you. Kanto and Johto Pokémon are actually rarely encountered in other regions, too."
Neither Pokémon had a type advantage over the other, but as a Normal- and Flying-type Pokémon, Hoothoot could also use many Psychic-type moves. Xia You had chosen Gardevoir to battle it precisely with this in mind.
"Begin the battle!"
At the referee's command, the battle officially began.
But after just a few exchanges, the situation on the field slowly drew Xia You's brows into a frown.
It wasn't that Gardevoir was performing poorly and falling behind. Quite the opposite-it was performing too well!
From the very beginning, Gardevoir had kept Hoothoot completely suppressed,