"Ralts, use Confusion!"
At the command, Ralts was just about to use Confusion when Seel darted into the water at incredible speed.
The thick ice kept Ralts from seeing where Seel was. It looked around, but Seel suddenly burst through the ice in its blind spot and slammed its head toward it.
Still, Ralts had spent several months with Xia You and had plenty of battle experience. After a moment of surprise, it used Teleport to dodge again.
"Seel, use Ice Shard!"
Seel opened its mouth again, formed a flurry of ice shards, and fired them at the newly reappeared Ralts.
A violent explosion engulfed Ralts in flying ice chips and fragments of the floating platform.
Yet when everything settled, Sakura and the others were surprised to see that, despite being hit by Ice Shard, Ralts had not only weathered the attack but apparently suffered very little damage!
"Huh? That's strange!" Sakura exclaimed. "Psychic- and Fairy-type Ralts shouldn't have any type advantage or disadvantage against Water-type Seel, right? And Ice Shard is an Ice-type move, so why did it do so little damage?"
"Miss Sakura," Xia You said with a smile, "I imagine your Seel's Ability is Thick Fat?"
The Thick Fat Ability meant that a Pokémon possessing it took only half damage from Ice-type or Fire type moves.
Though puzzled by his sudden mention of Abilities, Sakura nodded.
"That's right, but what does that have to do with anything?"
Xia You shrugged. "My Ralts's Ability is Copy, so it can fully copy Seel's Thick Fat Ability. That's why your Ice-type moves pose no threat to it."
"So that's it!" Sakura finally understood and smiled ruefully. "Then it copied Seel's Ability right at the start of the battle?"
"Yes."
At Xia You's confirmation, Sakura said helplessly, "I have to admit, that's a really rare Ability. It certainly caught me off guard, but I'm not giving up just yet!"
"Seel, use Aqua Jet!"
As Sakura gave her command, Xia You spoke at the same time. "Ralts, use Magical Leaf!"
Countless leaves appeared out of thin air before Ralts. Glowing faintly, they spun and compressed before flying toward Seel in a continuous stream. They collided with the oncoming jet of water in a fierce explosion.
But when the thick mist dispersed, Magical Leaf had not only canceled out Aqua Jet but even injured Seel within it!
Struck by the attack, Seel was forced down onto the ice.
Grass beat Water. It was super effective!
Sakura's brow furrowed.
It's just too hard to deal with!
Still, whatever her frustrations, the battle had to go on.
"Ralts, use Confusion!"
"Seel, get back into the water!"
Both Pokémon Trainers spoke at once. Having learned from what happened earlier, however, Ralts did not let Seel have its way this time. It focused and acted first, enveloping Seel in Confusion before it could move and lifting it into the air.
Seel cried out in pain under the attack. No matter how it struggled, its efforts were futile; it could not escape Confusion's hold.
Once Seel had risen high enough, Ralts swept its arm down, sending it crashing onto the frozen floating platform at tremendous speed.
BOOM!
After the thunderous crash, Seel did not even have time to cry out before following Goldeen and Krabby's example, likewise becoming unable to battle!
"We lost..."
After recalling the unconscious Seel into its Poké Ball, Sakura and her two siblings exchanged glances, then slowly walked toward Xia You.
But before Xia You could recall Ralts, a light suddenly enveloped it. A few seconds later, the original Ralts was gone, replaced by a new form!
Kirlia!
At the sight, Ayame covered her mouth in surprise. "Huh? It evolved?!"
Kirlia looked like a dancer dressed in white, wearing what resembled a ballet skirt. Its legs were very slender, and unlike Ralts's hair, its hair no longer completely covered its eyes. Instead, its bangs fell to its shoulders, revealing its red eyes. Even its two red horns had shifted position, looking like hair clips.
How to put it? It was like a little girl growing into a lovely young woman.
The Pokédex, which Xia You had not yet put away, responded at just the right moment. "Beep. Kirlia, the Emotion Pokémon. Psychic and Fairy type. When it uses the horns on its head to amplify its psychic power, it creates illusory scenery in the surrounding space. It can sensitively pick up on its Pokémon Trainer's emotions and begins to dance when happy. Its Pokémon Trainer's cheerful mood is the source of its psychic power."
Clearly not yet accustomed to its new appearance, Kirlia turned in a few circles before returning to Xia You's side.
"Kirlia, your new look is really pretty."
Kirlia looked at Xia You shyly. Only after he stroked its head did it affectionately rub its cheek against his hand.
Sakura then walked up to Xia You with a Cascade Badge.
The blue badge was shaped like a sky-blue water droplet and sparkled like a gemstone in the sunlight.
"Congratulations, Pokémon Trainer. This is your reward for defeating us. You've earned it."
After a few polite words, Xia You accepted the Cascade Badge and placed it in his Badge Case.
Looking at the lone Cascade Badge in the case, Ayame pouted and sighed. "Oh, come on. We were actually the first Gym Leaders he defeated? That really stings!"
Xia You smiled without saying anything.
These three were now putting far more thought into Water Ballet than defending the Gym and had neglected training their Pokémon. Among the many Gyms, theirs was probably the weakest.
Still, everyone had their own ambitions. He could only hope Misty would take over soon.
"Well, I'll be on my way."
With a wave, Xia You left with his Pokémon.
Only after he had left the Gym and disappeared from sight did an orange-haired girl with a side ponytail enter the battlefield.
"Sis, I've been looking everywhere for you all. So this is where you went. Huh? Why do you all look so down?"
Hearing her, Ayame immediately declared dramatically, "Misty, a man just hurt us deeply!"
"Hurt you?!" Misty froze at first. But after Sakura explained what had happened, she huffed, "And you call that being hurt? You just failed to defend the Gym! I thought someone had dumped you!"
"Haha... It's pretty much the same thing!"
Even Sakura gave it some serious thought. "Now that you mention it, that man seemed very gentle, and he was really strong, too. Maybe he'd actually make a pretty good boyfriend!"
"I really can't stand you all." Misty pursed her lips, unimpressed. "If I'd been here, there's no way I'd have let him take our Cascade Badge! Getting swept three to zero like that-how embarrassing!"
At that, Penny wagged a finger. "Don't stand there making smug comments. That man with the Kirlia really was strong. Even with your skills, there's absolutely no way you could beat him."
"Don't underestimate me!" Misty bristled like a little hedgehog. "Hmph! I've made up my mind. I'm setting off on a journey first thing the day after tomorrow, and I won't come back until I've become a great Pokémon Trainer!"
Before you continue