A Tactical Battle

"Haha..."

As I caught my breath, I looked to the side. Alice was touching Carracosta, who had surfaced while riding on Lapras's back.

Caitlin and the others had not come up yet, but I could tell where they were from Hikari's position.

And then there was Kaim.

"Zoo!"

"Whoa!"

He surfaced powerfully. Taz was on his head, and it was clear he had been thoroughly played with.

"Oh, you missed me."

"Easy."

Kaim pulled Taz off his head and gently lowered the Pokémon into the sea. He seemed to love Pokémon; no matter how much they played with him, he always treated them with respect.

"Good. The waves are small, so it's easy to swim."

"It's really beautiful. I can't help staring into it."

"Yeah."

The two sat on Milotic's back, gazing at the horizon. The sun was still high, and its reflected light illuminated their faces.

Alice approached on Lapras, along with Caitlin and Shikimi, who floated over through psychic power.

"Miss Shirona!"

"How was it? Being in the sea?"

"It was so beautiful! There were so many Pokémon. I was amazed!"

"It was wonderful. It makes me want to write about the sea."

"It was a new experience for me, too. It was also good practice for controlling my power."

Their reactions differed, but I could tell they had all enjoyed it.

"This isn't a maintained beach, so there aren't any nets. Don't go too far out. Even with Water-type Pokémon, you never know what's in the sea."

"How far can we go?"

"Around that rock. You shouldn't go any farther."

Kaim pointed at a rock a short distance ahead.

"That rock! Found it!"

With that, Iris dove back into the sea with Lapras.

"I'm fine."

"That innocence might be one reason she's so strong."

"I see. That's something I don't have."

"Your strength is a different matter."

"Strength varies from person to person. Just as I specialize in Ghost types and Caitlin in Psychic types, there are as many kinds of strength as there are Trainers. You'll understand once you battle all sorts of Trainers."

"Yes."

Figuring out what his own strengths were would be a challenge for Kaim going forward.

With that realization, Kaim put his goggles back on.

"Are you diving?"

"Yeah. Coming?"

"Of course. What about you two?"

"I'll go find Alice."

Caitlin and Shimi headed toward Alice, chuckling.

"Now it's Caitlin's turn."

"You don't hide your sadistic streak anymore."

"That's part of who she is, too."

She stirred up trouble whenever she spotted the makings of a good story. Caitlin might have wanted to tease Kaim even more than Cynthia did, but since Kaim had already developed an unshakable mindset, Cynthia was becoming her target instead. At least within their relationship, Cynthia was taking more of the attacks. Of course, her entertaining reactions were part of the reason.

"I hope you'll keep it in moderation."

"It's worth taking seriously, isn't it?"

"How sad."

"Come on. Let's go look at the sea."

"Yeah."

The two took deep breaths and dove into the sea.

With Milotic between them, they swam side by side. Dewgong, Ritual, Carracosta, and Lanturn approached and surrounded them.

Amazing...

He looked beside him, where the wild Pokémon were welcoming her.

Cynthia, Milotic, and the Water-type Pokémon swimming gracefully through the beautiful sea made a truly picturesque sight. Cynthia noticed his gaze and held out her hand to Kaim.

Kaim took her hand, intertwining their fingers.

The two swam side by side through the beautiful sea.

This way, wherever I go, you can stay beside me.

That was the wish he held in his heart.

"That was so much fun!"

After they had enjoyed their swim, the sun began to set, and the five started packing up.

Once Lapras and Milotic had rinsed the salt water off her, Iris spoke contentedly.

"That was a wonderful experience. I never expected to encounter so many Water-type Pokémon. I'm sure I'll be able to use it in my writing."

"I enjoyed it very much, too."

"I saw some wonderful things. I'd like to come again."

"Hey, dry yourselves properly. Even in summer, you'll get cold."

Kaim tossed the towels he had brought to the soaking-wet women. Cynthia caught them effortlessly, then handed towels to the other three.

"Thank you, Mr. Kaim!"

"It's fine. Just towel off. I'm going home in these same clothes. I'm not saying you have to get completely dry, but at least wipe off the water."

"So you care about me that much."

"Quiet."

They traded lighthearted jokes, then set off once everyone was ready.

"By the way, Kaim, what are you going to do about your other slot?"

On the way home, Cynthia asked Kaim as they walked.

"Right. I think a Water type would be good, but it depends on which Pokémon joins us."

"Hm? Have you already decided on another one?"

"Oh, you haven't told Iris and the others?"

"What?! Is it a Dragon type?!"

"Is it a Ghost type?"

"A Psychic type, perhaps?"

"Yeah, a Psychic type. The Pokémon is Metagross."

Caitlin stopped walking.

Cynthia and the others stopped as well, looking at her curiously.

"I want Metagross to join us."

"Uh, right. Is something wrong?"

"No. I think it would fit your team quite well."

Caitlin looked at Kaim seriously.

"As you know, Metagross is an extremely powerful Pokémon. Type matchups still matter, of course, but it has the highest base stat total among ordinary Pokémon."

"Yeah, I know. It's powerful enough to reinforce our team's strengths and cover our weaknesses."

"But that's precisely why it's so difficult to train. Unless you're an excellent Trainer, you can't bring out the best in Metagross. Are you capable of making full use of one?"

Caitlin acknowledged Kaim as a person, but felt he was still developing as a Trainer. Their last battle had been over a year ago, and her impression then had been that he had mastered the basics. A competent Trainer who truly put in the effort could learn to make full use of Metagross within a year, but she did not know whether Kaim had reached that point. If he had not, Metagross would not join him, nor would Kaim himself accept that arrangement.

Cynthia could be strict with herself, but she was kindhearted and had a soft side. If Cynthia thought it was all right, there probably was no problem, but Caitlin still wanted to see for herself.

"You want me to prove myself?"

"Yes. There's a stretch of sand over there where we can battle. I'm not saying you have to win. You just have to earn my acknowledgment."

"...All right."

"Are you two ready?"

Cynthia, wearing Kaim's hoodie over her swimsuit, addressed them both.

"Yeah."

"Yes."

Kaim and Caitlin faced each other in their swimsuits, knowing they would push each other's buttons. In her one-piece swimsuit and beach towel, Caitlin possessed a beauty different from Cynthia's.

Iris cheered, while Shimi made a record on the battle recorder.

"You may use three Pokémon. No items, and there's no time limit. Let the battle begin!"

"Come out, Musharna."

"I'm counting on you, Blaziken!"

They released their Pokémon from their balls. Caitlin led with Musharna, while Kaim chose Blaziken. In terms of type matchups, Blaziken's Fighting type put the Pokémon at an overwhelming disadvantage.

"Blaziken, Sunny Day!"

Blaziken's power temporarily intensified the sunlight.

The weather will strengthen Fire-type attacks! He didn't use that before.

"Swords Dance!"

"Stop that. Charge Beam."

As Blaziken tried to power up, Charge Beam interrupted the attempt. Blaziken dodged without taking damage, but Swords Dance was halted.

"Hypnosis."

"Flamethrower!"

Flamethrower dispersed Musharna's Hypnosis.

Blaziken could not withstand Musharna's Confusion, and Caitlin knew that. The key was where to use it.

"Shadow Ball."

"Fire Punch!"

Fire Punch destroyed the incoming Shadow Ball. However, the difference in levels meant Blaziken still took a little damage.

"I'm sure you want to use Swords Dance, but I won't give you the chance."

"That's right. Fire Spin!"

The Fire Spin Blaziken unleashed trapped Musharna. Musharna could not return to the ball, but that hardly mattered, since other actions were still possible.

"Even if you can restrict my movements that much?"

"Musharna, Charge Beam."

Musharna fired Charge Beam at the approaching Blaziken. Almost simultaneously, flames burst from Blaziken's mouth.

There was no avoiding it, but the sudden flames did not hurt Musharna.

Neither could evade the other's attack, and both were hit. Blaziken's health fell, but Musharna's did not.

"Flamethrower!"

Just as Fire Spin was about to dissipate, Blaziken unleashed Flamethrower. Blaziken's Special Attack was not high, so it dealt little damage to Musharna's high Special Defense.

"That level of firepower won't do any damage."

"I know."

"!"

She understood when the flames cleared. That Flamethrower had merely been a blinding screen. The aim had been to use Swords Dance while her vision was obscured.

Then she noticed something strange about Musharna. Part of the Pokémon's body had turned reddish-black.

"A burn? Impossible."

"When that Charge Beam came through, it wasn't a desperate burst of flame. It was a Will-O-Wisp."

"You do know what you're doing."

Since Musharna did not use physical attacks, the burn's halving of physical attack power was no disadvantage, but the continual loss of stamina was troublesome. The pain would clearly affect performance.

"I see. So that's how you'll play it."

"Thanks."

"It looks like this will be a fine opportunity for our Pokémon to perform at their best. Musharna, Shadow Ball."

"Blaze Kick!"

Blaziken canceled out Shadow Ball with a flame-covered foot. Then Blaziken closed in on Musharna, attempting to strike with increased attack power.

But Musharna was already ready to attack.

The Pokémon clashed. Neither Trainer missed the moment.

"Psychic."

"Baton Pass."

"No!"

The instant Musharna unleashed Confusion at the approaching Blaziken, Little Black emerged from the ball instead.

Psychic-type moves had no effect on the Dark-type Little Black. Through Baton Pass, he inherited the power of Swords Dance and attacked with that enhanced strength.

"Fall back!"

Little Black's arm pierced Musharna. The attack was highly effective, but the level gap allowed Musharna to barely endure it. With the burn taking its toll as well, Musharna had little time left.

"Charge Beam!"

Just before Musharna collapsed, he fired an electrically charged beam at Little Black. Little Black could not dodge it and took the Charge Beam, but it did not inflict much damage.

Soon afterward, Musharna collapsed from exhaustion.

"Thank you, Musharna."

"You're strong, all right."

"You may have taken the lead, but your Pokémon are higher-level, aren't they?"

"No doubt about it."

"Now for my next Pokémon. Go, Metagross."

Metagross emerged from the ball, a Pokémon Kaim planned to add to his team next. When the massive Metagross landed, his enormous weight kicked up a small cloud of dust.

Metagross was a Steel/Psychic type. Dark-type moves worked reasonably well, but his overwhelming toughness surpassed Little Black's attack power. Moreover, Caitlin's Metagross had fighting moves such as Hammer Arm, making him a poor matchup even for the durable Little Black.

However, switching to Blaziken here would be a bad idea. Blaziken could deal tremendous damage to the Steel-type Metagross, but his low durability meant Metagross could bring him down with Earthquake or Confusion. Besides, having taken some damage in the battle against Musharna, Blaziken did not have enough stamina left to recklessly withstand Metagross's attacks.

Even Staraptor's moves would struggle to get through, and there was a good chance he would go down to a single Thunder Shock.

Kaim decided that, under the circumstances, his best option was to fight with Little Black, whose attack power had been boosted by Swords Dance.

"Oh, aren't you going to switch to Blaziken?"

"Let's rule that out. If Earthquake or Confusion hits Blaziken while he's injured, it's all over."

"You've gotten a little smarter about using Blaziken."

"Little Black, Curse!"

They boosted their Pokémon's abilities. Little Black relied mainly on physical moves, so getting through an opponent's increased defense was quite difficult. Still, with his own stats boosted as well, it was not as though he could do no damage at all.

"Metagross, Bullet Punch!"

"Shadow Ball!"

Metagross's leg collided with the Shadow Ball, easily knocking it away.

"Earthquake!"

"Jump!"

"Over there. Flash Kanon!"

Jumping to avoid Earthquake worked against Little Black. He could not dodge the Flash Cannon and took a direct hit. The damage was not great, but it threw him off balance.

"Noir!"

"Not yet. Hammer Arm!"

"Get back!"

The two moves collided, but the type matchup worked against Little Black, and he was slammed into the ground.

"Feint!"

"!"

However, Little Black, whose defense had been boosted by Curse, only pretended to be knocked down. In an instant, he slipped free of Metagross's arm, thwarting him.

Then he struck a hind leg with all his strength, damaging Metagross.

"Bullet Punch!"

Recovering from the damage dealt by Feint, Metagross immediately followed Caitlin's instruction and attacked Kuroki with his hard arm.

Little Black could not avoid the blow and was struck by Bullet Punch. Already at the end of his stamina, he could not endure it and collapsed.

"Come back, Little Black."

"Your Little Black's moves were excellent. When I struck his tail with Metagross's Hammer Arm, he changed the angle of impact, reducing its force and avoiding a direct hit. He's nothing like he was before."

"That's amazing. An ordinary trainer couldn't do that."

"Thank you for your kind words."

"Yes."

"Sorry, but I can't let myself be crushed so easily."

The battle between the two grew even fiercer.

"Metagross, Confusion!"

Staraptor was knocked out by a direct hit from Confusion.

"Staraptor is unable to battle. Caitlin wins the match."

Cynthia, acting as referee, delivered her ruling and settled the outcome. Caitlin had won 2-0.

"Damn it. Everything was going well until I took down Musharna."

"I didn't expect to lose Musharna. I let my guard down, but more importantly, your timing with Baton Pass was perfect."

Even doing her utmost, she could not change her move at the moment Baton Pass took effect. It was a tactic capable of outsmarting even the Elite Four.

"After that, Kuroki and Staraptor lost to Metagross, and Blaziken lost to Gothitelle."

"But they did well."

As Shirona spoke, she stroked Kaim's head.

"You did very well. I didn't expect you to hold your own against the Elite Four. You've grown."

"Stop it. Don't treat me like a child."

Although his expression was somewhat sour, he made no move to brush her hand away.

"My, things are getting heated."

"Give it a rest."

At Caitlin's prompting, Kaim finally stopped Cynthia's hand from stroking his head.

"Wow! That was amazing! Mr. Kaim, you beat Ms. Caitlin's Musharna! That's incredible!"

Iris came over, her face alight with excitement.

"You're really strong after all, Mr. Kaim! You're definitely as strong as a Gym Leader."

"An ordinary Gym trainer couldn't knock out even one of Caitlin's Pokémon. It's incredible that you held out this long."

The praise from the two made Kaim squirm, and he groaned with an uncomfortable expression.

Seeing him like that, Cynthia nodded in satisfaction.

"I want to battle! Miss Cynthia, let's battle!"

"Oh, all right. Then I'll show you the power of Sinnoh's Champion!"

The two faced each other and tossed their balls into the air.

The battle that followed was extraordinarily fierce and brutal. Attack and defense alternated, and with the two sides evenly matched, the fight continued for quite some time.

In the end, neither could settle the contest, and the battle between the region's strongest ended in a draw.

The sun had set completely, and the group returned to the Villa and finished dinner.

Afterward, a tablet was connected to the Villa's large television. While the four of them watched the photos taken that day and the footage of the Underwater Ruins, Kaim finished his bath.

When he came out of the bathroom, Alice, Cynthia, and Caitlin were nestled together on the sofa.

Shimi was writing something in a notebook beside them.

"Ah, Mr. Kaim. Welcome back."

"Oh, looks like they've fallen asleep."

"Yes. We had so much fun today that I think they wore themselves out."

Cynthia had also been working hard lately on League matters and archaeology, so she probably wanted to recover as much as she could. Kaim thought it had been a good break for her, since she had enjoyed herself so much during the battle.

"What are you doing, Shimi?"

"I'm writing down what happened today. I'm a writer, so I make sure to take in each day's events properly. That way, I can put them into words properly when I write."

"I see."

Shikimi seemed to be just starting out, but she took her profession as a writer seriously and considered what she ought to do. Kaim thought she would become a popular writer someday.

Umbreon, standing at his feet, tugged on Kaim's sleeve. Wondering what was wrong, he looked at Little Black, who was gazing outside.

"Oh, I see. All right, let's go."

"Are you going out?"

"Yes. Little Black wants to look at the moon."