Power of Trust

"Lucario!"

The type matchup halved the damage, but Lucario's endurance was not particularly high. The heavy blow had knocked Lucario off balance, leaving no chance to dodge the next attack.

"Attack! Aura Sphere!"

It was hardly an ideal stance, but the hastily fired Aura Sphere struck Haxorus square in the face, making the Pokémon lean back slightly.

"Right there! Close Combat!"

Lucario's fist drove into Haxorus's torso.

Normally, Close Combat would have hurt Haxorus and, even if it did not stop the rampage, the knockback would have bought some time. But Haxorus, consumed by rage, swung another furious blow without flinching.

"It's over!"

Haxorus's blow drove into Lucario's body. The tremendous impact sent Lucario tumbling across the field and flung the Pokémon in front of Kaim.

"Lucario!"

Kaim caught Lucario, though the force of the impact had not abated. Lucario lay unconscious in his arms, unable to battle.

"I'm sorry. You did well."

Kaim returned Lucario to the ball and stood up.

The burn must have eaten away at Haxorus's stamina by now. Even with a generous estimate, there should only be about forty percent left. Can we whittle away that last quarter?

This is a tough situation for me.

With Little Black, it all comes down to what I do now. A gifted, hardworking Trainer like Cynthia or Steven could handle it.

But Kaim knew he could not manage it in these few minutes. He understood perfectly well that Little Black was not at fault; his own skill was insufficient to turn the battle around.

There was still no way out.

"I'm counting on you, Little Black."

As Kuroki leaped out of the ball, Haxorus roared and charged.

"Back off!"

"Keep chasing!"

Haxorus pursued Kuroki, who retreated to avoid the furious attacks. With Haxorus breathing down Kuroki's neck, it was only a matter of time before the balance tipped.

"Curse!"

"Go for it, Haxorus!"

Haxorus's attack struck Kuroki, whose defense had been strengthened by Curse.

Little Black was a Pokémon with exceptional endurance. Curse lowered speed, but the increased defense would make it possible to withstand Haxorus's fury. Besides, Feather Dance and the burn had greatly reduced Haxorus's attack power. Little Black could not only endure the current attacks, but strike back as well.

"Hit back!"

Immediately after taking the attack, Umbreon slammed both hind legs into Haxorus's face. With the increased attack power from Curse behind it, the blow drained a substantial amount of Haxorus's stamina.

Haxorus rose after the hit, legs trembling. Those unfocused eyes looked wild. The uncontrolled rampage had ended, leaving Haxorus confused from exhaustion.

Normally, this would have been an opening, but Kaim knew better. If Iris wanted Haxorus to use Outrage while retaining control, the way Cynthia's Garchomp did, she needed a way to safely dispel the disadvantage that followed it: confusion.

"Haxorus!"

At Iris's shout, Haxorus slammed face-first into the ground.

When Haxorus raised that head, those eyes focused clearly on Little Black. The confusion had evidently cleared.

"Slamming your head into the ground to shake off confusion..."

Iris had done the same thing against former Champion Alder in the previous League tournament. It caused a little damage, but that was far better than attacking oneself in confusion.

"I still can't control Haxorus the way Cynthia controls her Garchomp. So, at the very least, this is the method we worked out together to end the confusion!"

"Your training is pretty unconventional, too."

"Maybe it is! Dual Chop!"

Haxorus swung both arms, catching Little Black.

Little Black was slammed heavily into the ground, but twisted away from the follow-up as Haxorus tried to press the attack.

"Feint!"

Kuroki struck Haxorus's head with all the strength available.

But Haxorus reduced the force by taking the blow on the axe-like tusks. Little Black twisted away, avoiding direct hits from the successive Dragon Claw attacks.

"Dual Chop!"

"Parry it!"

Little Black jumped as Haxorus's arm swept past, avoiding a direct hit. Not only did that reduce the damage, it also put Little Black behind the opponent.

"Hit back!"

Little Black's tail lashed into the scorched tail.

The blow to the burned area intensified the pain, stopping Haxorus in place.

"Follow up!"

Little Black's Pursuit drove into the back of Haxorus's head as the opponent stood frozen.

Haxorus's stamina is at its limit! Right here-

Just as Kaim thought he could finish it in one go, his thoughts stalled.

Is this really the right move?

At the same time, he wondered whether, if Haxorus was already at the limit, it would be safer to maximize Little Black's defense with Curse and wait for the burn to exhaust the opponent.

He wavered.

After so many accumulated defeats, Kaim had no confidence in his own choices. That was why, at the very last moment, he could not trust his first decision.

"Ah!"

That brief hesitation delayed his command.

And a Champion would not miss that opening.

"Haxorus."

In the instant Little Black faltered at the sudden silence, Haxorus swung an attack with every last ounce of strength.

"Rebellion."

Haxorus's blow struck Little Black dead-on and smashed a huge crater into the ground. Little Black lay injured at its center. No matter how great that endurance was, a single blow containing all of Haxorus's furious strength was impossible to withstand.

"Little Black is unable to battle. Iris wins the match."

Hearing the announcement, Kaim let out a long sigh.

He picked up Little Black.

Iris spoke to Kaim.

"Why didn't you keep attacking at the end?"

Kaim could not answer her.

"In that state, one more hit or counterattack would've won you the battle, right? You knew that, didn't you?"

"...Yeah."

"Then why?"

"I couldn't decide. Whether to keep attacking or wait for the burn to wear Haxorus out."

"I see. Now I understand what you said earlier. Why you can't beat the Gym Leader."

Iris spoke to Kaim as she tended to the injured Haxorus.

"You really love Pokémon, Kaim, and battling you showed me how kind you are. All your Pokémon looked so happy to hear your commands!"

The Pokémon on the field had seemed to be having fun. They had shown how happy they were to battle alongside Kaim against a stronger opponent, perhaps because of their naturally combative dispositions. Everyone on the field had enjoyed the battle from the bottom of their hearts.

Except for one person: Kaim.

"...Really?"

"But you know, there's something just as important as trusting your Pokémon in battle that you don't believe in. That's why you can't beat the Gym Leader. What you don't trust must be yourself, Kaim. I think I understand now-you lose because you can't hold on to that belief."

Iris's words pierced Kaim's heart.

He had known, to some extent. But hearing it put into words made those words sink into his bones.

"I believe in myself and my Pokémon. Of course, sometimes I make mistakes, and sometimes I lose because of them. But those mistakes are also the result of believing in myself, so I reflect on them without regretting them."

Kaim did not answer. He simply looked straight at Iris and repeated her words in his heart.

"Let's go to the Pokémon Center! Our tired Pokémon need some rest."

With her usual enthusiasm, Iris headed toward the Pokémon Center. Perhaps sensing the mood, Caitlin and Shikimi called to Kaim before following her.

Cynthia stayed behind and addressed Kaim's back as he held Little Black.

"Do you understand now? What you're still missing?"

The words she was about to say came not from Kaim's partner, but from his teacher as a Pokémon Trainer.

"...Yeah."

"You have a bad habit. You don't trust your own choices, so you make a different choice from the one you first settled on. You've grown strong enough to beat opponents despite that habit. But as long as you have it, Kaim, you won't beat Sumo-chan."

That was the main reason he lacked quick judgment. His commands were slow because he had to reconsider them. When it came to sheer speed of thought, Kaim was already fast enough.

"What you lack now isn't technique or stamina. It's your heart. A Trainer who doesn't believe in himself can't bring out his Pokémon's full potential."

A Trainer and Pokémon could only battle well when they trusted each other. Experienced Trainers had confidence in their choices, and their Pokémon trusted in their training and followed their decisions. That was how they could draw out even greater strength.

"You have the willingness to face your own weaknesses, and that's good. This is the result of losing so many times, so in many ways it couldn't be helped. But to get past the wall in front of you, you have to break that habit. Otherwise, you can't move forward."

He had been surrounded by geniuses like his sister and Steven, yet had no one to guide him. As Cynthia had said, that was not inherently a bad thing. But Kaim had too little faith in himself. That was what had led to this battle's outcome.

"You didn't know how to battle, so until now, you've fought the way I taught you. Your choices have been based on my teachings. That was a way suited to us-to me."

"True."

"Kaim, let me put it this way. If you want to overcome the difficulty in front of you, break that habit. There's no point in putting any more effort into someone who doesn't believe in himself."

Effort was something one made to improve oneself. That was why Cynthia said putting effort into someone who did not believe in himself was simply a waste of time.

Kaim looked down at Kuroki in his arms. Little Black was grimacing in pain, but noticed his gaze and gave him a weak smile.

"Little Black..."

"Whatever path you choose, I'll support you. You're already strong enough now. I don't know whether you feel any need to become stronger than this, but what do your Pokémon think, Kaim? You should know better than anyone."

Kaim knew very well that his Pokémon wanted to beat the Gym Leader, even if their feelings varied in degree. He had been challenging Sumo for a long time, but kept losing. Everyone wanted to beat Sumo once and for all.

But what about me? Have I done everything I can to answer their feelings?

His Pokémon believed in Kaim, and through their own efforts, they believed in their abilities, bringing out the greatest strength they could. Yet although Kaim believed in his Pokémon, he did not believe in himself, and that had forced them into defeat.

"I know this sounds harsh, but this is a wall you'll run into somewhere along the way, as long as you're aiming for the top."

"You too, Cynthia?"

"Yes. Me too. It was a long time ago."

"...I see."

Everyone went through the same thing. Kaim accepted that, though in his case, it had come a little too late.

"Are you shaken?"

Cynthia sounded a little worried. She knew her words had been harsh, and above all, she would have been shaken if someone had said the same things to her.

But despite her concern, Kaim was his usual self.

"No... I'd be lying if I said I wasn't shaken at all, but more than that, I'm convinced. I could actually feel myself stagnating. I was always so close to beating Sumo, so I thought there must be something fundamental missing."

"...Yes."

"You would've told me the same thing sooner or later anyway, right?"

"Yes. Though I said it much sooner than I expected."

There was no point in putting effort into someone who did not believe in himself.

Those were the words Kaim needed most.

"What can you do? Your only options are to give up or change."

He had been forced to choose between two options, but Kaim had already made his decision. He had decided from the very beginning. As Cynthia's student, there was only one way for him to stand proudly at her side.

"That's right, Cynthia. I'll change. I'll show you how I change."

Kaim began walking, still holding Kuroki. He would not let his accumulated failures, this resolve, his faith in his Pokémon, or the feelings of the person he loved go to waste.

"Good decision."

"Well, I don't want all that effort to go to waste, but there's another reason, too."

"Is there?"

"I may not look it, but I'm pretty competitive."

No matter how many times he lost, he kept working. The only reason he could stick with his training was that Kaim hated losing. It simply did not show because he never expressed it.

"Hehe, I know. We've known each other a long time."

Cynthia spoke as she came to stand beside Kaim.

Breaking a habit of nearly twenty years would be difficult. Even so, Cynthia believed Kaim would overcome it.

The two walked along the path toward the Pokémon Center.