"We'll surpass both of you.
"I'll prove it to you!"
The twins gripped their balls, their fighting spirit on full display. Kaim felt somewhat overwhelmed by their ambition, so reminiscent of his own childhood. Cynthia, however, gently laid her hand on the girl's shoulder.
"Are you all right?"
Those words dispelled the pressure. Kaim turned his gaze toward the twins, smiling wryly to himself. This is too easy for me.
"When it comes to partnerships, you're my senior.
Even though I offered to let you test yourselves against me, I don't want to lose in the slightest. Whether Cynthia would otherwise be my opponent or not, she's my partner now. That means there's no reason to lose, Kaim's eyes said.
Seeing Kaim like that made Steven happy.
You're no longer that person who hated weakness, Kaim.
Watching Kaim's back as he walked onto the court, Daigo felt proud that his friend had grown stronger.
"In this tag battle, each person will use one Pokémon. We'll follow the rule prohibiting items."
Cynthia and Kaim faced the twins from the opposite side of the court. Each of them held a ball.
"Then let's begin!"
At the referee's shout, everyone threw their balls onto the field in unison.
"Let's go, Solrock!"
"Come on, Lunatone!"
"I'm counting on you, Glacia."
"I'll leave it to you, Little Black."
Each Pokémon appeared on the field. The Pokémon on either side were connected to one another, whether through their evolutionary lines or their symbolism.
"Lan, let's go!"
"Leave it to me, Fu!"
At Lan's command, Tsukine sent countless rocks raining down over Black and Glacia. Rock-type moves were extremely effective against Glacier. Glacia's defense was relatively high, but her endurance was lower than Little Black's.
"Glacia, dodge to the left."
"Little Black, behind you."
The two moved