Oh no! Damn it! God!
"Really?! Is that because of a Choice item?!"
Fifth's shout came a beat late.
"Mr. Fifth, could you explain what happened?"
Aside from Yuto, the people here who understood the situation were me, Dawn, Fifth, and probably the Fitness Coaches and Elite Four members who had come from elsewhere.
So the commentator's question spoke for everyone watching the match.
"Yes. First, let me explain the move Nasty Plot. It exchanges the user's item with the opponent's, so it only works under rules that allow both sides to hold items. Incidentally, there's another move called Switcheroo with a similar effect. Next, about Choice items. These items with names like 'Choice something' have both advantages and disadvantages. Holding one doubles a particular stat, but also limits the holder to using the same move."
Looking closely, I saw that the item he had received was a pair of Choice Specs. Its drawback was the same, while its benefit was doubling Special Attack.
Normally, these Choice items restricted the holder to just one move, which was a pretty serious drawback. That was why they rarely saw use in battle.
But-
"Now, think carefully. What if you used Nasty Plot to force that drawback onto your opponent?"
"Th-that means...! No way!"
Exactly. Forcing that item onto an opponent with Nasty Plot left them able to use only one of their many moves. Judging by the timing, it had probably happened during that first contact with Mr. Squid. Calling it a "nasty plot" was fair enough, but his habit of hiding things until the last possible moment, rattling and confusing his opponent into strategic mistakes, hadn't changed at all. Still, pulling this off meant the bond between Ralts and Yuto was incredibly strong.
Of course, the more frustrated I grew, the