At the Red Hall venue, on the brilliantly lit performance stage, Sabrina invited Young Master Mao up for a friendly match.
"Who do you think will win?" Roxie asked as she squeezed into the front row with Marnie.
"Do you even need to ask?" Marnie tilted her head. "With a Pokémon that handsome, he's already won."
Looking at the dashing Absol, the audience nodded in agreement.
Like a young warrior on a white horse with a silver spear, Absol certainly crushed Mr. Mime in the looks department...
"Let the match begin!" As the emcee's voice rang out, the field instantly fell silent.
"Mr. Mime, Calm Mind!"
"Absol, Hone Claws!"
Both opened with a stat boost. This was a case of "I predicted you would predict I wouldn't use Sucker Punch."
Sabrina smiled smugly. "Not a bad deal~"
"Really?" Young Master Mao smiled noncommittally.
"The longer we wait, the more things can change. Mr. Mime, Charge Beam!" Sabrina made the first move.
However, the next second, Absol raised his head, a glint flashing in his eyes.
"Detect, then Shadow Claw!"
Whoosh! The white figure leaped nimbly into the air. Charge Beam missed, and Absol's sharp front claws trailed purplish-black light that suddenly extended, swatting Mr. Mime away.
One hit, serious damage!
"Using Shadow Claw... So you do know about the new discovery concerning Mr. Mime." Sabrina pouted unhappily.
"Although I wasn't the one who discovered the Fairy type, I seem to remember being the third author on the relevant research paper." Young Master Mao shrugged.
"Hmph, I hate academic geniuses~" Sabrina huffed petulantly. "Mr. Mime, use Focus Energy Bomb!"
Mr. Mime flipped back onto his feet and drew his hands behind his back to gather power. Azure waves of fighting energy coalesced into a ball.
"Mime!" One Hadouken later, a blue