Tangrowth's Trainer attacked first:
"Tangrowth, use Vine Whip!"
Tangrowth lashed two thick vines at Riolu.
"Riolu, left."
Riley spoke calmly.
Riolu moved left, and the vines brushed past its body and struck the ground.
"Is this... prediction?"
Tangrowth's Trainer was startled. He could run into an expert like this in such a small place?
"Use Vine Whip again!"
Tangrowth lashed several vines at Riolu in a crisscrossing pattern.
"Riolu, advance quickly."
Riolu suddenly accelerated, darting through the point where the vines crossed.
"Impossible!"
Tangrowth's Trainer's expression changed drastically.
Dodging once could be called a coincidence, but dodging twice could no longer be explained that way.
This man was predicting Tangrowth's movements!
At the sidelines, Yushu's eyes lit up.
Was this the power of aura?
It allowed the user to sense an opponent's intentions through aura and react in advance.
An Aura Guardian-truly terrifying!
"Tangrowth! Use Sleep Powder!"
Tangrowth shook its body, scattering a large cloud of yellow powder that drifted toward Riolu.
"Riolu, use Quick Attack to get behind it."
Riolu's figure turned into a streak of blue light, vanishing from its spot in an instant.
The Sleep Powder drifted through empty air.
The next second, Riolu appeared behind Tangrowth.
"Force Palm."
Riolu struck Tangrowth's back with its palm.
Bam! Tangrowth's massive body staggered several steps forward, a clear palm print appearing on its back.
"Tangrowth, bind it with Vine Whip!"
Tangrowth flung out its vines, trying to bind Riolu.
But Riolu moved too quickly, weaving between the vines like an agile little dog.
The vines chased Riolu, tangling this way and that, until they finally tied up Tangrowth itself.
Tangrowth looked down at the mess of vines around its body, utterly bewildered.
Who am I? Where am I? How did I tie myself up?
"Riolu, Force Palm."
Riley spoke calmly.
Riolu walked up and struck Tangrowth with its palm.
Tangrowth finally could no longer hold on and crashed to the ground.
Mayor Zongping announced, "Tangrowth is unable to battle! The winner is Riley!"
After watching Riley's match, Yushu took this tournament another notch more seriously.
He had originally thought he was just here to collect a participation prize, but he had actually run into a tough opponent.
"Next match, Kaixin versus Daisuke!"
Hearing Kaixin's name, Yushu immediately perked up.
He had never seen Kaixin battle seriously before.
The Pokémon Day Care owner was usually gentle and soft-spoken, giving the impression of a big sister from next door.
But Yushu always felt that a woman who could make her business thrive was definitely not as simple as she appeared.
Her opponent was a young man named Daisuke. He looked to be in his early twenties and seemed somewhat nervous.
After all, his opponent owned the town's only Pokémon Day Care. Her strength certainly couldn't be lacking.
"Begin!"
Zongping gave the command.
Daisuke threw his Poké Ball first:
"Go, Dodrio!"
A flash of white light passed, and a three-headed ostrich appeared on the field.
Its three heads looked in different directions, its six eyes darting around. It looked rather comical.
Dodrio was a rare Pokémon in Sinnoh, though Trainers over in Kanto were quite fond of using it.
But Yushu was more curious about what Kaixin would send out.
"Go! Chatot!"
Kaixin chuckled and threw her Poké Ball.
A flash of white light passed, and a small blue bird appeared on the field.
It wasn't very large, and a tuft of curled feathers on its head made it look as though it wore a little top hat.
"Chatot?"
Yushu instinctively checked its information.
[Pokémon: Chatot] [Type: Normal + Flying] [Ability: Keen Eye] [Level: Mid Elite Stage] [Moves: Chatter, Feather Dance, Air Slash, Hurricane, Steel Wing...] [Status: Cheerful, brimming with fighting spirit.]
Mid Elite Stage?
Yushu nearly thought he had misread it. It was at the same level as Miltank.
Didn't she say she was a breeder?
At the sidelines, Kurokawa looked ready to enjoy a good show when he saw Chatot take the field:
"Here we go. Kaixin's sharp-tongued bird."
Yushu was curious. "Sharp-tongued bird?"
Kurokawa explained, "That's right. This bird is a lot smarter than an ordinary Chatot. That mouth of its is like having Taunt switched on."
"Seriously?"
"You'll see in a moment."
On the field, Daisuke had already given his command. "Dodrio, use Agility!"
Dodrio's three heads cried out in unison, and its body became a blur as it charged toward Chatot at incredible speed.
"Take flight!"
Chatot swiftly rose into the air and started mouthing off at Dodrio:
"Squawk!" (Yo, a three-headed freak like you actually dares to come out and embarrass yourself? You're not even as fast as my Trainer walking!)
A rapid-fire string of taunts poured from Chatot's mouth, so fast it sounded like it was rapping.
"Dodrio!"
All three of Dodrio's faces turned green.
It was getting mocked before they had even fought. The head on the left was so angry its feathers stood on end.
"Dodrio, don't let it distract you! Use Tri Attack!"
Although Daisuke didn't know exactly what Chatot had said, judging by Dodrio's expressions, it clearly wasn't anything pleasant.
Dodrio's three heads opened their mouths at once, unleashing flames, lightning, and icy light respectively. The three attacks intertwined and shot toward Chatot.
Kaixin smiled slightly:
"Chatot, fly up and dodge!"
Chatot easily flew higher, avoiding the attack while its mouth kept going:
"Squawk!"
(Three heads against one and you still can't land a hit? Are you here to be comedians? You can't even hit that, and you have the nerve to call yourselves a bird?)
(Oh? Don't tell me you're a bird that can't fly!)
"Dodrio!"
All three of Dodrio's heads were practically smoking with rage. Being unable to fly was the lifelong pain of the entire Dodrio species!
This bird had touched its reverse scale! It had already courted death!
"Dodrio!!"
Dodrio's beaks immediately lit up with white light. It leaped from the spot, stabbing wildly at Chatot.
Kaixin called out from behind, "Chatot, quick, use Feather Dance!"
"Squawk!" (You sure can hop!)
Chatot hastily shook its body, sending a mass of feathers drifting down.
The feathers obstructed Dodrio's vision, throwing off its Drill Peck, which grazed past Chatot.
"Squawk!" (Are you here to pole-vault? You're that big and you can't even peck me! I suggest changing careers and becoming an ostrich egg!)
Chatot's taunts continued.
"Dodrio!!!"
Dodrio had completely lost its cool, and its three heads began arguing with one another.
The left head: "It's your fault for not looking properly! Otherwise, how could we have missed?"
The right head: "It's because you two didn't coordinate our direction! Useless!"
The middle head: "Stop fighting, you two!"
The three heads argued furiously until Dodrio tripped over itself and fell flat on its face.
Kaixin seized the opportunity and ordered:
"Now, Hyper Voice!"
"Squaaawk...!!"
Chatot took a deep breath, and sound waves spread outward in rings, enveloping Dodrio.
"Dod...!" (So loud!!)
Dodrio's three heads wore pained expressions at once, and all six eyes spun.
"Next, Air Slash!"
Chatot flapped its wings, sending several crescent-shaped blades of air whistling out to strike the fallen Dodrio precisely.
"Dodrio!!"
Dodrio let out a mournful cry. Its three heads drooped at once, its eyes turning into spirals.