Challenge!!

Thin rays of sunlight slipped through cracks in the rocks, illuminating the cave still covered in green moss.

Searching for Exploud and the others, Master Katsumune and Terrance plunged into the cave.

It had been Terrance's idea. He wanted to battle Exploud. Even though he knew how strong Exploud was and that he had almost no chance of winning, he wanted to test a few ideas he had in mind.

Inside the cave, Whismur watched Terrance and his companions curiously in groups of twos and threes. A moment later, Exploud emerged from the depths.

Exploud was a size larger than average and looked much like Loudred, with an especially large mouth. Its body was mostly purple, with numerous holes from which it could produce flute-like sounds.

"Hello again, Exploud."

"How about a battle with me?"

Smiling at Exploud, Terrance could feel its presence. It was something ordinary Pokémon, or most Pokémon raised by people, did not possess.

"In exchange, we'll take full responsibility for dealing with the Diglett, and you'll be able to live here without worrying," Master Katsumune said.

"Ohma~~~"

Exploud fixed its red eyes on Terrance and opened the mouth that took up most of its body. It opened only slightly, but a wave of sound swept out, stirring the surrounding air into chaos.

"Does that mean you agree?" Terrance asked.

Exploud nodded and let out another roar. All the Whismur nearby retreated behind it, and then it reached out and pointed outside.

"I understand." Terrance and his companions followed Exploud out of the cave to a relatively open, level stretch of ground. There were no dangerous rocks or mountainsides nearby, making it ideal for an all-out battle.

"The rules are one-on-one."

"I'll be sending out Beautifly."

Terrance tossed a Poké Ball forward. In a flash of white light, the gray-and-black Beautifly appeared, beating its brightly colored, patterned wings and looking at Exploud with a fighting spirit.

Beautifly only looked docile around people it knew.

Beautifly were aggressive and combative by nature, launching fierce attacks at the slightest provocation. Without a trainer to guide them, this disposition was even more pronounced in the wild.

Master Katsumune stood to the side as a spectator. He was also curious why Terrance wanted to fight Exploud.

Exploud was strong, a nearly unbeatable opponent for Terrance and Beautifly.

Ahead, Exploud stood solidly on the ground.

Opposite it, Beautifly circled through the air, while Terrance clenched his fists, his eyes full of anticipation.

"Here we go! Beautifly, we'll attack first. Give it a greeting gift, Silver Wind-"

The wind rose. The gust Beautifly whipped up looked more like a sandstorm, murky and filled with scattered white specks.

Beautifly mixed Shield Dust into the wind to attack its opponent, and as it unleashed Silver Wind, its movements became more agile.

But Exploud had no intention of dodging. It let out a Howl, followed by an enormous sound. With a hum, ripples seemed to vibrate outward from its mouth, forming wave after wave. The Silver Wind sweeping toward it was completely blown apart by the Hyper Voice!

"Great!"

"That's how you use sound." Terrance's eyes lit up.

As expected of a Pokémon that could cause an earthquake just by shouting, this Exploud had given Terrance a perfect demonstration of the power of sound.

"Not enough yet. Beautifly, fly back into the air and use Air Cutter!"

"Coo~~"

Beautifly moved swiftly through the complex currents of air around it, seemingly unaffected. It made perfect use of its surroundings, wasting neither energy nor time as it moved with perfect coordination.

One... two... three... Beautifly released nine Air Cutters from high in the air. Like flashes of swordlight falling from the sky, they headed straight for Exploud's vital points.

What will it do? Will it keep relying on sound?

Terrance watched Exploud closely. Exploud planted its feet firmly on the ground and swung its tail and palms with force, using their momentum to Pound the incoming Air Cutters!

Bang~~

Bang~~

Bang~~

Explosive bangs rang out as clouds of dust kicked up by the colliding moves covered Exploud, which had used Pound to block Air Cutter. Terrance froze for a moment. "Beautifly, now! Electroweb!!"

Crackle~~~~

Crackle~~~~

Beautifly swayed its body, spinning the String Shot it spat out into a sea of silk. Golden light flashed across it, and with a series of crackles, the strands finally joined together into a great golden net that swept into the lingering dust.

Did it hit...?

Terrance watched the battlefield come into focus, tense, until Exploud's massive purple body appeared before his eyes again.

Exploud was now covered by the great golden net, electric current running across it and constantly stinging its nerves.

"All right, how are you going to deal with that? Beautifly's String Shot isn't so easy to break."

Beautifly's String Shot was exceptionally tough, thanks to its diet and training. Without a sharp weapon, breaking free of the strands woven together into a single Electroweb would be extremely difficult through strength alone!

Terrance had tested it before. Just a few strands could leave a Poochyena known for its strength in a sorry state. Even using its teeth, it would take a long time to get free.

"Ohma-!!"

"Ohma-!!"

The answer to Terrance's question was a deafening cry. Not only Exploud's mouth but every hole across its body vibrated. The sounds converged like the report of an explosion, producing even more astonishing destructive power!!

Boomburst!

Terrance's gaze sharpened, and he held his breath. Then he saw the sight he had been waiting for-

Electroweb was a complete, sturdy net formed from tough String Shot carrying a paralyzing electric current, woven together through a series of complex interlacings. Being hit by the move would give most Pokémon a serious headache.

But countless sound waves like explosions erupted from Exploud's mouth and the holes in its body. With Exploud's feet at the center, the ground around it began to shake violently. Even Terrance had to cover his ears; his head rang, and he could barely withstand the effects of the tremendous noise.

Beautifly's prized Electroweb, the incredibly powerful move it had spent so long training... shattered under the waves of sound!

The strands of String Shot carrying the current turned to powder in an instant, from the inside out. The Electroweb wrapped around Exploud vanished without a trace in mere moments!

At the sight, even Master Katsumune let out a quiet sound of surprise.

Beautifly, high in the sky, bore the brunt of Boomburst. It was blown even higher, let out a scream, and slowly fell.

Terrance knew he and Beautifly had lost.

But he found this Exploud's fighting style fascinating!

"Did you see that clearly?" After recalling Beautifly and taking out some Potion, Terrance spoke to Swablu, who had watched the battle with Master Katsumune.

Swablu's Growl and Astonish, and even the high, clear voice it would be proud of after evolving into Altaria, fell far short of Exploud's.

Howl, Uproar, Hyper Voice, Boomburst... and even sound-based moves it hadn't used. This Exploud's fighting style almost matched the "secret technique" Terrance had envisioned.

"Thanks for your hard work, Beautifly. And thank you too, Exploud."

Once the Diglett matter was settled, it would be time for Terrance to head to the Sinnoh region. He was very satisfied to have been able to test his ideas before then. On the way back, he also thanked Master Katsumune. The master did not ask why Terrance had challenged Exploud. Everyone had their own path, and Terrance needed to find his own way along his.