"This match is a 1v1 Practice Match. The battle ends when one Pokémon loses the ability to battle or a Trainer forfeits. Both sides, please send out your Pokémon!"
After lunch, Takeshin -who had been fixated on battling Sato- finally got his wish and was brought to the battlefield.
But since Takeshin hadn't yet obtained five Badges, Sato had only agreed to a Practice Match with him.
After all, once rules are established, they're hard to set, and even harder to maintain if broken.
Takeshin wasn't thinking that far ahead. Just being able to battle Sato was already more than enough. Whether it was one Pokémon or a full team didn't matter to him.
"Sato, let me show you how much I've grown… Jumpluff, let's do our best!"
"Jump Jump!" Jumpluff's tiny pea-sized eyes turned serious and sharp.
Back when it was still a Hoppip, it had already met Sato. With every bit of growth, it became more aware of how powerful Sato's team was.
Now, finally able to stand in front of Sato alongside its Trainer and issue a challenge, Jumpluff couldn't help feeling excited.
"Cacturne, you're up for this one." From the group of Pokémon standing nearby, Sato chose the relatively quiet and reserved Cacturne.
As another Grass-type, Cacturne could teach Jumpluff a lot.
"Then… battle start!"
"Jumpluff, Sunny Day!"
"A weather move? We can handle that too. Cacturne, steal the weather, use Sandstorm."
Jumpluff's Ability was Chlorophyll, which doubles its Speed under sunny weather. Naturally, Sato wasn't going to let that play out. Besides, Cacturne's Speed wasn't high to begin with.
Contesting the weather wasn't hard, and Sunny Day was actually one of the easiest to "override".
Soon, a sandstorm raged across the field. One of Cacturne's Abilities, Sand Veil, activated, raising its evasion.
"Jumpluff, use Cotton Guard!" Takeshin was more cautious than expected. Rather than attacking right away, he chose to greatly boost Jumpluff's Defense.
At the same time, Cotton Guard did an excellent job reducing the effects of the sandstorm, minimizing the chip damage Jumpluff would've otherwise taken.
"Jumpluff isn't very strong offensively, so when facing an opponent, it usually opts for attrition tactics. Looks like you've been following that strategy all along… not bad," Sato commented without rushing his own offense.
"That's what you taught me… but just defending won't cut it. My offense has already begun!" Takeshin said proudly. Jumpluff had already acted under his hand signals.
"Poison Powder, huh? Using the wind from the sandstorm to spread it more quickly, not a bad idea," Sato smiled and continued, "But if your opponent notices it ahead of time and has strong enough weather control, then your 'trick' might backfire. Cacturne, control the sandstorm and send the Poison Powder back."
"Cacturne!"
Cacturne waved its arms, and the sandstorm surrounding it suddenly reversed direction, sweeping the Poison Powder back at Jumpluff.
For non-Poison-type Pokémon to use Poison-type moves, the toxins are usually stored in a specific internal organ. But if the poison spreads to other parts of their body, they can still be poisoned themselves.
At this point, aside from raising its Defense, Jumpluff hadn't accomplished anything else.
'Even Poison Powder failed? No wonder he's my idol. He just casually sent out a Pokémon and it's already suppressing me completely… and he hasn't even attacked yet,' Takeshin thought, his admiration for Sato growing even deeper.
"Don't give up, Jumpluff! Let's go! Use Acrobatics!"
"Juuuump!"
Jumpluff endured the lingering toxins it had released and began flying freely through the sandstorm, quickly closing the distance with Cacturne.
"Cacturne, Payback."
Boom!
Jumpluff landed a direct hit on Cacturne, but on closer look, Cacturne had already used its arm to block a critical spot. At the same time, a golden glow flared up around its body.
Payback: counterattack.
Jumpluff cried out in pain as it was flung back through the air. It wasn't critically injured, but Payback hurt…
A lot.
"After training, Cacturne has become extremely sensitive to the energy around it. It can even use area-type moves to expand its perception, like Cotton Spore, or Sandstorm. In other words, as long as your Cotton Spore remains in the sandstorm, every move you make is completely visible to Cacturne."
"HANG IN THERE, JUMPLUFF! Disrupt the opponent's domain with Cotton Spore!" Takeshin shouted with energy, quickly thinking of a countermeasure.
Sato nodded to himself. Cotton Spore couldn't slow down Cacturne since it was also a Grass-type, but it could disrupt Cacturne's area awareness.
"Cacturne, Dark Pulse."
"Jumpluff, dodge with Aerial Ace!"
Using its speed and flight advantage, Jumpluff avoided Dark Pulse, and Aerial Ace struck Cacturne square in the back.
"It hit! That one didn't miss!" Takeshin excitedly pumped his fist, but his smile vanished a moment later.
"Close range, Venoshock."
"Cac!"
Without even frowning, Cacturne turned and unleashed a blast of deep purple Venoshock straight at Jumpluff's face.
While poisoned, Venoshock's power doubles. Combined with type advantage, the move instantly wiped out the last of Jumpluff's health/stamina.
"Jumpluff has lost the ability to battle. Cacturne wins. The winner is Gym Leader Sato!" Sia announced quickly, inwardly sighing: 'So cool, that's our Gym Leader!'
"Jumpluff!" Takeshin rushed to his Pokémon and pulled out an Antidote, ready to pour it in.
"Let me do it. Cacturne's toxins aren't too strong, but it won't be easy to neutralize." Joseph stepped in to stop the frantic Takeshin.
"Relax. You think I'd let anything happen to your partner in my Gym?" Sato said, stepping over with reassurance.
"Exactly! Our Gym Leader is amazing!" Ponyo chimed in with starry eyes, praising him without hesitation.
"Mhm!" Sosuke nodded in agreement beside her.
"Perfect timing. Why don't you all talk about what could've been improved in that battle?" Sato remained unfazed by the praise and immediately threw out a question.
Ponyo and Sosuke clammed up instantly, not daring to say another word.
Sato turned to the back where Akira stood. "You say something."
"I think… maybe Sunny Day could've been contested more. Sandstorm has limited altitude, so Jumpluff could've flown higher to regain solar benefits," Akira said thoughtfully.
"Yeah! Why didn't I think of that? Anything else?" Takeshin looked at Akira with newfound respect and asked eagerly.
Akira glanced at Sato, who gave him a small nod. Feeling more at ease, he continued, "Cotton Guard boosts defense, but in a windy sandstorm, it becomes a burden. If it could be timed as a quick burst instead, that might work better."
"Good point. Cotton Guard does make the spores bigger, which obviously affects speed," Takeshin's eyes lit up. This Akira, who'd lost to him before, was definitely sharp.
"Starting tomorrow, you're doing three extra battle simulations a day. Having ideas but not converting them into strength will get you nowhere," Sato looked at Akira, speaking with both encouragement and a warning.
"Yes, Gym Leader…"