"Let's go, Riolu!"
Caleb grinned as he tossed the Poké Ball.
"Ri-yah!"
A flash of white light, and the serious-faced little blue jackal landed on the battlefield, fists clenched and ready for action.
Even though its opponent didn't look particularly strong, Riolu knew better than to judge a Pokémon by appearances.
After all, who knew if the enemy had mastered the art of hiding their aura?
That's why it reminded itself before every match: treat every battle as if it's life or death.
On the other side, Paul furrowed his brows.
Yet another curveball he hadn't accounted for—his plans were getting messier by the minute.
"Weavile, use Aerial Ace!"
The moment Paul gave the order, Weavile vanished in a blink and lunged forward—blades slicing the air.
But in that exact moment—Riolu disappeared.
Weavile skidded across the field, eyes darting left and right, unsure of where its target had gone.
And then...
"ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA!"
A flurry of fists, too fast for the eye to follow, rained down like a hailstorm. Each strike hit hard, relentless and brutal.
Close Combat.
STAB. 4x effective. Right in the face.
Weavile: ???
Paul's eyes widened in disbelief.
That speed—far beyond normal. It had to have used at least one Agility boost.
"Is it... Prankster?" he muttered.
Even with Prankster's +1 priority for status moves, this was insane.
Was this Riolu even legal?
CHAT:
"Did that Riolu just vanish from the field?"
"That's gotta be Teleport. No way that's just movement speed."
"Dude's straight up hacking now. REPORT BUTTON, GO!"
"Stop being salty. That's obviously just Prankster + movement tech."
"Yeah, you'd know if you actually battled instead of crying on the internet. 🙄"
"Prankster?? Nah, that's HACKster."
"..."
"Guys he made a joke, let's laugh."
"Ha."
"Ha."
"Ha."
"..."
Meanwhile in Pallet Town, Red sat in silence, watching the chat scroll endlessly.
"Hacks, huh?" he mused.
Isn't that just standard procedure?
He remembered his own insane battle against Giovanni. Back then, he was down to just Pikachu.
Giovanni's Nidoking was fast—too fast.
In theory, Pikachu needed one second to appear, two to charge a Thunderbolt, three to fire.
That was five whole seconds of dying time.
But Red had a plan. He stole Surge's insulated gloves.
Had Pikachu charge up inside the Poké Ball.
Boom—instant Thunderbolt the moment it popped out.
And that's how he won.
Back to the battle.
Paul recalled Weavile and tossed his fourth Poké Ball.
"Prepare for battle—Honchkrow!"
The dark-feathered Pokémon landed with an ominous cry, top hat-esque plume flaring.
A Flying-type—smart. Float above the battlefield and wear the opponent down.
Caleb didn't blink.
"Close Combat."
In the air?!
Paul watched, stunned, as Riolu soared upward, fists spinning like turbines, and delivered another full-speed ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA combo to Honchkrow.
Electromagnetic Levitation: grants flight for five turns via magnetic force.
Poor Honchkrow hadn't even gotten its bearings—it was immediately pummeled like a piñata.
One of Riolu's final punches smashed directly into its hat-feather.
Focus Sash: destroyed.
Even with its emergency 1 HP surviving gear, it was barely holding on.
Paul panicked.
"Honchkrow, use Memento!"
Memento—sacrifice your own HP to harshly lower the opponent's Attack and Special Attack.
If it hits... he might just turn the tables.
Honchkrow dived with one last burst of energy, cursing Riolu's ancestors with every feathered breath.
Damn, for a Pokémon that looks like a Victorian gentleman, you sure cuss like a sailor...
Also—wait a minute. Focus Sash + Memento + Quick Attack?
Wasn't that the notorious FEAR strategy?
Usually pulled by a Level 1 Rattata, of all things. Definitely not viable against a full-power Legendary...
But in same-level matches? Oh, it could work.
Caleb wasn't worried, though. His Riolu was way too careful for that.
Sure enough, just as Honchkrow drew close, Riolu casually raised one arm...
And sliced the air with a brownish energy wave.
Vacuum Wave.
Fighting-type priority move. Always hits.
Honchkrow froze midair—then collapsed in a heap.
Barely had a chance to scream.
Riolu exhaled slowly. That was close.
Still at full health, but yeah, that had been too close.
Paul gritted his teeth.
Four Pokémon down. Just like that.
He knew 6v6 battles had wild comebacks sometimes—but now?
Even if he beat Riolu, he'd have to face Amoonguss, Skarmory, and Garganacl.
Just thinking about it made his resolve falter.