"Hngggh, hey Hine, whatcha still doing here?"
In the Haborym residence's living room, Mavuika stretched, finally having a chance to rest after a long day at work.
"Sis!"
A girl who looked to be around 18 years old with short, yellow-orange hair jumped up from the sofa and gave Mavuika a big hug.
"Why did you return so late? You missed the battle!"
"Hm? Ah yes, it's the match between that boy Dante and Norman, right? Sorry, sorry, something urgent happened in one of the Pokeportals."
"What? Accident!? Did you get hurt?"
Hine released Mavuika from her embrace and started to inspect her for injuries.
"I'm fine, Hine. You know how strong your sister is."
Mavuika ruffled her little sister's hair before collapsing onto the sofa, her body causing the couch to sag as she sighed in relaxation.
"Mouu! I wasn't finished checking!"
"It's fine~ So? How's your rival doing?"
"..."
"Hmm?"
Mavuika turned to see her sister sitting beside her, a despondent look on her face.
"What's wrong, Hine?"
"...he's winning against Mr. Norman."
"Dante? Well, I can't say I'm surprised. His Pikachu is rather abnormally powerful."
"No! Not with him. And not Azumarill either."
Mavuika fell silent, watching as Hine pouted in frustration.
"It's with Ursaring. You remember the interview, right?"
Mavuika scratched her head in confusion. Hine huffed and elaborated.
"It's when Dante won his 2nd Badge. After that, he was interviewed and he showed a Teddiursa as his 3rd Pokemon."
"Ah, so it evolved into Ursaring now? And it won against Norman's Pokemon?"
Hine nodded. Her expression once again became sorrowful as she added.
"It's not just against one, but two. And if Ursaring beats Mr. Norman's third Pokemon, Dante will have swept the Gym with one Pokemon again!"
Mavuika narrowed her eyes, her expression turning serious.
"Which Pokemon did Norman use?"
"Eh? Ah, it's Kangaskhan and Porygon-Z."
Mavuika inhaled sharply.
During the Champion's Tournament 2 years ago, although she hadn't fought with Norman, she saw some of his matches.
Kangaskhan and Porygon-Z were a part of his main roster, carrying him to the top 8 before he was eliminated by the current Fighting Elite, Bruno.
"The match hasn't finished yet, right? Let's watch the third round together."
"Okay!"
Hine beamed at the rare opportunity to hang out with her sister. She took out her phone and turned it back on. After swiping to the Official Alliance Gym channel, the voice of Mike Loud rang out.
"And the third round starts with Norman sending out his ace Pokemon, Slaking! Can Dante achieve the impossible and sweep the Strongest Gym Leader's team using only Ursaring?!"
—
"Slaking, use Bulk Up!"
"Ursaring, Bulldoze!"
Dante and Norman's voices echoed through the mostly empty stadium.
"Ursa!"
Ursaring stomped on the ground, sending ripples through the earth as he charged toward Slaking.
Slaking only glanced at the oncoming attack. He beat his chest with both hands, his Attack and Defense being boosted at the same time.
At this time, the Ground-type energy gushed out from the floor and headed towards Slaking. However, the gorilla-like Pokemon just stomped on the ground, neutralizing most of the attack and only suffering slight damage.
Dante frowned. The speed at which Slaking finished using Bulk Up, along with him effortlessly suppressing Bulldoze even when Ursaring's Attack stat is doubled can only mean one thing- Slaking has great mastery of Bulk Up.
"Use your full strength! Ursaring, Close Combat!"
"Slaking, Drain Punch!"
Norman stood with his arms crossed, his eyes narrowed as he stared at the arena. Slaking, his starter Pokemon, is his most trusted partner.
Not only had he broken through his racial limit once, at the same time, Slaking has mastered Bulk Up to the point he can boost his Attack and Defense by 80% with only one use. Against physical attackers, Norman can confidently say that his Slaking could hold his own against anyone in the world.
The two Pokemon clashed in the middle of the arena.
"Ursa Ursa Ursa Ursa!"
"Slak Slak Slak Slak!"
Slaking grimaced as he exchanged blows with Ursaring. This opponent was more powerful and agile than him. He had to rely on using technique to deflect and dodge the brown bear Pokemon's attack. But Ursaring was able to do the same just based on his faster speed.
The situation fell into a fragile stalemate, with neither Pokemon being able to land a solid blow against the other. Still, Dante and Norman remained patient. After all, in this type of confrontation, whoever makes a mistake first, loses.
—
"He's trying to conserve his energy."
Mavuika commented offhandedly while staring at the screen.
"Mr. Norman? Of course. Dante has two more Pokemon."
Mavuika just smiled, watching her sister who had her eyes glued to the phone. In a way, the moves used by the two Trainers exhibit their current state of mind.
Close Combat is a Fighting-type move with a base power of 120. As a price for using such a high powered move, the user's Defense and Special Defense are lowered.
Meanwhile, Drain Punch is a Fighting-type move with a base power of 75. Like its name suggests, this move drains the opponent's energy with each hit and returns it to the user.
Dante, who wanted to win with just Ursaring, held nothing back and had his Pokemon unleash an all-out attack. And Norman relies on Bulk Up and Drain Punch to ensure Slaking remains in pristine condition to increase his chances of a comeback.
Mavuika also recalled Slaking's Slack Off which he used against Alder to take down two of his Pokemon.
Slack Off is a Normal-type move which greatly accelerates the recovery of the user's energy. And Norman's Slaking had achieved great mastery of this move.
If he is able to knock down Ursaring and use Slack Off, Norman would face Dante's next Pokemon with a fully healthy Slaking.
—
Ursaring grunted. His body felt heavier and heavier. If this goes on, he would definitely lose. He stared at his opponent, thinking of ways he could land a hit and surely win. Suddenly, he recalled something his Dad offhandedly mentioned…
Slaking threw a punch at Ursaring's stomach. He expected him to deflect it like he did countless times before. But to his surprise, his fist connected- to Ursaring's opened palm.
Ursaring felt his shoulder crack as the force of the punch traveled through his entire arms. However, instead of crying out in pain, a ferocious grin spread across his face.
Slaking's instincts screamed a massive danger warning. He tried to retract his fist and keep distance, but Ursaring gripped his arm so tightly that the claws had dug deep into the flesh.
"Ursaring!"
Slaking wanted to use his other hand and punch the bear-like Pokemon in the face- to release him- when Ursaring yanked him closer, their heads bashing against one another.
*CRASH*
The two Pokemon stumbled backwards and collapsed, their backs hitting the ground with a thud.
Dante and Norman stared in shock. Dante had been prepared to use Endure and issue the last counterattack, while Norman was preparing to use Protect in preparation for Dante's last ditch efforts.
However, the two didn't expect their plan to get derailed like this.
The referee came forward to check, and after making sure the two were unconscious, he raised both flags in the air.
"Ursaring and Slaking are unable to battle! Gym Leader Norman has no more Pokemon! Trainer Dante wins the match!"
"..."
Norman was speechless. He stared at the two Pokemon in the arena, then at his teenage opponent, before shaking his head with a wry smile.
Meanwhile, Dante walked over and patted the unconscious Ursaring's stomach.
"Great job, bud. You outdid yourself."
In that final headbutt, Ursaring unexpectedly hit Slaking in the critical spot. Although it was a bit lucky, luck is always part of a Pokemon battle, after all.
Ursaring's eyes groggily opened when he felt the familiar touch on his belly. Seeing his Dad, he lowered his head in shame.
"Ursaring…" (I'm sorry, Dad. I lost…)
"Nah, you've won, Ursa. You took out all three Pokemon by yourself."
"Ursa?" (Really?)
Ursaring raised his head with difficulty. Seeing his opponent also passed out, a lopsided grin formed on his face.
"Ursa." (Hehe, it worked.)
That was the last thing he said before falling into dreamland once more.
A/N: I wanted to include a short flashback to show what Dante told Ursaring, but I can't find a reasonable place in the story to insert it. So, I just decided to put it in an omake below.
Omake - What did Dante say?
"That's awesome, Dad!"
On their way back from the Guild expedition, Teddiursa watched Dante and the others take down all the Pokemon. As promised, he had been allowed to go to the dungeon with them, though he can only watch right now due to the strength of the Pokemon here.
"Thanks, Teddy."
Dante walked over and rubbed Teddiursa's head.
"Hey, Dad, can I ask something?"
"Yeah, sure. What's up?"
"Why do you always aim for the head? But Big Brother Pikachu and Azumarill try to hit their bodies?"
Teddiursa tilted his head. Because he wanted to grow strong as soon as possible, he tried observing how his Dad and Big Brothers fight. And over time, he had noticed their clear difference in fighting styles.
"Huh?"
Dante scratched his head. Pikachu and Azumarill preferred to hit their opponent's in the body because of their strong attack power. As for him…
"Do you know my fighting style, Teddy?"
"Yup! Big Brother Azumarill said you were an assassin-built!"
"Heh, I guess that's technically correct. Because of my weaker attack, I had to find a way to make up for it. You know how the assassins in your games attack their enemies' vital points? I do something similar."
Next, Dante explained to Teddiursa about critical spots, as well as how he makes use of it.
"Because the head is often the most vulnerable part, there are more critical spots on it than other parts of the body. That's why you'll often see me aiming there, because I can more easily land a critical hit."
"I understand, Dad! So I hit the head if I need to make my attack more powerful!"
"Err, yes, something like that. But it depends on the situation…"
As they continued their journey back to the Guild Base, Teddiursa eagerly asked more questions while cheering on Dante, Pikachu, and Azumarill.
A/N2: Btw, here are the stats of Slaking and some of Ursaring for comparison. Slaking is Dante's 2nd Champion-level Pokemon to face after Dragonite.
Slaking (Norman) (Broke the racial limit 1 time)
Ability: Truant (Inactivated)
HP: 125
Attack: 138 Defense: 105
Sp. Attack: 102 Sp. Defense: 72 Speed: 105
Slaking's Attack and Defense after Bulk Up are:
Attack: 179
Defense: 149
Ursaring's Attack:
Normal: 105
After Belly Drum: 153
After Using Guts: 183