Private battle arena, inside Naranja Academy.
Kukui stood on the left side of the field, Lucas on the right, with Geeta serving as referee in the center.
Geeta put her hands behind her back, glanced at both, and said loudly, "A three-on-three single battle, is that alright?"
Kukui grinned to show he was fine with it. Lucas nodded helplessly; coincidentally, he really did bring three Pokémon today that could fight.
"Then—" With anticipation on her face, Geeta slowly stepped back until she was completely off the battlefield, then announced, "Battle, start!"
"Lycanroc!"
"Swampert."
The red light from the Poké Balls flooded the arena. When it subsided, Swampert and Lycanroc (Midday Form) had already begun their standoff.
Geeta raised her eyebrows: "So the first pick gives Lucas a type advantage?"
Both sides called out at once: "Stealth Rock!" "Sand Tomb!"
Dozens of rocks scattered from Lycanroc's fur, hiding on the field and in mid-air.
Meanwhile, Swampert let out a roar. Pure Ground-type energy turned into countless slowly rotating grains of sand, gathering beneath Lycanroc's feet.
"Kukui chose to gain the advantage of switching, but Lucas plans to lock Lycanroc in directly? This will be interesting."
Lycanroc frowned, feeling the faint pull from the ground. Though it wouldn't affect his movement much, it meant he couldn't return to his Poké Ball. Under Kukui's command, Lycanroc turned into a white blur and charged toward Swampert without fear.
Although a better choice would be to stall until Sand Tomb wore off, Kukui was not the type of trainer to avoid a challenge.
The moment Lycanroc approached Swampert, Kukui gave the order: "Now! Stone Edge!"
Lycanroc struck the ground, and sharp rocks burst forth like interlocking canine teeth, attacking Swampert from all directions.
"High Horsepower!"
A glaring red light shone from Swampert, whose arm muscles bulged as it spun in place. The stone pillars shattered like fragile glass, filling the air with debris.
What terrifying brute strength!
Kukui was shocked, but his thoughts quickly turned: "Bite the sharpest rock—attack!"
Lycanroc moved with incredible agility. The instant Kukui spoke, it leaped high and grabbed the nearest rock in midair with its jaws. As it fell, it used the sharpest edge of the stone to slash at Swampert!
Damn, dog with a sword in its mouth!
Lucas was stunned by Kukui's creativity. No wonder he could become Ash's godfather in the future. But Kukui's choice made Lucas smile; he shouted, "Take it! Power through!"
Kukui exclaimed, "What!?"
Swampert completely abandoned defense, letting Lycanroc leave a deep gash on its sturdy body.
Swampert grunted in pain, but its movements were precise. It was used to having Ceruledge's flaming greatsword leave scars, so this was nothing.
In Lycanroc's suddenly contracted pupils, Swampert's thick arms wrapped around its waist, and then—
Terrifying strength surged from Swampert's arms. Lycanroc's weakest spot couldn't resist such power; a sharp yelp burst from its mouth.
This was a battle, not a fight to the death. Swampert felt if it used a bit more force, Lycanroc would die on the spot. The strength faded like a retreating tide, and Swampert flung Lycanroc dozens of meters away.
Bang—!
Lycanroc crashed heavily to the ground, its legs trembling so much it couldn't stand for a while.
"Lycanroc!" Kukui called out worriedly. After Lycanroc shakily stood up, he gritted his teeth, "What a fierce fighting style. I misjudged."
In his expectation, even if Lycanroc was weaker, its agility would let it keep up.
He didn't expect Lucas to use Swampert's overwhelming physique to take the hit, allowing the less agile Swampert to actually grab Lycanroc—
It wasn't that Lycanroc lost to Swampert, but Kukui, as its trainer, caused Lycanroc to lose to Lucas and Swampert.
Under Lucas's relentless command, Swampert summoned a giant wave. In Lycanroc's current state, it was impossible to dodge.
Moments later.
Geeta smiled, "Lycanroc is unable to battle. Swampert wins."
"Kukui, please send out your next Pokémon."
"Go!"
A Venusaur with a giant flower on its back, exuding a sense of weight with every movement, rooted itself to the ground. Thick vines mixed with barely visible poisonous powder darted all over the field, putting huge pressure on Swampert.
With its Water/Ground typing and lacking Sap Sipper, Swampert's advantage over Venusaur was neutralized. The wounds left by Lycanroc further weakened Swampert.
Lucas narrowed his eyes. If this continued, Swampert wouldn't even touch Venusaur and might be whittled down.
His original plan was for Swampert to stall against Venusaur, exhausting the hidden Stealth Rock energy, and letting Ceruledge enter the field at full strength and secure victory.
But plans can't keep up with changes. Kukui's Venusaur countered Swampert's brute force style too well. It was time to decide.
Having reached Champion-level by his own efforts in just a year, Lucas' judgment was excellent.
Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he opened them sharply. In the split second when the rampaging vines exposed a gap, he pressed the button.
The Poké Ball's red light crossed the distance, precisely recalling Swampert.
Seeing Swampert recalled, Kukui bit his lip. As expected of a Champion—he'd intentionally tried to block the recall beam with Venusaur's vines, but Lucas still found the fleeting opening.
Compared to direct, overwhelming battle styles like Lance's Flying and Dragon Pokémon, Kukui found Lucas' combination of skill and brains much more troublesome.
After recalling Swampert, Lucas threw out a prepared Poké Ball. Ceruledge appeared on the field.
In the next instant, Lycanroc's Stealth Rocks floated from mid-air, bombarding the just-landed Ceruledge!
Even though Ceruledge instinctively blocked some of the rocks with its flaming blade, many crashed into its armor and exploded.
When the smoke cleared—
Ceruledge stood with many new marks on its armor and a diminished aura.
Round two, begin!