When he saw the face of the arena defender, Cole was taken aback.
The young man had an extravagant appearance — wild hairstyle, flashy clothing, and dramatic expressions. His aggressive demeanor made him look ready to fight at any moment.
[Ladies and gentlemen, I'm sure you recognize our arena defender — none other than Spikemuth's Gym Leader Piers! Our Galar region's prodigy! With him here, what could go wrong? Place your bets freely!]
The Pokémon arena was essentially a gambling venue, and the unprofessional host focused solely on encouraging more bets.
His words worked as intended. Most spectators who had planned to bet on Cole switched to Piers — after all, he was a Gym Leader and a renowned prodigy trainer.
Though why such a prodigy would participate in arena matches remained a mystery. But the crowd didn't care, as long as he could help them win money!
In the VIP room, Lysandre and Daisy stood firm in betting on Cole. Lysandre placed his usual thousand, while Daisy wagered everything her son had — fifteen hundred, equal to P$15,000,000.
A loss would leave Cole unable to afford even underwear!
"H-hello!" To everyone's surprise, Piers greeted Cole with unexpected friendliness.
"Hello?" Cole replied, puzzled.
The host's voice cut through: [Now, would both trainers please send out their Pokémon.]
As the announcement faded, both trainers reached for their Poké Balls.
Cole sent out his eager volunteer, Heliolisk, while Piers released an Obstagoon.
Obstagoon, evolved from the Galarian form of Linoone, had striking black and white coloring. It stood on two legs and kept its arms crossed over its chest.
Piers bore a slight resemblance to his Obstagoon, though he was far leaner than his muscular Pokémon.
Obstagoon was naturally combative — a trait developed from fierce competition among Galarian Linoone and their harsh living conditions.
These environmental pressures had shaped both their form and abilities differently from other regions, enabling their evolution into Obstagoon.
As the battle began, Obstagoon threw back its head and unleashed an ear-splitting roar.
While Obstagoon typically roared to intimidate opponents before battle, this one's specially trained cry carried an additional effect.
[Great! Trainer Piers's Obstagoon has led with Noble Roar, and we can see that Zoroark's Heliolisk's special attack has been lowered!] the host announced excitedly.
The host always got excited when Cole's opponent gained the upper hand.
Heliolisk was incredibly fast, and with Quick Attack added, it vanished from its spot before Noble Roar's sound waves could reach it.
Though Noble Roar hadn't damaged Heliolisk, it still successfully lowered its special attack — a major disadvantage since special attacks were Heliolisk's main offensive strength.
As Heliolisk disappeared, the entire field turned golden, with sparks of electricity flashing through it.
[Amazing!! Zoroark's Heliolisk not only dodged Noble Roar but also set up Electric Terrain in the process. Such speed! Such reflexes! Tsk tsk, as expected of Zoroark's Pokémon that has won two matches in a row!]
The unprofessional commentator was growing sarcastic.
When Heliolisk reappeared, it was behind Obstagoon.
"Heliolisk, Thunder Wave!" Cole called out.
"Helio~"
Heliolisk launched a ball of golden electricity toward Obstagoon.
"Obstagoon, Pin Missile!"
At Piers's command, his Pokémon spun around sharply.
Spreading its arms, it shot about ten yellowish-green needles from its fingertips, shredding Heliolisk's Thunder Wave to nothing.
After neutralizing Thunder Wave, Obstagoon raised its claws, kicked back with its powerful legs, and launched forward like a cannonball.
Just as Obstagoon was about to land its Sucker Punch, Heliolisk's neck frills spread wide, releasing a blinding flash directly into its opponent's eyes.
Obstagoon cried out and instinctively closed its eyes, its attack slowing. Even blinded, it crossed its arms over its chest in a defensive stance.
Seizing this moment, Heliolisk used Dragon Tail to send Obstagoon flying before vanishing again with extreme speed.
Obstagoon rolled several times before steadying itself with its hands, appearing largely unhurt.
This was expected — physical attacks weren't Heliolisk's forte, and Obstagoon's thick, soft fur provided excellent physical defense. Landing any significant damage would have been surprising.
Heliolisk's Dragon Tail served a strategic purpose — creating distance from physical attackers like Obstagoon. The actual damage wasn't important since the move's main value was its knockback effect.
As Heliolisk vanished, a red orb of light shot skyward, and the air suddenly turned scorching hot.
[Zoroark's Heliolisk has used Sunny Day while knocking back Obstagoon with Dragon Tail — what could it be planning?]
But before the host could finish speaking, he cried out again.
[Look, look — can someone explain what's happening? Why is such intense electricity surging around Zoroark's Pokémon?]
On the field, Heliolisk, now safely distant from Obstagoon, spread its frills to their maximum extent, collecting vast amounts of solar energy to charge up.
This was Heliolisk's special ability at work. As more of its hidden energy circuits lit up, the ability grew increasingly fearsome, with solar-generated electricity reaching devastating levels.
No wonder the host was so excited.
As the charging technique reached its peak, Cole shouted, "Heliolisk, Thunderbolt!"
At the same time, Piers's voice rang out.
"Obstagoon, Obstruct!"
As Heliolisk's electricity transformed into a roaring lightning dragon charging toward Obstagoon, both the host and audience held their breath.
BOOM!!!
The golden lightning dragon crashed into Obstagoon, instantly engulfing it in surging electricity.
However, Cole knew that despite the attack's terrifying display, it was unlikely to have damaged his opponent much.
"Heliolisk, use Magnet Rise, quickly leave your position!"
"Helio~"
Heliolisk nodded, sparks of electricity flickering around its body before it vanished into a flash of light.
Sure enough, just as it disappeared, Obstagoon burst roaring from the sea of electricity, throwing a punch at Heliolisk's former position.
[This... this is amazing! Despite Heliolisk's powerful attack, Piers's Obstagoon emerged completely unharmed! As expected of our Galar region's prodigy Gym Leader, cough cough cough...]
The announcer shouted excitedly until his voice grew hoarse, finally breaking into an uncontrollable cough.
The reason Obstagoon wasn't injured was that it had used Obstruct, a defensive move similar to Protect.
Emerging from the sea of lightning, its eyes sharpened as it launched a powerful Double-Edge attack at the distant Heliolisk, completely disregarding the recoil damage it would take.
Cole suspected this Obstagoon's ability was Reckless — Pokémon with this ability deal increased damage with recoil moves like Double-Edge, Take Down, and Jump Kick.
Seeing how Obstagoon's single strike created a massive crater in the ground, he was certain of it.
The two Pokémon began a fierce chase across the arena, with Obstagoon in relentless pursuit and Heliolisk darting ahead.
But Heliolisk proved too swift, using Magnet Rise to transform into a golden streak of light, zipping around the arena.
As it darted back and forth across the field, golden sparks scattered from its body onto the ground, silently merging with the Electric Terrain.
With golden electricity now coursing throughout the entire field, the falling sparks from Heliolisk went completely unnoticed.
At this point, Cole called out, "Heliolisk, let's end this quickly!"
His Heliolisk possessed the Dry Skin ability, which continuously drained HP in harsh sunlight, though it would recover HP in rain or when hit by Water-type moves, making a swift victory essential.
Heliolisk's innate ability and characteristic worked against each other — while it could draw power from solar energy, its characteristic caused continuous HP drain.
Sand Veil or Solar Power would have served Heliolisk far better than Dry Skin in this situation.
Unfortunately, characteristics are innate and unchangeable — if they weren't, Slaking would be unstoppable.
{T/N: Slaking has a unique ability that makes it only attack on alternate turns and restricts certain moves. Yes, it does nothing during the other turn — it is an evolved sloth, after all. This ability can be swapped during battle, but never truly eliminated.}
"Helio!"
Hearing Cole's words, Heliolisk screeched to a halt, turning to face Obstagoon head-on.
Just as Obstagoon was about to charge, electricity suddenly crackled across its body. In an instant, its muscles seized up and it crashed to its knees.
[What... what's going on? Why has Piers's Obstagoon suddenly become paralyzed?] The announcer leaped to his feet, his face a mask of excitement and disbelief.
The outcome was now almost certainly decided — once paralyzed, Obstagoon stood little chance.
The announcer wasn't alone in his shock; spectators slumped in their seats as realization dawned.
Piers stared in amazement, "When did this happen?"
Cole answered with a smile, "While your Obstagoon was chasing Heliolisk! We used the Electric Terrain as cover to secretly lay Thunder Wave across the ground — stepping on it meant certain paralysis."
Understanding dawned on Piers's face, "You're really clever."
Cole could hear the genuine admiration in his voice.
Obstagoon struggled to rise, but another jolt of electricity sent it crashing back to its knees.
Meanwhile, Heliolisk had charged its finishing move — a roaring thunder dragon that lunged toward its paralyzed opponent.
"Obstagoon, Obstruct!"
Piers fought to salvage the situation. After all, paralysis didn't mean total helplessness, and he'd promised to give the arena his all.
But no miracle came. Though Obstagoon attempted to defend itself, and while paralysis didn't stop it this time, the Obstruct move failed to activate — like Protect, its chances of success dropped with each consecutive use.
The thunder dragon engulfed Obstagoon in an instant as announcer and audience alike held their breath.
When the lightning storm finally dissipated, it revealed Obstagoon lying in a smoking crater.
In the VIP box, Lysandre and Daisy exchanged knowing glances and smiled.
They'd struck it rich!
[H-he lost!] The announcer stammered, [Piers has lost, and the winner is... is... is Trainer Zoroark!]
The announcer could barely get the words out.
As soon as he finished speaking, angry shouts erupted from the crowd. While few cursed at Piers, most directed their fury at the announcer — after all, his encouragement had convinced many to switch their bets from Cole.
Their outrage stemmed partly from an inability to accept their losses, searching desperately for someone to blame. Though the announcer had promoted betting, they had made their own choices.
Unwilling to acknowledge their mistakes, they channeled all their anger toward the announcer.
But their cursing proved futile — no amount of shouting would make the arena return their money. Many spectators broke down crying where they sat.
Such scenes were common in the arena, where people regularly lost their life savings on a single match.
Let this be a warning: stay away from gambling!
Having won the match, Heliolisk bounded happily to Cole's side.
He patted its head and said, "Well done, these two years of training weren't wasted."
"Helio~ Helio~"
Heliolisk preened with pride at its performance.
Suddenly, Piers rushed over and thrust a piece of paper into Cole's hand.
"This... this is my contact information, you can get in touch with me later!"
With that, he dashed away without looking back, leaving Cole completely bewildered.
Cole: (๏ᆺ๏υ) What's going on?
✲✲✲
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