As lunchtime approached, Satoshi had been effortlessly dispatching random trainers, eventually locating the rumored strong trainer, Gotou Hitori.
At the moment, Gotou Hitori was hiding anxiously behind a blonde-haired girl, peeking timidly at Satoshi and Anon.
This girl has social anxiety.
Anon instantly realized the problem. However, Satoshi, being as straightforward as ever, completely missed this fact and instead walked directly toward the two girls.
He recognized the blonde-haired girl—Ijichi Nijika, who had battled Kagura Hikari a few days prior. She was indeed formidable.
If he could only choose one opponent, Satoshi would certainly feel disappointed.
But…
It's fine—I'll just battle them both at once!
"Battle me!"
Excited, Satoshi gripped his Pokéball tightly and threw it forward. Froakie leaped out, landing gracefully on the ground.
"Kero, Kero!"
Satoshi hadn't used Froakie much during this tournament, and it was now on the verge of evolution. After intense training and numerous battles, it was far stronger than the average Froakie—probably strong enough to beat a Frogadier already.
So he wanted Froakie's evolution to come at the perfect moment—in the middle of a truly spectacular battle!
"...O-okay."
Upon hearing Satoshi's enthusiastic request, Gotou Hitori nervously gathered her courage and stepped out from behind Nijika.
Though every fiber of her being screamed reluctance, her severe social anxiety made it impossible to refuse someone outright—she just didn't have the ability, not even with the ability Sturdy.
[Satobaby~ You have a new task!]
[Task: Defeat Gotou Hitori. Reward: Cut.]
Satoshi immediately cursed inwardly.
Are you kidding me?! What good is [Cut]?!
A 50-power Normal-type move—was she expecting him to start chopping grass?
If he wanted to imitate a ninja, once Froakie evolved into Greninja, wouldn't he have the Dark-type move [Night Slash] anyway?
He genuinely couldn't think of any advantages to [Cut]. Greninja's [Night Slash], at 70 power plus STAB, clearly outclassed it.
[Night Slash]: Deals damage to the target. Has an increased critical-hit rate (+1 stage higher than normal).
According to game data, it had roughly a 12.5% critical-hit rate.
Although Greninja was Water/Dark type, it didn't learn many powerful Dark-type moves—Night Slash and Dark Pulse were among the best options. And frankly, those two alone were enough.
[Hehehe Cut might seem useless, but Satobaby, how do you know it doesn't have a hidden damage buff against Grass-types?]
That might be true…
Recalling the countless trees and grass he'd sliced down in games, Satoshi reluctantly conceded the point.
Currently, Froakie indeed lacked physical moves, but Satoshi preferred to rely on [Quick Attack] for distance control and special moves. In a pinch, there was always [Protect] to stall.
"I-I'm Gotou Hitori… P-please treat me kindly…"
While Satoshi was lost in thought, Gotou cautiously approached him, forcing a rather strained smile in greeting.
If you don't feel like smiling, just don't smile!
Satoshi quickly refocused, smiling softly back at her, his expression gentle.
"Relax, let's have a good battle. I've heard you're really strong."
"Ah… Um, actually, I'm n-not really that strong…~~"
Seeing his smile, Hitori felt her tension ease. Her anxiousness gradually faded, replaced by a strange sense of comfort.
But soon, her nervousness morphed bizarrely into smug pride. She was always like this when praised—at least until Satoshi gave her a puzzled look, snapping her back to reality with a jolt.
What a strange person.
Gotou stepped forward, her mood brightening somewhat with each step. She gradually widened the distance between herself and Satoshi, stopping at the battle position.
It would be a 1v1 battle, as Hitori's other two Pokémon hadn't fully recovered yet.
"Satoshi-kun, good luck!" "Bocchi-chan, you've got this!"
Anon and Nijika cheered enthusiastically from the sidelines.
Their gazes met briefly before Gotou Hitori nervously threw out her Pokéball.
"Tinkaton, I'm counting on you~!"
"Deka~!"
Appearing with an enthusiastic cry, the Fairy/Steel-type Pokémon Tinkaton landed adorably on the field, common in Paldea and infamous for being incredibly cute despite its gigantic hammer.
[Tinkaton, the super-cute Pokémon, known best for its adorable pink feet—I'd sure love a taste!]
[According to rumors, it's the great boss of Ursaluna, who died protecting the former Ursaring… Miss you, boss! ╥﹏╥]
Stop talking nonsense!
Satoshi broke into a cold sweat, glancing nervously at Tinkaton.
Currently, Froakie was vastly outmatched in raw strength compared to Tinkaton, a fully evolved Pokémon.
A basic Froakie had almost no chance against a third-stage Tinkaton. After a quick glance, Satoshi quickly made his assessment.
Steel/Fairy typing was incredibly good defensively—Steel-types resisted countless attacks.
He'd really like to have such a defensive powerhouse himself.
"Satoshi-kun After you win this match, let's go have lunch together!"
Anon waved energetically like a cheerleader. Having watched Satoshi dominate all morning, she confidently assumed he'd win.
Please don't raise death flags like that!
"Froakie, [Water Pulse]!"
On command, Froakie leaped into the air, gathering swirling blue energy into a sphere between its hands.
"Kero~!"
"Tinkaton, use [Gigaton Hammer] to hit that [Water Pulse] back… and strike the ground while you're at it," Gotou instructed calmly, fully in control this time.
"Deka!"
Hearing the order, Tinkaton swung its enormous hammer, smashing directly into the incoming [Water Pulse]. A deafening explosion echoed as the water sphere shattered into countless droplets, scattering like shards of glass.
Continuing its momentum, Tinkaton's hammer slammed into the ground with overwhelming force, sending shockwaves rippling outward and shaking the entire battlefield violently.
"Kero?!"
The powerful tremors knocked Froakie off balance mid-air, sending it crashing painfully to the ground.
"She's so strong…" Anon stared in shock.
"Hehe~ This is Bocchi-chan and Tinkaton's true strength! She's probably the strongest on our team… I think…?" Nijika proudly announced, although her confidence wavered slightly at the end.
"Is that so…"
Come on, Satoshi-kun…!
Anon clasped her hands tightly, anxiously praying for his victory, a faint unease settling in her chest.