The ones sent out to deal with the Vigoroths were Doublade.
The General Type Vigoroth is only countered by Fighting-type techniques, and currently, among Natsuhiko's Pokémon, the one most adept at mastering Fighting-type techniques with the strongest power is Doublade's "Sword of Universal Equality."
Moreover, the lively and battle-loving Vigoroth, coupled with its Elite Level strength, is undoubtedly the best training "tool" for Doublade.
"Sword Dance," Natsuhiko said softly.
"Hiss," The dark red airflow around Doublade surged, mastering the Sword Dance technique so deeply that it had become part of its core, completing the boost in a very short time.
"Holy Sword Slash."
Facing the Vigoroth charging at the forefront, Doublade, though very afraid, didn't hesitate at all in its actions.
"Woo woo!"
Seeing Doublade rush forward, the Vigoroth instantly became uncontrollably excited, letting out strange cries, with raging flames rising on its swinging fists.
These wild Vigoroths obviously had very rich battle experience; recognizing Doublade as a Steel-type Pokémon, they immediately used Flame Fist to counterattack.
Clang—
A crisp sound came from Doublade as the illusory blue long sword boldly confronted Vigoroth's Flame Fist.
Blue, cyan, and red, the three colored halos collided in the air.
Boom!!
Vigoroth and Doublade simultaneously retreated, putting some distance between each other.
"This is..." Seeing the technique used by Doublade, an unexpected expression appeared in Kona's eyes.
Glancing at the calm Natsuhiko beside her, a sense of admiration welled in her heart.
Mastering and understanding combined techniques is not easily achieved.
Obviously, the first slash by Doublade was just the beginning, while the opposing Vigoroth had already gone all out.
Soon, the second slash came.
Again, it was met with Vigoroth's Flame Fist, but the result was completely different from what the Vigoroth had expected.
Boom!
With just a brief clash, the Vigoroth was immediately slammed to the ground by a terrifying force.
What's happening?
Before it could figure it out, it saw a blue sword shadow growing larger in its eyes, then heavily striking its forehead.
The next second.
This Vigoroth lost its combat capability, lying quietly on the ground.
"So strong..."
Behind them, Kona watched Doublade, which had reached its third sword, exclaiming in surprise.
Imagining her Pokémon in the Vigoroth's place, the outcome might be similar, since Ice-type Pokémon are also countered by Fighting-type techniques.
Moreover, Doublade's "Holy Sword Slash" had power exceeding that of ordinary techniques.
However, Natsuhiko's focus differed slightly from Kona's.
What caught his eye was Doublade's slightly reddened blade.
He couldn't help but furrow his brows.
It's time to prioritize coating Doublade; last time when it clashed with Mudsdale, Natsuhiko already felt Doublade's lack in body weight, and this time clashing with Vigoroth's Flame Fist exposed its shortcomings against Fire-type techniques.
The sooner Doublade is coated, the faster it can adapt to changes brought by the coating, so it won't face any adverse effects when evolving into Aegislash.
Natsuhiko pondered, but the battle continued.
After the first Vigoroth went down, a second one immediately followed.
Unlike the first, this Vigoroth was totally taken out after just one hit, losing its combat capability entirely.
The successful power buildup from combining Continuous Slash with Holy Sword made the third strike even more potent, coupled with Fighting-type's advantage over General Type Pokémon, and the prior boost from Sword Dance, just wasn't something ordinary Vigoroths could contend with.
Due to being deep enough into the area, the Vigoroths stopped fighting in turns, instead rushing forward together.
Even as Doublade finished off the first one, the Vigoroths rushed fiercely toward it, eyes red with the intense cries echoing around.
In this situation, Doublade handling them alone seemed quite challenging.
But luckily, it wasn't alone.
Bzzz—
Beedrill dashed forward, sharing Doublade's burden, while Yujira and Togetic also provided help promptly.
They were only four Pokémon, but their cooperation was so skillful and their coordination so high that, although the Vigoroths overall were very strong, individually they weren't outstanding enough to break the four Pokémon's seamless coordination.
Kona beside them initially intended to help, but seeing the smooth and skillful cooperation of Natsuhiko's four Pokémon, she realized that her interference might not only be unhelpful but could also be a burden.
Most importantly.
"Such a seamless coordination, this feeling..." Kona murmured.
She keenly sensed that Natsuhiko's four Pokémon were able to cooperate so seamlessly and connect their techniques and battle rhythm so well because there was a "bearing" ensuring the battle's smooth operation, even accelerating it.
And this "bearing" was Natsuhiko's Yujira.
"Is this the 'core' effect mentioned by Celestial King Liu Bo during his public lecture at the academy?"
These wild Vigoroths, Kona believed she could barely handle them now, though it would come at a significant cost, with several Pokémon possibly getting injured or temporarily losing combat capability.
Absolutely couldn't manage it as calmly as Natsuhiko, possibly even with some spare capacity.