The Graveler on the far bank was clearly still holding back.
Its Geodude underlings were a mixed bunch in terms of strength, and to them, both their own leader and the enormous Pokémon across the lake were intimidating presences. But at Graveler's level, things looked different. Even without the level gap being all that wide, it could tell that Nidoking was something else entirely. A one-on-one fight might not go in its favour.
Still, not wanting to fight and not being able to avoid it were two different things. A colony leader had no easy life. Every day it had to look after dozens of Geodude under its care. Someone had walked into their territory and caused a scene. As the one in charge, it could not simply look the other way.
And besides, it had faced strong opponents before. So what? No matter how powerful a Pokémon was, it could not walk away unscathed from an Explosion. Even if the Graveler went down with it, the rest of the colony would still be there to finish the fight. A badly wounded trainer stranded in the middle of the wilderness would not last long on their own.
Nova watched the Graveler hesitate and felt his patience start to wear thin.
Finding a large group of wild Pokémon to battle was rare out here, and since the Geodude colony had come looking for trouble first, anything Nova did could be considered self-defence. Even if an Officer Jenny had been standing right there, she could not have faulted him for it.
"That's enough waiting," Nova said. "If you won't start it, then I will."
"Nidoking, use Psybeam! Freeze the entire lake surface!"
The two groups were facing each other across the water. Anyone crossing would be wide open to attack in the middle. Nova was not about to give the Geodude colony that kind of opening. With the lake surface frozen solid, his Pokémon could charge straight across without hesitation.
"Corviknight, handle the Geodude on the other side. Growlithe, Mudkip, go after their leader. The rest of you, spread out and take on the other Graveler. Nidoking, once you've dealt with the Graveler, back up Growlithe."
Three quick instructions, and Nova sent his team forward in a full assault.
As Growlithe sprinted across the ice with Mudkip close behind, a thought crossed its mind.
"Wait, I'm the one going after the enemy leader? Seriously?"
"Shouldn't the strongest one on our team be handling that?"
Only five of Nova's Pokémon were taking part in the battle. Lapras was still in its baby form and had no place in a fight this serious.
Battles against wild Pokémon colonies were nothing like the regulated matches trainers had with one another. Wild Pokémon fought to win by any means, and that included going after the trainer directly. Nova's partners had every reason to match that intensity in order to keep him safe.
The bond between Pokémon was something honest and direct. Looked at from the outside, this kind of fight between two groups might seem brutal. But from where each side stood, there was no shared kinship to hold them back. To the Geodude colony, this was a rival group led by a human trying to take their land. To Nova's team, the colony was a threat to the trainer they protected.
Corviknight was the first to reach the enemy, cutting through the air long before anyone else could cross the ice.
The Geodude, being Rock-types, assumed a Flying-type would keep its distance. Instead, the massive steel bird let out an eager cry and dove straight toward them without a trace of hesitation.
That was not what they expected.
Rock Throw after Rock Throw clattered against Corviknight's armoured body in a noisy flurry.
The attacks landed, but the results were not what the Geodude had hoped for. Most of the colony were not strong enough to even use Rock Throw yet, and those that could found their attacks doing almost nothing. Corviknight's Steel typing resisted Rock-type moves, Rock Throw's base power was low, and the gap in strength between the two sides was simply too wide. After taking a few hits, Corviknight seemed almost disappointed.
It stopped holding back and plunged into the middle of the Geodude with Steel Wing, clearing space around it. Once it had room, it used Roost right there in the open.
The Geodude kept piling on with Tackle and Rock Throw, but Corviknight had become something they could not move. It stood its ground like a fortress, and every hit it absorbed was being healed back faster than the damage came in.
Body of Steel: Steel-type energy within the body has been refined over time, greatly increasing physical hardness. Corviknight prefers to endure hits rather than dodge them. Defense and Special Defense are significantly increased, while Speed and Evasion are reduced.
Steel Heart: Each time Corviknight successfully takes a hit, it gains a short-term boost and recovery to HP, Defense, and Special Defense.
With both traits active and Roost steadily restoring its health, the Geodude could not keep up. They were dealing less damage than Corviknight was recovering every few seconds.
Seeing that their smaller colony members could not make a dent, the Graveler stepped in. The one closest to Corviknight drew back its arm and swung hard, aiming to land a Hammer Arm on the steel bird and put it in its place.
It did not notice that the Geodude standing beside it had been quietly replaced by a small green Pokémon.
Sprigatito had used Ally Switch to slip into the enemy ranks. A surprised Geodude found itself suddenly out on the ice, with no idea what had just happened, before Nidoking came barrelling into it like a runaway freight train and sent it flying.
Nidoking did not slow down.
Meanwhile, Sprigatito looked up at the Graveler mid-swing and grinned.
"Going for Hammer Arm? My Sucker Punch hits first."
Its Hidden Ability, Protean, shifted its typing to Dark before the move landed. With the same-type attack bonus behind it, Sucker Punch carved three deep claw marks across Graveler's thick, rocky body.
And it was not finished. Sprigatito's trait, Double Magician, triggered immediately after the first hit, repeating the same move a second time. The follow-up strike carried half the original power, but Sucker Punch's high priority meant it still connected before Graveler could even begin to retaliate.