Dratini's counterattack was quite impressive, but a single Aqua Tail wasn't enough to knock Skorupi out of the battle entirely.

At this point, Dratini was also panting heavily, unable to continue attacking, which gave Skorupi time to recover.

"Acupressure."

Sato's command rang out again, and without even getting back up, Skorupi instinctively started poking itself…

Another boost activated; and based on Skorupi's response, Sato quickly figured out that this time, it was Attack that had increased.

Just then, Dratini, having caught its breath, darted forward again, launching a pale cyan Dragon Rage straight at Skorupi!

"Perfect timing… Skorupi, use Pin Missile."

"Skor!"

Skorupi's two front claws and tail pincers all lit up with white light. A barrage of pure white needles shot out -shoo~ shoo~ shoo™- and shattered the Dragon Rage midair.

But that wasn't the end of it. Pin Missile already fired in large numbers, and now with Acupressure enhancing its power, the remaining volleys kept flying straight toward Dratini!

"Dratini, defend with Twister!"

"Tini!"

Dratini swiftly ducked into a swirling Twister, but the Pin Missiles didn't dissipate on impact, instead, they merged into the vortex and kept spinning within it.

"Increase the output!" Sato saw the opportunity and immediately shouted the order.

"SKOOOOOR!"

With a loud roar from Skorupi, even more white Pin Missiles surged into the Twister.

Ding ding ding... Dang dang dang!

Inside the vortex, the needles clashed violently. The resulting energy fluctuations made the Twister almost impossible to maintain.

BOOM!

With a thunderous explosion, the entire Twister was torn apart. The unchecked energy burst outward in all directions.

Skorupi fared alright -just got blown back quite a bit- but Dratini, who was at the very center of the explosion, lay motionless on the ground.

"Dratini has lost the ability to battle. Skorupi wins. Trainer Clair, please send out your next Pokémon!"

A red beam hit Dratini, pulling it back into the Poké Ball. Clair looked a bit down, but her fighting spirit remained undiminished.

"So you really are the opponent even my cousin takes seriously... Sato, I'm going all out now!"

Clair took a deep breath, her eyes growing more resolute as she threw another Poké Ball.

"Kingdra!"

A flash of red light revealed a large, blue seahorse Pokémon on the battlefield. Its Peak Elite power level was worlds apart from the previous Dratini.

According to what Sato knew, this Kingdra was the Starter Pokémon Clair had raised since she was little…

Even Skorupi, who was used to Ace level aura pressure, couldn't help but take two steps back. After all, it was the first time it had faced a real opponent so much stronger than itself.

"Skorupi, return and observe from the sidelines."

"Skor~ Skor~"

Upon hearing Sato's command, Skorupi didn't hesitate to turn and dash off the battlefield. Only after retreating safely did it wave its claws and chirp twice.

'I'm not scared of you! I'm just executing a tactical retreat to secure victory!'

Kingdra glanced sideways at Skorupi, its disdainful expression crystal clear. 'Just a little bug… not even worth acknowledging, hmph.'

"SKOOOOR!"

Fuming, Skorupi waved its front claws in protest… then quickly sidestepped and hid behind Sato.

"Kingdra sure learned that Dragon-type pride to the letter. Now let's see if it's got the strength to match," Sato chuckled, then threw out a Poké Ball of his own.

"Zweilous, prepare for battle."

"ZWEEE!" "DRAAAAA!"

Two dragon roars echoed in succession, and Kingdra's proud expression instantly changed. Its gaze toward its opponent filled with caution.

"Kingdra, this is the pseudo-legendary from Unova… ARE WE SCARED?" Clair suddenly shouted. Perhaps to Kingdra, perhaps to herself…

"King!"

Kingdra shook its head fiercely, and its wary eyes slowly turned resolute.

"It's just a Stage 2 pseudo-legendary. We can win this!"

"King~Dra!"

While Clair and Kingdra pumped each other up, Sato stayed calm and didn't intervene, Zweilous's strength made all that posturing unnecessary.

"Continue the match!"

"Kingdra, Dragon Pulse!"

"Zweilous, Dark Pulse."

Kingdra suddenly took a deep breath, its chest visibly expanding. Then, a large bluish-purple Dragon Pulse condensed in front of its snout!

Shoom!

The Dragon Pulse transformed into a purple dragon-shaped blast, surging toward Zweilous like it had a will of its own.

Naturally, such a straightforward attack was easy to counter. Lefty opened its mouth and unleashed a Dark Pulse, intercepting the Dragon Pulse head-on.

"Dragon Pulse."

Sato's command came again, and now Righty followed suit, firing a Dragon Pulse just as strong as Kingdra's, catching it completely off guard!

"WHOOA! Two heads launching separate attacks? That's straight-up cheating!"

White, watching from the sidelines, couldn't help but complain… and Clair wholeheartedly agreed.

This was cheating!

"Kingdra, Rain Dance!"

"Interrupt it."

Kingdra tried to use Rain Dance, but Lefty immediately followed up after the Righty's Dragon Pulse with zero delay, leaving Kingdra no choice but to dodge.

Clair gritted her teeth and wracked her brain. Her opponent's relentless attacks left Kingdra with no room to use support moves. If it stopped even briefly, it would get overwhelmed.

But as they say, purely defending leads to failure. If she didn't find a chance to strike back, defeat was certain.

"Kingdra, Water Pulse!"

"Dra!"

Kingdra hurled a blue water orb forward. It exploded mid-air, not only deflecting the incoming Dark Pulse, but also masking Kingdra's silhouette.

"Now! Use Rain Dance!"

"King~Draaa!"

Kingdra cried out excitedly. With its Swift Swim Ability, a rainy battlefield was its true domain!

Under Rain Dance, dark clouds rapidly gathered in the sky. Just as it seemed rain would start pouring, an intense flash of energy lit up overhead.

It was only then that Sato gave his delayed command: "Zweilous, Sunny Day. Then use Dragon Pulse."

"LOOOOOUS!"

Zweilous let out a fierce roar. A Dragon Pulse rapidly began forming in Righty's mouth, and it fired straight at the dazed Kingdra.

"Agility! Dodge it!"

Almost reflexively, Kingdra sidestepped just in time, barely dodging Righty's blast through sheer luck.

"Don't give up! Use Hydro Pump!" Clair's eyes were full of resolve. Even though Rain Dance had failed, she hadn't considered surrendering for a second.

"Dra…"

Now fully alert, Kingdra felt a wave of guilt. It had lost focus mid-battle.

But upon hearing its Trainer's unwavering command, Kingdra summoned all its strength and fired a Hydro Pump with everything it had!

Then came the surprise. this Hydro Pump was far stronger than expected. It shattered the Dragon Pulse entirely, then surged forward and struck Zweilous head-on!

"YES! That's it, we haven't lost yet!"