"Three-on-three. First to two knockouts. No substitutions mid-round."
Misty's voice rang clear across the rippling surface of the Cerulean Gym's arena.
The referee, a man in standard Gym League uniform, raised a flag between them.
"Begin when ready!"
Misty didn't hesitate.
With a flick of her wrist, she released her first choice.
A white flash arced across the pool, and landed with a clean splash onto one of the rising central platforms.
A Staryu.
It spun once, twin limbs twitching like a heartbeat.
Nathan's System chimed instantly.
𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐲𝐮 – 𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝟏𝟒 | 𝐏𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥: 𝐁 | 𝐒𝐭𝐲𝐥𝐞: 𝐆𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭
𝐀𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲: 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐞 | 𝐓𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲: 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡
𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬: 𝐔𝐧𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐝 | 𝐓𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐅𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬: 𝐑𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐩, 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐙𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥
𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭: 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐌𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐋𝐨𝐰 𝐃𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲
Nathan unclipped his response without pause.
"Zorua."
The fox-like illusionist hit the field with a flash, landing lightly on one of the lower side platforms. She immediately crouched, eyes narrowed.
No illusion cast yet.
Smart.
Misty raised an eyebrow as if intrigued, but said nothing.
The referee dropped the flag.
"Battle, start!"
Staryu moved first, shooting low across the surface like a skipping stone, firing a narrow Water Gun toward Zorua's platform.
Zorua darted left, leaping from her perch just as the water blast struck. The platform wobbled but didn't flip.
Nathan's voice cut in, calm and low.
"Close the distance. Right edge. Feint Attack."
Zorua's body flickered, and reappeared in a blur behind the Staryu, claws raised.
The strike landed clean, scraping across the central gem.
𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐲𝐮 𝐇𝐏: 𝟖𝟒% | 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬: 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞
𝐙𝐨𝐫𝐮𝐚 𝐇𝐏: 𝟏𝟎𝟎%
But Misty didn't flinch.
"Spin Pulse."
Staryu began to whirl, fast.
Water curved in rising arcs as it spun, generating a shimmering ring around it. Zorua lunged again, and was flung back mid-step as the pulse expanded, knocking her onto a side platform.
𝐙𝐨𝐫𝐮𝐚 𝐇𝐏: 𝟕𝟔% | 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬: 𝐃𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝 | 𝐌𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐲: +𝟎.𝟐𝐬
Nathan readjusted instantly. "Hold. Don't rush. Let it come to you."
Misty's eyes narrowed slightly.
She was testing his tempo.
Trying to see if he'd panic.
Staryu skated across the pool again, this time shifting into a Rapid Spin, building speed as it skimmed over the water's surface.
Zorua tensed.
Nathan raised a hand.
"Bait left. Drop low. Counter if it crests."
Zorua darted left, slipped just under the edge of a tilting platform, and as the spinning star crested overhead, slammed upward with a boosted Fury Swipes, catching Staryu off-axis.
𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐲𝐮 𝐇𝐏: 𝟓𝟖% | 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝: - 𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞
𝐙𝐨𝐫𝐮𝐚 𝐇𝐏: 𝟕𝟏%
The crowd above stirred, murmuring.
Misty gave her first sign of interest,a subtle tilt of her head.
"Disengage," she called.
Staryu flicked into a backward leap and re-entered the centre zone.
Nathan's System flashed a warning.
𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐳𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 | 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧: '𝐅𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐥'
He didn't hesitate.
"Zorua, retreat to right float. Cast illusion. Use the rebound."
Zorua flickered, darted into shadow, and split into two mirrored shapes.
Misty's eyes narrowed.
"Noted," she said, almost amused. "But illusions don't swim."
She snapped her fingers.
Staryu launched a double Water Gun arc, hitting both targets at once.
One vanished.
But Zorua, the real one, had already dropped below the platform's edge.
Nathan pointed. "Now, lunge and strike the gem!"
Zorua burst upward, claws forward.
A sharp crack as her paws slammed into the centre of Staryu's form.
The spin faltered.
The lights on its gem flickered.
𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐲𝐮 𝐇𝐏: 𝟐𝟐% | 𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐀𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐭: 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐫𝐮𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
𝐙𝐨𝐫𝐮𝐚 𝐇𝐏: 𝟔𝟏% | 𝐅𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐞𝐝
Misty gave one short nod. "Finish it."
Staryu spun violently, launched a desperate Swift, stars of light cut through the air like razors.
Zorua tried to dodge, but caught two hits across the flank.
Nathan grit his teeth.
"Feint again, short burst. End this!"
Zorua, panting now, shimmered forward and struck one final time, direct hit.
Staryu's core dimmed as it sank below the platform's edge.
The red recall beam hit it mid-fall.
"Staryu is unable to battle. First point to the challenger!"
Applause scattered through the upper gallery.
Zorua collapsed back onto her platform, breathing hard.
Nathan raised her pokéball. "Return. Rest well."
Misty didn't pause.
Her second pokéball was already in hand.
"You adapt well," she said. "Let's see how you handle pressure."
She tossed the ball.
It hit the water and something massive surged beneath the surface.
A long, finned shape with red scales and a gaping maw exploded into view.
A Gyarados.
Gasps echoed in the crowd.
Nathan's heartbeat spiked.
The System went into overdrive.
𝐆𝐲𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐬 – 𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝟏𝟔 | 𝐏𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥: 𝐀 | 𝐑𝐨𝐥𝐞: 𝐙𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐃𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫
𝐀𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲: 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 (𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 – 𝐀𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐃𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐝)
𝐌𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐭 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐥𝐲: 𝐁𝐢𝐭𝐞, 𝐓𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫, 𝐒𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐞, 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐮𝐥𝐬𝐞
𝐓𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐄𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭: 𝐃𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐭 | 𝐒𝐮𝐛𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐑𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞: 𝐅𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐏𝐨𝐨𝐥
𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 – 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡
Nathan stared at it, and then down at his belt.
Zorua was too injured. Squirtle couldn't outpace that thing. Mankey might be overwhelmed.
Only one option remained.
He released Nidorino onto the upper edge of the field.
His partner let out a low growl, bracing against the sudden shift in pressure.
Misty smiled, not mocking, but edged.
"Let's see if you can anchor."
Nathan met her eyes.
"Let's see if you can break him."
The referee raised the flag once more.
"Second round, begin!"