There was no more suspense on Mark's side, he sent out Lucario directly.
And the Kalos League's second Elite Four candidate responded by sending out Darmanitan.
The two sides immediately engaged in an intense battle, but Lucario had already used up a good amount of stamina earlier, and now it was facing the explosive power of a Fire-type like Darmanitan, so it didn't last long before collapsing.
With that, Mark had used three Pokémon to take down five of the opponent's, while also draining a fair bit of stamina from Darmanitan. He had completed his task above and beyond expectations.
And with this battle, Mark officially stepped out a bit from under Sato's spotlight and would surely become a focal point of the League's attention once they returned.
How much temptation and benefit awaited him down the road… Mark himself had no idea.
"My turn!"
In the stands, the now much more composed Norman stood up with a start, then strode confidently toward the battlefield.
"Norman seems a bit different lately…" Sato couldn't help but mutter softly.
"Of course. He's been training like a madman on the ship these past few months. I don't know where your generation gets so many monsters from, you guys really don't leave us any breathing room."
Fitzwilliam clicked his tongue in amazement.
"Heh…" Sato chuckled lightly and said no more, turning back to watch the field.
He had experienced Fitzwilliam's strength countless times long ago. If anyone claimed he didn't have Elite Four level Pokémon, Sato would never believe it… not in a hundred years!
Facing the aggressive Darmanitan, Norman first sent out a chubby, innocent-looking glutton.
Snorlax!
The battle began. Darmanitan still had plenty of stamina and opened with Flare Blitz, clearly ready to go all-in.
And it wasn't until the attack was nearly upon him that Norman finally gave his command.
"Counter!"
"Snor~lax!"
Snorlax let out a dopey cry, then crossed its arms in front of its chest and took Darmanitan's Flare Blitz head-on.
Immediately after, Counter activated!
Darmanitan flew back at double the speed it had come in, crashing straight into the wall at the edge of the arena, leaving a deep crater behind.
Whoosh~
"Darmanitan has lost the ability to battle. Snorlax wins! Kalos League, please send out your next participant!"
No gimmicks.
Clean and decisive!
Norman's composure and Snorlax's goofy demeanor worked in perfect sync. The pair stood there as if they could hold back an entire swarm of Beedrill on their own!
But before Drake could even praise them, the Kalos League sent out their third Elite Four candidate; this one clad in a martial arts uniform!
"Kalos League, Carrol¹ from Shalour Gym. Pleased to meet you!"
"Hoenn League, Norman from Petalburg Gym!"
Out of respect, Norman also introduced himself again.
"Trainer Carrol, please send out your Pokémon!"
"Hawlucha, give it your all!"
A flash of red light, and a small Pokémon less than a meter tall appeared on the field. But no one dared underestimate it.
Hawlucha was already at Peak Ace level!
The Kalos League was clearly beginning to take this seriously!
"Battle, begin!"
At the sound of the referee's call, Hawlucha charged straight at Snorlax without hesitation!
"Fling!"
Whoosh~
As Carrol gave the command, Hawlucha's right hand whipped forward, hurling a small black ball that cut through the air in a blink and struck Snorlax squarely!
Snorlax's round belly suddenly caved in, leaving a massive dent.
The surprise attack even made Snorlax's perpetually squinted eyes crack open just a bit!
"Snor…lax…"
Snorlax let out a pained cry, clutching its belly and unable to even crawl.
Ding… Ding~ Ding…
A small black ball rolled off Snorlax's stomach and hit the ground with a crisp clink.
Held Item: Iron Ball!
The item most compatible with the move Fling. The power it delivers[1] can even rival Solar Beam!
And with Snorlax's enormous body, landing a hit was almost too easy.
On the other side, after throwing the Iron Ball, Hawlucha seemed to be freed; its speed instantly doubled, leaving only afterimages in its wake!
Ability: Unburden.
When a Held Item is used or lost, the Pokémon's Speed doubles!
From the moment it entered, Hawlucha had landed a crushing opening blow and simultaneously boosted its speed.
"Snorlax, Rest!"
Norman didn't hesitate. Once he realized Snorlax was in bad shape, he immediately gave the command.
Meanwhile, Hawlucha had already soared above Snorlax and launched a Flying Press without hesitation!
"Snorlax, Sleep Talk!"
Flying Press landed squarely, dealing heavy damage once again.
But it seemed the Luck King power left behind by Mark hadn't worn off… Snorlax, through Sleep Talk, happened to use the perfect move.
Toxic!
"Hawlucha, max-power High Jump Kick!"
Carrol's expression didn't change, but her command had become ruthless. While Snorlax was still asleep, she ordered an attack even more devastating than Flying Press.
If that strike landed, Snorlax -with its mediocre physical defense- definitely wouldn't survive!
"SNORLAAAX, SUBSTITUTE!"
Suddenly, Norman shouted a command directly at the sleeping Snorlax… but Rest shouldn't have ended so quickly.
Snorlax doesn't have Early Bird.
Yet Snorlax's squinted eyes twitched slightly, and with a backward slide, it slipped out of harm's way.
At the same time, a Substitute identical to Snorlax lay quietly where it had been.
Hawlucha knew the Snorlax in front of it was a fake, but because of High Jump Kick's unique mechanics -once it's launched, it can't be redirected- it could only watch helplessly as it crashed into the Substitute.
"Fitzwilliam… what just happened?"
Sato couldn't figure out how Snorlax had woken up so quickly, so he simply asked directly.
"Hehehe~ Look carefully at what Norman's holding in his left hand. He'll go to any lengths to make sure Snorlax can wake up at any time!"
Sato froze for a moment, then looked closely. And sure enough, Norman was holding a small red-and-yellow… furnace?
"That's a Full Incense… the name alone tells you it has a deadly allure for the Snorlax line. But I thought having a Full Incense slows a Pokémon down, why did Snorlax become more agile?"
Joseph immediately recognized the item in Norman's hand, but was still puzzled.
"It's not being held by Snorlax, right~? So the effect gets reversed! HAHAHA~" Fitzwilliam laughed heartily, clearly amused by Norman's bizarre ingenuity.
But there was no denying it; Full Incense had made a huge impact. Snorlax had somehow come to its senses mid-sleep!
Then Fitzwilliam added cheerfully, "The best part is, Snorlax's eyes are always squinted whether it's asleep or awake, so aside from Norman, no one ever knows its true state."
Everyone was stunned!
…So that's how it worked?!
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¹. Not Korrina.
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250 PS - CH
[1] 130