"As you can see, leading the Elite Four is me—Rika."
The blue battle room was lined with special materials, made to absorb the explosions, shockwaves, and energy from colliding moves.
Rika stood facing her—hands in pockets—as the first obstacle on the Champion's path.
"…"
A glimmer of surprise flashed in Nemona's eyes, but she quickly regained composure, fighting spirit boiling within.
After all, she had already heard from Penny that her examiner Miss Rika was actually a member of the Elite Four.
Penny had even tried to hack the League's database to dig up data on the Elite Four's Pokémon for her, but Nemona had tactfully refused the offer.
Still, she at least learned from Penny that Rika was an Elite Four.
"Elite Four Rika, please take care of me today!"
Nemona gave a spirited bow, determination blazing as she tightened her gloves.
"I'll be sure to take good care of you—better give it all you've got."
Reciting her painstakingly crafted, on-brand catchphrase, Rika—never good at dealing with earnest hot-blooded dum-dums like Nemona—chose to move the process along.
After all, it was being streamed, and that silly Iono was probably commenting on her every move; Rika had no desire to leave any blackmail material.
"You're up first—Dugtrio!"
A flash of white, and the triplet Dugtrio appeared on the field, diving underground before even the camera could keep up.
"Even as their trainer, I've never seen Dugtrio's lower half under the soil."
Rika joked, sharp eyes fixed on Nemona, waiting for her first Pokémon.
"Ground type…"
Realizing Rika's specialty, Nemona was no longer as reckless as she had been training on Lucas's farm days before. This time, she selected a matching type before throwing her Poké Ball.
"Go, Tauros!"
"Moo!!"
With the Elite Four's room shaking just slightly, Nemona's forward vanguard—the unyielding Tauros—roared, ready to charge.
But Nemona's Poké Ball throw was rather clumsy, failing to bounce it back to herself; if not for Tauros kindly nudging it over, she would have had to stoop to pick it up live on stream.
"Water type, huh… As expected."
Rika gave a sly smile, issuing orders almost simultaneously with Nemona.
"Sandstorm!"
"Aqua Jet!"
Dugtrio expertly whipped up sand from beneath, wind roaring as a massive sandstorm swirled up to blanket the field!
Within that swiftly spinning cloud, Dugtrio's form grew indistinct.
At the same time, Tauros fired a gushing stream of water from its horns, wrapping itself completely. Blazing like a raging dragon, it charged headlong into the thick sandstorm.
"Whoa, Challenger Nemona is going all-in—what a bold, hard-hitting style!"
"But just attacking head-on won't be enough, not against the cunning Rika!"
"Eh? Why do I say that? Heh… that'd be impolite to ask~"
…
Back on the farm, listening to Iono's banter, Lucas's face didn't budge.
If Rika dared to start a sandstorm with her Dugtrio right in front of the threatening Aqua Breed Tauros, it meant she was utterly confident of a safe retreat.
That Dugtrio's ability was likely Sand Veil—a weather pivot, built for Rika's team.
In reality, this wasn't a turn-based game. With that ability, Dugtrio could do much in a sandstorm.
"Meh-meh?"
Next to Lucas, Espeon looked up and asked a curious question.
Oranguru translated.
Espeon asked why Lucas only said Dugtrio's ability "should" be Sand Veil—didn't they already battle last year?
Caught off guard, Lucas locked eyes with his Swampert in the living room and shrugged. "Because Dugtrio got flattened by my Swampert's first punch last time. Even when Rika tried recalling it, it just got strangled by Serperior's Hardened Plant. Honestly, I have no idea."
Lucas looked helpless.
…
Back in the current match, things unfolded just as Lucas had predicted.
Tauros broke through the sandstorm in an instant, but in a blink, there was no sign of Dugtrio in the swirling haze.
Tauros searched frantically, all that power with nowhere to go.
Nemona realized instantly—Dugtrio had most likely hidden belowground in the sandstorm, and commanded, "Earthquake!"
"I can't let you have that chance!"
Rika raised her right hand, a Poké Ball fitted snug in her gloved fist!
"Return, Dugtrio!"
"Go, Torterra!"
Two lights flashed; within the sandstorm, a Torterra—broad and stocky, even fiercer than Paul's—landed heavily on the field.
In ordinary Champion Tests, Elite Four could not switch out Pokémon once they were deployed, similar to gym leaders.
But not today—here in the true championship gauntlet, there were no restrictions, no holding back, full strength!
Switching, using type advantages, anything to avoid unavoidable losses was permitted.
Rika had learned this strategy sense from the pain of almost losing a Pokémon outright to Lucas a year earlier.
As Nemona's "Earthquake" surged forth, sandstorm-fueled, the impact battered Torterra's hardened shell. But it shrugged it off with its "Shell Armor"—unimpressed.
With Iono's excited commentary, Torterra bore the brunt of Tauros's "Earthquake."
"Counterattack! Seed Bomb!"
Snapping her fingers (sending her female fans wild), Rika launched her counter.
"Next—Iron Head!"
Failure never fazed Nemona, who immediately directed Tauros to barrel through a hail of deep green seed bombs with an "Iron Head" charge.
Watching on TV, Lucas stroked Espeon's fuzzy fur and thought:
There was a hidden disadvantage here, something even Nemona herself hadn't noticed—unique to her.
Nemona's control of Poké Balls was… a disaster. Only one in ten throws would hit. And in the high-speed exchanges required for safely swapping Pokémon and outmaneuvering the opponent, her aim was abysmal.
…
On the livestream, Torterra, having buffed itself with "Iron Defense," lunged with "Body Slam." Its sturdy shell and leaf cover blocked the line-of-sight for Nemona's Poké Ball, making it even harder to switch.
Rika was clearly trying to trap Tauros with her bulwark, reducing its stamina with the sandstorm.
As an Elite Four, someone atop the League, Rika wanted victory as much as anyone.
Even at home, Lucas could see what she was thinking.
Ultimately, she just wanted to stop Nemona by her own hands.
But Rika had taken on too many odd jobs for Geeta, and had forgotten that some trainers simply defy common sense.
A slow-and-steady Ash is only half an example; those two battle legends are the full deal. Nemona was retracing their steps.
No one could say if she'd ever reach their heights, but now, at least, Nemona would not fall so easily.
Almost as if responding to Lucas's thoughts, on screen, Tauros—being grinded down by Torterra—suddenly went berserk, red eyes bulging as it exploded with power.
Torterra was almost knocked flying by Tauros's horns.
Even after it stabilized itself with a sudden burst of Mud Shot, it was clear the next attack would be a rampage.
With an all-out "Close Combat," Tauros finally floored the stunned Torterra, ending its fight.
Iono's rapid-fire commentary couldn't keep up, and Tauros's rampage became the opening salvo for Nemona's championship run. Rika's Dugtrio and Donphan fell just as decisively.
If not for Nemona strategically resting Tauros to save it for upcoming rounds, bringing down a berserk bull would have cost Rika even more.
But Nemona was risking Tauros being unable to appear again in the later battles—or even being knocked out completely.
Once Tauros left, Rika sent out her Whiscash; Nemona answered with Decidueye.
Thanks to Decidueye's pinpoint archery, Whiscash, with its slow "Oblivious" ability, became target practice.
Nemona even learned from Rika, using Shadow Pin to nail Whiscash's shadow and prevent Rika from switching out.
After Whiscash fell, Rika's fifth Pokémon was Camerupt, Fire/Ground-type.
Before Camerupt's thick smoke could obscure vision, Nemona hastily withdrew Decidueye and sent in Ursaluna.
Always written as a powerhouse, Ursaluna was Nemona's second long-standing major. Fierce but calculating, Ursaluna slathered itself with insulating mud and simply barged through the fire and smoke, dishing out a searing "High Horsepower." If Camerupt's ability had been "Anger Point" there might've been a chance, but it had "Magma Armor," which offered little resistance.
As the smoke cleared through the room's special purification tech, the fallen Camerupt sent chat into a frenzy.
Few could believe that a mere teenage girl had bulldozed five of the Elite Four's lineup—at a cost of only two lightly wounded Pokémon, and one in need of rest.
…
At Naranja Academy—now closed for the spring but with the battle hall open—a group including Arven watched the stream and cheered.
"She's so close to passing the first test!"
Shizuka's face beamed with joy, pride swelling as she watched Nemona's bold figure.
Paul silently fiddled with his red-and-white Poké Ball.
Rika's Torterra care had vastly surpassed his wildest expectations—reminding him just how far he was from that level.
But even so, Rika was about to lose.
Nemona just couldn't be reasoned with.
"It's only going to get harder—the Elite Four will fight to the end."
Penny, unable to resist hacking the League database, spoke quietly.
Rika's ace had yet to appear, and the League's designated "special item" for the Elite Four hadn't been used. Nemona still needed one last push to break through.
Back on the livestream, against Nemona's Goodra, Rika, who had been quiet, broke out into boisterous laughter.
…
"Hahaha! Impressive! You really are interesting—no wonder you're his student!"
For the first time in a year, forced to the edge, Rika was undaunted, eagerly tossing the Poké Ball she'd readied in advance.
"This is the genuine final showdown—let's go, Clodsire!"
A flash of white: a huge, brown Pokémon, with six white spots on its back, darker on its back than belly, with beady eyes and a big mouth, appeared.
Some Kanto viewers were shocked—wasn't that their region's Swampert, only fatter?
"Let's see if you can take it—Clodsire, rise up!"
Still determined to put on a show, Rika whipped out her Terastal Orb—the brilliant shine bursting atop Clodsire's head.
Back at Lucas's home, maybe sensing a familiar resonance, the shell-closed Terapagos cracked open a bright eye, curiously gazing at the screen.