Marie decided to set aside the evolution issue for now. She'd interrogate Little Chirp properly after the match. For all she knew, the silly bird might be carrying around an Everstone without even realizing it.
For the moment, the battle had fallen into a stalemate. Toxapex had submerged itself and was waiting for an opportunity, while Little Chirp still didn't have the means to detect underwater movement.
Hovering above the battlefield, his wings beating restlessly, he kept watch over the deceptively calm surface.
In most cases like this, it would be up to Marie to make the first move and break the deadlock. But this was a Gym Challenge, after all. Judging by Nessa's choice of Pokémon, it was clear she had no intention of using a switch tactic to force a shift in momentum.
And her next move confirmed that. Before Marie could decide whether to swap Little Chirp out and send Silk back in to push through, Toxapex launched a sudden attack from beneath the water, without Nessa even issuing a command. She clearly trusted her Pokémon to make the right call.
Seizing the moment when Little Chirp's gaze drifted elsewhere, Toxapex burst out from the water at full force.
Aqua Break!
So that's what it had been doing underwater gathering momentum through the current for this one strike.
Water exploded around Toxapex as it surged upward, the sudden pressure sending a roaring column toward Little Chirp, who jumped in surprise at the ambush from below.
The huge splash obscured Marie's vision, making it impossible for her to give a more precise command.
"Dodge it! Don't take it head-on!"
"Chuu! (Got it!)"
Little Chirp twisted midair, too panicked to even glance back and gauge the attack's trajectory. The Aqua Break was far faster than he'd expected.
With no time to confirm anything visually, he had to rely on his hearing. Trusting his instincts, he jerked his body into a sharp, awkward retreat to escape the attack zone.
The loud crack of water splitting behind him made it clear just how close the hit had been. Just hearing it was enough to send shivers down his feathers. There was no way he wanted to get anywhere near an attack like that.
If that much water came crashing down on him, the battle would be over in an instant.
But Toxapex hadn't spent all that time underwater for nothing. It wasn't about to let its trump card go to waste. Seeing its target swerve away midair, it cried out and surged again, injecting another blast of Water-type energy into the swirling current.
Then, right in midair, it did the unthinkable.
The straight-line Aqua Break curved.
Like a massive, slippery fish, the surging water twisted in the air and picked up even more speed as it homed in on Little Chirp once more.
"Baa—!"
The roar of the surging water drowned out Toxapex's own voice. Having just pulled off his evasive move, Little Chirp was beginning to relax, only to glance over his shoulder and panic all over again. The same massive vortex was now barreling toward him from a new angle.
The distance closed in an instant.
The swirling moisture in the air stung his feathers. He could feel the incoming storm breathing down his neck.
"Chuu-chuu! (How is it turning?!)"
Desperate, Little Chirp tried to double back again. His opponent couldn't actually fly, after all. Toxapex was only riding the momentum of its move. If he could just stay airborne and stall long enough, the move would burn out and he'd get a clean counter.
But he'd let his guard down for just a second, and that was all it took. That tiny lapse had left him completely exposed.
"Drill Peck!"
Marie made the call immediately, helping Little Chirp recover from his mistake. The distance was too short now. Toxapex had closed in, and there was no time left for anything else.
The moment he heard her voice, Little Chirp acted instinctively.
With a strong flap of his wings, he began to spin again, drawing in both air and energy. The move formed in a flash. He didn't even have time to think.
At that exact moment, Toxapex's water vortex struck the still-forming Drill Peck head-on.
Boom! Crash!
Water and air clashed violently in the sky, sending sprays of both in every direction. A chaotic mist clouded the arena, shrouding both combatants from view.
Other than the deafening impact and the roar of surging water, nothing else could be seen or heard.
The rumble went on for several long seconds. Both Pokémon poured everything they had into the clash, hoping to overpower the other.
But Little Chirp had been caught off guard. His Drill Peck had formed too hastily, and now it began to unravel under the pressure.
"Baa! (Can't hold on anymore? Time to go down, you fat bird!)"
With one final push, Toxapex increased the vortex's rotation speed. Little Chirp's fading attack collapsed under the strain, and the swirling water surged forward and struck him dead-on.
"Chuu!!"
The mist blew apart as Little Chirp was flung backward, crashing out of the haze in a drenched, ragged heap. Toxapex, having exhausted its aerial momentum, began to fall back toward the ground.
"Little Chirp!! Are you okay?!"
Marie's voice rang out before she realized it, panic creeping in. The last exchange had been so chaotic, she hadn't seen what actually happened.
Had he dodged the main blow or taken the hit full-on? She couldn't tell.
"This stupid bird..."
Her eyes followed his falling figure. Then her body moved on its own. Without thinking, she ran several steps, bent her knees, and leapt with everything she had in his direction.
"..."
"...Chuu~ (Heh... I saw inside~)"
The force of impact knocked Marie onto her backside. Soaked to the skin, Little Chirp had landed directly in her arms. His drenched feathers clung to her shirt, soaking it through in an instant. Lifting his head weakly, he grinned, peeking through the damp fabric at the scene beneath.
Marie didn't even have the energy to get mad. She simply lowered her head to inspect him carefully.
Still joking, huh? That meant he wasn't seriously hurt.
She gently felt along his soaked feathers, checking for injuries. Once satisfied, she finally relaxed.
Then she let go and allowed him to slide to the ground. Tugging at her clinging T-shirt, she asked,
"Can you still go on?"
"Chuu! Cough cough (Of course! That bastard called me fat! I can't let that go... cough cough)"
Marie's lips curled into a smile. She reached down and tousled his wet head feathers before pushing herself back up off the floor.
"Then let's keep going. The battle's not over yet."
"..."
Little Chirp looked up at her. The words she'd said before the match replayed in his mind. Why wasn't she scolding him?
It left a lump in his throat.
He had liked Marie from the moment they met. This was his first time fighting on her behalf as her Pokémon. He didn't want to lose. He wanted a clean win wanted to show her his worth.
He wanted to prove that he was worthy of being her Pokémon.
"Chuu! (I want to use that move!)"
"No."
She rejected him without hesitation. That move was too unstable. In his current state, there was no way he could pull it off in time.
"Chuu-chuu! (I can control it now!)"
"You're not strong enough yet. Don't even think about it."
Marie's response wasn't out of cruelty. She was trying to protect him. And Little Chirp knew it. She was right. In his current form, there was no chance he could pull off Brave Bird.
But there was still a way.
Little Chirp knew he had one last card to play. He hadn't figured out how to explain it or how he'd apologize later, but right now, that didn't matter.
All he wanted was to win this fight.
With a flap of his dripping wings, he launched himself back into the air and stared straight into Marie's eyes.
"Chuu! (Then I'll evolve!)"
"...Maybe. I can't say for sure."
Marie hesitated, then gave her honest opinion.
And that was all Little Chirp needed to hear.
"Chuu!! (Good enough! Watch me evolve right now!)"
Without waiting for her reaction, he let go of everything else. All he could think about was using that move to take down that seaweed-faced jerk on the other side.
He stopped holding back. That long-suppressed urge within him finally burst free.
And in the very next moment, Little Chirp began to glow with the light of evolution, right in front of Marie.
Nessa had already signaled Toxapex to stop its pursuit the moment Marie had rushed in to catch her Pokémon. She'd assumed they were just checking his condition before continuing.
She hadn't expected him to evolve.
"So the little bird's finally evolving, huh?"
Little Chirp's speed and power had left an impression on Nessa. Against a non-Water-type opponent with no means of dealing with water terrain, this battle would have been much harder.
But mid-battle evolution was a double-edged sword. While it brought raw power, it also meant the user might lose control.
Beginners might find that thrilling, but Nessa was certain Marie wouldn't fall into that trap.
She looked up at the announcer's platform, where the Rotom camera zoomed in to give the evolving Little Chirp a close-up. Nessa stood calmly, smiling as she waited for the transformation to finish.
Right before Marie's eyes, Little Chirp's body began to shift. His silhouette stretched, his wingspan expanded, and he shed the last of his old self.
Bathed in the glow of life's metamorphosis, he emerged anew.
With wings outstretched and eyes gleaming with pride, the now-sleek and handsome Corvisquire flapped powerfully, scattering the remaining glimmers of light.
"Caw!! (Now we're talkin'!)"
"Then let's give it a shot. I've got your back... but once this is over, you'd better explain everything."
Marie gave him one final pat on the neck, then turned again to face Nessa and Toxapex.
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