The moment Tomori's command left her lips, Piplup sprang into action, gathering energy rapidly. Its flippers glowed with bright blue light as it charged toward Froakie with a speed far surpassing its previous performance.
[Aerial Ace]: A swift maneuver that confuses the opponent before striking. It never misses.
"Pip-pip-piplup!"
This is totally different from the other day…
Satoshi pressed down on his cap, carefully observing. As for why he had to press it down—the sunlight was just a bit too glaring.
"Froakie, use [Quick Attack] at full strength!"
Calmly responding, Satoshi instructed Froakie to execute [Quick Attack] instantly.
Like a bolt of lightning erupting from the earth, Froakie blurred forward, hurtling toward Piplup in a flash.
"Kero~kero!"
"Pip-lup~pip-lup!"
In a heartbeat, the two Pokémon collided fiercely, their bodies clashing, sending ripples through the air.
"Keep it up with [Quick Attack]!"
"Counter with consecutive [Aerial Ace]!"
Piplup nimbly dodged Froakie's [Quick Attack], swiftly following up with [Aerial Ace] aimed squarely at its opponent.
Not to be outdone, Froakie instantly retaliated with another [Quick Attack], slamming hard into Piplup, knocking it back.
Yet in that same instant, Piplup found another opening, returning a fierce blow onto Froakie.
BANG!
CRASH!
The Pokémon exchanged blows relentlessly, their figures flickering across the battlefield in an intense and dazzling dance of speed and skill.
Their swift and agile movements left spectators breathless.
"Froakie, keep your distance! Now, use [Icy Wind]!"
Satoshi's excitement had been steadily rising, thrilled by Tomori's vastly improved fighting spirit, completely unlike her hesitant self from before.
Normally, his Froakie relied primarily on [Quick Attack] and [Water Pulse] when battling Piplup.
Technically speaking, [Water Pulse](power 60 × STAB 1.5 ÷ resistance 2) had about 45 effective power, just edging out [Quick Attack's] 40. But Satoshi didn't enjoy relying solely on numbers—unpredictability was what made Pokémon battles truly thrilling.
Froakie jumped into the air, gathering frigid energy in its mouth. With a fierce gust, it blew a wave of freezing wind toward Piplup, enveloping it and hindering its movements as ice began to form on its body.
"Piplup... don't give in! Use [Hydro Pump]!"
Tomori anxiously watched, having subconsciously mirrored Satoshi's confident stance earlier to bolster her own courage. Yet at this critical moment, she still felt a pang of fear, swallowing nervously before forcing the feeling aside.
"Pip…"
Although partially frozen, Piplup's fighting spirit remained undiminished.
It struggled fiercely, shaking off some of the ice's restraint.
Seeing its determination, Tomori decided it was time to go all out.
"Piplup!!"
Piplup opened its beak wide, unleashing a powerful torrent of water—[Hydro Pump]. A mighty stream surged out, astonishingly fast and incredibly forceful.
"Eh?! [Hydro Pump]?!" Satoshi stood stunned, thoroughly dumbfounded.
Piplup shouldn't have learned [Hydro Pump] until Level 43…
[Ehehe~ Satodear, did you really forget there are TMs in this world? (●′ω`●)]
I genuinely didn't know that!
"Kero~~~!"
Caught completely off guard, Froakie was blasted head-on by the intense water jet, losing its footing and crashing heavily onto the ground. Froakie struggled desperately to rise, but Piplup's [Hydro Pump] poured forth continuously like torrential rain, pinning Froakie down.
Unable to dodge, Froakie endured as best as it could, swaying dangerously on the brink of collapse.
"[Protect]!" Satoshi admitted inwardly that he'd underestimated Tomori badly this time.
Piplup wasn't weak—it was strong!
Thus, he had to respond with his full strength, correcting his earlier misjudgment.
A shimmering green barrier appeared, shielding Froakie effectively from the relentless [Hydro Pump].
The surging water struck the barrier, scattering into countless droplets but causing no harm.
"[Quick Attack] to close in! Then use [Water Pulse]!"
At that moment, Satoshi felt he truly understood Tomori's feelings. Piplup, driven by its trainer's earnest expectations, was fighting with everything it had.
"Kero!"
Froakie rushed at lightning speed toward Piplup, then immediately unleashed [Water Pulse]. A massive orb of water surged forward, vibrating with potent energy.
"Use [Aerial Ace] to slice through that [Water Pulse]!"
"Pip-lup!"
Suddenly, Piplup counterattacked, swiftly forming a blade of blue energy that sliced cleanly into the incoming orb.
SPLASH!
Water erupted explosively as the blade accurately split the orb apart. Though much of the attack dispersed, residual force still shook Piplup, causing it to flinch slightly.
"Piplup?" Tomori clenched her fists anxiously.
"Pip… Piplup!!"
Responding to her anxiety, Piplup's body surged with a dazzling blue aura, releasing power like flowing currents.
[Torrent]!
The realization struck Satoshi suddenly.
[Torrent]:When HP falls below one-third, Water-type moves become 1.5 times stronger.
"[Torrent] activated... Alright, Piplup—[Hydro Pump] again!"
Warmth filled Tomori's heart, her determination rekindled as she saw Piplup echo her resolve.
"Pip-lup!"
Gathering every last ounce of strength, Piplup unleashed another colossal [Hydro Pump]. The stream, fierce and unstoppable, surged forth like a roaring waterfall aimed directly at Froakie.
This isn't good! Satoshi thought, sensing imminent danger.
"[Protect], Froakie!"
Displaying its own stubborn resilience, Froakie conjured another green barrier, preparing for the heavy impact.
CRASH!
Water collided violently against the barrier, the deafening sound echoing across the field. The protective shield held for now, but was clearly straining.
Satoshi knew from training experience that [Protect] couldn't last much longer—it had limits.
They needed to dodge immediately!
Turning his cap backward, he dramatically thrust his hand forward.
"Froakie, let's show them everything we've got!"
"Dodge [Hydro Pump] with one final [Quick Attack]!"
"Kero!!" Froakie narrowly dodged the raging [Hydro Pump] with a burst of speed.
By a slim margin, Froakie evaded the devastating strike, closing in swiftly toward Piplup.
"Kero~kero! Kero! Kero! Kero!" Froakie unleashed a rapid barrage of [Quick Attacks], its limbs flashing furiously like lightning.
Each blow landed with relentless energy, battering Piplup repeatedly and leaving clear marks.
"Piplup!"
Under Froakie's overwhelming assault, Piplup couldn't mount an effective counter. Eventually, the barrage of [Quick Attacks] knocked it decisively to the ground, unable to rise again.