Pokémon: Above the Top

"Mr. Boss is still boss, he never holds back when he fights. Just look at him now… probably about to shave that gentleman's head again."

Mark spoke with feigned "maturity", drawing a curious look from Manaphy.

"So, Manaphy, what do you think? Are you interested in battles~?" Seeing Manaphy looking at him, Mark grinned and asked enthusiastically.

"Mana?"

Manaphy shook its head. It didn't hate it, but didn't like it either. But because it didn't like Sato, it deliberately acted a little repelled.

Sato: Hm…?

Noticing that Manaphy didn't show a strong desire to become stronger, a faint trace of disappointment visibly flickered across Mark's face… but even that subtle flicker was immediately picked up by Manaphy.

"Mana?"

"It's fine. Just grow up happy, that's all that matters. Leave everything else to me." Mark comforted Manaphy with a gentle expression.

"Mana~" Manaphy nodded obediently and dove straight into Mark's arms.

"Mark is my favorite!"

"Huh?" Mark froze for a moment… he could've sworn he just heard a young voice ring out in his mind.

"Was that you, Manaphy?"

"Mana~?"

Manaphy tilted its head up adorably, as if not understanding what Mark was talking about.

"Never mind. Let's keep watching the match." Mark smiled and shook his head, chalking up the voice to some pitiful delusion caused by feeling unloved.

---

Meanwhile, back on the battlefield, Wake had finally pulled himself together and sent out his third Pokémon: Ludicolo.

Because of its Grass typing, Ludicolo was actually able to effectively counter Cacturne's Water Absorb mutation.

Sato wasn't sure whether Wake had figured it out or just got lucky sending out Ludicolo.

Either way, completing a 1v3 now was going to be much harder than expected.

The mutated Water Absorb was a variation. Not only did it grant immunity to Water-type moves, it also turned defense into offense, allowing Cacturne to absorb the opponent's stamina/energy during close combat.

After extensive testing between Sato and Cacturne, they eventually discovered that the core mechanism of Water Absorb was essentially like turning Giga Drain into an instinct.

Because of this, Water Absorb had very little effect on Grass-type Pokémon.

And now Ludicolo was the opponent.

What a coincidence!

"Then… LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!"

Seeing that neither side had made a move yet, the referee knew they were "waiting" on his command. Instantly, his back stopped aching and his legs stopped hurting.

Clearing his throat, he declared the battle with vigor.

Sato and Wake paid no mind to the referee's overly dramatic internal monologue, they were both just waiting for the right moment to make their move.

"Cacturne, Drain Punch."

"Ludicolo, Fake Out!"

Smack~

Fake Out struck instantly, catching Cacturne off guard and forcing it to stumble. Drain Punch was disrupted on the spot.

"Ludicolo, Fury Swipes!"

"Cacturne, Needle Arm."

Shff! Shff! Shff!

Ludicolo was lightning fast. In just a few moves, it left several scratch marks on Cacturne's body.

But soon, it stopped attacking and began shrieking. When Cacturne used Needle Arm, all the barbs on its body stood up.

Raking it with Fury Swipes meant hurting itself before even hurting the target. Ludicolo's paws had already turned bright red from the recoil.

Then, Needle Arm struck with force. Distracted by the pain, Ludicolo had no time to react and was sent flying crashing straight into the water.

"Cacturne, Seed Bomb!"

Sato pressed the advantage. Cacturne responded with a cry, rubbed its hands together, and hurled a giant golden seed straight into the water after Ludicolo.

BOOOOOM!

A deep explosion and a splash of water left no doubt: the Seed Bomb packed a punch. But whether it actually hit Ludicolo or not remained uncertain.

With Ludicolo not surfacing, Cacturne could only wait patiently on the platform for its opponent to strike.

As for Thunder Punch… it wasn't particularly effective against a Grass-type like Ludicolo and might just leave an opening for a counterattack.

The field fell into silence. Both sides were clearly waiting for the other to make a move, but it was obvious that the situation favored Ludicolo.

Sato narrowed his eyes. He hadn't expected Wake to become more composed the longer the battle went on. At first, he'd been so reckless.

What Sato didn't know was that Wake now had only one thought.

…Stall this battle as long as it took to wear Cacturne down. No way, absolutely not, no way in hell was he going to get his head shaved!

Finally, Sato gave the next command, but Wake didn't even crack a smile when he heard it.

"Cacturne, Cotton Spore. Cover the whole field"

Cacturne waved its hand, and in the blink of an eye, the arena was filled with round, fluffy Cotton Spores.

Sato's intent was simple: If you're waiting to sneak attack, I'll make sure you don't get away with it.

The moment Ludicolo surfaced, its speed would be cut.

…And with Cotton Spore covering the entire area, Cacturne would instantly detect even the slightest ripple on the surface of the water.

"Ludicolo, use Surf underwater! Wash away all those Cotton Spores!" At last, Wake couldn't take it anymore. If he really kept stalling, the battle would drag on forever.

Though he'd talked big about stalling all day, if he actually did it, people would just look down on him as a Gym Leader.

The pool began to churn violently. Cacturne dug into the platform with its barbs to keep stable, but its eyes remained locked on the water as it quietly prepared another Seed Bomb.

Suddenly, a massive wave surged upward. A green shadow could be seen faintly within. Cacturne didn't hesitate, it flung the Seed Bomb immediately.

Boom!

The wave burst open with a huge gap, but there was no sign of Ludicolo.

A miss!

In the next instant, large swaths of Cotton Spore around Cacturne were submerged by the crashing water. The swirling pool made it impossible to replenish the spores.

"Cacturne, don't panic, use Sandstorm."

"Turne!"

Cacturne steadied itself. It had indeed felt a bit nervous earlier, and hadn't expected Sato to notice so quickly… which made it feel a little embarrassed.

Still, its hands didn't stop moving for a moment.

It began spinning wildly, kicking up sand everywhere. Soon, a raging Sandstorm formed, clashing fiercely with the waves.

Sandstorm sank into the water, making it harder for the waves to rise. Seeing this, Ludicolo could only try to stir up more water.

Cacturne refused to back down and intensified its Sandstorm even more.

Though the two Pokémon weren't locked in direct combat, they were now locked in a fierce showdown by other means.

Sato and Wake both stared tensely at the battlefield. At this point, it wasn't just about winning or losing.

It was a battle of willpower.

Of which Pokémon wanted victory more!