"Get in the water, then use Rain Dance!"

Nessa made her move without hesitation. The moment the referee signaled the start of the battle, her command rang out decisive, fluid, and completely unconcerned with yielding initiative.

But Marie wasn't planning to give up the first move either. At almost the same time, her voice rang out in reply.

"Use Psychic to stop it! Don't let it get into the water!"

Drednaw wasn't exactly fast on land, but once it hit the water, it'd be a different story. And with this murky, unknowable stream running through the arena, the last thing Marie wanted was for her opponent to slip into the depths and start ambushing from below.

She wasn't sure why Nessa hadn't opted for a Pokémon like Goldeen, but for now, the best approach was to force Drednaw to stay on land where she could see it.

"Chiru!"

"I've got this!"

"Graaah!"

"Bring it on!"

Both Pokémon sprang into action the instant their Trainers issued commands. Silk teleported forward in a blink, narrowing the distance. A surge of psychic energy enveloped the battlefield, targeting Drednaw as it lumbered toward the water.

"Now! Use Razor Shell!"

"Graaah!!"

Drednaw froze mid-motion, then abruptly turned toward Silk. Its head reared back, horn glowing with a piercing blue light as it let out a roar.

Marie's heart skipped a beat.

"Chiru?!"

"Get out of the way!"

But before her warning could finish, Drednaw's neck extended with shocking speed. Its massive head, raised high and brimming with water energy, lunged toward Silk like a missile, slicing through the air with terrifying momentum.

There was no time to dodge.

Silk had never faced a Drednaw before and hadn't anticipated its unnaturally long neck. She reacted a fraction too late. Her psychic field screamed a warning she couldn't take this hit, and there wasn't time to teleport.

"Chiru!"

"Out of my way!"

In that instant, her body moved faster than thought. Her instinct flared, wrapping herself in a cloak of psychic power and yanking her own body violently to the side.

The sudden, forceful movement tore through her muscles like a hot knife.

"Chiru…"

BOOM!!

She barely managed to escape. The Razor Shell carved through empty space where she had just been. The shockwave from the attack roared past her, throwing up a blast of wind that failed to knock her off balance but only just.

Drednaw's strike crashed into the ground like a hammer, less a clean blade and more a bludgeoning force. Thankfully, the stadium floor seemed specially reinforced. The stone cracked under the impact, but unlike Turffield's arena, no dust clouds erupted.

Marie didn't let out a sigh of relief. That near-miss had been way too close. It was a trap. Nessa had never planned to let Drednaw into the water in the first place. The opening move had been bait to provoke an aggressive response.

Maybe this wasn't the Drednaw that had recently gone viral online the one Nessa supposedly caught with the Swift Swim ability?

Marie had been starting to form an idea based on the earlier commands, but now she wasn't so sure.

"Stay sharp, Silk. Use Magical Leaf to pressure it!"

Marie hadn't called for a follow-up attack right after Drednaw missed. She knew Silk had been hurt by her emergency dodge. She hadn't missed the faint tremor in her partner's voice. If Silk had been in top shape, she would've gone in for the counter on her own.

It was frustrating. Marie had read up on Drednaw's species, but reading wasn't the same as firsthand experience. Data didn't leave lasting impressions.

If this had been Baru, who'd seen countless battles, it might have been fine. But Silk, or Little Chirp they were still young. They simply hadn't lived long enough to recognize all the threats.

Silk, having just dodged death, was far more alert now. She split part of her psychic field to keep it ready around her body. Though she wasn't yet fully proficient at such multitasking, it might help if another attack came too fast to react.

Dozens of bright green leaves burst into being around her, floating in elegant arcs as they pulsed with grass-type energy. Then, like arrows loosed from a bow, they surged toward Drednaw.

Guided by psychic control, the leaves weaved through the air with precision, curving around Drednaw's armored shell and aiming for its softer underparts. Unless it had a way to block or absorb the hit, this could deal considerable damage

That is, assuming it didn't have the Shell Armor ability.

Nessa narrowed her eyes as she followed the trajectory of the Magical Leaf and silently praised Silk's impressive control.

"Don't bother blocking. Liquidation! Wash it away!"

"Graaah!!"

Drednaw roared with excitement. It liked this kind of command. Defense was boring. Attacking that was more its style.

It threw its head back and bellowed as the water nearby surged in response. Streams of seawater gathered toward its body, wrapping it in a rushing current.

"Use Psybeam! Then Teleport!"

Neither Marie nor Silk had any interest in letting Drednaw finish its showy move. The Magical Leaf attack abandoned its tight coordination and instead rushed forward at full speed, plunging directly into the swirl of churning water, aiming to disrupt it however slightly.

BOOM BOOM!!

The effort wasn't in vain. Though it didn't stop the technique, it did slow Drednaw just enough.

"Graaah!!"

With a roar, Drednaw launched itself forward, encased in a torrent of water. It soared across the battlefield in a savage leap, crashing toward Silk.

"Chiru!"

But this time, Silk didn't flinch.

Her pride stung from the earlier mistake. Determined not to repeat it, she released her Psybeam just before the impact. The beam of light cut through the water and struck Drednaw head-on.

"Graaah!"

The hit connected. Whether or not it caused confusion, it was too soon to tell.

And then almost instantaneously Silk vanished from view.

She reappeared behind Drednaw just as it began to fall, calculating its landing spot with sharp clarity. She didn't wait for Marie's next command. Instead, she concentrated her psychic power again.

No time for anything fancy. Not in this moment. Just good, old-fashioned Psychic.

She focused her energy, compressing it into an invisible hammer, waiting for Drednaw to hit the ground and for the water to burst apart

Then she struck.

BOOM! BOOM!

Two nearly simultaneous crashes rocked the arena. Drednaw slammed headfirst into the ground, dazed, as Silk's psychic strike came crashing down right after, delivering a brutal second blow.

Since Silk had acted on her own, Nessa didn't have time to issue a counter-instruction. Drednaw was caught completely off guard.

"You really are something. I knew you were good, but I still underestimated you."

Marie didn't respond.

Nessa's voice rang clearly across the battlefield, but Marie just stood there, thinking hard about what came next.

At the highest level of competition, Pokémon battles moved too fast for Trainers to micromanage every moment. The Trainer gave key instructions but much of the fight came down to the Pokémon's judgment and instincts.

Still, that kind of synergy was usually only seen at the elite level.

Nessa hadn't expected to encounter it here.

In fact, her Drednaw wasn't even fully trained in this kind of adaptive combat. Compared to Silk, its reaction speed lagged noticeably. On the flip side, Marie's command experience clearly didn't match Nessa's. All things considered, the matchup was still fairly even.

Whether Silk's independent action had been a fluke or something deeper, Nessa wasn't sure. But she'd seen Marie interact with her Pokémon. This wasn't a case of a disobedient partner.

So for now, she'd treat this battle as if it were the toughest kind.

And prepare accordingly.

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