Nessa raised her hand and pressed the Poké Ball switch, recalling Drednaw, who had lost the ability to continue battling.

Even that final attack had failed to land a proper hit on Silk. The Kirlia's awareness and command over her psychic powers had far surpassed Nessa's expectations.

What a remarkably gifted Pokémon.

Without wasting words, Nessa reached to her belt and selected her next Poké Ball. With a swift motion, she threw it onto the field. Then, glancing past the battlefield toward Marie, she asked plainly,

"Are you going to switch Pokémon?"

"Baa—"

Seeing Toxapex appear on the field, Marie gave a slight nod. She removed the Heal Ball from her belt and spoke softly to Silk.

"You've done well. Come back and rest."

"Chiru~ (Got it~)"

That had been the plan from the start: one Pokémon per match. Since Silk had secured the first win, it was only fair to give someone else a chance. She hadn't forgotten that today marked Little Chirp's first official battle.

Silk had no intention of stealing the spotlight. She wasn't some battle maniac.

With a flicker, she teleported to Marie's side, tapped the button on her Heal Ball with her slender hand, and returned inside.

Marie swapped it out for a Luxury Ball, pressed the switch, and hurled it into the air.

"Chuu-chuu! (Finally, it's my turn to shine!)"

Flapping his wings energetically, Little Chirp burst onto the scene with his usual over-the-top confidence. Marie let out a small sigh.

"Just so you know, your opponent's really strong. Don't go getting yourself knocked out before you can fight back."

"Chuu?! (Ahem! I'm just hyping myself up, alright? I'll give it my all!)"

The bravado faded quickly, especially once Little Chirp noticed the battlefield's water layout. His mood dropped instantly.

If only he could keep his current speed and turn his feathers into something like Corviknight's armor... As it stood, getting soaked would be a nightmare. Even though he'd recently learned some long-range moves, the memory of sparring with Salazzle still made him approach things with caution.

"Let the battle begin!"

With the referee's announcement, both Nessa and Marie issued their commands.

"Venoshock. Give him a proper welcome."

"Tailwind. Take to the skies."

The commands came at the same time. Nessa opened aggressively, while Marie took a slower approach, prioritizing Tailwind to boost Little Chirp's speed.

"Baa pff!"

Toxapex launched itself from the ground, opening its ten spiny tentacles. A few poisonous barbs shot out, followed by a dark purple stream of toxin from its open mouth, arcing directly toward Little Chirp.

The Venoshock struck its own poison barbs midair, combining into a violent torrent that surged upward like a high-powered water cannon.

"Chuu— (Ha! You can't hit me that easily!)"

From the moment he stepped into the arena, Little Chirp had already begun preparing Tailwind. The boost took effect instantly. With wings spread wide, he looped through the air in a graceful arc, easily evading both the incoming spikes and the surging Venoshock.

"Air Slash."

"Pin Missile!"

Little Chirp beat his wings and suddenly dove toward Toxapex. He was quite practiced with Air Slash, but since it was a straight shot with no steering once released, he had to close the distance to make it count.

His wings shimmered with white light as he flew closer, showing no fear of the toxic-looking opponent. With a swift spin in midair, he slashed down, sending several blades of compressed air racing toward Toxapex.

"Baa—!"

Toxapex spread all ten of its limbs, then ducked its head and braced itself. Its spikes all aligned toward the incoming attack.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Like a gunner firing in bursts, Toxapex's Pin Missile intercepted the air blades in midair. The resulting turbulence exploded between them, the colliding forces ripping through the space between the two Pokémon.

"Chuu—! (Whoa! That was close! Good thing I backed off when I did!)"

Little Chirp had seen firsthand how chaotic the aftermath of a collision like that could be. For a flying-type like him, who had to maneuver constantly through the air, getting caught in the turbulence could mean losing balance midflight.

"Rain Dance!"

"Little Chirp! Stop that Rain Dance!"

"Chuu-chuu—! (Don't worry! I hate rain more than anyone!)"

Never mind what kind of buff rainy weather gave to Water-types—just the rain itself was already a nightmare for Little Chirp. If it started pouring, he might as well forfeit and switch out.

And Little Chirp knew that too. More than any selfish thoughts, what mattered now was proving himself. If he had to step down because of Rain Dance, that would be the real humiliation!

So he gritted his beak, channeling Flying energy to its tip. With a twist of his body, he began spinning rapidly through the air.

"Chuu—!! (You've forced me to show my trump card! Prepare to lose!)"

Drill Peck!

The attack formed in an instant. Spiraling like a drill and turbocharged by Tailwind, Little Chirp sliced through the chaotic winds from before and launched himself straight toward Toxapex, who was knee-deep in water and busy conjuring storm clouds.

Toxapex had expected an attack, of course. But it had assumed Little Chirp would circle around the turbulence and strike from a safer angle.

It never imagined he'd just tear through it.

That miscalculation left it momentarily rattled.

"Wide Guard!"

"Baa—!!"

Training kicked in just in time. Toxapex, developed specifically for defense, was no stranger to reactionary plays. Rain Dance took time to cast because of its area coverage, but Wide Guard was different. It only needed to protect itself.

With a sharp shift, Toxapex canceled the energy flow from Rain Dance. Rock-type energy surged through it instead, and a shimmering barrier appeared just in front of its body.

CRASH! Splash!

Drill Peck collided head-on with the hastily formed Wide Guard. The sound of shattering glass rang out as the barrier gave way. The impact force flung Toxapex clean out of the water.

Water splashed high into the air as Little Chirp blasted through, wings flaring as he reemerged in midair, seemingly unscathed and riding the momentum.

On the other side, Toxapex had absorbed most of the impact thanks to the shield. The remaining force struck its small frame, but it wasn't enough to seriously injure it.

"Baa—"

With a roll and a splash, Toxapex hit the ground and tumbled directly into the surrounding stream, quickly vanishing beneath the water to conceal its position.

Meanwhile, Marie furrowed her brow.

She hadn't known Little Chirp had learned Drill Peck... Why would he keep that hidden?

And more importantly, if he could use Drill Peck, then judging from his strength and training progress, he should have been able to evolve a while ago.

So why hadn't he?

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