The battle begins.
Aoki immediately unleashed all the psychic powers he could muster, synchronizing with every Pokémon on the field.
Now that Aoki was commanding an all-out battle, he no longer needed the assistance of Slowking's psychic abilities.
The light drizzle in the sky gradually intensified, threatening to become a downpour.
Water-type Pokémon often thrived in such conditions, such as Swampert, Milotic, and Gastrodon.
Of course, some Pokémon found the rain uncomfortable—Garchomp, for instance.
Under their respective Trainers' commands, the Pokémon sprang into action.
Slowking hovered mid-air, its psychic energy radiating outward. The dense, swirling psychic force caused the falling rain to momentarily stall, as if Slowking had carved out its own psychic domain in the sky.
Gengar sank slowly into the ground, a mischievous grin playing across its face before it vanished, as if anticipating an entertaining spectacle from its opponents.
Drapion took the lead, dashing across the terrain with its sharp, powerful limbs, leaving perfectly uniform indentations in the mud.
Swampert slammed its fists into the ground, upheaving chunks of wet earth—this was its ideal battlefield.
The pristine white Florges appeared even more vibrant under the rain's glistening droplets. A faint emerald hue emerged from its petals as it shifted its attributes to the Grass type.
Politoed was the lowest-leveled Pokémon on Aoki's team, yet it showed no hesitation. Standing beside Aoki, it clapped its hands rhythmically, its body swaying in an erratic dance. With each movement, the rainfall intensified.
Moreover, the water-type energy within the rain seemed to bend to Politoed's will, surging into Slowking and Swampert's bodies.
Aoki's team swiftly took formation.
Cynthia's Pokémon weren't idle either.
Unlike Aoki, Cynthia lacked psychic synchronization.
She wasn't accustomed to all-out battles,
but her extensive combat experience allowed her to organize her team's formation with precision.
Garchomp, despite being hindered by the rain—preventing it from summoning a sandstorm—remained a formidable force. The sandstorm would have disadvantaged its allies anyway, whereas the rain slightly benefited Milotic and Gastrodon.
Garchomp stepped forward, facing Drapion head-on.
Milotic and Gastrodon positioned themselves on either side of Garchomp, their movements fluid and graceful in the downpour.
Florges stood beside Cynthia, its blossoms stretching skyward. Roots extended from its feet, burrowing into the damp earth.
Though its expression was unreadable, its sharp eyes darted across the battlefield, searching for something hidden in the shadows.
Lucario's body erupted with a surge of aura. The rain parted around it, repelled by the sheer force of its energy. Blue waves of power condensed around it, growing more intense with each passing second.
For Lucario, manipulating aura was as natural as breathing—an innate ability as effortless as moving its limbs.
"Caw!!!"
"Roar!!!"
At their Trainers' signals, Drapion and Garchomp roared in unison, charging at each other with explosive force.
Their clash marked the true beginning of the battle.
Slowking, hovering above, gathered its psychic energy in a unique manner—expanding it outward before rapidly condensing it, a technique refined on the mysterious island.
The psychic force seized the falling raindrops, morphing them into razor-sharp water arrows. Guided by Slowking's will, they streaked toward Garchomp, trailing behind Drapion.
Florges waved its arms, releasing a lavender mist that spread across the battlefield—the Misty Terrain.
Against a Dragon-type powerhouse like Garchomp, suppressing its strength with Fairy-type terrain was essential; otherwise, Drapion would struggle to hold its ground.
After establishing the Misty Terrain, Florges continued its work, summoning patches of vibrant grass across the field—each placement carefully dictated by Aoki's earlier instructions.
Its tasks were far from over: bestowing Lucky Chant upon allies, toggling between Grass and Fairy typings, launching Energy Balls at Gastrodon and Garchomp, and maintaining the Misty Terrain's potency.
Swampert moved like a fish through water, its speed unmatched in the rain. Even without the Swift Swim ability, its fins—adorned on its head and tail—propelled it forward with startling agility.
It surged toward Garchomp, closing the distance in seconds.
Boom!!!
Drapion and Garchomp collided atop one of Florges' grassy patches.
Garchomp's scythe-like claws met Drapion's crushing pincers with a force that sent shockwaves through the air, repelling the rain around them.
Their faces were inches apart, eyes locked in a battle of wills. In raw strength, Drapion feared no opponent.
Slowking's water arrows struck Garchomp first, pelting its scaled hide.
Milotic intercepted the remaining projectiles, its ribbon-like tail whipping through the air, deflecting them effortlessly.
Meanwhile, Swampert—having closed the gap—clenched its fists, Ground and Fighting energy coiling around them. It aimed a devastating punch straight at Garchomp's skull, undaunted by the Dragon-type's fearsome reputation.
Garchomp barely spared it a glance.
It had allies too.
Gastrodon lunged from the side, its massive body crashing into Swampert with enough force to send it reeling.
At the same time, Lucario—now a blur of motion—dashed toward Florges, its speed so immense that it left afterimages in its wake.
Its arms were tucked behind its back, its strides effortless despite the muddy terrain. Not a single droplet of rain touched it.
Its target was Florges—the greatest threat on the battlefield.
But Lucario wasn't unobserved.
From its own shadow, Gengar emerged, clutching two pulsing Dark Pulse orbs. It cackled, preparing to hurl them at Lucario—
Only to be struck first by a barrage of Psybeams. The attack not only dealt damage but forced Gengar out of hiding, leaving frost in its wake.
Florges had been watching. It had spotted Gengar long before it struck.
With Politoed occupied maintaining the rain, Aoki was effectively down one Pokémon.
From the battle's outset, Aoki was at a disadvantage.