Chapter 359: Battle Club

South of Opelucid City and north of Nimbasa City lies the very center of the Unova Region; yet there's no major city there. Instead, it's home to the largest forest cluster in all of Unova.

And in the northeast part of the forest near Nimbasa City lies the so-called Misty Forest.

This time, the five-person group's destination was inside the Misty Forest.

To avoid wasting time during travel, the group returned to Opelucid City, and from there took a high-speed train to Nimbasa City.

At the strong insistence of the two girls, they decided to make a stop in this city filled with electronic entertainment.

Since the rest of the trip wasn't organized by Sato, he naturally had no objections. However, he politely declined the invitation to go shopping with the two girls.

Nimbasa City, being the entertainment capital of Unova, was also a famously popular shopping destination, and Sato had no desire to exhaust himself playing the role of a pack mule.

Joseph and Mark felt the same way, but compared to Sato, they were definitely the softer ones.

Under Sato's sympathetic gaze, they were dragged away.

With a rare moment of peace, Sato didn't want to stay in the hotel for boring training either. For girls, Nimbasa City might be a shopping paradise, but for Trainers, it was also a paradise.

Unova had the Battle Club, and its headquarters was located on the most bustling street of Nimbasa City. There, young "talents" and seasoned veterans gathered in droves.

From the Ordinary to the Peak Pseudo-Elite Four level, battles at every stage were available around the clock; it was a feast for Trainers.

Occasionally, even Elite Four-level Trainers would come to battle, earning large sums of money and fame, and causing quite a stir every time.

After the other four went off shopping, Sato made his way alone to the Battle Club at a leisurely pace.

"Hello, I'd like to sign up for a match," Sato said, taking out the temporary pass he'd obtained in Unova and handing it to the front desk staff.

"Hello, may I ask which tier of battle you'd like to register for?"

"Peak Elite."

"Alright. Please show the Pokémon you'll be using. We'll register them in advance."

Having likely seen many young genius Trainers, the staffer didn't seem surprised that Sato qualified for the Peak Elite tier. The registration process flowed smoothly.

"Since this is your first time participating in a Battle Club match, we'll pair you with another first-time participant. The match will begin in twenty minutes at Arena C5. Please arrive on time, being more than three minutes late will be considered a forfeit."

"Got it." Sato nodded, accepted his temporary pass and the club's battle record card, and turned toward Area C.

With twenty minutes left, Sato didn't feel any rush. As he walked, he observed nearby battles and compared them with what he remembered from the Battle Club 20 years in the future.

"The equipment's a bit outdated. The match betting system is simple, just win or lose. But the overall quality of participants isn't bad." Sato murmured to himself as he strolled along.

Area C was for Peak Elite-level matches. From the outer to inner rings, there were five battle platforms in total, with C1 being the most watched.

As a first-timer, Sato was naturally assigned to the C5 battle zone, the one with the fewest spectators.

Strolling and stopping along the way, it took him only ten minutes to arrive at C5. The field had just finished being fixed.

With nothing else to do, Sato stepped into the Trainer commander's spot on the left and waited for his opponent to arrive.

Soon, a girl with light blond hair walked over. She gave Sato a surprised glance.

Then she hurried over to her own commander's spot and nodded at the referee.

The referee stationed at the C5 saw both Trainers were ready and didn't waste the remaining minutes. He nodded to each of them, then formally announced the rules.

"Now commencing the official challenge match between Trainers Sato and Fanna. Each Trainer will use one Pokémon. The match ends when a Pokémon is unable to battle or a Trainer forfeits. Any questions from either side?"

"No problem!"

"None."

"Then… Battle Start!"

With a wave of the referee's small flag, Sato and the female Trainer named Fanna threw out their Poké Balls at the same time.

On Sato's side, a Peak Elite-level Weavile leapt onto the battlefield. Fanna sent out one of Unova's starters: a proud and handsome Serperior.

Weavile clearly had a strong type advantage over Serperior. Upon seeing it, Fanna slightly furrowed her brow.

When both Trainers send out their Pokémon simultaneously, type disadvantage often becomes an issue. In a one-on-one match, that naturally puts one side at a disadvantage.

"Serperior, Coil!"

Facing a disadvantage, Fanna immediately opted for a boosting move.

Sato didn't go for a direct attack either. He chose a stat-boosting move as well.

"Nasty Plot."

Weavile said nothing. Its eyes closed slightly as its internal pressure began to surge.

Coil increased Attack, Defense, and Accuracy. A well-rounded move.

Nasty Plot, on the other hand, greatly boosted Special Attack; similar in effect to Swords Dance, but for special moves.

But just as Weavile used Nasty Plot, Fanna suddenly felt a flicker of doubt.

'Isn't Weavile a physical attacker? Why would it be boosting Special Attack?'

Forget it, strike first!

"Serperior, use Dragon Tail!"

Serperior, likely Fanna's Starter Pokémon, was well attuned to its Trainer's battle style. The moment the command left her lips, it had already lunged forward.

"Use Night Slash."

Weavile wasn't slow either. Its white bone claws scraped against one another, then it darted swiftly toward Serperior.

'Why another close-range move? That makes no sense. Does this opponent even know how to command?' Fanna's confusion deepened, she couldn't make sense of his strategy at all.

The two Pokémon were fast. In the blink of an eye, they clashed.

Dragon Tail and Night Slash collided, releasing bursts of swirling purple-black energy.

Visually spectacular.

Although Dragon Tail wasn't as powerful as Night Slash, its knockback effect, combined with the earlier Coil buff, temporarily suppressed Weavile's offense.

"Serperior, switch to Wring Out!"

"Use Flamethrower." Sato grinned, his setup was finally coming together.

And then, in front of Fanna's stunned gaze, Weavile unleashed a Flamethrower that was in no way weaker than one used by a Fire-type Pokémon of the same level.

"Serp!"

Caught off guard, Serperior writhed violently in the flames. It had been ready for an Ice-type move, but fire?

While struggling, Serperior's tail accidentally brushed against Weavile.

…And then, Weavile's form began to shift rapidly and expand. In just a moment, it transformed into an entirely different Pokémon.

Zoroark!