Chapter 417: Who Is the Commander

"Trish, don't be rude to our guest." Zillion spoke with a slightly firmer tone.

Trish pouted but still obediently sat down next to Sato, no longer as lively as before.

"Don't be upset. Jona often visits my home, and every time she brings Trish something new and fun, so they're quite close."

Zillion offered a small explanation, then turned to his daughter and said, "Trish, Sato and Jona are both Trainers. In battles between Trainers, it's normal to win or lose. That's not bullying."

"Okay..." Trish nodded obediently, though she still looked a bit sullen.

But when her favorite red velvet cake was brought out, she forgot all about Sato and focused solely on the dessert in front of her.

Children's emotions always come and go quickly, and while Trish was close to her father, she was also well-behaved.

'Hmm… not a bad little girl.'

At the table, Zillion was very talkative. He had even been to Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn, and could fluently list the unique features of each region, keeping the atmosphere lively.

After the meal, Zillion took Sato and the others on a walk through the garden to help with digestion.

Trish also accompanied them, not saying much, but her innocent questions always made Zillion burst out laughing before patiently explaining things to her.

As they walked, the group arrived at a battlefield located within the garden.

"Sato, I may be a collector, but my childhood dream was to become a powerful Pokémon Trainer. Sadly, I didn't have the talent. Even with a whole team of Pokémon with Elite Four potential, I still couldn't break through to Pseudo-Elite Four."

"…" x3

Zillion spoke as if recounting a "tragic" tale, but Sato and the others were already getting a bit irritated just listening to him.

Zillion sighed again and continued, "When being a Trainer didn't work out, my father dragged me back to inherit the family business. Since then, I've dealt with money every day and could never recapture that original joy."

Sato, Joseph, and Mark: ヾ(.｀Д.)ノ彡

There was no way to respond to that. The three of them could only smile on the surface and quietly watch him.

"Hahaha, since you're already here, how about a battle? It's one of the few pleasures I still enjoy!" Zillion said cheerfully, showing no sign of embarrassment.

"No problem, What are the rules?"

"Let's make it a 2v2 rotation battle. I'm too old to handle a full team fight, hahaha."

Sato: …Even if you wanted a full team battle, I wouldn't necessarily agree.

"I'll act as the referee. Each side will use two Pokémon. When both Pokémon from one side are unable to battle, the match ends." The butler stepped up to the referee's podium and announced the rules smoothly.

"Both sides, send out your Pokémon!"

"Ariados, prepare for battle."

"You got this, old friend!"

Two red flashes lit up the field: Ariados and a very rare Beheeyem appeared.

Beheeyem, a Psychic-type, was said to be an alien Pokémon that arrived in this world via UFO. It was one of the few Psychic-types capable of using Teleport.

Through the emotional feedback, Sato could clearly sense that Beheeyem had Elite Four potential, but its current strength was only Peak Elite.

And with Ariados facing Beheeyem, the two directly countered each other. One misstep, and the battle could be over.

"Battle start!"

"Beheeyem, Psychic Terrain!"

"Ariados, Toxic."

Bzzzz~

A flash of white light engulfed the field, bathing everything in a blinding white glow. An invisible force filled the space, as if Beheeyem had turned the entire arena into its own domain.

On the other side, purple bubbles began to gurgle and rise from Beheeyem's body, Ariados's Toxic had landed a direct hit. The damage would only grow more terrifying with time.

"S-Such potent poison! Beheeyem, use Psychic, go all out!" Zillion now appeared extremely nervous, none of his earlier calm demeanor remaining.

"Ariados, block it with Sticky Webs."

Psychic was intangible, impossible to see, detectable only by a sixth sense. But ultimately, it was still a stream of energy. Ariados didn't dodge at all, it simply spat out one massive web after another like there was no cost.

The next moment, it looked as if Ariados had been hit by something. It slid backward half a meter, but quickly regained its footing.

"How… how can Psychic be so weak?!" Zillion cried out, clearly in disbelief.

"Stupid daddy, Sticky Web carries Bug-type energy, it spread out Beheeyem's Psychic entirely!"

Sato was momentarily stunned and turned toward the small girl, only five or six years old. 'This one might actually be a prodigy.'

"Wow, Sticky Web can be used like that? You really learn something new every day!"

"Stupid daddy, tell Beheeyem to use Teleport, Ariados is coming!" Trish reminded him again.

"Ah, right..." Just as Zillion was about to issue the command, Beheeyem had already used Teleport on its own, vanishing just as Ariados lunged from beneath its feet.

Shadow Sneak.

Sato thought to himself, 'What a shame.' Shadow Sneak was a priority move, but under the effect of Psychic Terrain, its priority boost was nullified, causing Ariados to miss the strike.

Outside the battlefield, Joseph and Mark exchanged a look, one that was full of odd meaning. This Beheeyem was clearly acting on Trish's commands.

So… who was really commanding Beheeyem in this battle?

"Beheeyem, use Recover!"

This time, the little girl completely abandoned her slow-reacting father and ordered Beheeyem to heal off the damage from Toxic.

The temporary referee -the butler- shook his head slightly. He had seen this coming. His boss had no talent for being a Trainer, while the little princess had extraordinary aptitude, able to command Beheeyem with ease.

"Ariados, Agility into Cross Poison."

"Beheeyem, Trick Room!" Again, it was Trish who issued the command, while Zillion simply stood on the sidelines chuckling.

'Had he just given up command altogether?'

Sato raised an eyebrow. Trish was only five or six, and yet she was responding tactically to every move, fighting him to a draw.

Agility increased Ariados's speed, but under the effect of Trick Room, it became a hindrance.

"Beheeyem, Psychic!"

"Ariados, Substitute."

Psychic hit first -Ariados cried out in pain- but immediately after, it created a Substitute to guard itself.

Trish frowned. Sato's use of Substitute was clearly quite annoying.

Beheeyem's Recover could restore stamina, but not remove the poison from its body. And the longer Toxic remained, the more brutal its effect would become.

Ariados didn't have strong defenses, and Beheeyem's Special Attack was nothing to scoff at. If Ariados took one or two hits from Psychic, it would certainly go down.

But Sato had Ariados grit through one Psychic just to create a Substitute. Under Trick Room, Beheeyem would have to break the Substitute first, then Ariados could act. Only then would Beheeyem be able to attack again.

It didn't seem like much -just two moves- but Beheeyem wouldn't be able to hold on.

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150 ( ¶pw¶ ) = Extra chap.