Munkidori stared at the Berry in its hand, swallowed hard, and then looked up at the bright-eyed, eager Ogerpon in front of it. Summer had asked it to learn to share, so it had to give the Berry to this guy.
It was very reluctant, reaching out its hand only to quickly pull it back, while Ogerpon's eyes followed the Berry's movement.
"Gah-oh!"
Hesitating, Munkidori suddenly heard the sound of a stick swinging. Ogerpon was next to it, pretending to be fierce while waving its thorny stick, signaling for it to hurry up and hand over the Berry.
Summer had asked Ogerpon to act as the overseer for the Loyal Three, to supervise whether they were seriously correcting their flaws. To demonstrate its authority, it had even put on the Hearthflame Mask.
Munkidori's heart tightened, then it quickly shoved the Berry into Ogerpon's mouth. It had experienced the power of that stick before and didn't want a second round.
"Boni~"
Ogerpon nodded in satisfaction, then ran to supervise the next member of the Loyal Three. Munkidori turned to look at the remaining full basket of Berries and sighed. This was the consequence of its past misdeeds.
Sitting quietly on the ground was Okidogi, who seemed to be fine. However, Fezandipiti, lost in narcissism again, was an issue. Time to teach it a lesson with the stick!
Seeing Ogerpon full of enthusiasm, Summer nodded in approval. This was indeed the way Ogerpon should be. Previously, it had been influenced by past experiences, using a vigilant facade to protect itself.
"Summer, ah, just as my sister said, you have indeed subdued the Loyal Three."
Kieran walked over from a distance, holding the Teal Mask in his hands and waving to Summer. His face was covered with band-aids, and his hands were wrapped in bandages, but his eyes looked more spirited than before.
"Let's not talk about that for now. Kieran, your injuries?" Summer asked with concern.
"It's nothing, just some minor injuries. Here, this is for you." Kieran handed the Teal Mask to Summer.
Summer took hold of the mask's edge with one hand and then asked, "Why not give it directly to Ogerpon? This is the result of your hard work, and you should—"
Kieran shook his head, interrupting Summer with a relieved expression. "No, it's best if you give it to Ogerpon. Summer."
"Is that so… I understand." Summer solemnly accepted the mask, then softly called Ogerpon over.
"Boni? Boni!"
Receiving the mask, Ogerpon happily spun around holding it. Summer then said to it, "Ogerpon, you should thank Kieran properly. He found the materials to repair the mask."
"Bon!"
Obediently putting away the mask, Ogerpon walked towards Kieran, shaking and thanking him. Thank you, kind villager.
Kieran scratched his cheek awkwardly and then chuckled. He looked at Summer with a longing expression and said, "Summer, have a battle with me! Although I've used some unconventional methods to improve my strength, I still want to test myself against you!"
"Alright, but let's change to a different location," Summer answered decisively.
Hearing Summer's reply, Kieran breathed a sigh of relief, then slapped his cheeks with his hands to focus even more. Alright, show me what I've got, Summer!
"Of course, it's Rillaboom. My choice is... go, Dipplin!"
Kieran's eyes widened, his expression tense as he threw the Poké Ball. No matter what, he had to defeat Rillaboom!
With Dipplin's appearance, the air was filled with a sweet aroma, its characteristic Honey Gatherer paralyzing opponents with its scent to lower their evasiveness.
"Rillaboom, use Acrobatics."
Rillaboom turned into a cyan shadow rushing towards Dipplin. At the moment of contact, Kieran shouted, "Now, Syrup Bomb!"
Dipplin spewed sticky syrup from its mouth. Although Rillaboom was fast, it still got stuck and couldn't shake off the sticky syrup.
Dipplin couldn't withstand Rillaboom's Acrobatics, losing its combat ability. Kieran immediately withdrew it without hesitation. Everything was going as he had predicted.
"Go, Poliwrath!"
The muscular Poliwrath flexed its muscles. The spiral pattern on its belly could make people dizzy if stared at for too long.
So this was Kieran's unconventional method. Poliwhirl needed a Water Stone to evolve into Poliwrath. Summer looked at Rillaboom, its movements slowed by the sticky syrup.
Kieran had sacrificed his ace without hesitation and now sent out Poliwrath, which had a disadvantage against Rillaboom. Hmm, I can't take this lightly.
Summer slowly issued a command, while Kieran, eyes fixed on him, prepared to react accordingly.
"Taunt."
Rillaboom raised its middle finger in a mocking gesture, instantly enraging Poliwrath, filling its mind only with the desire to attack.
"What?!" Kieran's face showed disbelief. Had Summer guessed his strategy to use Hypnosis to create an attack opportunity?!
Most people thought of Poliwrath as a power-type Pokémon, easily forgetting it could use Hypnosis. Kieran had intended to exploit this misconception, but Summer had thwarted it with a single Taunt.
"Ice Punch, Poliwrath!" Kieran shouted. As expected of Summer, but I've simulated our battle many times. This move is prepared just for you!
"Take it head-on, Rillaboom!"
"What?!"
Summer's decision once again surprised Kieran. Even if Rillaboom's movements were restricted by Syrup Bomb, it didn't have to take the hit directly!
The icy fist struck Rillaboom's crossed arms in front of its chest, then Rillaboom shook off the sticky syrup, now frozen into ice shards.
"Drum Beating."
Rillaboom, now agile again, did a backflip to its drum, pulled out two drumsticks, and beat them fiercely. Thick vines emerged from the ground, delivering heavy blows to Poliwrath.
Despite the fierce attack, Poliwrath stood firm, driven by Kieran's determination to win.
"Poliwrath… another Ice Punch!" Kieran's face showed determination as he commanded, unwilling to let Poliwrath's effort go to waste.
"Quah!"
"Rillaboom, Grassy Terrain."
Rillaboom withstood Poliwrath's powerful Ice Punch again, and the surrounding area turned lush with greenery.
"Wood Hammer!"
Rillaboom swung its drumsticks, sending Poliwrath flying and rolling on the ground, losing its combat ability.
This time, Kieran didn't recall the fallen Pokémon immediately. Instead, he looked at it with a gentle expression and said, "You did well, Poliwrath."
He then brushed back his bangs, revealing a determined look, gripping his last Poké Ball tightly, and called out with a slightly hoarse voice:
"Go, Gliscor, we will win!"
(End of Chapter)