As it turned out, even with the sunlight becoming much stronger, the Chlorophyll Ability could only double Bellossom's Speed at most.
Bellossom twisted its massive body and soon spotted Gardevoir, who had already Teleported to the other side. Fury once again ignited in its eyes.
Its B-fan had switched bias… this was unforgivable!
Without another word, Bellossom raised its hands to use the move Magical Leaf, but as it channeled energy through its body, its stance naturally shifted into… ball-rolling mode!
Bellossom stared sorrowfully at its own hands, questioning, "Even you're going to betray me too…?"
The ball-rolling hands: "..."
Very quickly, another glowing orb was spun out by Bellossom's hands and launched straight into the sky.
The sunlight seemed to grow even more intense, and Gardevoir's attack followed immediately after.
Psychic!
The Psychic energy, amplified by Calm Mind, was nearly tangible. Under Gardevoir's control, it transformed into a hammer weighing millions of tons, smashing down hard on Bellossom!
"BELLOS~SOM!"
At that moment, the giant Bellossom collapsed halfway to the ground, in pain like a five-hundred-pound child.
"Again! Psychic."
"Garde!"
The "majestic and aloof" Gardevoir didn't even blink as she raised her hand and unleashed another equally powerful Psychic blast.
This time, the already downed Bellossom completely toppled over!
Did you think that was the end…?
Naive!
Gardevoir's lips curled slightly, and her blood-red eyes suddenly turned toward the sky, where a streak of seven-colored light was descending.
It looked slow, but in reality, it landed in the blink of an eye, slamming once more into the fallen Bellossom.
Future Sight… HIT!
There was no referee, and none was needed. Gardevoir didn't spare Bellossom even a glance as she calmly floated back to Sato's side, as if the battle had been nothing more than child's play.
Across the wide field, Bellossom lay silently to one side while Sato and Gardevoir stood on the other…
Even though the battle was clearly over, none of the other watching Pokémon dared to make a sound.
Utter silence!
No one knew how long had passed before the defeated Bellossom finally stirred awake.
Its eyes opened with a trace of confusion; until they locked onto Gardevoir's "composed" expression once more…
It had lost!
Lost so cleanly and thoroughly, utterly crushed!
Only then did Bellossom's underlings carefully approach, using healing moves like they cost nothing, pouring them onto their leader Bellossom.
Bellossom paid no attention to the others, simply sitting in a daze as it stared blankly at Gardevoir and Sato. Never before had it suffered such a total defeat in a battle against an opponent of the same level.
And Sato, seeing this, didn't rush anything; after all, even he hadn't expected Gardevoir to win so decisively.
A few minutes later, the Totem Bellossom finally accepted reality. Dragging its slightly weary body, it slowly walked toward Sato.
"Bellos Som~Som! (I lost. You're amazing!)"
"Voir." 'Mm.' Gardevoir maintained her "frosty queen" demeanor and nodded lightly.
With the battle over, Bellossom had no reason to keep clinging to them. After a brief moment of hesitation, it reached under its leafy skirt and carefully pulled out a withered yellow leaf, handing it solemnly to Gardevoir.
Gardevoir accepted the withered leaf, a clear look of confusion appearing on her face.
"Bellos~Som Som!"
After Bellossom finished explaining and gesturing, it didn't linger. Leading its crew of underlings, it turned and disappeared into the forest.
Sato looked at the withered leaf in Gardevoir's hand with interest and signaled for her to explain.
"It's just a withered leaf. Carrying it will prevent wild Pokémon in this forest from attacking."
Sato responded with an "Oh…" and immediately felt disappointed. Bellossom, a Totem no less, was actually poorer than Alolan Ninetales…
But in truth, Bellossom really wasn't wealthy. Compared to lone Elite Four-level Pokémon, Totems like it, while commanding a group of obedient subordinates, also had to lead and manage them, rewarding and punishing when needed.
Losing a battle and still having to hand over a valuable item? That would be a sign of brain damage.
"…Toto I think I'm about to advance!"
That single sentence from Gardevoir instantly made Sato light up with joy!
At that point, whether they got a rare item or not didn't matter anymore. A breakthrough was the greatest treasure in itself.
"Alright, let's leave this forest as soon as possible and keep looking for the next opponent!"
"Voir!"
---◓---
The training within the Origin Forest continued, and Sato wasn't just focusing on Gardevoir; Zoroark and the others also got their turns in battle.
For example, right now, Sato was riding on Tyranitar's shoulder, the two moving through an endless expanse of desert.
The desert was undoubtedly Tyranitar's home turf. The moment it entered, it was ready for a 300-round war!
…But an entire day passed, and aside from the occasional dopey Trapinch or Hippopotas popping up, no other threatening Pokémon appeared.
As night fell and the temperature rapidly dropped, Sato patted the discouraged Tyranitar.
"Let's find a sheltered place where we can camp."
Tyranitar, now benched, without a battle or any screen time, turned to glance at Sato, then gave a dazed nod. It stirred the yellow sand beneath its feet and glided straight toward several giant stones standing in the distance…
As the sun set and the moon rose, Sato and Tyranitar finally reached the towering rocks and set up a tent in the wind-sheltered area behind them.
Taking advantage of the remaining light, Sato pulled out the dry branches and firewood he had previously collected and started a campfire.
Right at that moment, the last ray of sunlight vanished, and the entire desert fell into endless darkness.
"Tyranitar, don't feel bad. Tomorrow we'll surely-"
Sato spoke softly in comfort, but before he could finish, he suddenly heard a flurry of rustling sounds.
"Tyranitar!"
"TYRAN!"
Tyranitar's perception wasn't bad either, it immediately took defensive action!
Whoosh~ Whoosh~ Whoosh…
Massive rocks formed from sand burst up from the ground, lifting Sato, Tyranitar, and the burning campfire high into the air. At the same time, Sato used his excellent night vision to clearly see the source of the noise.
Flat bodies, sickle-like claws, four red and white feathers sprouting from each side… without a doubt, they were Anorith!
One after another, Anorith crawled out of the sand, waving their pincers and glaring with crimson eyes as they advanced on Sato and Tyranitar from every direction!
Anorith weren't particularly strong; Tyranitar could easily repel them. So Sato wasn't panicking.
But could someone please explain… why were these Anorith, which should be living in water, suddenly showing up in massive numbers in the desert?