A Luxury Ball—worth at least 30,000 yen even at regular price—was definitely high-class. At least, Satoshi himself didn't own one.
Not because it was expensive, but because the red-and-white Poké Ball was the most classic!
Satoshi originally cared a lot about matching Pokémon types to Poké Ball designs. Back when he played the games, he'd use a Dive Ball for Water-types and a Love Ball for pink Pokémon.
But now, he'd completely fallen for the simplicity of the basic Poké Ball. Complicated paths were many, but true mastery lay in simplicity.
This was the best Poké Ball, after all!
"Come on, Tomori! Let me see you at your best!"
Excitement surged within Satoshi, heating up with each passing second.
"Spring Shadow, I choose you!"
Tomori's expression shifted from nervousness to determination as she threw the Luxury Ball forcefully. At that instant, it felt as if even the air itself had frozen.
With a faint sound, shadowy layers of gray energy spilled forth. Amidst these shadows, a Pokémon silently emerged, its figure vague and shrouded in darkness.
"What Pokémon is that?" Anon tilted her head curiously.
Although she was admittedly weak in practical battles, Anon was confident in her theoretical knowledge. After all, she'd been the student council president in middle school and even studied abroad in Galar—but she had absolutely no clue about this Pokémon.
"It's Marshadow…" Satoshi's eyes widened in shock and excitement as he stared.
[Marshadow, the Gloomdweller Pokémon. Fighting/Ghost-type. It hides within shadows, remaining undiscovered for a very long time.]
The Pokémon appearing before him was none other than the Mythical Pokémon—Marshadow.
With an impressive base stat total of 600 and incredibly balanced distribution, it was easily among the top-tier Mythicals.
This was the first time he'd ever seen a Mythical Pokémon in real life. The thrill he felt was indescribable.
Honestly, Satoshi was curious how Tomori had managed to capture something like this, since merely standing before Marshadow made it clear their strength difference was enormous. He estimated its level at roughly Elite Four-class.
Marshadow was famously known as the Pokémon who guided the "Rainbow Hero" to Ho-Oh.
Though this particular Marshadow probably wasn't the same one—after all, skipping its job just to play around with a high school girl would probably get it beaten by Photographer Ho-Oh if discovered.
The famous photographer Ho-Oh: "Are you kidding me? I'm busy making movie appearances every year, and you're slacking off here?!"
Some Mythicals and Legendaries existed as part of groups. For instance, Zarude from the movies appeared in countless numbers.
Although Mythical and Legendary Pokémon were naturally stronger than ordinary ones, this wasn't absolute!
Charizard could defeat Articuno, Sceptile could beat Darkrai, and even Marshadow standing in front of him was certainly not invincible.
[Uwaaah~ Satobaby, Marshadow appeared—are you really sure you can win?!]
It's fine. Because my Pokémon and I are unbeatable.
We'll win!
Satoshi knew his odds were low.
But if a powerful opponent stood right before him and he didn't dare challenge, could he still call himself a Pokémon Trainer?
Losing wasn't shameful at all—as long as he could eventually get stronger and win in the future. Besides, this battle could let his Pokémon experience a higher level of strength, helping them reach even greater heights!
"So, this Pokémon's name is Marshadow…?" Tomori tilted her head in confusion. She clearly had no idea.
Given Marshadow's nature of hiding itself from both humans and Pokémon, it made sense that it wasn't widely recognized.
Still, that left Satoshi even more curious. Just how exactly did they meet?
"Ma...sha..." Marshadow turned slightly toward them, nodded shyly, then immediately turned away again, lowering its head bashfully.
To Satoshi, its behavior reminded him of Tomori herself. He could somewhat understand why Marshadow had bonded with her—perhaps their personalities had something similar.
"Nice to meet you, Spring Shadow. My name's Satoshi, and this guy here is—" As he spoke, he smoothly took a Poké Ball from his pocket, tossing it confidently onto the battlefield.
Pop!
"Raichu!" Raichu appeared with a wave of its tiny hand, happily greeting the Marshadow across the field.
"Marsha… (I wanna run away…)" Seeing Raichu's enthusiastic greeting, Marshadow glanced toward the shadows, clearly considering a quick escape.
It was probably socially anxious!
Anon confidently thought to herself.
It was unexpectedly cute, though…
But why did Satoshi seem so cautious? Anon tilted her head, puzzled.
Meanwhile, on the battlefield—
"Raichu, be careful. It's probably the strongest opponent we've ever faced—stay alert!"
"Rai!"
Satoshi truly couldn't afford to let his guard down. With such a huge difference in strength, even three-on-one would be tough.
Marshadow's Attack stat combined with its [Technician] ability and level advantage meant one punch at close range would be devastating.
[Technician]: Boosts moves with a base power of 60 or less by 50%.
This meant he had to maintain distance at all costs during the battle.
"Raichu, jump and use [Electroweb]!"
"Rai—!" Raichu quickly jumped high into the air, roaring as it unleashed a golden electric net toward Marshadow below.
"Spring Shadow… use—" Tomori didn't even have time to finish her sentence before Marshadow acted first, launching a [Shadow Ball].
"Marsha!"
Facing the incoming [Electroweb], Marshadow condensed dark energy between its hands, quickly forming a dense [Shadow Ball]. At the very moment [Electroweb] approached, Marshadow fired the [Shadow Ball], effortlessly tearing through the electric net.
"Marshadow—!"
Immediately afterward, Marshadow dashed like a black lightning bolt through the fragmented [Electroweb], fist coated in icy cold energy, unleashing an [Ice Punch] at Raichu.
Its speed was blindingly fast, barely traceable, with only the dense shadowy aura revealing its presence.
"Block it with [Iron Tail]!"
"Rai—!" Raichu swung its hardened, steel-like tail forward, aiming directly at Marshadow.
[Ice Punch] and [Iron Tail] collided fiercely, emitting blinding sparks as both Pokémon stumbled slightly from the impact.
The 100-power [Iron Tail] just barely matched Marshadow's 75-power [Ice Punch]. Considering Steel resisted Ice, this result clearly illustrated the enormous strength gap.
"Spring Shadow… [Fire Punch] next," Tomori commanded immediately, seeing the stalemate.
Suddenly, Marshadow's left fist erupted into scorching flames.
Another Pokémon with hidden abilities?!
Why do I keep running into cheaters?!
"Raichu, abandon [Iron Tail]—use [Thunderbolt]!" Despite inward complaints, Satoshi remained focused. Using two moves at once wasn't against the rules; he just hadn't mastered it yet.
"Raii—!" Raichu gathered its strength, launching a powerful [Thunderbolt] that struck Marshadow directly, making it shudder and stumble back several steps.
But simultaneously, Marshadow's [Ice Punch] landed squarely on Raichu, sending it flying harshly.
"Raichu…!" Struggling to stand, Raichu's entire body trembled.
A single punch nearly knocked it out.
The level difference was simply too great to overcome.
A regular Pokémon might've simply fainted, but Satoshi's Pokémon shared one special trait with him—refusing to admit defeat!
"[Thunderbolt]!"
"Rai—!"
Responding instantly, Raichu released a dazzling golden bolt of electricity, colliding head-on with Marshadow's incoming [Shadow Ball], shattering it into fragments.
Yet, at that exact moment, Marshadow vanished like a ghost, reappearing instantly in front of Raichu.
"[Spectral Thief]…" Satoshi confirmed the move, pulling down his cap.
[Spectral Thief]: The user hides in the target's shadow, steals the target's stat boosts, and then attacks. Exclusive to Marshadow; power: 90.
"Marsha!" Marshadow emerged from Raichu's shadow, unleashing a vicious strike that sent Raichu flying once more.
"Rai…!"
Raichu tumbled heavily, finally collapsing with a pained cry—unable to battle.
"Is challenging an Elite Four-class Pokémon still too early after all…?"
The overwhelming loss stung deeply. Raichu had responded to his heart, fought its hardest, and still lost embarrassingly.
[Satobaby… Are you alright? Feeling down? Should I comfort you a bit~?]
Satoshi shook his head gently, the corners of his mouth curving upward into a smile of pure delight.
"Actually… I'm more excited than ever."