Kukui mulled over which Pokémon to send out next.
Alolan Ninetales was still asleep—definitely not a good option. Dylan's Rillaboom hit hard, and Ninetales had a 4x weakness to Steel. Kukui didn't know if Rillaboom could learn Steel-type moves, but it wasn't worth the risk. If it did, Ninetales would be toast.
And Incineroar? He had to keep that one for the final stretch.
He could use it now to debuff with Parting Shot, but giving Dylan free rein to power up in the meantime? Not smart. Besides, his Incineroar didn't run the Intimidate + Fake Out setup anyway.
"Snorlax!"
Kukui tossed out his fifth Poké Ball. A massive, round Snorlax landed with a thunderous thud.
"Thick Fat Snorlax, huh."
Lillie glanced at the Rotom Dex's readout. This Snorlax had the Thick Fat ability.
Was Snorlax good against Rillaboom? Not particularly—neither had a type advantage, but with Grassy Terrain active, Rillaboom held a slight edge.
"Snorlax! Earthquake!"
Kukui commanded the first strike. Earthquake might not be super effective against Rillaboom, but it was wide-range and reliable.
Snorlax let out a low rumble and slammed both fists into the ground. The battlefield shook violently as the seismic shockwaves rippled outward.
"Dodge and use War Cry," Dylan called casually.
Rillaboom leapt into the air, avoiding the tremors, and let out a primal roar. Soundwaves burst forth, forcing Snorlax to cover its ears. A faint light flashed over its body—its Attack and Special Attack were both lowered.
"Roll into it!" Kukui snapped.
Snorlax tucked in its limbs and started rolling straight for Rillaboom.
"Grassy Glide."
Rillaboom hit the turf running—literally—and slid forward on the grassy terrain, glowing with green energy.
BAM!
The attack tore across Snorlax's belly, drawing a pained groan.
Fast. Too fast. Kukui's eyes widened.
"In Grassy Terrain, Grassy Glide becomes a priority move," Dylan explained with a smile. "Plus, Grassy Terrain boosts its power."
"Again," Dylan said without hesitation.
Rillaboom turned smoothly and came in for another slide.
"Earthquake!"
Snorlax once again slammed the ground. The tremors rolled outward—but Rillaboom powered through it and sliced Snorlax again with Grassy Glide.
Rillaboom resisted Earthquake. Combined with Grassy Terrain reducing Earthquake's base power, the damage was minimal.
Meanwhile, Snorlax's poor Defense meant those Grassy Glides hurt.
The battlefield pulsed green again as Grassy Terrain healed both combatants slightly.
"This isn't sustainable," Kukui muttered. "Snorlax will go down first."
And worse—Rillaboom was still skating around like a madman.
But Grassy Terrain was almost gone. Once that ended, Grassy Glide would stop being a priority move.
Time ticked on. After two more exchanges, the green glow of the terrain finally faded.
"Grassy Terrain has ended," Itto noted. "Snorlax should have a bit more breathing room now."
"Still, it's pretty beat up," Lillie added, brows furrowed. "If it didn't have such a massive health pool, it'd be down by now."
"Snorlax, Rest!"
Kukui wasted no time. Snorlax lay down with a low groan, instantly falling into a peaceful slumber as its injuries vanished.
Just as expected, Dylan thought.
"Perfect time to give you a new matchup. Rillaboom, U-turn!"
Rillaboom's body glowed and slammed headfirst into Snorlax's gut, sending waves rippling across its pudgy belly. Someone had clearly been spoiling this guy.
Kukui raised a brow. Rillaboom was still in good shape—why switch?
Wait—he better not send that damned Whimsicott out again…
"Serperior, let's battle!"
Dylan tossed his fourth Poké Ball.
A flash of white light revealed a long, elegant serpent raising its head with regal poise. Crimson eyes locked onto the snoozing Snorlax.
"Serperior—the final evolution of Snivy from Unova."
Kukui narrowed his eyes. He'd heard of this one. But why switch to Serperior now?
"Ooh~ pretty!"
Amelia and Itto's eyes lit up. Despite being a snake Pokémon, Serperior's design was strikingly noble and refined.
It was nothing like Arbok or Seviper. Serperior was graceful, commanding, and undeniably beautiful.
Beep~ Serperior, Grass type. Regal Pokémon.
Ability: Contrary
Moves: Leaf Storm, Giga Drain, Leaf Blade, Magical Leaf, Dragon Pulse, Frenzy Plant, Glare…
Dex Entry: Serperior only fights seriously against strong foes who don't flinch under its piercing gaze.
Contrary, huh?
Itto's face changed.
"Serperior, Leaf Storm!"
Dylan gave the command with a calm, knowing smile.
Serperior hissed softly, glowing with deep green light. Its tail leaves spread and grew larger—then a violent storm of leaves howled toward Snorlax.
"Snorlax, Sleep Talk!"
Kukui's eyes twitched. Who opens with Leaf Storm!?
Everyone knew Leaf Storm was high-risk—it massively reduced the user's Special Attack afterward.
Unless… no. No way.
Snorlax stirred, its fist catching fire mid-dream—it had pulled Fire Punch. A great counter if it could reach Serperior. But they were too far apart.
BOOM!
Leaf Storm slammed into Snorlax. Even asleep, it let out a pained groan as the storm battered its enormous body.
Kukui didn't look at Snorlax. His gaze was fixed on Serperior.
It still held its head high, eyes glowing with power. White light surged around it.
"Contrary confirmed…"
Kukui's face darkened.
Contrary: Ability that reverses stat changes. Debuffs become buffs.
That meant—Leaf Storm didn't lower Serperior's Special Attack. It raised it.
"Well done, Professor. You saw through it immediately," Dylan said, clapping lightly.
Kukui gritted his teeth.
Yeah, he saw it—but seeing it didn't help. Snorlax was asleep. He couldn't stop Serperior from boosting again.
"Leaf Storm, again."
Serperior hissed louder this time. Its leaves shimmered an even brighter green as another violent whirlwind tore across the battlefield.
"Sleep Talk!" Kukui called again.
Snorlax's body shimmered, and it let out a tremor—Earthquake.
The ground split and quaked.
Leaf Storm hit first—Snorlax groaned, this one hurting much more than the last.
Wind and leaves howled, debris scattered everywhere.
The quake struck back—but Serperior barely flinched. It resisted Ground, and its defenses were solid.
With the storm dying down, Serperior glowed again. Its Special Attack was now +4.
Snorlax finally stirred awake. It had tanked two full-power Leaf Storms—hurt, but not down.
"Leaf Storm!" Dylan ordered for the third time.
"Dig!"
Kukui acted fast.
Snorlax burrowed into the ground, disappearing just before the third storm raged past.
"Not bad," Dylan chuckled. "But hiding won't help for long, Professor Kukui."
He was right.
The best time to deal with Contrary Serperior was at the very start.
Let it get to +6 Special Attack?
You're fighting a boss monster.
There were counters—Haze could reset stat changes—but unlike the games, it wasn't guaranteed to hit. The move had to envelop Serperior, and Serperior could easily blow it away with Leaf Storm.
At max power, Serperior could obliterate most opponents before they even tried.
Fast, tanky, and now fully armed—it was terrifying.
"I'm well aware," Kukui said darkly.
He understood now. Dylan's Grass team wasn't just strong.
Each member had a terrifying trick.
None of them were… normal.
Except maybe that ape. That one seemed okay.