Rika's mind raced.

  Mason got her good with this stupid, cheesy mindgame.

  But what was Bidoof doing with those berries?

  It hadn't even taken significant damage yet. Could it really be so exhausted after just a few attacks that it needed to activate berry effects now?

  I can't let it recover!

  The next Rollout will finish us if I do.

  "Bedhead! Another Psybeam!" The command felt hollow in her throat.

  Both Disarming Voice and Psybeam had reached their limits.

  Bedhead's mental power must've been stretched to the brink of madness, its voice strained beyond capacity. Despite giving everything, it wouldn't be enough. But Rika refused to let it rest. She demanded excellence, determination.

  Espurr groaned, its voice cracking, body swaying. The wind tousled its fur, making it look even messier than usual, and Rika feared the breeze might knock it over.

  "Bidoof, are you alright?" Mason's hopeful smile beamed at his companion.

  "Doof!" It nodded firmly.

  Their eyes tracked Espurr charging another beam. But for some reason, they weren't preparing another Rollout. Mason seemed to know his Pokémon's limits, understanding another bout of dizziness would be pointless.

  Instead, Bidoof charged forward with Headbutt again. And from its speed, Rika quickly realized another Psybeam wouldn't materialize in time.

  The third time already.

  Only one hope remained—her ace in the hole.

  The item she'd given Espurr before battle, insurance against the unexpected.

  That's what she had to count on now.

  Given Mason and Bidoof's surprises so far, it wasn't far-fetched that her gambit would pay off. The move Bidoof would eventually learn—the perfect finisher for this battle.

  Use it... Come on, use it!

  You must have learned it by now!

  But for now, Bidoof dashed forward, head lowered, while Rika gave Bedhead permission to abort its attack and dodge.

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  Bidoof slid through the dirt after missing, crouched low, then sprang forward again like a Froakie. Espurr dropped its upper body backward, just as Rika had dodged the Sludge Bomb earlier, watching Bidoof's belly as it sailed overhead.

  The match felt like dodgeball—Bidoof as the thrower, Espurr the last one standing, with dodging as its only option.

  Bidoof kept going for several attempts.

  This is a losing strategy.

  Bedhead would run out of steam sooner or later.

  She had to risk it.

  Risk that Bedhead could withstand this attack. Not to mention whether Bidoof even knew the move.

  As Bidoof wound up for another charge, Rika called out, "Bedhead, use Scratch!"

  She caught a moment's hesitation in its demeanor, but its body moved before its mind could question the command.

  It charged straight at Bidoof, seemingly running into its own doom. But Rika saw the calculated glint in its eyes when Bidoof approached. edhead tilted its neck, letting Bidoof's Headbutt whoosh past.

  With Bidoof suspended in mid-air beside it, Espurr's claws extended, hissing through the air.

  "Crunch!" Mason's voice rang out with unexpected authority, as if he'd spent years preparing for this exact moment.

  Rika's heart skipped.

  Bidoof's teeth transformed, darkness spreading across them like ink in water. They lengthened, sharpened to points that shouldn't be possible for a harmless creature like Bidoof.

  A shiver raced down Rika's spine, but excitement bubbled up alongside the fear. Her lips curled into an involuntary smile.

  If Bedhead could survive this single attack, victory would be hers.

  The sound came first—a sickening crunch as Bidoof's corrupted teeth sank through fur and flesh. Bedhead's cry pierced the air, its small frame shuddering as those otherworldly fangs dug deeper. Blood matted its gray fur, turning it a darker shade. The crack of bone followed.

  Rika had sent Bedhead into this, coldly aware that it had to endure this pain.

  Because now, its item would finally activate.

  Bidoof clung to Bedhead like a rabid Growlithe with a bone, refusing to release its dark-type grip. Espurr's pained meows transformed into aggressive hisses, though its attempts to rake its claws across Bidoof's side seemed pathetically weak compared to the agony it endured.

  Until something changed.

  A rectangular shape beneath Espurr's blood-matted fur began to glow—faintly at first, then with increasing intensity. The hidden item, which had been invisible to everyone until now, activated exactly as planned. Her secret weapon, carefully concealed for just such a dire situation.

  Despite Bedhead's waning strength, its wobbling stance, and obvious blood loss, an impossible transformation began. Its small frame expanded, muscles swelling beneath its puffed-up fur. The pitiful whimpers emanating from its throat evolved into deep, menacing growls.

  The Weakness Policy activated.

  Rika had prepared this strategy knowing she couldn't rely solely on Disarming Voice against dark-types. Furthermore, some Pokémon wouldn't fall to either psychic or fairy attacks. She'd also calculated that Bedhead's limited psychic power and voice strength would make extended battles problematic.

  This item let her capitalize on its physical attacks instead.

  The tide shifted in mere seconds.

  Now Bidoof was the one who whimpered, finally noticing how Bedhead's claws had sunk deeper into its flesh, tickling its organs.

  SCRATCH!

  The sound of rending flesh filled the air as Espurr's claws hissed by. Blood sprayed in three distinct lines, tracing its claws' arc through space. The devastating slash carved a massive gash along Bidoof's flank.

  Only now could everyone see how dramatically Espurr had changed. Its claws had doubled in length, its paws swollen with raw power.