"Quick Attack again!" the little human yelled.

Ino focused on her opponent, the Rattata panting with both exertion and the pain of her previous attacks. She breathed in and out, knowing without looking that her friend was doing the same. It was a synchronized harmony built over hours of training but more importantly, years of friendship.

It was what would let them win.

"Ratta-TA!" the Pokemon yelled, the aura of Normal energy flaring around him. It was bright and steady, a hallmark of good training

Rattata was faster than her, Ino knew. Audino weren't built for speed.

She focused on his eyes, which stared straight at her like they had been doing for the entire match.

Rattata was faster, but he was predictable.

She had tensed her legs before the opponent trainer had yelled out the command, because she knew the Quick Attack was coming.

Speed was important, but as any true fan of Indigo Idol knew, tempo was key.

Rattata took off, a blur of white streaking straight towards her.

Or rather, where she used to be.

Ino twirled out of the way in a pirouette, dodging the attack by inches. Rattata had nearly gotten her.

He had nearly gotten her ten times so far.

The rat squealed in frustration and turned towards her, gathering the energy for another Quick Attack. But Ino had been preparing her own energy all this time. The breathing she and Sakura had been doing was based directly on the vocal exercises of their favorite idol group, the Tuff Tuffs. Just like her dodging was based on their signature dance moves.

Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!

And Crobat wasn't the only singer in the Sekikuchi household.

Ino belted out her Disarming Voice, the fourth and final one of the match, and Rattata finally went down.

"Rattata is unable to battle! The winner is Sakura and Ino!" the referee announced, pointing at the respective parties.

The referee was Aunt Chansey, so the humans didn't understand her words. But the Egg Pokemon's movements and tone got the message across. And as any true fan of Indigo Idol knew, tone was key.

The youngster slumped in dejection while Sakura and Ino ran up to each other in screaming excitement, starting their signature victory dance.

"Ino! We have a patient!" Aunt Chansey interrupted, amused but firm. She waved to the prone Rattata on the ground while patting the worried youngster's head.

Ino turned back from her best friend, taking a determined breath. It was important to have well-rounded interests, and performance wasn't her only passion. Healing was her life's calling.

…but hopefully they could fix up Rattata quickly. She wanted to rewatch the Tuff Tuff's latest music video.