During that training session, Vibrava had been forced to face a combined assault from Nidoking, Sprigatito, and Growlithe.
The setup had been almost identical to this real battle. Vibrava had been so focused on dodging Nidoking's dangerous Psybeam that it never saw Growlithe's Smack Down coming, and once it was down, its teammates closed in and gave it a proper beating.
Afterward, Nova had sat with the half conscious Azir by the saltwater lake to go over what had happened, and the stern lecture from that day still stuck clearly in its memory.
"Azir, tell me honestly, what went wrong out there?"
"The second you're knocked down, you should be diving straight into the ground. It's not as if you don't know Dig. What was the point of just lying there and taking hit after hit?"
"What, are you worried about Earthquake? Go ahead and ask Arno if he'd actually dare use it. Forget whether Sprigatito and Archie could survive that kind of damage, I'm your Trainer, and my feet are on the ground too! If Nidoking used Earthquake, wouldn't it take me down along with everyone else?"
"Out in a wild battle like this, there's no referee and no safety net the way there is in an official match. A move like Earthquake, one that can hurt your own side just as easily, can never be used carelessly. Remember this: if you can't take to the air, get underground."
"And don't just memorize it, Azir, make it instinct. The instant you touch the ground, use Dig. That's the kind of habit that can save your life when it counts."
Sure enough, Nova had called it. The Rhyhorn Trainer who'd tried to use Earthquake was immediately punished by his own so-called allies.
That alliance had only ever been a temporary one to begin with. Once the fighting had started, it made more sense to deal with the reckless troublemaker first and worry about Vibrava afterward.
So the unlucky Rhyhorn Trainer, having made one careless move that angered everyone around him, became the third target of the group's combined fire at the narrow pass. He was quickly knocked unconscious, after which the other surprisingly considerate contestants helped set off his survival flare for him.
With the instigator out of the way, it was finally time to deal with that uncanny Vibrava.
Azir knew well enough that staying underground only bought it temporary safety, it couldn't hide down there forever. Nova had explained this too: stay buried too long, and the enemy would eventually find a window to drop an Earthquake regardless.
The only way to keep getting real use out of the Dig tactic was to keep popping up and harassing the opponents, never letting them settle.
So Vibrava picked its next target and burst up from underground without warning. The man it chose had been braced for a second Dig attack, but at human reaction speed, there was simply no dodging a strike that came up directly beneath his feet.
He was sent flying as if struck by some devastating ultimate move, launched straight into the air. The Poliwhirl standing beside him hadn't had time to step in and protect him, and could only fire off a Hydro Pump at the troublesome creature attacking its Trainer.
Azir: "Talk tough and get launched, that's how it goes!"
The airborne Trainer spun through several uncomfortable rotations before plunging headfirst back toward the ground, screaming the whole way down.
Luckily, his other partner, Girafarig, used its psychic power to catch him in time, otherwise that single Dig would have cost him far more than just a sore back.
Even with the catch, having taken the full force of the hit, the unlucky contestant had thrown out his back and picked up plenty of bruises along the way. Poliwhirl didn't even bother wasting a Hydro Pump on that "pest." It went straight to checking on its Trainer, and once told to, set off the survival flare.
Another contestant eliminated by Vibrava.
This one creature had now taken out three or four contestants on its own, and its actual Trainer still hadn't even shown up.
Charizard's Trainer had only one thought left in his head: this thing could not be allowed to stick around, or he was walking away from this competition disappointed yet again.
Standing on Charizard's back, he called out, "That Hydro Pump must have hurt it! It can't have much health left! Everyone, focus fire on it together, once it's down, we push through the narrow pass!"
While shouting encouragement, he had Charizard fire off another Flamethrower at Vibrava.
But the instant the attack launched, an Air Slash came slicing in out of nowhere from the horizon, cutting straight across Charizard's path.
Startled, Charizard whipped its head around and aimed its readied Flamethrower at the incoming blade.
The two cuts of air turned out to be sharper than expected. The first sliced clean through Charizard's Flamethrower, and the second carved straight into Charizard itself.
Charizard let out a pained roar, but the surprise attack wasn't finished yet. A Psybeam streaked across the sky and froze Charizard and its Trainer together into a single block of ice, which then dropped out of the low sky and hit the ground.
"I heard someone wanted to gang up on my Vibrava..."
A young man's voice drifted out from somewhere inside the maze.
The remaining contestants turned to see a young Trainer seated atop a Corviknight, drifting slowly in from across the field. In the shadow cast by Corviknight's broad, sun blocking wings walked an even larger shape, like some ancient guardian beast, each of its footsteps making the ground of the maze tremble faintly.
Nova: "Relax, I'm just flying slowly, I'm not dead. Did anyone bother asking my opinion before ganging up on my partner like this?"
Everyone listening was speechless.
Wait a moment, he's the one twisting the story here!
It had clearly been this uncanny Vibrava bullying everyone else this whole time!
Could a person not even defend themselves at this point?
But arguing was pointless. They were rivals in a competition, not contestants for some good citizen award. Rather than waste time explaining themselves, it made far more sense to look for a quick way out.
Except by then, leaving was no longer an option.
With Nova's arrival, all three of his Pokemon were now reunited on the field, which meant the same coordinated combo they had pulled off earlier at the entrance could be served up to everyone here as well.
By this point, Azir had already landed and used Sand Tomb, its wings whipping up a full Sandstorm that swallowed the sky above the narrow pass.
The Elite Trainer watching the battlefield from high above gave a tired smile at the all too familiar sight, then lifted his radio to call the logistics staff.
"The fight at the narrow pass is about to wrap up. Send the medical and rescue teams in quickly, we're likely looking at a lot of injuries here."
After putting in the call, he raised his binoculars again to take another look. By then, though, the Sandstorm had already blanketed the entire pass, and there was nothing left to see clearly. He lowered the binoculars, was quiet for a long moment, then sighed.
"Quite the challenger we've got this time, and a Ground-type Trainer on top of it. Elite Gilbert is going to want to hear about this one."