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"Ladies and gentlemen! Now approaching us are the competitors for the first match of the main hall!"
"On the red side! Hailing from Pallet Town! He's dashing and talented… Trainer Liam! He's a top-tier Pokémon Trainer who has repeatedly won matches using just a single Pokémon!"
"And on the green side! Hailing from the Johto region! A competitor who has shown us his remarkable strength throughout the league—Axu! Axu's Blissey truly is one teasing little pixie! We wonder if it'll make an appearance in this crucial match! This promises to be an absolutely thrilling battle! Everyone, give our two Trainers a warm round of applause!"
"WHOOOOOOOOO!!!"
Thunderous applause erupted as Liam and Axu walked onto the battlefield amid the crowd's excitement.
This particular arena was a standard one—its floor made of hard-packed earth, with several large rocks scattered across the field.
Liam stepped into his command position and looked across at Axu, who still had his head down. Liam chuckled and called out.
"What's the matter? Nervous?"
Axu didn't respond immediately. His whole body trembled slightly. Just as Liam was about to say a few encouraging words, Axu suddenly raised his head, his face beet red, and shouted:
"Senior! Is my Blissey really that annoying?!"
"Uh…"
Liam was momentarily at a loss for words. Thinking back to how Axu's Blissey had dragged out their last match with its stall tactics, he gave a firm nod.
"Yes. Extremely annoying."
"Pfft!!"
Axu instantly deflated on the spot…
"The Trainers are now in position! The rules: each side will use three Pokémon! Both Trainers are free to switch Pokémon at any time. The battle ends when one side either surrenders or all three of their Pokémon are unable to battle… Now! Both sides, please send out your first Pokémon!"
The referee, waving a flag of two colors, called out to Liam and Axu.
"Alright, alright, let's get started. I'll go first—go, Scyther!"
"Scythe!"
As soon as the referee finished speaking, Liam tossed out a PokeBall and released Scyther to take the lead.
"Hm? A Scyther? Senior, isn't this Scyther ranked lower in your team than Weavile? And you're using it right off the bat? Isn't it a little too obvious you're going easy on me?"
Axu narrowed his eyes at the Scyther standing in the arena and voiced his displeasure.
"Ahem, it's not like that. Don't get the wrong idea. You shouldn't underestimate Scyther, or you'll regret it deeply."
Liam looked a little sheepish as he spoke.
"Hmph! Senior, I already told you—if you don't take this seriously, you will lose! Because I'm not letting any opportunity slip! Now go—my first Pokémon: go Togetic!"
"Toge!"
Axu, catching onto Liam's hesitation, grumbled under his breath before releasing his first Pokémon—a snow-white Togetic with red and blue triangle markings on its belly, a pair of tiny angel-like wings on its back, and three small horns on its head.
Liam: "…"
'So much for holding back! You countered my Bug-type with a Flying-type right away! And not just any Flying-type, but a rare Togetic! And that Blissey too! Where the heck did you get these rare Pokémon?!'
As Togetic happily fluttered above the battlefield, Liam screamed internally.
"Both Pokémon are ready—battle start!" the referee announced, waving both flags.
"Ladies and gentlemen, attention please! The first match is officially underway! But surprisingly, Axu hasn't sent out his infamously annoying Blissey—he's leading with an adorable Togetic instead! How strong could such a cute Pokémon possibly be? Keep your eyes on this one!"
The announcer's voice boomed across the venue.
"That damn pixie again?! Enough already! This is infuriating! Togetic, charge in—use Take Down!"
Hearing his Blissey referred to as a "teasing little pixie" once more, Axu erupted with fury. But since he couldn't go yell at the announcer, he redirected all that anger at Liam instead.
"Togeh!"
Togetic's cheerful demeanor shifted in an instant. Its wings flapped furiously as it shot toward Scyther with a sinister little grin.
'Damn… there's one awkward thing about Togetic: even though it's a Flying-type, it doesn't actually learn any Flying-type moves through leveling up… Which means it has to rely on rather quirky tactics. But that doesn't make it weak—on the contrary… if used properly, it's just as annoying as Blissey!'
'Also, there's another pain point: Togetic resists Bug-type moves extremely well—Bug-type attacks only deal one-quarter damage! While Togetic doesn't hit very hard, defeating it using only Scyther is going to be tough. Thankfully, Scyther knows more than just bug-type moves.'
"Scyther! Use Aerial Ace!"
"Scythe!"
At Liam's command, Scyther quickly fluttered its transparent wings and shot forward to intercept the charging Togetic. Just as the two were about to collide, Scyther suddenly shot upwards, dodging the Take Down cleanly.
Midair, it spun swiftly and dove down behind Togetic, its scythe-like blades slashing down fast!
"Togetic, Magical Leaf to block it!"
Seeing that Togetic was about to get hit, Axu's voice rang out sharply.
"Togetic!"
Togetic heard him and spun around just in time. A cluster of glowing green leaves shimmered into existence in front of her, intercepting Scyther's blades and blocking the attack.
"Don't stop! Slash it down!"
Seeing his attack deflected, Liam barked out another command.
"Scythe!!"
At his order, Scyther's eyes flashed. Its scythes gleamed with a white light as it launched into a rapid flurry of Slash attacks.
"Toge!"
The leafy shield shattered in the blink of an eye, and the next instant, Togetic was struck hard and sent crashing down toward the ground.
"Togetic! Use Charm! Quick!"
As Togetic plummeted, Axu called out urgently.
"Toge!"
Just as it was about to hit the ground, Togetic opened her eyes and flapped her wings to regain balance. Turning midair, she looked up at Scyther and let out an adorable, high-pitched cry.
"Scythe…"
Scyther, hearing the cry, wobbled in the air and landed unsteadily. Its gaze toward Togetic softened noticeably.
"Now! Togetic, Sweet Kiss! Hurry!"
"Toge!"
Axu quickly followed up. Togetic blew a flurry of kisses, sending pink heart-shaped projectiles soaring toward Scyther like rain.
"Scyther! Dodge with Agility!"
Seeing the incoming hearts, Liam shouted in a panic.
"Scythe!"
Scyther shook its head and spread its wings, ready to take to the air—
"Not letting you escape! Togetic, again!"
Just as Scyther took off, Togetic clapped her tiny hands together. Scyther, instead of speeding up, suddenly found its blades glowing with the remnants of Slash—Agility had failed to activate.
Unable to dodge, it tried to slash the pink hearts away, but when they shattered, they split into smaller ones and zipped right into its body.
"Scythe! Scyther!!"
Now thoroughly confused, Scyther began smacking its head with its blades, clearly entering a confused state.
"Come back, Scyther!"
Seeing Scyther like that, Liam realized it'd be dangerous to leave it out much longer—it might end up hurting itself. He quickly recalled it to its PokeBall, then looked across at Axu and smiled.
"Not bad at all. Your move timing and combo execution were spot on. Looks like you've grown a lot."
"That's thanks to your guidance, Senior. Without your help, I wouldn't have improved this much," Axu said sheepishly, scratching his cheek.
"No, that's your own effort paying off. I only gave a few suggestions. Seeing how strong you've become makes me proud! I've always wanted to battle powerful opponents—and now, you've reached that level!"
"Now then—this is where the real battle begins!!"
Liam's eyes gleamed with rising fighting spirit.