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"Come out! Nidoking!"
"Nido!!"
"Oh!! After a rough start with his Scyther, the trainer from Pallet Town, Liam, now sends out his second Pokémon! A ferocious-looking Nidoking! This Nidoking looks incredibly strong! How will Axu respond?"
"Axu! My Nidoking is different from your average Nidoking. He's far stronger than Weavile. You better watch out."
"Nido!!"
After releasing Nidoking, Liam warned Axu, while Nidoking stared coldly at Axu and the Togetic floating at his side, his triangular eyes full of menace.
"Now this feels right! Senior, I'm going to keep giving it my all!"
Axu wiped nonexistent sweat from his forehead after glancing at the pressure-heavy Nidoking, then grinned and shouted back at Liam.
"Both sides are ready! Battle, begin!"
The referee looked from side to side, then raised both flags and declared the match resumed.
"Strike first! Togetic, use Sweet Kiss!"
"Togepi!"
The moment the referee's voice dropped, Axu took the initiative, once again calling for Sweet Kiss. Togetic put its tiny hands to its lips and blew a series of kisses, each forming into a pink heart that flew straight toward Nidoking.
"Nidoking! Flamethrower! Then charge in with Horn Attack!"
"Nido!"
Seeing Axu reusing the same tactic, Liam quickly ordered a counterattack.
At his command, Nidoking opened his mouth wide, unleashing a blazing stream of fire like a volcanic eruption. The flames pierced through the rain of pink hearts, clearing a safe path. Then, his bulky body surged forward, quickly crossing the attack range of Sweet Kiss.
With his head slightly lowered and glowing purple horn aimed forward, he charged straight at Togetic.
"Togetic! Get airborne and use Magical Leaf!"
"Togepi!"
Seeing Nidoking escape Sweet Kiss, Axu ordered Togetic to take flight. With a flap of its tiny wings, Togetic soared into the air, then turned mid-air and flung glowing green leaves toward Nidoking—Magical Leaf.
"Flamethrower again!"
With Togetic airborne, Nidoking's short limbs made him unable to reach it. And since Magical Leaf is a Grass-type move, it could deal massive damage to Nidoking's Ground typing. Liam quickly called for another Flamethrower to intercept the attack.
"Nido!"
The scorching flames burst from Nidoking's mouth once more, incinerating the incoming Magical Leaf. The fire, unimpeded, kept on roaring toward Togetic in the sky.
"Dodge it, Togetic! Then use Charm!"
Axu wasn't too worried about Flamethrower, confident in Togetic's speed to avoid it. After dodging, it would be time to strike back.
"Togepi!"
As Axu predicted, Togetic showed no fear in the face of the flames. With a bright smile, it twisted through the blaze with nimble movements, then dived swiftly toward Nidoking.
Skimming just above the ground, it rushed up close to Nidoking. Its large eyes shimmered adorably—clearly the beginning of its Charm move.
"Don't fall for it, Nidoking! Use Protect! Then use Thunderbolt!"
"Nido!"
Just as Charm was about to take effect, Liam shouted a warning. Nidoking immediately raised a pale blue barrier. The moment it formed, it shattered—successfully blocking the move.
"Togepi?"
Togetic tilted its head in confusion. It had seen the barrier go up and vanish, but nothing had happened. What was that?
"Oh no! Get back—Togetic, retreat!!"
Axu recognized the Protect instantly. He realized Charm had failed and hurriedly called for Togetic to retreat.
"Nido!"
But it was too late. Just as Togetic turned to fly back, Nidoking let out a thunderous roar—and with it came a brilliant yellow lightning bolt.
The blast struck Togetic at point-blank range. The fairy-type Pokémon let out a shriek and fell from the air, smoke trailing from its body.
"Nido!"
Just as Liam expected, the Flying-type Togetic couldn't withstand Thunderbolt. It crashed to the ground, eyes spinning.
"Togetic is unable to battle! Green side, please send out your next Pokémon."
The referee waved both flags toward Axu's side and declared the result.
"Oh! What a shocking development! Liam's Nidoking is absolutely incredible! Flamethrower! Thunderbolt! Just how did it learn such amazing moves? Truly eye-opening! And now… what Pokémon will Axu send out next? We can't wait to see!"
"Return, Togetic… You did great out there." Axu held up his PokeBall and recalled Togetic. Then he turned to Liam. "Senior, that was surprising. Those must be the kinds of moves you told me your Pokémon learned from TMs, right? Incredible stuff… Heh, I didn't have much money with me while traveling, so I kept putting off buying any. But now I see—I have to get some TMs to power up my team."
As he spoke, Axu pulled out a new PokeBall and threw it onto the field.
"ROOAAAR!"
The PokeBall burst open to reveal a massive blue creature with huge jaws full of fangs. Red, jagged bone-like plates jutted from its head, back, and thick tail. The moment it appeared, it let out a fearsome roar aimed straight at Nidoking, brimming with fighting spirit.
"!! Feraligatr! Heh, you really do keep surprising me. Starters from Johto are far rarer and harder to obtain than Kanto's. For you to have a Feraligatr… I'm becoming more and more curious about your background. But you saw what happened earlier—my Nidoking can use Thunderbolt, a powerful Electric-type move. And now you're sending in a Water-type Feraligatr? That's a risky move."
Liam glanced meaningfully at the imposing Feraligatr and addressed Axu.
"Hehehe, my background isn't anything to brag about. And yes, I'm well aware of your Nidoking's Thunderbolt. But Feraligatr and I grew up together—he's my strongest Pokémon. I trust him. He's my ultimate partner. You'd better be careful, Senior!"
Axu scratched his head, beaming with pride and excitement. Clearly, he had full faith in Feraligatr's power.
"Oh! What a twist! Axu has brought out none other than Feraligatr—the Johto-region powerhouse that rivals Kanto's Blastoise in strength! What will Liam do now?! How will he handle this?"
"Both Pokémon are on the field! Both sides are ready! Battle, begin!"
"Let's go, Feraligatr! Let everyone see what we can really do!"
"We're not backing down! Let's show them what we're made of!"
"Roar!"
"Nido!"