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"Power Split?! That Shuckle must be a high-level Pokémon! Delia, be careful! This Shuckle is tough—don't let your guard down!"
Indeed, Shuckle's Attack stat was its major weakness. But that didn't make it weak overall. Once a Shuckle reached a high enough level, it could learn some truly annoying moves—Power Split being one of them!
"Shuckle!!"
Right as Liam's voice fell, Shuckle let out another cry. A moment later, the purple glow surrounding Wartortle flew off his body, hovered midair, and split into two orbs—each floating back into the bodies of Wartortle and Shuckle.
"Wartortle? Wartortle?!"
As soon as the orb entered his body, Wartortle visibly reacted—he felt a noticeable decrease in physical strength, and it made him panic.
"Shuuuckle!"
Shuckle, on the other hand, looked absolutely delighted. It raised one stubby limb and struck a bodybuilding pose, as if showing off its newfound strength.
"Huh? What's going on? Wartortle, how do you feel?!"
Delia hadn't caught what happened and immediately rushed to check on her Pokémon, who was clearly behaving a little strangely.
"Wartortle....."
Wartortle gave a weak, exhausted response.
"Don't worry, Delia," Liam quickly explained, frowning slightly as he noticed how worried she looked. "That was a move called Power Split. It divided Wartortle's Attack Power with Shuckle, so Wartortle's feeling weaker than before. But don't worry—it doesn't actually cause any damage."
"Wait, what?! There's a move that unfair?! Still—just because the strength is split doesn't mean everything else has changed! Rock-types are still weak to Water! Wartortle, go! Use Water Pulse!"
Delia's eyes widened in outrage upon hearing Liam's explanation. She shouted in frustration and immediately called for an attack.
"Wartortle! Wartortle!"
Despite feeling drained, Wartortle pulled himself together, opened his mouth wide, and fired a glowing orb of pulsating water at Shuckle.
"Shuckle, use Bug Buzz!"
Across the field, Ginko, the opposing Gym Leader, remained completely calm and gave his order.
"Shuckle!~"
Following the command, the empowered Shuckle opened its mouth wide. Rippling waves of visible vibrations surged out, colliding with the Water Pulse midair.
The two moves clashed for a few seconds—until Shuckle's Bug Buzz overpowered Wartortle's attack, shattering it and engulfing Wartortle in a wave of strange vibrations. A flickering glow surrounded Wartortle as his Special Defense stat was temporarily lowered.
"Bug Buzz..... This Gym Leader Ginko... he's no pushover."
Liam narrowed his eyes at the battle and muttered with a hint of admiration.
"This doesn't make sense! I thought it would be an even match!"
Delia looked stunned as her attack was completely neutralized.
"After the Power Split, your Wartortle isn't yet used to its current strength. That's why its control over power is unstable—and that gave my Shuckle the advantage. This match has no suspense left now. Let me end it! Shuckle, use Power Trick!"
Ginko calmly explained, then issued another order—clearly intending to finish the fight.
"Shuu~shuu!"
Shuckle once again glowed with eerie purple light. When the glow faded, its entire presence changed—it suddenly felt overwhelmingly dangerous.
"Another weird move?! I don't care anymore! Wartortle, attack now! Use Skull Bash!"
Seeing the transformation, Delia had no idea what Ginko was planning next, so she chose to strike first.
"Wartortle!"
Wartortle braced himself with a sharp backward step, then charged forward with all his strength, aiming straight for Shuckle with an unstoppable momentum.
"Shuckle, Stone Edge!"
"Shuuckle!~"
As Wartortle barreled toward it, Shuckle cried out and lightly tapped the ground with one limb. A loud rumble followed as sharp, blue stone spikes erupted from the earth like bamboo shoots, racing in a straight line toward Wartortle.
"Wartortle!"
Seeing the incoming barrage, Wartortle faltered and hit the brakes, skidding to a halt mid-charge. He tried to turn and dodge, but it was too late—rows of jagged rocks burst upward and engulfed him.
BOOM!!
The explosion of Stone Edge rocked the battlefield. For a few seconds, everything fell silent. Then, Wartortle came tumbling out of the impact zone—eyes spinning, completely out of it.
"Wartortle is unable to battle. Challenger, please send out your next Pokémon."
Ginko raised his voice once he confirmed Wartortle's state.
"Come back, Wartortle... You've done great. Get some rest now."
Delia didn't say much. She calmly retrieved Wartortle into his PokeBall, then raised her head to stare at the returning Shuckle. Its form had returned to normal now, but her eyes glinted with admiration.
"So Shuckle's actually this strong...? That was amazing! If I get the chance, I have to catch one! I bet it feels really good to use!"
Delia looked longingly at Shuckle as it returned to Ginko's side, determination shining in her eyes.
"Uh... 'feels good to use'...? Why do I suddenly feel a chill down my neck...? Is it just my imagination?"
Liam shivered involuntarily at her words. His expression turned strangely stiff.
"If you want to catch a Shuckle, I can tell you where to find one. But for now, we're still in the middle of a battle. Let's finish this first before we talk about anything else."
Ginko nodded slightly at her enthusiasm and spoke calmly.
"Okay! Got it! Now it's time for my second Pokémon! Uncle, you better be careful! Go, Lapras! Time for your very first battle!"
Delia lit up with joy when Ginko mentioned he'd share Shuckle's location later. Without hesitation, she pulled out her second PokeBall and tossed it onto the field.
With a flash of light, her newly caught Lapras appeared on the grassy arena, letting out a joyful cry. It looked around curiously, eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Lapras! This is your first battle! And it's really important for me too! Let's give it everything we've got!"
"Wuu~!"