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"Pineco! Pineco, wake up!"
Ginko frowned deeply as he saw Pineco lying on the ground with eyes closed, sound asleep. He dropped his hands from his ears and shouted loudly at Pineco, but it was in vain.
A Pokemon in a sleep state would definitely not wake up just because of a few shouts from its trainer.
"Got caught by it? Great! Lapras, now's the time—use Ice Shard!"
On the other side of the white mist, Delia's face lit up with joy upon hearing Ginko's shout. She knew Lapras's singing had taken effect. Wasting no time, she yelled toward Lapras hidden within the mist.
"Wuuu~"
Right after Delia finished speaking, a cheerful cry rang out from the mist. Cold gusts of wind blew out, thinning the once-thick fog and gradually revealing Lapras's figure.
Lapras had its head raised and mouth open, cold air gathering rapidly in front of its mouth. A solid chunk of ice was forming, growing larger with each breath.
"Wuu!"
As soon as the ice shard was complete, Lapras opened its mouth wide and fired it with force. The basin-sized chunk of ice shot forward, aimed squarely at the sleeping Pineco on the ground.
"Pineco! Wake up, Pineco!"
Seeing the ice shard fly toward his Pokemon, Ginko made one last desperate attempt, shouting with all his might... then—
Bang!
The sound of shattering ice echoed out. Lapras's Ice Shard struck Pineco dead-on. The impact caused the ice chunk to explode into countless shards, scattering in all directions.
As for Pineco, it remained lying there asleep. It had only a few new scratches—nothing too serious.
"Don't stop, Lapras! Keep attacking! Use Water Pulse this time!"
Delia noticed the Ice Shard hadn't done much damage. But with no other options, she could only try to land as many hits as possible while Pineco remained asleep.
"Wuu~"
Most of the surrounding mist had cleared by now. Lapras, lying in the grass, turned its head slightly and nodded toward Delia. Then a deep-Lapras water sphere began to form in its mouth, gathering strength, ready to be fired.
"Come back, Pineco!"
Just then, to everyone's surprise, Ginko pulled out a PokeBall and recalled Pineco—even though it hadn't yet lost the ability to battle.
"Wuu?"
Losing its target, Lapras looked confused. The water sphere dissipated from its mouth, and it turned toward Delia, puzzled.
"Uncle! The battle isn't over yet! Why are you recalling Pineco? Aren't Gym Leaders not supposed to switch Pokemon during battle?"
Delia looked completely baffled by Ginko's actions.
"That's why this round goes to Lapras. My Pineco lost…"
Ginko's face was calm. He casually put Pineco's PokeBall away, as if what he had done wasn't a big deal at all.
"…Even though the battle isn't over… just recalling your Pokemon like that to admit defeat—don't you feel a bit unwilling?"
Delia furrowed her brows and muttered softly.
"Of course it feels frustrating. But if a trainer keeps pushing at times like these, the only one who gets hurt is their own Pokemon. A good trainer must know when to withdraw their Pokemon… that's an important part of being qualified."
Even though Delia's voice was quiet, Ginko still heard her. With a faint smile, he replied as he pulled out another PokeBall.
"Alright, enough of the small talk. The battle isn't over yet. This is my third Pokemon, and it's a tough one—better be careful! Go, Paras!"
With that, Ginko forcefully tossed the PokeBall. A flash of light appeared, and Paras—neither clearly insect nor plant—landed on the grass, waving its sharp claws with bravado.
"Hmph, you sound all reasonable, so I'll just keep that in mind for now. Since you've already sent out your last Pokemon, I won't hold back either! This time we attack first—Lapras, use Water Gun!"
Seeing Ginko send out Paras, Delia gave a soft snort and seized the initiative. She issued her command without giving Ginko a chance to act first.
"Wuu!!"
As soon as Lapras heard the command, it opened its mouth and fired a Water Gun. The clear stream of water surged across the field toward Paras.
"Dodge it, Paras! Use Agility!"
"Para!"
The moment Delia launched her attack, Ginko responded immediately. Though Paras wasn't known for speed, it activated Agility—its body shimmered slightly, and in the next second, it vanished from its original spot.
"Huh? A Paras that knows Agility? Must be a hereditary move… this one's got real potential!"
Liam, watching from the side, widened his eyes in surprise.
He knew Paras doesn't learn Agility through leveling or standard TMs. The only explanation was that this particular Paras inherited the move genetically.
"Paras, now rush in and use Stun Spore!"
"Para!"
Having dodged Lapras's Water Gun, Paras received another command. It let out a hiss and shook its body vigorously. Two glittering clouds of Stun Spore floated toward Lapras.
"Watch out, Lapras! Dodge it! Don't let it touch you!"
Before Delia challenged the Azalea Gym, Liam had prepped her thoroughly. He'd made it clear: many Bug-type Pokemon could use status-inflicting powders—like Butterfree, with its infamous powder trio.
If any of those landed, a Pokemon's combat ability could be severely compromised. So the moment she saw the Stun Spore, Delia urgently ordered Lapras to evade.
However, Delia overlooked one thing—Lapras's movement speed on land was a real weakness. It hadn't flopped forward more than a few steps before the spore cloud caught up and enveloped it. Fine electrical sparks instantly began jumping across its body.
"Wuu~~"
Paralyzed. That sensation was clearly uncomfortable. Lapras shut its eyes and let out a pained whimper. The sound was heartbreaking.
"This is bad! Lapras! Hang in there! Quick, try attacking! Use Ice Shard!"
Worried by Lapras's paralysis and immobility, Delia quickly strategized. She knew their best shot was to attack first while they still could.
"Wuu!!"
The moment she gave the command, Lapras forced its eyes open, mustering strength through sheer will. Cold wind gathered once more at its mouth.
"Wuu!"
But then—a sudden, stronger spark of electricity burst from Lapras's body, crackling violently. The sharp pain broke its concentration, interrupting the skill before it could be released.
"Now's your chance, Paras! Go in and use Mega Drain!"
Seeing Lapras's condition, there was no way Ginko would let the opportunity slip. He instantly shouted out the next move.
"Para!"
Paras responded swiftly. Thanks to Agility, it zipped across the battlefield in a blur, appearing beside Lapras in mere seconds. Then it leaped onto Lapras's back. Raising both claws, a green glow began to pulse from them…