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"Rio!"
Riolu's attack was lightning-fast. With its body trailing a streak of white sparks, it darted in front of Aipom in the blink of an eye, ready to land a direct hit.
"Aipom! Use Bounce!"
"Pom!"
Just then, Mr. Howard's command rang out. Hearing the order, Aipom let out a cheeky laugh, then used its long tail to spring high into the air, narrowly dodging Riolu's frontal strike. Immediately after, Aipom countered, descending rapidly from above with the momentum of a flying kick aimed straight at the halted Riolu.
"Dodge it, Riolu!"
"Rio!"
Seeing Aipom swoop down from above, Delia quickly ordered Riolu to evade. The nimble Pokémon obeyed instantly—flipping several times in midair before twisting out of range of the attack. With a few agile sidesteps, it retreated safely back to Delia's side.
"Be careful, Delia. Bounce is a Flying-type move. If it lands, Riolu won't be able to withstand it."
Standing off to the side, Liam frowned as he watched Aipom's movements, giving Delia a slightly worried reminder.
"Mm! Got it! Riolu, keep dodging! Now, charge in—use Quick Attack again!"
Nodding at Liam's advice, Delia turned back and shouted instructions to Riolu, urging it to attack once more.
"Riolu!"
Responding to her call, Riolu gave a low cry, its body once again surrounded by white sparks as it shot forward with incredible speed.
"Stop it, Aipom! Use Swift!"
Seeing Riolu rush in again, Mr. Howard quickly ordered his Pokémon to intercept.
"Ai…pom!"
At his command, Aipom sprang from the ground, its tail lashing back and forth. From it burst a flurry of golden, star-shaped projectiles that streaked directly toward Riolu.
"Don't be afraid, Riolu! Dodge the Swift with Quick Attack!"
Swift was fast—fast enough that against slower Pokémon, it was nearly unavoidable. But Delia clearly had confidence in Riolu's speed. She immediately directed it to evade.
"Rii!"
Obeying her words, Riolu—already sprinting at high speed—suddenly swerved at a sharp angle mid-charge, narrowly slipping past the barrage of golden stars. Its little body shot forward again, kicking hard off the ground before leaping high into the air. With fierce momentum, it rammed straight into the descending Aipom.
"Aipom!!"
The brutal collision sent Aipom flying backward in pain. Riolu flipped gracefully midair, landing firmly on the ground with the rebound force.
Boom!
"Aipom! Hah… you've got more skill than I thought, little lady. Seems I really underestimated you earlier. But now, I'll get serious—you'd better watch out! Aipom! Use Agility, then go in with Fury Swipes!"
Howard's eyes widened in surprise after Aipom crashed to the ground. He couldn't help but smile in admiration, but soon his excitement flared. His blood boiled with battle passion as he flicked his arm and shouted, giving his Aipom the order to truly go on the offensive.
"Aipom!"
The once-mischievous grin vanished from Aipom's face, replaced with a furious glare. At its trainer's command, purple psychic light glimmered faintly around its body. It charged at Riolu with blinding speed, arms and tail raised high, ready to unleash a frenzied assault.
"Keep dodging, Riolu! Use Double Team!"
"Rio!"
At Delia's shout, Riolu let out a low growl. Its body blurred rapidly, and in an instant, multiple shadowy doubles burst forth, circling and surrounding Aipom. The shifting illusions disoriented the opponent.
"Aipom…?"
Aipom froze mid-attack, glancing nervously at the blue-black figures flashing around it. A bead of cold sweat formed on its round cheek.
"Don't be fooled, Aipom! Quick, use Swift! Destroy all the clones!"
Howard, seeing his Pokémon trapped, urgently called out.
"Aipom!"
Determination hardened in Aipom's eyes. With a cry, it leapt into the air, spinning rapidly. Its tail whipped furiously, launching a torrential storm of golden stars like rainfall. The barrage shattered clone after clone, reducing Riolu's doubles one by one.
"We can't wait any longer, Riolu! All at once—use Force Palm!"
Delia, noticing the dwindling illusions, grew anxious. Without hesitation, she gave her command.
"Rio!"
The remaining doubles howled in unison. Together, they leapt forward, each glowing with blue-white energy around their small paws. Nimbly weaving past the storm of stars, they all converged on Aipom midair.
"Riolu!!"
Boom!
"Aipom!!"
In that instant, when the real Riolu struck Aipom's body, a violent blue-white wave exploded outward. The force tore through Aipom, blasting it from the air and slamming it hard into the ground. This time, it didn't get up.
"Aipom is unable to battle! Riolu wins!"
The young girl acting as referee waved her green flag, forcing her voice into maturity as she announced the result.
"Riii~ (We won! I'm so happy~)"
Landing firmly, Riolu broke into a smile for the first time after hearing the referee's words. Its serious little face lit up as it turned back toward Delia, calling out cheerfully.
"Haha! Well done, Riolu! Now keep up the momentum—let's take the second round too!"
"Riolu! (Got it!)"
Delia beamed with pride, loudly praising Riolu.
Meanwhile, Mr. Howard stared blankly at his fallen Aipom, stunned for several seconds before snapping back to reality.
"Uh… so I lost. Return, Aipom… I underestimated you this time. Get some rest."
He recalled Aipom into its PokeBall, then immediately drew out another. His expression had turned grave—this time, he was truly ready to fight seriously.
"Very well! Next is my second Pokémon! Go! I choose you—Smeargle!"