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"It's your turn! Smeargle, show off your talent!"
"Smear~ Smear~"
As Howard tossed out his PokeBall, a thin and weak-looking Smeargle appeared on the battlefield. The frail-looking creature happily grabbed its tail and began drawing something unrecognizable on the ground beneath it.
"Uh… What kind of Pokemon is this? Why does it feel so strange…?"
Seeing Smeargle's appearance, Delia looked completely puzzled, her expression twisted in confusion.
"This Pokemon is called Smeargle. It only has one move—Sketch. With Sketch, it can permanently copy an opponent's move. So, the moves it's learned are a complete mystery to everyone except itself and its Trainer. While that's amazing… in terms of raw strength, it's not exactly remarkable. Still, since this is a Gym Leader's Pokemon, you should be careful, Delia."
Liam was honestly surprised that Mr. Howard would send out a Smeargle. It wasn't that Liam looked down on it—though its stats certainly weren't impressive.
He remembered back when he played the games, always wondering why Smeargle even existed. What was the point? Just to show off a gimmick with its measly 250 base stats?
He never figured it out… and eventually shoved Smeargle into his "least liked Pokemon" category. For now, it was the only one in there.
"The Gym Leader's Pokemon is on the field. Smeargle versus Riolu—battle begin!"
The referee girl glanced left and right at both sides before swiftly raising her flags to start the match.
"What the heck? What's that Smeargle doing!? It's still just drawing!? Hmph! Whatever.. Riolu, speed up and charge in! Finish it with Force Palm!"
As soon as the battle began, Delia noticed Smeargle was still ignoring them, happily doodling on the ground. That feeling of being underestimated irritated her. With a flash of anger, she quickly ordered Riolu to attack.
"Rio!"
Riolu gave a short nod and charged forward. Blue-white energy coated its small paws, and it let out a low growl as it rushed at Smeargle.
Riolu's speed was blazing. In just a blink, it was right in front of Smeargle, its glowing paws striking out, about to land a solid hit—
"Now, Smeargle! Counter!"
"Smear!"
The moment Mr. Howard's order rang out, Smeargle suddenly lifted its head, glaring at the incoming Riolu. With a low growl, its body flared with a faint red light—
Boom!!
"Smear!"
"Riiiooo!!"
As the red glow enveloped Smeargle, Riolu's attack landed! Their bodies clashed. Smeargle grunted and staggered back a step, but Riolu was sent flying with a painful cry, rolling harshly across the ground.
"What! Riolu! Are you okay!?"
The sudden turn shocked Delia speechless. She looked down at Riolu, who was gritting its teeth and pushing itself back to its feet.
"Rio! (I'm fine! Don't worry about me!)"
Riolu's face twisted with anger, its eyes fiercely locked on Smeargle—who had already gone back to happily drawing on the ground as if nothing happened.
"What just happened!? Riolu's attack clearly connected! So why did Riolu end up getting hurt!"
Delia couldn't understand what she had just witnessed. She turned her gaze to Mr. Howard, who was smiling smugly, and blurted out her confusion.
"That was Counter. It's a special move that returns double the damage of a physical attack. I didn't expect his Smeargle to know it… tch, how devious."
Liam quickly explained the move to Delia, narrowing his eyes at Mr. Howard, who was grinning with satisfaction. Liam couldn't help but curse inwardly.
"What! There's a move like that? Then what am I supposed to do? That's so unfair!"
After hearing Liam's explanation, Delia fumed at Mr. Howard and Smeargle, her face dark with displeasure.
"Calm down! Don't forget that this is a Gym Battle. You have to earn the badge.. it won't just be handed over to you. Listen carefully.. for Counter to work, it first has to endure the hit. Breaking it isn't hard—you can either switch to special attacks or keep pressing the offensive until Smeargle's stamina gives out. Counter is strong, but it isn't unbeatable. Once you know how it works, there's always a way around it."
Liam's stern yet soft words immediately steadied Delia's emotions. Her eyes grew sharp and focused as she turned back to Riolu, clearly preparing for another attack.
"Hahaha! Young man, you're very knowledgeable. I already saw from yesterday's battle that you're a skilled fighter, but I didn't expect your theory to be just as sharp. It's a pity I can't battle you myself—what a shame."
Mr. Howard laughed heartily after listening to Liam's breakdown, though his face carried a trace of regret.
"Hehe. If there's a chance in the future, I'll be glad to oblige… hehe."
Liam scratched his head awkwardly, smiling wryly at the Gym Leader's words.
"Ha! There's an opening! Riolu, go—use Force Palm again!"
The moment Mr. Howard and Liam finished speaking, Delia's eyes lit up. Spotting an opportunity, she ordered Riolu to attack once more.
"Rio!"
Already prepared, Riolu darted forward even faster than before, its small body bouncing across the arena with incredible speed. In a blink, it was at Smeargle's side, its glowing paws radiating strange waves as it struck out—
"Heh, naive! Smeargle, Reversal!"
"Smear!!"
Just when Riolu's blow was about to land, Smeargle reacted with shocking speed. To everyone's surprise, it twisted aside gracefully, dodging the attack. In the same instant, Smeargle spun around, raising one hind leg high before slamming it hard into Riolu's chest!
Thud!
The strike sent Riolu's small body flying, skidding across the battlefield in a cloud of dust until it tumbled outside the lines.
"Riolu!!"