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"Hmph! Enough with this mysterious nonsense! Let's stop wasting words and begin! Grovyle, charge in and teach it a lesson! Use Quick Attack!"
"Groo!"
The sound blaring from Electabuzz's speaker-like mouth only made Steven more irritated. Having lost all patience, he immediately ordered Grovyle to attack! The green body instantly turned into a streak of white light, shooting forward at high speed!
"Elekid! We'll use Quick Attack too!"
"Li-li-li!!"
The same move, the same motion—upon hearing the command, Electabuzz also transformed into a bolt of white light and rushed straight in without hesitation!
"Groo!"
"Li-li-li!!"
Two flashes of Quick Attack streaked rapidly across the battlefield. Grovyle and Electabuzz dragged long trails of white light as they collided again and again. Each clash was brief—touch and separate—yet in a single moment, they had already exchanged blows several times.
"Grovyle! Take advantage of close range and use Leaf Blade!"
Seeing that Grovyle hadn't gained the upper hand in the exchanges, Steven frowned slightly. Just as the two Pokémon were about to collide once more, a sharp gleam flashed in his eyes and he shouted his command!
"Groo!"
While sprinting at full speed, Grovyle let out a low roar and swiftly extended its left arm. The long leaf on its arm glowed green and rapidly elongated, becoming as sharp as a long blade in the blink of an eye!
"Elekid! Thunder Punch!"
Seeing Grovyle bring out Leaf Blade, Liam naturally wouldn't let Electabuzz crash into it head-on. He immediately gave the counter-command!
Still running at full speed, Electabuzz spun its right arm rapidly. Streams of electricity gathered around its fist, and with crackling golden lightning, it slammed forward—colliding head-on with Grovyle once again!
"Li-li-li!"
"Groo!!"
This time, neither Pokémon retreated. Instead, they locked into a direct contest of strength—Thunder Punch clashing tightly against Leaf Blade, neither side giving an inch.
At that moment, seeing the stalemate, Steven's mind raced—and an idea formed.
"Perfect timing! Grovyle, use Pound now!"
"Groo!!"
Grovyle stood about a head taller than Electabuzz. Hearing the command, it immediately lifted its head and whipped the long leaf atop it like a flexible whip, snapping it down at Electabuzz at blinding speed!
"Heh! Elekid! Grab it!"
"Li-li-li!!"
Just as the leaf was about to strike, a smile suddenly appeared at the corner of Liam's mouth as he shouted his command.
"Elekid!"
Electabuzz instantly extended its left arm. Its short fingers, crackling with electricity, firmly grabbed the leaf as it came down!
Then—
"Elekid! Now! Low Kick!"
Giving Grovyle no time to react, Liam's follow-up command rang out the instant Electabuzz seized the leaf. Electabuzz lowered its body and swept out a powerful kick—its leg slamming heavily into Grovyle's ankle! A tremendous force burst forth, and Grovyle cried out in pain as it crashed hard onto the ground!
"Grovyle! Pull back—create distance!"
The sudden turn of events left Steven momentarily stunned. Only after Grovyle fell did he react, hurriedly ordering it to retreat to avoid further attacks.
"Groo!"
Grovyle immediately tried to roll over and stand up—but the moment it moved, it felt a tight pull on its head. Only then did it realize that the leaf atop its head was still firmly held in Electabuzz's grasp. With Electabuzz tugging backward mischievously, Grovyle lost its balance and fell once again!
"Elekid! Finish it! Ice Punch!"
With its leaf restrained and mobility lost, Grovyle's defeat was inevitable. Liam wasted no time and gave the final command!
"Li-li-li!!"
Ice Punch was one of Electabuzz's egg moves. Though it wasn't the same type, it dealt significant damage to a Grass-type like Grovyle. Electabuzz planted a foot firmly on Grovyle's body, while its free right fist rapidly filled with freezing cold air. Then—
A swift, precise, merciless punch slammed straight into Grovyle's face! Frost exploded outward in an instant!
When Electabuzz withdrew its hand, Grovyle on the ground had already been frozen into a solid block of ice.
"Grovyle!!"
Seeing Grovyle lose its ability to battle, Steven rushed forward in shock. He reached out to touch the ice-encased Grovyle, clenched his teeth, then turned to glare at Liam before taking out a PokeBall and recalling Grovyle.
Liam scratched his cheek helplessly, unsure what to say for a moment.
"So strong… Even though this was its first real battle, and it didn't even have a type advantage—it still won so cleanly. Senior Axu, you were right. This senior really is powerful. Looks like Steven is going to have a hard time today."
At the edge of the field, Wallace—who had been watching the entire match—spoke with concern as he looked at Steven walking back to his position with his head lowered.
"Hehe, suffering a bit is good for Steven. Losing is inevitable, but losing to Senior Liam isn't anything shameful. This will teach him that there's always someone stronger out there, so he won't suffer a much worse loss later. You should all learn from this too—it'll benefit you. Oh? Steven's sending out his second Pokémon. Let's focus on the battle."
After hearing Wallace, Axu spoke calmly to him and Winona. Seeing Steven throw his second PokeBall, she stopped talking and turned her attention fully back to the match.
"Go, Metang! I'm counting on you now!"
"Metang!!"
With Steven's shout, a Metang radiating platinum-white light appeared on the field. This shiny Metang calmly fixed its gaze on Electabuzz, its steel arms slowly swinging.
"Oh? A white Metang—pretty rare. Steel and Psychic type… Hmm, it looks strong. This matchup feels pretty unfavorable for my Elekid."
Liam already knew Steven possessed a shiny Metagross—it was his signature Pokémon. So seeing Steven send out a shiny Metang didn't surprise him much, and he merely commented quietly.
"Hmph. So you even know Metang's typing? Looks like I underestimated you. But now that Metang is on the field, your Electabuzz has no chance of winning! I won't be careless this time! Metang!"
"Met!!"
"Metal Claw!"
"Metang!!"
Steven was briefly surprised that Liam knew Metang's typing, but he didn't dwell on it. Pointing straight at Electabuzz, he commanded Metang to raise its steel-glinting arms and charge forward, slashing at Electabuzz at high speed!