"The match begins."
"Scyther, use Focus Energy."
Scyther stood still, took a deep breath, and focused its mind.
"Geodude, use Smack Down. Knock Scyther out of the air."
Seeing a rock nearby, Geodude lifted it and hurled it straight at Scyther.
Eichi didn't react at all. When the rock came within just ten centimeters of Scyther, it moved.
Its body twisted aside, narrowly dodging the rock.
"Hmm!"
"That was fast! Its Focus Energy activation speed is amazing!"
Flint was surprised but kept attacking.
"Geodude, use Rock Throw!"
Geodude hurled stones one after another.
"Scyther, use Agility!"
Seeing the incoming rocks, Scyther suddenly sped up, dodging them in a flash.
"Scyther, use Quick Attack!"
After dodging, it rushed straight at Geodude.
"Geodude, keep throwing rocks! Don't let it come close!"
Geodude threw even faster. Scyther weaved forward in a zigzag pattern, avoiding most of them.
When there was no way to dodge, it used Vacuum Wave to shatter the stones and continued advancing.
"Geodude, use Smack Down!"
Realizing Scyther was close, Geodude grabbed a huge rock and hurled it hard at the oncoming Scyther.
"Rollout!"
Right after throwing, Geodude tucked in its arms and rolled forward like a ball.
The boulder flew toward Scyther. The twin scythes flashed with white light.
"Vacuum Wave!"
Two shockwaves shattered the huge rock. But from the fragments, a spinning ball suddenly shot out.
Caught off guard, Scyther was hit head-on and pushed back several meters.
That attack had power, and Scyther was hurt badly.
"As expected of a Gym Leader."
Even though Flint didn't have outstanding natural talent, reaching the level of a Gym Leader still required real skill.
"Are you okay, Scyther?"
Scyther stood up and took flight again, signaling that it was fine.
The hit from Rollout had fired up its fighting spirit.
Seeing that, Eichi relaxed.
"Geodude, use Defense Curl."
In a battle, every second mattered. Geodude increased its defense, but Eichi didn't panic.
"Scyther, use Leer!"
A flash of white light flickered in Scyther's eyes as it glared at Geodude.
Under that sharp gaze, Geodude began to tremble.
Flint frowned. That Defense Curl had been wasted.
"Scyther, use Quick Attack!"
"Geodude, use Rock Throw!"
It was like before, with stones flying toward Scyther.
Scyther dodged again, swiftly avoiding every one of them.
Then came Flint's next command.
"Geodude, use Smack Down!"
"Just as I thought."
A huge rock was hurled toward Scyther. This time, instead of using Vacuum Wave, Scyther reacted differently.
"Scyther, use Agility!"
It darted aside, then charged at Geodude again.
"Geodude, use Endure!"
When Scyther was just a step away, Flint didn't order an attack. Instead, he told Geodude to endure.
Endure allowed a Pokémon to take hits for two turns, then return double the damage.
So, he's underestimating my Scyther, Eichi thought, smirking. Fine, let's finish this in two hits.
"Scyther, use Vacuum Wave!"
Scyther's Ability was Technician, boosting the power of weaker moves. Its twin scythes glowed bright white and slashed fiercely at Geodude.
"Ugh!"
The hit pushed Geodude back several meters, but Scyther didn't stop there.
It rushed again and launched another Vacuum Wave.
Flint hadn't expected the move to be that strong. His expression changed.
He tried to order Geodude to dodge, but it was too late.
The second Vacuum Wave hit cleanly, sending Geodude crashing to the ground before it could counter with Endure.
"Geodude is unable to battle. Scyther wins!"
"The Gym Leader has one Pokémon remaining."
"Return, Geodude."
Flint recalled Geodude and handed the Poké Ball to a nearby staff member.
He turned to Eichi. "Your Scyther's impressive. I guess I underestimated you."
"I'll need to get serious."
"Go, Onix!"
A massive figure appeared on the battlefield, another Onix.
Eichi checked the data. This one, though only with a Good talent, had energy levels reaching the Experienced rank.
It was clearly stronger than the previous challenger's Onix.
Eichi knew Scyther was at a disadvantage and reached for its Poké Ball.
"Return, Scyther."
But Scyther turned its head and shook it.
"You still want to fight?"
It nodded.
"Alright then. Let's keep going."
"The battle continues!"
"Scyther, use Agility!"
"Onix, use Harden!"
Onix's body gleamed silver, its defense rising sharply.
"Scyther, use Vacuum Wave!"
Scyther's scythes struck hard against Onix's rocky body, but it barely made a mark.
It was like scratching an itch. Eichi frowned.
"Scyther, use Agility!"
Scyther darted back at high speed, leaving afterimages behind.
Eichi decided to wear it down. He ordered Scyther to keep attacking with Vacuum Wave.
Each hit landed, but the effect was minimal. Onix's defense was just too high, so even if it was too slow to catch Scyther, there was not much his Scyther could do to it.
After several exchanges, Flint said, "Let's end this."
"Onix, use Sand Tomb!"
Onix roared, and the battlefield was engulfed in a sandstorm.
Trapped in the swirling sand, Scyther couldn't maintain its speed and was forced to stop.
The flying debris slammed into its body again and again.
The damage grew worse. Scyther tried to escape, but before it could move, a giant boulder came crashing down on it.
The impact was devastating. Scyther fell to the ground, unable to battle.
"Scyther is unable to battle. Onix wins!"
"The challenger has one Pokémon remaining."
"Return, Scyther."
Eichi recalled Scyther into its Poké Ball. "You did great. Leave the rest to Beedrill."
"Go, Beedrill!"
Beedrill appeared on the field, buzzing with energy.
"A Beedrill? Then it's over," Brock muttered from the stands. "There's no way Beedrill can beat an Onix."
Seeing the Beedrill, Flint also thought Eichi was done for, though he admitted it was well trained.