Eichi simply smiled without saying a word.
"Battle begin!" Tetsu announced.
Ishida immediately shouted, "Scizor, use Bullet Punch!"
"Scizor, let's use Bullet Punch too," Eichi countered.
Although Eichi was a heartbeat slower in giving the command, he wasn't worried in the slightest.
Both Scizor activated Bullet Punch simultaneously. Metallic energy surged through their pincers, glowing with a brilliant white light. They closed the distance with extreme speed, striking at one another with bullet-like velocity.
The clash happened in an instant as their pincers collided.
Bang!
A cloud of dust kicked up from the impact. Both Scizor were pushed back a short distance. Without pause, they continued lunging at each other with Bullet Punch. One would strike and be dodged, followed immediately by a counterattack that was also evaded. They traded blows back and forth, turning the air above the field into their battlefield.
Bang!
Bang!
The sounds of heavy impact rang out continuously. Eichi had to admit that Ishida's Scizor was trained quite well; no wonder he was so arrogant.
Unfortunately, it had encountered Eichi's Scizor. From the very start, Eichi's Scizor had entered its sensory state, giving it a crystal-clear understanding of its opponent's strength. It was currently holding back a portion of its power, maintaining its output at the peak of the Advanced rank so that it appeared evenly matched with Ishida's Pokémon.
The sight of the two Scizor battling sent the blood of the spectators in the stands boiling.
"These two Scizor are way too strong!" one student exclaimed.
"This is what the top tier of our grade looks like," another replied.
"Yeah, I need to work harder to even reach half of their level."
The two Pokémon retreated to their respective sides, taking a brief moment to breathe before preparing for the next wave of attacks.
Ishida was somewhat surprised by Eichi's strength. "You really are the number one; your strength isn't bad. However, if this is all you've got, then it's over."
"Scizor, Swords Dance!"
Ishida's Scizor immediately began to spin rapidly. Eichi, however, gave no orders. He simply stood there, waiting for the opponent to finish its Swords Dance.
The spectators watching from below felt Eichi was being incredibly arrogant. Why isn't he attacking during such a perfect opening? Why is he just standing there waiting?
Ishida's expression twisted with anger. "You're arrogant! I'll show you exactly how powerful I am in a moment!"
Off the field, Matsumoto also thought Eichi was being too conceited to believe he could win like this. Meanwhile, Tetsu just smiled from the sidelines; he was the only one who knew Eichi was purposely going easy on the guy.
Just as the Swords Dance concluded, Eichi finally issued a command.
"Scizor, use Vacuum Wave!"
Scizor charged forward instantly. Ishida, believing he had already won now that his attack power was boosted, shouted, "Scizor, use Double Team!"
Ishida's Scizor lunged out, splitting into over a dozen clones during its charge. They surrounded Eichi's Scizor as it drew near. This scene looked like a herald of Ishida's victory, and he wore a triumphant smile.
Seeing this, Eichi also smiled. He checked the time; three minutes had passed. It was time to end this.
Raising his voice, he commanded, "Scizor, Bullet Punch!"
Ishida laughed. "What's the use of Bullet Punch if you can't find the real body?"
But his laughter didn't last long. Eichi's Scizor suddenly pivoted and slammed a Bullet Punch into one of the Scizor behind it. With lightning speed, it struck before Ishida's Scizor could even react.
Everyone off the field was stunned. Eichi's Scizor had actually seen through the Double Team.
"Did you see that?"
"Scizor actually picked out the real one!"
"How did it do that?"
Not only the other students, but Ishida and Matsumoto as well, looked on with disbelief.
Yet, facts were facts. Scizor knew from the volume of Eichi's voice that it was time to wrap things up.
Fury Cutter!
The previous Bullet Punch had left the opponent dazed. Eichi's Scizor was at the Elite rank, after all; a full-force strike from its pincer had nearly taken half the opponent's life.
Ishida's Scizor was sent flying by the strike, and all its clones vanished instantly. Scizor pursued relentlessly, landing strike after strike on the falling opponent.
Ishida grew frantic. "Scizor, wake up! Counterattack! Counterattack!"
"It's no use," Eichi said calmly. "Your Scizor can't counterattack anymore. It's over."
As he spoke, Scizor delivered the final blow. It raised its heavy pincer and smashed it down onto the opponent. The opposing Scizor couldn't even manage a cry of pain before it was slammed into the dirt. With a loud thump, it created a deep crater in the ground.
"Scizor!" Ishida screamed.
Tetsu ran over quickly to check the Pokémon in the crater. He stood up and announced loudly, "Ishida's Scizor is unable to battle! Eichi's Scizor wins! The victory goes to Eichi!"
Eichi checked his watch. "Exactly four minutes. There are six minutes left for another round. Matsumoto, would you like to give it a try next?"
As the victory was announced, a thunderous wave of applause erupted from the crowd. Hearing Eichi's follow-up challenge, the atmosphere reached a fever pitch. He's so cool!
Ishida gritted his teeth. "Damn it... Return, Scizor!"
He walked back to Matsumoto's side. Matsumoto comforted him, saying, "It's okay. It doesn't matter that you lost. His Scizor is already at the Elite rank, so you couldn't have beaten it. Leave the rest to me; I will definitely win."
This improved Ishida's mood. He nodded and said, "Good luck, Matsumoto. I'm counting on you."
Matsumoto stepped into the trainer box and threw out a Poké Ball.
"Go, Magmar!"
A beam of white light shot out, coalescing into a red Pokémon on the field.
Magmar, the Spitfire Pokémon.
Type: Fire
Abilities: Flame Body (Standard), Vital Spirit (Hidden)
Talent Grade: Outstanding
Trainer Rank: Elite
Description: A red, bipedal Pokémon with a yellow flame-like pattern on its body. It has two humps on its forehead that burn like embers, and a beak-like mouth. It lives near volcanoes and can breathe fire.
Eichi took a serious stance. This was the first time he had seen an Elite rank Pokémon among the first-year students. Though, he figured Sato probably had an Elite rank Pokémon by now too.
Fire-type moves deal four times the damage to Steel-types, so Eichi had to be careful. However, he had no reason to be afraid.
By now, not only were the stands full, but the doorway was crowded with people, and more students were clinging to the windows. Many had rushed over late and, finding no seats, could only watch from the outside.
Tetsu saw that everyone was ready. "Battle begin!"
"Magmar, use Flamethrower!"
"Scizor, Bullet Punch!"