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"Both Pokémon are ready! The battle begins now!"
"Weavile! Quick Attack!"
"Wea!"
As soon as the referee gave the signal, Liam commanded Weavile to launch a fast offensive.
Weavile's body turned into a streak of black light, darting toward Gyarados at an incredible speed.
"Gyarados! Use Crunch!"
"Roar!"
Gyarados opened its massive jaws, emitting a sinister black glow as it twisted its body with surprising agility and lunged down toward Weavile.
"Wea!"
Facing the gaping maw of the Gyarados, Weavile curled its lips into a sneer. Its speed suddenly increased again, trailing a long streak of light as it twisted its body to dodge the incoming bite, then slammed fiercely into Gyarados's neck from the side.
"Keep attacking! Use Pursuit!"
Seeing Weavile land its hit, Liam quickly followed up with another command.
"Weavile!"
After landing the blow, Weavile retreated slightly before lunging again. This time, a dark, eerie energy enveloped its entire body. Before Gyarados could react, Weavile's sharp claws came down hard again on its head.
"Roooar!!"
Struck twice in a row, Gyarados let out a pained roar, the pain from its old and new wounds surging together. Its eyes turned blood-red, and without waiting for Lance's next command, it opened its mouth and fired off a golden Hyper Beam.
Weavile's form flickered and quickly dodged the beam.
"No! Gyarados is in a rage! Snap out of it, Gyarados!!"
Seeing his partner so furious and bloodshot, Lance shouted in concern.
But his call had no effect. Gyarados continued rampaging, its eyes locked on Weavile as it unleashed Hydro Pump after Hydro Pump, refusing to relent.
"A rampaging opponent will never be as dangerous as a calm one. Since this Gyarados has lost control, let's put an end to this outburst! Weavile! Hone Claws! Then use Punishment! Disobedience deserves discipline!"
Seeing Gyarados go berserk, Liam actually looked more relaxed. A slight smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he called to Weavile, who was nimbly evading the Hydro Pumps.
"Wea!"
Weavile narrowly avoided a Hydro Pump, then began sharpening its claws against each other. A red glow pulsed around its body—signaling a boost in its strength.
Then, its small frame once again turned into a streak of black light. Just as Gyarados began charging up another Hyper Beam, Weavile leapt into the air like a bolt of lightning, slicing through the sky and landing stably across the pool.
The moment Weavile landed, Gyarados suddenly froze. Then—
Boom!
The Hyper Beam that hadn't been released exploded in its mouth, sending its massive body crashing to the edge of the pool with a deep, dull thud.
"Gyarados is unable to battle! Weavile wins!"
The referee promptly raised his flag and declared the result.
"Return, Gyarados. You did your best—get some rest now."
Lance gently recalled Gyarados into its PokeBall, comforted it softly, and then took out his fourth PokeBall.
"Although Gyarados losing control was shameful... I have to say, this rush of adrenaline? I've missed this kind of danger. So, let me express my gratitude to you with my next Pokémon! Go, Ampharos! I choose you!"
Smiling as he spoke to Liam, Lance's eyes gleamed with excitement. He tossed his PokeBall with force, and out came a golden yellow Ampharos with a white belly.
"Draa!"
Ampharos entered the battlefield and immediately bowed politely to the crowd with a gentlemanly grin.
"Weavile!!"
But the moment Ampharos appeared, Weavile's demeanor changed drastically. The aloof and proud expression vanished, replaced by gritted teeth and glaring eyes, as if Ampharos was its sworn enemy.
"Cough cough... Weavile, this Ampharos isn't the same one that pulled tricks on you last time. Don't get worked up."
Liam quickly guessed what was on Weavile's mind and explained.
"Wea!"
Weavile glanced back and gave a small nod, acknowledging Liam's words—but the murderous look in its eyes didn't fade one bit.
"Both Pokémon are ready! Begin!"
"Wea!!"
Even before Liam could give a command, Weavile shot forward like a bullet, its claws already glowing white.
"Uh... Weavile, use Slash..."
Liam added the command with a helpless expression. He had just mocked Lance for having a disobedient Gyarados, and now his own Pokémon was rushing in like a wild child. Exhausting.
"Ampharos! Use Cotton Spore!"
Lance clearly knew how troublesome Weavile's speed was, so his first order was a move to slow it down.
"Draa!"
Ampharos grinned and shook its body vigorously. A flurry of white cotton spores burst out like dandelions, quickly covering the field in front of it.
Weavile, charging head-on, couldn't avoid the spores and became covered in them. The more spores clung to its body, the slower it got.
"Weavile!!"
Eventually, Weavile came to a halt. It was so completely covered in the fluffy spores that it looked more like a stuffed toy than a Pokémon.
"Weavile! Use Icy Wind to clear off those cotton spores!"
Although Weavile was being difficult, Liam wouldn't just stand there and watch it get wrecked. Seeing its pitiful state, he quickly gave a new command.
"Wea!"
With an angry cry, Weavile released a freezing Icy Wind from its body in all directions. The cotton spores stuck to it—and those still floating nearby—were swept away and frozen into nothing.
"Not so fast! Ampharos, use Thunder Wave!"
Seeing Weavile shake off the spores, Lance immediately gave another order.
"Draa!"
The red orb on Ampharos's tail flashed, releasing a thin arc of electricity that struck Weavile just as it broke free.
"Wea?!"
Having just escaped one bind, Weavile was hit by Thunder Wave. Small electric currents wrapped around its body, and its face twisted in pain.
"Now's the time! Ampharos, use Power Gem!"
"Draa!"
Ampharos raised its stubby arms as strange energy gathered in front of it, forming several purple Power Gems. They shot forward like meteors, aiming directly at Weavile.
"Weavile! Use Double Team!"
Now paralyzed and slowed, Weavile clearly couldn't dodge with speed. So Liam quickly called for Double Team to confuse the opponent.
"Wea!"
The move succeeded—but the paralysis had already affected its speed and agility, and only a few shadowy clones appeared around the battlefield.
Ampharos hurled the Power Gems forward, but the sudden appearance of the clones threw it off. Unsure which was real, the gemstones floated mid-air, hesitating.
"Ampharos! Use Odor Sleuth to find the real one!"
Seeing the clones, Lance gave the next command quickly.
"Draa!"
Ampharos nodded, sniffed the air sharply, and suddenly locked its gaze on one of the clones at the edge of the field. The floating Power Gems aligned in a straight line and—whoosh!—blasted forward like a streak of light, smashing directly into the surprised real Weavile.
Boom! Boom boom boom!
A chain of explosions rang out as Weavile's small body was blasted into the air and crashed hard onto the ground. The remaining clones vanished instantly.
"Weavile!! Hang in there!!"
Liam shouted as he saw Weavile crash just a few feet away from him.
Weavile struggled to lift its upper body, raised a claw, and pointed toward Ampharos, growling lowly.
"Wea..vile!! (I... I'm not done yet...) Urgh..."
Then it collapsed again, eyes spiraling—unable to continue.
"Weavile is unable to battle! Ampharos wins!"