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"The battle continues! The trainer in the green corner, please send out your next Pokémon."
The referee raised the green flag and called out to Anon.
"You did very well. Take a rest, Xatu."
This was only Anon's first Pokémon to be knocked out, and it had done beautifully. After recalling Xatu, Anon quickly threw out his next PokéBall.
A flash of light danced, and a Donphan with thick armor, flapping ears, and two large, gleaming white tusks appeared on the battlefield.
"Donphan, do your best! If you win, I'll treat you to your favorite Berries when we get home!"
Looking at the energetic Donphan on the field, Anon spoke with a smile.
"Phan! Donphan!"
As soon as it heard there would be delicious Berries, Donphan immediately perked up. With a determined look, it turned to face Arcanine, pawing the ground with its front legs, ready to charge.
"Great! That's the spirit! Let's go, Donphan—use Rollout!"
"Don!"
Seeing Donphan so focused, Anon pointed forward decisively. Donphan responded with a cry, then suddenly curled into a ball and began spinning rapidly, carving a long trail into the ground as it charged toward Arcanine.
"Trying to counter us with a type advantage? It;ll take a whole lot more than that! Arcanine, spread Heat Wave across the field!"
Seeing the rolling Donphan closing in, Liam quickly shouted a command to Arcanine.
"Woof!"
Hearing Liam's command, Arcanine leapt away from his side, landing right in Donphan's path. Its body whipped up a powerful Heat Wave, this time blowing lower, practically brushing the ground. A thin wall of fiery wind formed over the battlefield.
"Huh? What's he trying to do with that? Ignore it! Donphan, don't be afraid—accelerate and charge through!"
Anon was momentarily puzzled by the way Arcanine used Heat Wave, uncertain of Liam's intentions, but he quickly brushed it aside and gave the order to keep going.
"Phan!"
Donphan, unfazed by the flames on the ground, sped up even more at Anon's command. In a blink, it rolled into the Heat Wave's area, continuing to rush toward Arcanine without pause.
"Now! Arcanine, blast Donphan into the air with Heat Wave!"
As soon as Donphan entered the fire zone, Liam instructed quickly.
"Roar!"
Just as Donphan was about to slam into Arcanine, the Heat Wave on the field exploded upward with a roar. A powerful blast of force erupted beneath Donphan, launching it skyward.
Still spinning midair, Donphan quickly realized something was wrong. It sensed it had lost contact with the ground and immediately canceled its Rollout, flailing its four short, stout legs like a panicked meteor.
With a tremendous crash, it slammed into the earth, kicking up another cloud of smoke and dust.
"Phan… phan!"
As the rumble and smoke faded, the crowd could finally see Donphan lying on its back, waving its limbs and trunk helplessly. Its armored back was deeply embedded into the ground, and no matter how hard it struggled, it couldn't flip over.
"Donphan's back armor is heavier than the rest of its body. If it's launched into the air, its back is guaranteed to hit the ground first. And once it lands on its back… this is the result. Now then… Arcanine, use Hyper Beam!"
"Garrr—ROAR!!"
Liam explained calmly, then ordered the follow-up strike.
Arcanine opened its jaws wide, quickly gathering energy. The beam burst forth with a deafening roar, landing squarely on Donphan.
With a pained cry, Donphan was blasted out of the ground and sent flying again, tumbling through the air before crashing hard into the grass. It rolled a few times, then collapsed with spiraling eyes, completely defeated.
"Donphan is unable to battle! Arcanine wins!"
The referee quickly announced Donphan's defeat.
"Donphan!"
Anon rushed over as soon as he heard the call, gently cradling Donphan's large head and checking it over. His care was so evident that anyone could tell Donphan held a special place in Anon's heart.
"Phan… phan…"
Donphan, regaining consciousness, realized from Anon's expression that it had lost. Its ears and trunk drooped miserably, looking utterly dejected.
"Haha, it was my mistake this time. I never imagined Heat Wave could be used like that. So this loss isn't your fault. Once this battle is over, I'll get you the tastiest Berries."
Anon understood Donphan well. He knew Donphan wasn't upset about losing the fight—it was upset about missing out on the promised treat.
Sure enough, at the mention of Berries, Donphan immediately perked up again. It sprang to its feet and affectionately nudged Anon with its long trunk.
"Okay, okay, back into the ball. Get some rest."
Anon smiled fondly at Donphan, pulled out its PokéBall, and recalled it. Then he walked back to his position and glanced at Liam, a smile tugging at his lips. The next moment, he tossed out another PokéBall.
"Go! Espeon!"
As the ball opened, a graceful, purple feline Pokémon appeared on the field. Its forked tail flicked, and it let out a soft, cute cry toward the sun overhead.
"Esssp~!"
"Ohh! The match is really heating up! Anon has already lost two Pokémon. This is his third—an adorable Espeon! Faced with such a cute Pokémon, will Liam really be able to strike without hesitation?!"
The commentator clearly had seen his fair share of battles and immediately recognized the Pokémon Anon had sent out. Liam suspected that most of the audience didn't even know what an Espeon looked like.
"Battle, begin!"
The referee raised his voice to signal the next round.
"Come back, Arcanine! Get some well-deserved rest! Now it's your turn—go, Scyther!"
As the battle resumed, Liam withdrew Arcanine and quickly sent out Scyther.
"Chaaas!"
Scyther was already holding a grudge. Pulled out of battle yesterday under unclear circumstances, it hadn't been defeated but still took the hit to its pride. Today, it was ready for redemption.
"Espeon! Use Psychic!"
Seeing Scyther appear, Anon frowned. Scyther was a top-tier Bug-type Pokémon, posing a serious threat to a Psychic-type like Espeon. It was best to act first.
"Ess!"
At Anon's command, the red gem on Espeon's forehead flared with blue light as it unleashed a wave of psychic energy toward Scyther.
"Scyther, Silver Wind!"
"Chaaas!"
Facing the incoming Psychic, Scyther rapidly flapped its insect wings, whipping up a glittering Silver Wind laced with powder. The two attacks collided in midair and canceled each other out.
"Chaaas!"
Wait—not quite! After the wind settled, a red glow enveloped Scyther's body. When the glow faded, it was clear Scyther had grown stronger all around—the passive effect of Silver Wind had activated, boosting all its stats.
"Wow, now that's rare luck. I'm not used to it! I still remember when that second Protect failed... and now we get a buff from Silver Wind? Haha, what else can I say… Let's make the most of it! Scyther! Agility, then follow up with X-Scissor!"
Liam chuckled at Scyther's sudden power-up, then snapped into focus and issued his commands.
"Chaaas!"
Scyther launched into Agility, and with its boosted stats, its speed became even more terrifying. In the blink of an eye, Scyther appeared in front of Espeon, crossing its blade-like arms and slashing a swift X-Scissor.
"Espeon! Use Detect!"
Anon hadn't expected Scyther's speed to spike so dramatically. With no better option, he went on the defensive.
"Ess!"
A glint flashed in Espeon's eyes as its flexible body twisted into a strange flip, narrowly dodging the deadly cross-slash.
"Scyther! Pursuit!"
"Chaaas!"
Though Pursuit wouldn't deal double damage outside a switch, its Dark typing, combined with Scyther's high skill and stat boosts, made it dangerous nonetheless.
Scyther darted after Espeon, striking its neck with pinpoint accuracy. Espeon let out a cry of pain as it was knocked aside, tumbling across the ground.