Sweating Bullets Now, Aren't You, Little Pi?

Amid the swirling dust, Snorlax crashed to the ground.

The score on the battlefield was rewritten as 2–0. Though it looked somewhat one-sided, the clash had actually been extraordinarily fierce.

Perhaps just a few different decisions could have rewritten the outcome.

Red naturally did not give up. He calmly recalled Snorlax with its Poké Ball, pondered briefly, then threw out his third Poké Ball.

And the one taking Snorlax's place against Zoroark was none other than Red's ace Pokémon, Pikachu!

This choice was hardly surprising. No matter what, they were trailing by a massive 0–2. At a time like this, one Pokémon had to step up and turn the tide.

If there was any Pokémon on Red's team suited for that role, it was undoubtedly Pi.

Xia Chen still had not reached the "cooldown" where he could voluntarily switch Pokémon. But even if he had, he had no intention of withdrawing Zoroark.

So what if it was Pi? Pi was exactly who he wanted to fight!

Zoroark slightly hunched her slender frame, lowering her head to look at the Pikachu that had just emerged from its Poké Ball. Her eyes brimmed with fighting spirit.

Because her previous opponent had been a Normal type Pokémon, she had been heavily restricted in her battle against Snorlax. This time, though Pikachu was stronger, it was an Electric type Pokémon, allowing her to unleash her full firepower. Zoroark, who had felt stifled during the last fight, was itching to move.

Xia Chen fully understood his Pokémon and did not hesitate. "Zoroark, Shadow Ball!"

The half-worn-out Zoroark actually struck first.

Using Shadow Ball was as natural as breathing to Zoroark. She needed virtually no charging time. A deep-purple sphere of energy, its surface flickering with violent black currents, formed before her and shot toward Pikachu.