"That Fire Blast was ferocious! Even the rain couldn't dim those flames!"
The commentator could barely contain his excitement. "The first Pokémon to go down in this semifinal belongs to Leon again! Baimu and his Pokémon partner take the lead!"
Roar!
Applause surged through the stadium like a tidal wave. The spectators could hardly contain their excitement as they cheered on the roaring Hydreigon.
Pokémon battles were best when both sides went at each other head-on!
Only people who really knew their stuff found exchanges of Status Moves exciting. Ordinary battle fans preferred a straightforward fight.
That was also a major reason most trainers taught their Pokémon plenty of attacking moves but few Status Moves.
On the field.
Leon's already dark face grew darker still.
He had sent Scizor out early specifically to give himself a chance against Hydreigon. He hadn't expected Baimu to deliberately power up and lure him into attacking, then seize the opening to counter with a close-range move that ended the fight.
Wasn't that a little too confident?
He couldn't understand why Baimu had been so certain Hydreigon could not only withstand Scizor's attack, but also catch it in time.
If Scizor hadn't been caught, Hydreigon would have taken that hit for nothing.
Leon felt as though he and his Pokémon had been underestimated.
Fine. Fine!
So that's how you want to play!
Fuming, he recalled Scizor with its Poké Ball and immediately hurled a Dive Ball.
"Don't let them look down on us! Go!"
Pop!
White light flashed.
Kabutops appeared, with its horseshoe-crab-shaped head and twin scythes.
The commentator cried, "Leon has sent out Kabutops! It's a Fossil Pokémon that once lived in ancient times!"
"Kabu!"
It rubbed its scythes together hard. Sparks flew where the gleaming blades met, sending a chill down the spine.