"You did great. Come back, Glaceon!" Liu Qing was already very satisfied that Glaceon had held out this long despite its clear disadvantage. He had also gained a rough sense of Aji's strength and knew he was a formidable opponent. After recalling Glaceon, he tossed out his second Poké Ball. "Honchkrow, go!"
As Liu Qing threw the Poké Ball, Honchkrow appeared in midair, beating its black wings. Its piercing gaze swept down over the panting Golduck on the field, brimming with fighting spirit.
"Golduck, finish this quickly! Ice Beam!" Golduck clearly recognized Glaceon as a formidable opponent too. Although its victory had left it exhausted and drained much of its stamina, its eyes still burned with such a fierce desire to fight that Aji abandoned the idea of recalling it and issued the first attack command.
At the command, Golduck gave a loud cry to rally itself and quickly opened its mouth. Ice-blue energy gathered at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"Ambush!" Aji's command had been quick, but Liu Qing's was no slower, and Honchkrow was faster still. It turned into a streak of black light and closed in on Golduck, striking it squarely with a wing glowing purplish-black. The tremendous force sent Golduck sliding backward, while Honchkrow immediately disengaged and soared high into the air.
"Golduck, don't give up! Fire Ice Beam!" Aji already knew from yesterday's battle that Honchkrow could use Ambush, so the move came as no surprise. Instead, he shouted calmly.
Hearing Aji's voice, Golduck quickly steadied itself and turned toward Honchkrow, which was still climbing into the sky. The ice-blue energy gathered in its mouth formed several zigzagging beams that shot outward.
"Honchkrow, Drill Peck!" Liu Qing commanded calmly, his expression unchanged.
At the command, Honchkrow cast its sharp gaze toward the Ice