As Ice Beam swept toward Cacturne, its arms were already poised to attack, clearly waiting for Aji's command. Aji gave that command at precisely that moment, showing Liu Qing just how perfectly he and Cacturne coordinated. Liu Qing had to admire him. As expected of a Pokémon Trainer who had earned an A-rank Pokémon Breeder title, Aji's grasp of timing surpassed that of many other Trainers.
At his command, all the spikes on Cacturne's body blazed white, releasing a mass of white needles trailing gleaming tails in a dazzling display. The Pin Missiles converged and met Ice Beam head-on. However, Aji had clearly underestimated Ice Beam's power. The instant they touched it, every needle visibly froze, then shattered into countless glittering flecks of ice. The remaining force of Ice Beam struck Cacturne squarely, dealing double damage. Under the super-effective attack, Cacturne groaned in pain, lost its balance, and plummeted from the air.
"Cacturne!" Watching everything unfold in an instant, Aji's heart lurched, and he cried out in concern. At his call, Cacturne seemed to sense his feelings. Its closed eyes immediately opened, and it began adjusting its posture to avoid being injured by too hard a landing.
Did you think I would let you get away that easily? Liu Qing chuckled inwardly, his gaze sweeping over the patch of ice crystals glittering alluringly in the sunlight. He calmly commanded, "Slowking, Water Pulse!"
At his command, Slowking gathered its power again and hurled a mass of aqua-blue energy into the ice crystals. With a boom, shards of ice burst in all directions. Cacturne had only just landed and absorbed the force of its fall when it saw chunks of ice hurtling toward it at point-blank range. It hastily crossed its arms in front of itself to block them, but their force