"Scizor!" This time, Liu Qing did not let Scizor choose how to dodge, but quickly called out a warning.
At Liu Qing's level, he could convey his intentions effectively to his Pokémon even without an explicit command. That was exactly what happened with Scizor. The instant Liu Qing spoke, a sharp gleam flashed in Scizor's eyes. Scizor ducked under Charizard's sweeping attack and darted beneath Charizard, then spiraled upward. By the time Scizor steadied, Scizor was already behind Charizard, the powerful attack still in progress.
"Oh no! Charizard, watch your back!" Seeing Scizor appear behind Charizard, Aji felt his heart jolt and shouted, hoping Charizard could react in time. Charizard did respond to his warning, turning sideways to unleash flames. But before the flames could emerge, Scizor's Aerial Ace struck squarely against Charizard's flank. Tremendous force erupted on impact. Even the powerfully built Charizard let out a roar of pain, losing balance and tipping sideways, while Scizor withdrew immediately after the strike and shot high into the air.
"Hang in there, Charizard! Flamethrower!" Losing the first exchange did not shake Aji's confidence. Instead, he immediately spotted an opening to pursue Scizor and launched a counterattack.
At the command, Charizard's eyes snapped open despite the pained expression on Charizard's face, two flames blazing within them once more. With a mighty effort, Charizard unleashed a searing stream of fire. It moved so fast that, in the blink of an eye, it caught up with Scizor, who had yet to fly very far from Charizard.
"Scizor, Swords Dance!" Scizor had little chance of dodging under these circumstances, and Liu Qing naturally refused to gamble on luck. After all, taking a hit for quadruple damage was no laughing matter.
With the flames almost upon Scizor, Scizor had been about to use sheer speed to