"Let's settle this!" With Anabel's skill, she could naturally read the battle accurately. Metagross was clearly at a disadvantage, so her only option was to decide the match with a powerful finishing move. As she spoke, Metagross rapidly gathered energy and fired an enormous, bright yellow beam, striking the Flamethrower Flame Wheel head-on. With a boom, the attacks exploded.
"What?" Anabel seemed to sense something and cried out in surprise. Then Arcanine burst through the black smoke, flames engulfing its body, and slammed straight into Metagross. Metagross roared in pain as it was sent flying, unable to battle. Arcanine gave a triumphant roar before returning to Liu Qing, panting heavily. All four legs trembled slightly; its stamina was clearly nearing its limit.
"Metagross is unable to battle. Arcanine wins!" A Zheng announced.
"Thanks for your hard work, Metagross. Get some rest!" After recalling Metagross, Anabel threw her third Poké Ball. "Go! My friend!" The ball opened, and Espeon appeared on the field. Its eyes, presence, fur, limbs-everything about it made it clear that this Pokémon was even stronger than Metagross.
"Arcanine, come back and rest!" Liu Qing recalled Arcanine, then flicked his wrist and threw his third Poké Ball. "Gengar, come on out!"
As the Poké Ball opened, Gengar appeared on the field with an eerie grin. Rings of light spread outward, and the surrounding temperature plummeted.
"Oh, this Gengar..." Scott had seen the Gengar belonging to Agatha of the Elite Four. From the drop in temperature alone, he could tell that this Gengar was every bit as strong as hers, perhaps even stronger. "But Espeon is Anabel's strongest Pokémon, too. This looks like an evenly matched battle. Everything comes down to this round!"
"This opponent's pretty strong!" After studying Espeon for a moment, Gengar turned to Liu Qing and