Gyarados and Steelix both had long, snakelike bodies that could twist freely. Gyarados turned its head, its entire body enveloped in a spinning, pale-purple glow, and charged straight into Iron Tail. A thunderous boom rang out, and a transparent ripple spread from the point of collision. Their deadlock lasted only a moment before Gyarados proved stronger, forcing the tail aside and slamming into Steelix's lower jaw. Steelix reeled backward with a howl of pain.
"Steelix, pull yourself together! Use Double-Edge!" Steelix's greatest strength was its body, which was harder than diamond. Although the Normal-type move Giga Impact was powerful, its effectiveness was reduced against the Steel- and Ground-type Steelix. Combined with Steelix's formidable resistance to physical attacks and the power lost to Iron Tail's interception, the blow was certainly not enough to knock it out. Sure enough, as Drake finished speaking, Steelix twisted its body, shrouded itself in a bright yellow glow, and charged at the immobilized Gyarados.
"Come back, Gyarados!" Just before the attack could land, Liu Qing hurriedly took out its Poké Ball and recalled it.
"That was close!" Liu Yuan said from the VIP seats, breathing a sigh of relief.
"Very close indeed. That Steelix is at a high level. If Gyarados had taken a hit in that state, it might well have been unable to continue," Bofeng Yu remarked. "From the looks of it, winning this tournament won't be easy for Liu Qing."
"You were quick enough to recall it!" Drake said with some regret as Steelix's attack missed.
"You really are tough to deal with," Liu Qing murmured, tossing a Poké Ball. "Arcanine, you're up!"
"After recalling Gyarados, Liu Qing has sent out the Fire-type Arcanine! Faced with a type disadvantage, will Drake switch Pokémon?" the Announcer asked.
"Arcanine, Bulldoze!" Liu Qing gave the first command.
"Liu Qing, I've already seen through your tactics! Bulldoze won't work on me!" Drake commanded loudly. "Steelix, Iron Tail!"
Arcanine raised its forelegs, then stamped them hard against the ground. A powerful wave of force swept up dust as it rushed toward Steelix. Steelix raised its metallically gleaming tail and smashed it into the ground, shattering and collapsing the earth. As Bulldoze reached that area, its power diminished sharply, layer by layer. What finally reached Steelix barely affected it.
"You destroyed the ground that carried Bulldoze's shock wave, reducing its power to a level Steelix could withstand?! That's certainly a good solution!" Liu Qing's brow furrowed slightly, then relaxed as he gave another command. "Arcanine, Fire Blast!"
"Still useless!" Drake said scornfully. "Steelix, Sandstorm!"
Unlike the spreading weather effect it had used earlier, this Sandstorm was a whirling funnel of sand stirred up as Steelix rotated the second segment of its body. It spun around Steelix and blocked Fire Blast. Liu Qing's eyes flickered, and an enigmatic smile appeared on his face.
"Drake has defended against both of Liu Qing's attacks! Will Liu Qing switch Pokémon, or keep battling with Arcanine?" the Announcer asked again.
"So you're choosing not to switch Pokémon." Seeing no sign that Liu Qing intended to recall Arcanine, Drake sneered. "Then it's my turn to attack! Steelix, Double-Edge!"
Using Double-Edge so frequently... this Steelix must have the Rock Head Ability, Liu Qing thought. As Steelix charged toward them, he issued his own command. "Arcanine, charge at full speed and prepare Fire Blast!"
Hmm? He's sending Arcanine straight at us. Does he want to fire Fire Blast at close range? But if you're having Arcanine sprint flat out, I won't waste this chance! A flicker of doubt crossed Drake's mind before he shouted, "Steelix, full speed ahead!"
With its magnificent mane and graceful stride, Arcanine ran as though it had wings, drawing excited screams and cheers from the women in the audience. Just as Arcanine and Steelix were about to collide, Liu Qing shouted, "Arcanine, jump!"
Arcanine was already fast, and with the momentum of its full-speed charge, a powerful leap carried it into the air, just clear of Steelix as they crossed paths. Liu Qing's next command reached it at that moment. "Arcanine, fire Fire Blast!"
"What?!" While the audience cheered loudly, Drake stared in shock. Arcanine lowered its head and unleashed the fire energy it had prepared at the target below. Drake wanted Steelix to defend, but having ordered it to charge at full speed, he could no longer make it stop in time. The flames struck its torso. However, since both Pokémon had been racing toward each other, Steelix was exposed to the attack only briefly and passed out of Fire Blast's range within moments.
"Again, Fire Blast!" The instant Arcanine landed, it dug all four paws into the ground, carving four furrows as it steadied itself, then fired another star-shaped blast of flame at Steelix.
"Steelix, Sandstorm!" Drake immediately responded.
"Roar!" Steelix steadied itself and, ignoring the searing pain in its body, summoned another whirlwind of sand around itself to block Fire Blast.
"Steelix, DragonBreath!" Once the sand funnel appeared, Drake issued another command.
"Hm?" Liu Qing's gaze sharpened. Steelix's figure had vanished from inside the swirling sand. Realizing something was wrong, he immediately shouted, "Arcanine, Flame Wheel!"
Boom! With an explosive crash from the ground, Steelix suddenly appeared behind Arcanine and breathed out a stream of dark green energy. Fortunately, Arcanine had already activated Flame Wheel. The flames enveloping its body blocked DragonBreath, and it continued forward, striking Steelix's body and drawing a cry of pain.
"Steelix, Iron Tail!"
Clearly, Steelix and Drake had been together for a long time. The instant Drake finished speaking, Steelix reacted, smashing its metallically gleaming tail into Flame Wheel. Arcanine was knocked into the air, its body emerging from the flames as it tumbled over and over.
"Steelix, Double-Edge!" Drake immediately seized the opportunity.
"Roar!" Steelix had begun to pant, but after a loud roar, it wrapped itself in a bright yellow glow and charged at Arcanine.
"Arcanine, Fire Blast Flame Wheel!" Liu Qing immediately commanded.
Arcanine quickly steadied itself in midair and spat out a star-shaped blast of flame. It then curled into the flames, forming a ring roughly three meters in diameter that blazed blue-white, and hurled itself at the charging Steelix.
Boom! A violent explosion rang out. Blinding light filled everyone's vision, and dust and smoke billowed in every direction. All eyes turned eagerly toward the battlefield, waiting for the haze to clear.
"Steelix is unable to battle! Arcanine wins!" As the dust dispersed, Steelix lay unconscious. Arcanine struggled to its feet and walked back to Liu Qing, panting heavily. The referee waved his flags and announced the result.
"Arcanine, you did great. Get some rest now!" Liu Qing praised it, rubbing its mane before taking out its Poké Ball and recalling it.
"Yes! He won! My brother's finally taken the lead!" Liu Yuan could not help cheering loudly from the VIP seats.
"Even with a lead, it's too early to talk about victory. Arcanine doesn't have much stamina left either. The two of them are still more or less on equal footing," Bofeng Yu said, shaking his head.
"So what if I let you take the lead? The championship will be mine in the end." Drake clenched his fist. After recalling Steelix, he threw his third Poké Ball. "Go, Lapras!"
"Scizor, you're up!" Liu Qing tossed out a Poké Ball as well.
"Both competitors have now sent out their third Pokémon..." The Announcer began introducing them as soon as the Pokémon appeared.
"Scizor, Swords Dance!" Liu Qing gave the first command, then immediately shouted another as Scizor used the move. "Brick Break!"
"Lapras, Rain Dance!" Drake commanded at the same time.
On the battlefield, Scizor spun rapidly like a red top, white light shining at its tip. It struck Lapras like lightning while Lapras's body glowed a gentle blue. Lapras let out a pained cry, but thick, dark clouds were already rolling across the previously clear sky, and rain began to fall.
"Scizor, do it again! Brick Break!" As an Ice- and Water-type Pokémon, Lapras possessed tremendous stamina. Even the super-effective Fighting-type move Brick Break had failed to knock it out in one hit. On land, however, Lapras had a weakness: it could not move as freely as it could in water, making it little more than a target for Scizor.
"It won't be that easy! Lapras, Sheer Cold!" Drake wiped the rainwater from his face and shouted.
"Ooh!" Lapras gave a clear, ringing cry, and blue light shone from its body again. The rain around it froze into solid ice at a speed visible to the naked eye. In almost the blink of an eye, the entire battlefield had become an Ice Field, and the rain falling from the sky had turned to hail. Scizor, which had just made contact with Lapras, was knocked out in a single hit and encased in a block of ice.
"Scizor is unable to battle! Lapras wins!" the referee announced.
"That powerful Sheer Cold has shown every spectator the appeal of a one-hit knockout! Liu Qing has now lost a Pokémon too. What will he send out next?" The commentator's voice rang out amid the audience's enthusiastic cheers.
"I didn't expect Scizor's level to be lower than that Lapras's!" A Xuan said in surprise from the stands.
"What's so strange about that? Liu Qing and his opponent, Drake, may be roughly equal in strength, but Liu Qing has only been traveling for a year. It's perfectly normal for his Pokémon's levels to be slightly lower than his opponent's," Han Ye said, pursing their lips.
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