"You could easily have dodged that head-on Flamethrower while raising Skarmory's speed by two stages. If you combined Agility with your Spikes strategy and laid Spikes three times, Skarmory's speed would reach its maximum level-four times its original speed. With speed like that, what move could trouble you unless it was guaranteed to hit?" Before Jun could speak, Liu Qing had already explained the results. Then he raised a third finger. "The third thing you did poorly was letting your guard down after using Spikes because you thought you had the advantage. Did you never consider that Paul might switch in a Flying-type Pokémon, one with the Levitate ability, or one that knew Magnet Rise?"
"I..." Jun stared at Liu Qing with wide eyes, too astonished to speak.
"A simple, straightforward strategy. But if you'd really fought the way Liu Qing described, Skarmory alone could have put plenty of pressure on Paul and dealt considerable damage yesterday," Cynthia agreed with a smile.
"Then what about my second Pokémon, Hitmonlee? It did really well yesterday!" Jun asked.
"Hitmonlee did perform very well, but there were still shortcomings." Liu Qing nodded and continued, "Hitmonlee's strength lies in its legs. Their incredible reach and ability to extend and retract let it attack over a wide area, at both close and long range. Its weakness is its physical defense, while Ursaring is a Pokémon built entirely around power. Close combat is the last thing you want against a Pokémon like that, but since Hitmonlee itself is a Fighting-type, close combat is unavoidable. So you need to remember this principle: strike and retreat, and never get greedy. After all, Hitmonlee is a Fighting-type that relies on technique, not raw strength. Otherwise, it could have tested its strength against Ursaring."
"Liu Qing, what about my last