"Hitmonlee, Blaze Kick!" Bruno had never expected Liu Qing to have Exeggutor use Solar Beam. His habitual thinking had worked against him: when he had battled Will, Johto's Psychic-type Elite Four member, Will's Exeggutor had chosen to block this move with Psychic power. But Liu Qing was not Will, and naturally chose a different move to face High Jump Kick. As a result, Hitmonlee, who had intended to follow High Jump Kick with a string of attacks, had not thought to release his grip and dissipate the force of the explosion. By the time he realized it, it was too late. Still, the mistake had an upside. Hitmonlee was not the only one to take the blast; Exeggutor had taken it too. Moreover, Hitmonlee's body was as elastic as rubber, which helped cushion the impact. Bruno was certain Exeggutor had suffered more damage, so he still chose to counterattack immediately.
"Exeggutor, Confusion!" Bruno believed Exeggutor had taken more damage than Hitmonlee, but Liu Qing believed the opposite. Exeggutor always kept a layer of Psychic power around his body, not only to train that power, but more importantly to guard against unexpected situations. That protective layer had effectively dispersed some of the impact, so Liu Qing also issued his command without delay.
At Bruno's command, Hitmonlee reacted immediately, opening the eyes he had squeezed shut during the explosion. His bent left leg kicked upward, fierce flames igniting around his foot as it struck Exeggutor from below. At the same time, Exeggutor fired solid-looking beams of multicolored light from all six eyes. Rather than trying to restrain Hitmonlee, he attacked directly, driving the beams straight into his opponent. Both moves were super effective. Hitmonlee could no longer maintain his grip and let go, and both Pokémon were hurled backward.
"Exeggutor, Nature Power!"