Espeon hesitated. She was not good at physical attacks, and this move would also hurt her. She did not understand why Ye Qing had given this command.
But out of trust in her Trainer's son, Espeon pushed off with all four legs, a surge of steam-like energy enveloping her body as she crashed into Liepard's abdomen with a boom.
Liepard screamed and immediately abandoned Hyper Voice, sending Espeon flying with a resounding smack of his hardened Iron Tail.
"Esp..."
Espeon gritted her teeth and rose, her eyes fixed on Liepard, who had also landed on the ground.
"Use Quick Attack."
Ye Qing carefully calculated Espeon's stamina and injuries, thinking that it was not time yet.
Espeon turned into a streak of white light, leaving an afterimage across the ground as she rushed toward Liepard.
Although she was already badly injured, she still trusted Ye Qing, just as she had trusted that her Trainer had only released her because she had no other choice.
"Liep."
Liepard lowered his body, bending his supple waist until his belly pressed against the ground.
Just as Espeon reached him, he moved!
His agile body swiftly became a dark shadow, colliding with Espeon at tremendous speed.
Bang!
The two Pokémon bounced apart, and the less severely injured Liepard reacted first.
Pushing off with his powerful hind legs, he leaped above Espeon and whipped his steel lash of a tail toward her forehead!
"Protect!"
This was the moment Ye Qing had been waiting for. Espeon's injuries were now so severe that, if she had Blaze, it probably would have activated.
Bang!
Iron Tail struck the barrier of Protect, but an attack of this level clearly could not break through it.
"Fury Swipes!"
Ye Qing shouted. The damage dealt by a move like Fury Swipes was not fixed.