Coming back to her senses, Langley gritted her teeth.
Although their brief exchange had greatly surprised her, she also realized that Beartic had been sent flying not because it had lost to this Dragonite in strength, but in technique.
Whether in experience or physical ability, Dragonite had the edge. It was precisely because it had dodged Beartic's punch that it had been able to punch Beartic in the face in the moves that followed.
The head had always been a relatively vulnerable spot for any creature. Once struck, the mind would go blank for a moment, so being sent flying was only natural.
But I won't let my guard down a second time!
Langley spoke again, intending to order Beartic to get up and engage Dragonite once more.
But Beartic had only just begun to move when the electricity from Thunder Punch coursed through its entire body. Affected by paralysis, its movements faltered slightly, leaving it frozen in place for a moment.
Naturally, this gave Dragonite an opening.
With a flap of its little wings, it flew up to Beartic, then knocked the lumbering Pokémon straight to the ground with a smooth, crisp combination of blows.
Even if Langley had wanted to counterattack, she had no chance.
She could only feel utterly frustrated by the defeat. Beartic had not even managed to show its proper strength.
How could she possibly accept that?
"Again!" Her face flushed slightly as she said defiantly, "Beartic didn't get to use its strength at all! If I hadn't been unlucky enough to trigger paralysis just now, I definitely would have won!"
Xia You actually understood how she felt.
After all, she had been the one to issue the challenge, yet her Pokémon had thrown only a single punch before being knocked down by its opponent.