"Since you're that confident, then—go, Electivire!"
Facing Paul's Hisuian Samurott, Gary didn't hesitate and immediately sending out his Electivire to counter it.
"Ei-ka-rū!"
As soon as Electivire entered the field, crackling electricity surged across its body, and a confident smile played across its face.
"Chaaah~"
Hisuian Samurott, for its part, was only momentarily surprised by Electivire's species—but after that fleeting moment, its gaze turned ice-cold.
This Electivire was no pushover. Judging by its presence, its strength was not much lower than Hisuian Samurott's own.
But comparison was cruel—standing before this Electivire, Hisuian Samurott could immediately tell: it didn't emanate the overwhelming pressure that Electivire's "big brother" did.
"Battle, begin!"
The referee's announcement had barely faded when Hisuian Samurott, eager to prove itself, shot forward like a streak of blue light—no need for Paul's command.
Somehow, without anyone noticing, Hisuian Samurott had already drawn its blade-like tusks, slashing wildly at Electivire with a fury like a thousand crashing waves!
Secret Sword: Thousand-Fold Surge!
Electivire had never experienced such a relentless assault before. It barely had time to register a blur in front of its eyes before searing pain exploded all over its body—its weak points struck over and over.
It tried to resist, but every movement it attempted was prevented, its counterattacks interrupted before they could even be properly formed.
"Iron Tail, then Thunder!" Gary commanded sharply.
Realizing that moves requiring setup like Thunder Punch wouldn't work, he immediately switched to more direct attacks.
At his call, Electivire's two thick, cable-like tails whipped outward, aiming to strike Hisuian Samurott, while electricity surged violently from its body, lightning crashing down toward its opponent.
"Sucker Punch—then Sacred Sword!"
Before Electivire's Iron Tail could even land, Hisuian Samurott's tusk blades struck first from out of nowhere, knocking Electivire's attack aside.
Hisuian Samurott took a half-step back, its crossed tusks gleaming with white light, growing longer and sharper, like twin sacred blades.
Water flowed in swirling currents beneath its feet as Hisuian Samurott lunged at Electivire with sudden explosive force, its sacred swords slashing forward!
The lightning that surged in at close range was instantly cleaved apart by the Sacred Sword attack, dispersing into harmless sparks around them.
In the next instant, under Electivire's stunned gaze, both sacred blades drove straight into its chest.
BOOM!
With a single strike, Electivire was sent flying backward, heavily wounded.
"Razor Water Blades!" Paul's voice rang out, cool and commanding.
Water surged along Hisuian Samurott's twin tusks, forming wave after wave of blade-like currents. From a distance, Hisuian Samurott unleashed dozens of water-forged slashes, each one bursting forth like cutting gales, relentlessly hammering into Electivire.
When the thick mist finally cleared, Electivire was sprawled motionless on the ground, unable to fight.
The first battle has ended.
Hisuian Samurott leapt back in front of Paul, retracting its foot-blades while fixing its intense gaze on Gary. Its aura only grew more formidable.
"Electivire is unable to battle. Hisuian Samurott wins the match!"
The referee announced.
"Return, Electivire. You fought well."
Gary recalled his Electivire, his expression turning grave as he stared across at Paul.
No matter how he looked at it, his Electivire had been carefully trained — losing so decisively to a Water-type was unreasonable.
But what unsettled Gary even more...
He glanced around the battlefield, which aside from Hisuian Samurott, was completely empty.
If he hadn't misread it, when Hisuian Samurott had used its first move, a number of shards had scattered across the field before disappearing — a sight that strongly resembled the aftermath of a move he vaguely remembered.
"What move was that?"
Unable to hold back his curiosity, Gary asked.
"Secret Sword: Thousand Fold Wave. The scattered fragments have an entry hazard effect similar to Spikes."
Paul didn't bother hiding the information. Though the move wasn't widely known, it wasn't exactly a secret either.
"Spikes... just as I thought."
Realization dawned on Gary, and he fell into a brief silence.
An offensive move that doubled as setting Spikes — the tactical value in a full-scale battle was beyond obvious.
Use it once and unless cleared, the effect would persist till the end.
Every time the opponent switched Pokémon, as long as the new Pokémon wasn't flying or airborne, they would inevitably take damage.
And if he hadn't been mistaken, the move Hisuian Samurott used earlier had set down more than one layer of Spikes!
Without hesitation, Gary sent out his second Pokémon — his ace.
"Blastoise, Rapid Spin!"
The moment it emerged from its Poké Ball, Blastoise immediately withdrew into its shell and began spinning at high speed, generating a powerful and strange current of air around it.
Circling the battlefield once, the scattered fragments from Secret Sword: Thousand Fold Wave disintegrated into glittering particles of light and faded away.
The Spikes — cleared!
Paul merely watched coldly from his side, while Hisuian Samurott silently activated Swords Dance.
By the time Rapid Spin had completely removed the two layers of entry hazards, Hisuian Samurott's Attack had sharply risen!
"Hydro Cannon!"
Gary commanded.
From the back of Blastoise's shell, two massive cannons extended and locked onto Hisuian Samurott.
In the next instant, twin torrents of terrifying water pressure merged into one and blasted forth!
"Charge in!"
Paul responded coolly.
Instead of dodging, Hisuian Samurott surged forward, riding a burst of water beneath its feet straight toward Blastoise.
Light flashed in its eyes — it had seen right through the Hydro Cannon!
Read it!
After executing several strange, fluid evasive maneuvers mid-sprint, Hisuian Samurott weaved through the assault and closed the distance in a flash, its twin foot-blades drawn and ready to strike.
"Skull Bash!"
Gary countered.
In battle, the real-world version of Skull Bash allowed the user to skip the usual charge-up to boost Defense — going straight for the impact.
Blastoise instantly gathered its strength, its head glowing brightly as it launched itself in a close-range collision course with Hisuian Samurott.
"Sacred Sword!"
Paul called out.
Hisuian Samurott's bladed legs gleamed as he charged straight at Blastoise, neither dodging nor hesitating.
BOOM!
The moment they clashed, Blastoise's momentum was shattered by Hisuian Samurott, whose attack power had already been boosted. The twin leg blades struck brutally, sending Blastoise flying through the air.
Against an ordinary opponent, Blastoise might have been able to counter by using defensive moves like Iron Defense to harden his shell before finding a chance to strike back.
However, the Sacred Sword mastered by Hisuian Samurott could cut through any defense boosts, dealing massive direct damage.
As Blastoise was hurled backward through the air, a flash of determination appeared in Gary's eyes.
"Blastoise, Shell Smash!"
Midair, Blastoise's body burst into a radiant white light. It was as if a shell had shattered—his defensive power weakened sharply, but in exchange, both his speed and offensive strength surged dramatically.
At that exact moment, Hisuian Samurott appeared above Blastoise once again. Another pair of Sacred Swords slammed down, smashing Blastoise straight into the ground, raising a cloud of dust as he took heavy damage.
"Air Slash!"
Not giving Blastoise any opportunity to retaliate, Hisuian Samurott swung both arms, sending dozens of sharp air blades hurtling toward the smoke-shrouded ground.
"Rapid Spin, then Hydro Pump!"
At Gary's shout, the smoke on the battlefield was swept away in an instant by the spinning Blastoise. A torrent of water gushed from his shell, and combined with his spinning motion, it twisted into a roaring water tornado.
The incoming Air Slashes never even reached Blastoise—each blade was torn apart by the surging vortex of water.
"Go!"
Under the control of Blastoise, the water tornado surged toward Hisuian Samurott like a tidal wave.
"Aqua Cutter, then Liquidation!"
In midair, water began swirling rapidly around Hisuian Samurott, forming another water tornado. Then, wielding his leg blades infused with the power of Liquidation, Hisuian Samurott began spinning at high speed, imitating Blastoise's technique.
Around Hisuian Samurott's water tornado, a sharp-edged ring of water blades formed, adding another lethal layer to his attack.
BOOM!
The two completely different water tornadoes collided fiercely in the air. They held each other in a deadlock for a moment—then exploded violently.
"Secret Sword: Thousand Fold Wave!"
Blastoise's body lost control and began falling toward the ground. But Hisuian Samurott was right behind him, his twin leg blades transforming into dark Shell Blades as he unleashed a relentless barrage of slashes midair.
Shards of the shattered Shell Blades scattered across the battlefield, sinking into the ground like hidden spike traps.
BOOM!
By the time Blastoise crashed into the ground, his body was covered in deep wounds, and he had already slipped into unconsciousness.
Meanwhile, Hisuian Samurott merely stood above him, breathing heavily but still on his feet.
(To be continued...)
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