Defeating Gym Leader Takeshi's three Pokémon clearly wouldn't be easy; earlier, Kalia believed her strength would make it manageable, but Medicham's performance demonstrated Takeshi's prowess.
However, precisely because of his formidable skill, challenging him held greater significance. She aimed for a decisive victory, not just defeating Medicham.
"Sceptile also possesses strong combat skills. I'll start with Sceptile, and if needed, Charizard will step in," Kalia decided firmly. Charizard was her trump card, her strongest Pokémon, and she couldn't risk deploying it too early; otherwise, one defeat could leave her without any further chances.
Kalia already knew what the Gym Leader's second Pokémon was. After the previous Trainer defeated Medicham, Takeshi had sent out his second Pokémon—an astonishing Fighting and Dark-type Pangoro.
This choice likely targeted Ghost-types, as Dark moves have a significant advantage against them. Medicham is both Fighting and Psychic-type, while Pangoro is Fighting and Dark-type. The final Fighting-type Pokémon must also possess additional typing to avoid being overly vulnerable to Ghost-types.
Time passed, and it was finally Kalia's turn to step onto the battlefield. No one paid her much attention, except for a few glances due to her attractiveness.
Kalia approached the battlefield, observing Takeshi with his eyes closed, seemingly meditating. She took a deep breath; just because others failed doesn't mean she would. Determination filled her - she had to defeat Takeshi.
"Go, Sceptile!" Kalia tossed her Poké Ball, which opened with a pop, releasing Sceptile onto the ground.
The moment Sceptile landed, it felt a transformation within its body. Having learned combat techniques, it had gained deeper self-awareness, immediately sensing the changes.
Firstly, the Leaf Blades on its wrists became even sharper, and overall, its strength seemed to have significantly increased overnight.
These enhancements were clearly thanks to Lian, instilling a sense of awe in Sceptile towards him. It couldn't comprehend how Lian achieved this miraculous feat.
There was no time to ponder further; the power boost was undeniably beneficial, boosting Sceptile's confidence. Meanwhile, Takeshi also threw out his Poké Ball, summoning Medicham once again onto the battlefield.
Sceptile vs Medicham.
As the battle commenced, Kalia promptly issued her command: "Sceptile, use Giga Drain!" With considerable distance between them, Sceptile had ample opportunity to unleash Giga Drain. Although now skilled in close combat, utilizing long-range Special Attack moves remained essential for versatility.
Waiting until Medicham closed the gap before engaging in melee would undoubtedly be the optimal strategy.
In single battles, Kalia's commands were timely and effective. However, once transitioning to close combat, she planned not to dictate specific attacks; instead, she would only remind Sceptile to dodge incoming moves.
As Pokemon gained strength, Kalia's role evolved from fully directing their actions to more of an auxiliary one. After all, it was the Pokemon who had experienced countless battles, not the Trainer.
If a Pokemon, despite numerous battles, still relied solely on its Trainer's commands, it could be considered ineffective, lacking even basic combat instincts.
Upon receiving Kalia's command, Sceptile promptly unleashed Giga Drain. However, Medicham proved to be stronger than anticipated, swiftly maneuvering its steps and effortlessly evading Sceptile's attack.
"That's Detect." Similar to Protect, Detect allows the user to foresee an opponent's move by analyzing their actions, predictively avoiding attacks with near-perfect evasion success rate.
Both Detect and Protect lose effectiveness when used consecutively due to the high energy consumption of Detect. After a period of rest, reusing it ensures the continued success of evasive maneuvers.
After dodging Sceptile's Giga Drain, Medicham charged forward. Simultaneously, Sceptile ceased using ranged moves and rushed towards its opponent as well.
"Engaging in close combat against Medicham? Isn't that just handing victory away?"
"Sceptile is incredibly fast; why not capitalize on speed with ranged attacks instead of opting for melee?"
The surrounding Trainers expressed skepticism about Sceptile's strategy. Generally perceived as Special Attack Pokemon, Sceptiles often rely on powerful ranged moves like Giga Drain or Energy Ball.
It was rare to see a Sceptile opting for close combat; this seemed like playing to its weaknesses rather than strengths. No one could comprehend what the Trainer had in mind.
Unaware of the discussions, Kalia remained fully focused on the battlefield, not issuing further commands as she trusted Sceptile's battle instincts to suffice.
"Sceptile, beware Medicham's Ice Punch." Occasionally, Kalia would provide warnings. Among the three self-taught punches, Ice Punch posed the greatest threat to Sceptile. With inherently weak defenses, a single hit from Ice Punch would result in severe damage.
Apart from Ice Punch, which Sceptile couldn't directly counter, it should be able to effectively respond to any other Fighting or Psychic-type moves using its own abilities.
Ice Punch was crucial; having witnessed it before, Kalia hoped Sceptile could evade it this time.
As the two Pokemon approached, tensions escalated, ready for an imminent clash. Medicham swiftly initiated with a Fighting-type move, Force Palm, thrusting its hands forcefully and sending a powerful shockwave towards Sceptile.
However, with the Float Stone, Sceptile's speed and agility were significantly enhanced, not to mention it also possessed the Detect move.
With a swift roll, Sceptile effortlessly evaded Medicham's Force Palm attack. Simultaneously, its wrist Leaf Blades fiercely swung towards Medicham, unleashing a powerful Leaf Blade technique.
As Sceptile released Leaf Blade, it suddenly felt more proficient with the move, almost as if casting a regular non-specialized attack casually.
Using its exceptional fighting skills, Medicham performed a backflip, attempting to dodge Sceptile's Leaf Blade assault. However, this time, Sceptile's Leaf Blade was different from before.
Unexpectedly, the Leaf Blade extended rapidly, resembling a short sword. Concealed within was an additional hidden blade segment.
This is the nature of Leaf Blade - the sharp leaves can abruptly elongate without any warning.
Shhhk!
Initially, Medicham should have easily avoided the attack, but due to the sudden extension of the Leaf Blade, it managed to strike Medicham precisely.
Sceptile stared incredulously at its extended Leaf Blade on the wrist. As soon as it released the attack, the blade returned to its original size. Simultaneously, Sceptile sensed one of the yellow spheres on its back disappearing.
These yellow spheres contained nutrients that accelerate plant growth. The sudden extension of the Leaf Blade undoubtedly consumed the nutrients from one of the spheres.
In other words, when activating Leaf Blade, it not only extends unexpectedly but also enhances its power, albeit at the cost of consuming one of the yellow spheres on its back.
This revelation surprised Sceptile; when did it acquire this ability?
Kalia was equally astonished. Despite Medicham's successful dodge, Sceptile's Leaf Blade unexpectedly elongated at a crucial moment. What just happened?
"That Sceptile has some tricks up its sleeve!"
"What move was that?"
Several keen-eyed Trainers witnessed the battle unfold and exclaimed in amazement.
Lian, who had been sleeping, woke up due to the commotion. Hearing that Sceptile had already engaged in combat, he peeked through a small gap and observed the intense battle between Sceptile and Medicham.