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Sceptile did not anticipate this sudden special ability for Leaf Blade. However, with only six yellow spheres on its back, it meant that extending and enhancing the power of Leaf Blade was limited and not infinite.
At most, it could be used six times before waiting for the yellow spheres to regenerate.
After striking Medicham, visible wounds appeared as it landed, clearly injured by the attack.
A Grass-type Leaf Blade carries significant force, especially considering Lian had boosted Sceptile's attack ability value above 1000. This single Leaf Blade inflicted substantial damage on Medicham, which does not have exceptional defensive capabilities.
The battle continued unabated. Medicham, disregarding its injuries, charged towards Sceptile again, throwing a punch. Simultaneously, the temperature around them dropped sharply, coating Medicham's small fist with a layer of frost - unmistakably an Ice-type move, Ice Punch.
Clearly, Medicham was now going all out, and Ice Punch is undoubtedly its best move against Sceptile. With just one hit, it could potentially instantly defeat Sceptile.
However, Sceptile was well-prepared. Its eyes flashed with Detect, effortlessly evading Medicham's Ice Punch.
Without pausing its offensive, Sceptile countered with another swift Leaf Blade, smoothly transitioning between moves as the sharp blade aimed directly at Medicham.
Compared to Special Attack moves, close combat maneuvers were easier to chain due to their reliance on physical strength, with energy serving as secondary support. As long as a Pokemon had sufficient Stamina, it could continuously execute these moves.
Nevertheless, if depleted of Stamina, a Pokemon struggles to perform attack moves effectively, lacking the necessary power for execution - this is where they fall short compared to Special Attack moves.
In summary, both attack and Special Attack moves have their strengths, making it impossible to definitively say which is superior; it largely depends on the using Pokemon.
Facing Sceptile's assault, Medicham realized that although the Ice Punch missed, it could still follow up with another move.
A powerful psychic force gathered above Medicham's head, emitting a red glow before forcefully colliding with Sceptile's Leaf Blade attack.
With a loud impact, Sceptile's powerful Zen Headbutt collided fiercely with Medicham's Leaf Blade. The force generated from the clash sent both Pokemon flying.
However, Sceptile quickly regained its balance due to carrying the Float Stone, making it more agile and reducing the damage sustained during close combat encounters.
As soon as it landed, Sceptile utilized the momentum to create distance and swiftly unleashed Giga Drain.
"Sceptile has fully adapted to the Dual Blades fighting style," Lian observed. In the game, Dual Blades Sceptile would choose moves based on the opponent's type.
In reality, the strongest aspect of Dual Blades Sceptile is alternating between close-quarters and ranged attacks. When opponents become accustomed to close combat, they often struggle to react promptly when faced with a sudden Special Attack move.
Sceptile's advantage over Medicham lies in its speed and agility. By using the momentum to pull away, Sceptile effectively prevented Medicham from immediately closing the gap after being pushed back.
As Giga Drain was released, Medicham attempted to dodge but couldn't regain stability in time. It instantly felt a strong force draining nutrients from its body.
As the battle progressed, Medicham had already been hit twice by Sceptile's moves - once with Leaf Blade and once with Giga Drain. Medicham's Stamina ability value was inherently low, and after being drained of its nutrients by Giga Drain, it began to show signs of fatigue.
At this moment, Takeshi abruptly opened his eyes. Although he had them closed, he remained fully aware of the battle through Medicham's vocalizations, gauging the situation accurately. Surprisingly, even at the start of the fight, Medicham sustained significant damage, prompting him to assess the scenario visually.
"The Gym Leader opened his eyes!"
"I thought he'd keep them closed throughout the entire match."
"This Sceptile is quite strong! It's actually suppressing Medicham; unbelievable!"
With Takeshi opening his eyes, many Trainers were taken aback, equally astonished by Sceptile's prowess. So far, Sceptile hadn't suffered any visible injuries, only experiencing minimal impact from clashing with Medicham's moves earlier.
"Medicham, use Mind Reader followed by Ice Punch!" Takeshi commanded for the first time, breaking his usual silence during battles.
The moment Takeshi gave his command, Medicham's eyes emitted a burst of light, directly shining onto Sceptile as if penetrating its very core.
Simultaneously, Medicham summoned its remaining strength and charged towards Sceptile. As it ran, frost gathered around its fists. With Mind Reader activated, every movement of Sceptile became transparent to Medicham's perception.
"Oh no," Kalia exclaimed, startled. Mind Reader is a Normal-type move, with its power lying in allowing the Pokemon to intuitively sense its opponent, effectively seeing through all their actions. Now, for Sceptile to evade this Ice Punch would be incredibly difficult.
As Medicham rushed towards Sceptile, the latter also sprinted forward using Quick Attack, dramatically increasing its speed to close the distance instantly.
"Sceptile must be crazy! With Mind Reader, there's no way to dodge the next attack; it should have used a ranged move instead."
"It's futile. Mind Reader has already anticipated Sceptile's every move, including detecting any incoming attacks beforehand."
Mind Reader not only ensures a move's accuracy but also allows the user to perceive the opponent's movements, including predicting the type of moves they will employ, essentially providing insight akin to foreseeing their tactics.
However, Sceptile proved to be smarter than anticipated. Despite Medicham's Mind Reader ability, it should not be forgotten that Sceptile was significantly faster. With Quick Attack unleashed, Sceptile instantly closed the distance.
Medicham had accurately predicted all of Sceptile's movements and swiftly countered with a frost-infused Ice Punch. Under the effect of Mind Reader, Sceptile had no chance to evade.
Yet, instead of dodging, Sceptile raised its wrist, unleashing Leaf Blade, ready for a direct confrontation - this being the only way to potentially counter Ice Punch.
Although Ice Punch is an Ice-type move, while Sceptile's Leaf Blade is Grass-type, making it less likely to withstand the attack effectively, there were no other options at that moment.
At the critical moment, Leaf Blade unexpectedly extended, increasing its power, and collided fiercely with Ice Punch, generating a powerful impact. This time, prepared, Medicham braced its feet against the ground, preventing itself from being pushed back.
"Step back!" Takeshi suddenly shouted.
But it was too late; Sceptile swiftly struck with its other hand, revealing another Leaf Blade maneuver.
As Medicham's Ice Punch collided with Sceptile's Leaf Blade, a chilling sensation invaded Sceptile's arm. Unexpectedly for Medicham, Sceptile unleashed another Leaf Blade from its other hand.
In truth, Sceptile couldn't have done this yesterday, but after battling Machamp, it gained significant insight. Its natural talent in Fighting-type moves was truly remarkable.
Additionally, Lian had boosted Sceptile's proficiency with Leaf Blade to the maximum level, enabling it to utilize the move at an exceptionally high standard.
Just moments ago, as if experiencing an epiphany, Sceptile spontaneously released Leaf Blade from its second hand, surprising even itself.
Although unable to fully block the Ice Punch, the enhanced Leaf Blade mitigated some of the impact force, preventing Sceptile from losing combat effectiveness too early.
The swift Leaf Blade struck Medicham, forcing it backward, and within the next instant, Medicham collapsed, falling unconscious.
However, due to direct contact with the Ice Punch, intense cold energy infiltrated Sceptile's limb, causing its arm to rapidly freeze and stiffen, spreading quickly.