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"Winona, stop messing around! Sigh… let's begin the battle. Since you're the guest, you attack first."
Terry had no way to deal with his junior. Covering his face with one hand, he waved for the match to start and even let Liam go first.
"Heh, then I won't hold back. Piplup—use Bubble Beam! "
"Piplup!"
Liam gave the command immediately. Countless crystal-clear streams of bubbles rained down onto Altaria like a shower!
"Mian!!"
The Bubble Beam struck Altaria repeatedly, but it didn't move at all—taking the entire attack head-on.
"Heh, that level of attack is nothing more than a tickle to my Altaria. If this is all you've got, I'm going to be disappointed."
Terry was clearly still bothered by Winona praising Liam earlier. Seeing Piplup's attack lacking in power, he shook his head with mild disappointment.
"Heh, since the Gym Leader says so, we'll get a bit more serious. Piplup—use Ice Beam! "
"Piplup!!"
A chilling light gathered rapidly at Piplup's beak—then shot out in an instant!
"Ice Beam?! Altaria, dodge it!"
"Mian!"
Startled, Terry quickly gave the order. Altaria spread its wings and flew up, tilting its body to narrowly evade the icy beam!
"Oh? Gym Leader, why dodge this time? Didn't you say my Piplup was just tickling your Altaria? Isn't dodging a bit… disappointing?"
Liam smirked slightly, raising an eyebrow.
"Heh, letting a Flying and Dragon-type take an Ice-type move head-on? I'm not that naive! Altaria—use Dragon Pulse! "
"Mian~"
A dragon-shaped wave burst from Altaria's mouth, a blue-purple dragon surging toward Piplup!
"Dodge it, Piplup! Use Water Sport! "
"Piplup!"
Liam reacted instantly.
Piplup dropped flat onto the ground and rolled swiftly, its round body tumbling smoothly as it dodged the incoming Dragon Pulse completely!
"Piplup Piplup~"
Then it spun in place, pointing its beak skyward and spraying streams of water everywhere, soaking the battlefield!
"Mian!"
The splashing water soaked Altaria as well. Its fluffy, Mian-like wings absorbed the moisture, becoming heavy and waterlogged—forcing Altaria to slowly descend back to the ground.
"It's fine even if you land! Altaria, charge in and use Peck! "
Terry remained confident. Even without flight, he trusted Altaria's close combat ability.
"Mian! Mian!!"
Altaria dashed forward on its feet, its beak glowing white as it launched a fierce pecking assault!
"Dodge quickly, Piplup! Use Bubble Beam! "
"Piplup!"
Liam stayed calm.
Piplup weaved left and right, narrowly dodging each peck while firing Bubble Beam in retaliation whenever it could.
With its wings weighed down by water, Altaria's movements had slowed significantly. After several exchanges, Piplup remained mostly unharmed, while Altaria had taken multiple direct hits.
"Damn it! It's too agile! Altaria—use Sing! "
Frustration crept onto Terry's face as he quickly changed tactics.
"Mian~ Mian~"
Altaria stopped attacking, raised its head, and began singing a beautiful, melodic tune.
"Piplup~ Piplup~"
Hearing the song, Piplup's eyelids grew heavy. Its body swayed… then it collapsed onto the ground, fast asleep.
"Now's our chance! Altaria—use Dragon Pulse! "
"Mian~"
With Piplup asleep and unable to dodge, Terry seized the opportunity!
The blue-purple Dragon Pulse gathered and fired straight at Piplup—
But at that exact moment!
Liam shouted loudly: "Piplup! Wake up! Use Endure!!"
As he shouted, an invisible force surged between Liam and Piplup!
"Piplup!!"
Amazingly, Piplup woke up from the shout!
BOOM!!
The Dragon Pulse hit directly, kicking up massive dust that obscured the battlefield.
Everyone watched, unable to see through the smoke…. Then suddenly!
BOOM!!
A white beam shot out of the dust at incredible speed!
BANG!!
This time—it was Altaria that got hit!
"Mian! Mian!"
Altaria staggered backward from the impact, nearly falling—but barely held on.
And immediately after…...
"Piplup! Use Ice Beam! "
"Piplup!!"
A pale, freezing beam shot out from the dissipating smoke and struck Altaria directly!
Crack—crack!
In an instant, Altaria was completely frozen in ice, standing motionless like a sculpture!
"Ah! Altaria! This—! Senior, couldn't you go a bit easier?! Hmph… honestly! Altaria is unable to battle! This round goes to Senior!"
Winona cried out in concern, then pouted as she declared Altaria defeated.
"Return, Altaria."
Terry recalled it into a PokeBall. His brows furrowed as he looked at Liam seriously, then silently threw out his second PokeBall.
"Grooo~"
A Tropius appeared—the same one seen earlier—flapping its large leaf-like wings as it descended gently.
At this point, the dust had fully cleared, revealing Piplup—covered in injuries.
It had taken the full force of Dragon Pulse, and Liam could tell its stamina was at its limit. It couldn't continue much longer.
"Come back, Piplup! Take a rest!"
Liam raised his PokeBall. But—
"Piplup!"
Piplup jumped aside, dodging the recall beam!
"Hm? Piplup… you still want to fight?"
"Piplup Piplup!"
"…Alright. Then let's give it everything we've got! I'm counting on you!"
"Piplup!"
Liam could feel Piplup's determination. After a brief pause, he smiled and lowered the PokeBall, letting it continue the battle.
...….
Note: In official mechanics, Endure requires taking hits before countering. Here, it's slightly modified—the more damage endured, the stronger the counterattack.