"Sceptile, use Giga Drain."
Despite its diminished close combat effectiveness due to excessive energy depletion, Sceptile could recover quickly, and this weakness did not hinder its Special Attack moves.
Special Attack moves primarily rely on energy, and since Sceptile hadn't used many such moves earlier, it still had ample reserves available. Now was the perfect time to employ Special Attack moves for ranged combat while simultaneously replenishing its energy.
"Go, Tauros!"
On Lith's side, he sent out Tauros, another of his main Pokémon, with even greater fighting power than his Snorlax.
Lith believed that this Sceptile was Kalia's strongest Pokémon; thus, once defeated, her remaining Pokémon wouldn't pose as significant a threat, giving him a chance at victory.
It must be acknowledged that Kalia's Sceptile was exceptionally strong. Lith had already decided that even if he ultimately won, he would grant Kalia the gym badge, acknowledging the prowess of her Pokémon.
Just this Sceptile alone could consecutively defeat both his Snorlax and Slaking—a feat no other mid-level trainer challenging him had achieved.
"Tauros, Take Down!"
From the start, Lith commanded Tauros to use Take Down. As a Normal Type Pokemon, when Tauros unleashed this move, its power was astonishing.
He knew that Sceptile's defensive capabilities were not particularly strong. With Sceptile already significantly depleted and lacking its earlier agility, it presented the perfect opportunity for an offensive strike.
Initially, Lith had feared Kalia might switch out Sceptile, allowing it to recover before re-entering the battle, which would have made things much more challenging.
Therefore, Lith couldn't afford to miss this chance; he needed to swiftly defeat Sceptile. This was also why he was willing to award Kalia the badge—if not for her lack of experience, she could have rotated Pokemon effectively, giving Sceptile time to recuperate, potentially leading to his defeat.
Kalia, however, wasn't thinking as deeply; she simply wanted to test if Sceptile alone could defeat all of Lith's Pokemon. From the current situation, it seemed quite challenging. Tauros moved swiftly, charging like a raging bull, seemingly unstoppable.
Upon hearing Kalia's command, Sceptile quickly used Giga Drain. In reality, Giga Drain does provide some energy recovery, but its primary function is to heal injuries and restore health. While Sceptile hadn't sustained any significant damage, its energy reserves were severely depleted.
Sceptile unleashed green energy directly towards Tauros, but instead of evading, Tauros charged through the energy, undeterred.
The green energy struck Tauros, causing impact and simultaneously absorbing its energy; however, it couldn't halt Tauros' relentless charge.
Tauros continued to fiercely collide with Sceptile, exerting immense force like a speeding train heading straight for it.
In the next moment, Sceptile swiftly dodged, leaving Tauros' Take Down move ineffective. Due to momentum, Tauros surged several meters forward before finally stopping.
Sceptile quickly sprinted away, creating distance as it reached the other end of the battlefield, ready to unleash more moves.
"Great job," Kalia chuckled softly. A direct hit from Take Down could have been troublesome, considering Sceptile's defense was indeed a weakness, potentially leading to severe damage. In such a weakened state, defeat would only be a matter of time.
However, Sceptile remained unscathed, which was ideal. With Tauros' first attack unsuccessful, hitting Sceptile accurately in subsequent attempts would become even harder.
"This..." Lith felt disheartened; such a perfect opportunity had been evaded by Sceptile once again. This Sceptile was incredibly strong, displaying the best evasion capabilities he had ever witnessed.
In the ensuing battle, Sceptile maintained control but avoided close combat. Instead, under Kalia's command, it consistently kept its distance while launching attacks from afar.
The guerrilla-style warfare persisted for quite some time, as Tauros also boasted high stamina and occasionally managed to dodge Sceptile's ranged moves. However, the key issue remained that Tauros could not get close to Sceptile.
Tauros was swift, but Sceptile was even faster, especially after Lian enhanced its speed to its maximum potential. Its current Speed ability value was exceptionally high.
Despite Tauros' respectable speed, it couldn't match Sceptile's pace, ensuring that Sceptile held a dominant advantage throughout the battle.
Feeling helpless, Lith acknowledged that Tauros possessed both formidable attack power and speed, which should have allowed it to easily defeat Sceptile. Yet, frustratingly, Tauros could never land a hit. Even when closing the gap momentarily, Sceptile's agility enabled it to evade critical strikes with ease.
As time passed, Tauros eventually succumbed to Sceptile's Giga Drain move. After its last bit of Stamina was absorbed, it collapsed onto the ground, losing its ability to fight.
Lith felt utterly defeated, realizing that Kalia's Sceptile excelled not only in close combat but also at range attacks. Combined with its agility and swift movements, unless facing a Pokemon faster than Sceptile, any opponent would struggle to even touch it.
Unfortunately, Lith's Pokemon were predominantly slow; Snorlax, Wigglytuff, and even his fastest, Tauros, proved too sluggish against Sceptile.
Ultimately, the already injured Wigglytuff fell under Sceptile's assault, losing its fighting capability.
With this, the gym battle concluded. Lith, smiling bitterly, looked at Kalia and the victorious Sceptile on the battlefield, and admitted, "I lost, fair and square. Your Pokemon are truly impressive."
"Thank you," Kalia replied with a smile. She was pleasantly surprised by Sceptile's performance, managing to defeat four Pokemon consecutively. Over the past half-month, both Sceptile and Blaziken had indeed made significant progress.
Currently, Sceptile's strength had undoubtedly reached the elite level within the intermediate tier. Although it might still fall short against high-tier Pokemon, the gap was significantly reduced compared to before.
Lith then retrieved the Normal Type Gym badge and handed it to Kalia. He didn't personally know her, as he rarely followed the news; however, this didn't diminish his recognition of Kalia as an exceptional Trainer.
At such a young age, already being a mid-level Trainer showcased her remarkable talent. Her future prospects were boundless, with becoming a high-level Trainer merely a matter of time.
"That Sceptile must be your strongest Pokémon, right?" Lith asked with a smile, impressed by its prowess.
Kalia accepted the badge, pinned it onto her shoulder, expressed her gratitude, and then smiled at Lith's remark.
"Sceptile is not my strongest Pokémon," she replied calmly. While Sceptile was indeed powerful, her most formidable Pokémon from the beginning has always been Charizard—a fact she held with unwavering certainty.