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"Um… Mr. Ginko, at a time like this, please take the battle a bit more seriously. This is a very important match."
The commentator was already on the verge of tears. Ginko's single remark had left him speechless for a long while. In the end, he could only force a smile and speak again.
"Hmph. What a pain."
The look of disdain in Ginko's eyes deepened. He turned his head away, clearly no longer interested in the commentator.
"Uh, Mr. Ginko, I also really want to see your true strength. I'll be giving this everything I've got, so I hope you'll take this seriously as well."
Liam enjoyed battling strong opponents. He wanted Ginko to fight him earnestly, not half-heartedly.
"Hm? Since you've put it that way, I guess I don't have any reason to slack off anymore. I'll take this match seriously and have a proper battle with you."
After hearing Liam's words, Ginko looked up at him. After a brief pause, he lowered the hand that had been scratching his head and took out a PokeBall once more.
"The Pokémon I'm sending out—you've already seen it before. It's this one! Go, Ariados!"
"Si—si~"
As he spoke, Ginko released the Ariados that Liam and Delia had encountered once before. Its massive body—far larger than that of a normal Ariados—slammed heavily onto the ground. It raised its head slightly and let out a threatening hiss toward Scizor.
"Sha!"
Scizor, of course, was not about to be intimidated. It snapped its giant pincers once in response, fearless.
"Phew—ladies and gentlemen! Elite Ginko has sent out his signature Pokémon! This Ariados has an illustrious battle record, and we're sure it'll put on a spectacular performance today as well! Please watch closely! I now declare—the third match officially begins!"
Seeing Ariados take the field at last, the commentator finally let out a sigh of relief, wiped the sweat from his brow, and loudly announced the start of the battle.
"Scizor! Our opponent is a Bug-type Elite—don't underestimate him. We'll strike first this time! Go, Scizor! Use Wing Attack!"
"Sha!!"
Facing a Bug-type specialist, Liam dared not be careless. The moment the battle began, he abandoned his earlier calm and ordered Scizor to attack immediately.
At the command, Scizor's wings shuddered violently. White light spread across its insect wings as it bent its body and shot forward like a bolt of lightning! Against a Bug- and Poison-type like Ariados, Flying-type moves were naturally very effective!
"Ariados! Use String Shot!"
"Si!!"
Yet even in the face of Scizor's lightning-fast assault, Ginko remained as calm as ever. With a soft command, Ariados spewed out a large quantity of white silk from its mouth, the threads streaking through the air like pale ribbons.
"Dodge it, Scizor!"
"Sha!"
Though Ariados's silk was fast, it still couldn't keep up with Scizor's speed. Scizor darted about, constantly changing directions to evade the silk, before suddenly leaping high into the air. With its wings glowing white, it dove straight down toward Ariados!
"Si!!"
But at that exact moment—Ariados, which had been firing silk nonstop, suddenly spun around! It thrust its round abdomen toward the airborne Scizor, contracted sharply, and fired out an enormous white web!
"Sha!!"
The web appeared far too suddenly! Scizor, already descending, couldn't react in time. It beat its wings desperately, trying to escape the web's coverage—but it was just a bit too late.
"Sha!!"
Though it avoided part of it, nearly half of Scizor's body was still ensnared.
Scizor crashed to the ground with the web. The left half of its body was stuck fast to the earth, bound together with the sticky silk. The webbing was incredibly tough—no matter how Scizor struggled, it wouldn't budge.
"Scizor! Use Cut and slice through the web!"
Seeing Scizor immobilized, Liam frowned deeply and immediately issued a command to break free.
"Sha!!"
Scizor quickly raised the right pincer that could still move. Light gathered around it—and then it swung down with full force!
But just as Scizor brought its pincer down—
"Ariados! String Shot!"
"Si—si!!"
In an instant, several strands of silk shot through the air, wrapping tightly around Scizor's right pincer! It looked as though the limb had been encased in plaster, awkward and heavy.
"Heh, got you, Liam. Your Scizor is now my Ariados's prey. A Scizor trapped in webbing can't even be recalled, so for its own safety, how about you surrender right now?"
As Ginko spoke, Ariados slowly advanced toward Scizor. Its four spider legs pierced the ground like sharp spears, leaving numerous small holes in its wake.
"Heh, Mr. Ginko, my Scizor hasn't lost its ability to fight yet. How could I surrender so easily? It's just webbing—cut it apart and that's that! Scizor!"
"Sha!"
"Use Air Slash!"
"Sha!!"
Even though its pincer was tightly bound, Scizor could still move it to some extent. Simple swings were no problem!
Lying on the ground, Scizor swung its right pincer at once. A powerful gust erupted, forming a blade of compressed air that shot straight toward Ariados!
"Si!!"
Without even needing Ginko's warning, Ariados immediately leapt aside the moment it saw the attack, landing steadily and dodging the Air Slash. A hint of smugness flashed in its gloomy eyes as it spread its legs and advanced toward Scizor once more.
"Watch your back, Ariados!"
But just as Ariados took a few more steps forward, Ginko suddenly shouted from behind!
"Si? Si!"
Confused, Ariados quickly turned its head—and saw that the Air Slash which had flown past earlier was now curving back, already right behind it!
"Si!!"
At that critical moment, Ariados's razor-sharp reflexes showed themselves. Just as the Air Slash was about to strike, it sprang straight up! The blade of air sliced vertically across its abdomen—but only a few tufts of fuzz were cut away.
"Si~"
When Ariados landed again, the smug look was gone. It lowered its body, taking on a standard battle stance, staring coldly at Scizor as it slowly rose to its feet.
"Sha!!"
By now, the webbing covering Scizor had been shredded across the ground. The returning Air Slash had successfully cut apart the web that bound it. Freed at last, Scizor sat up, used its left pincer to clamp down on the silk around its right pincer, and snapped it apart with a sharp squeeze!
"Ariados, get into the forest—now!"
"Si!!"
Seeing its opponent regain freedom, Ariados spat another web from its mouth to cover Scizor, then immediately sprinted on all four legs toward the forest at top speed.
"Scizor! Cut!"
"Sha!"
A streak of white light flashed through the air, slicing the web cleanly in two as it fell apart to either side.
But even that brief delay was enough—Ariados had already disappeared into the forest.
This wooded area was made up of numerous trees of varying sizes. From the outside, visibility was already somewhat obstructed.
The moment Ariados entered the forest, it began spraying silk everywhere. Before long, the once-green woodland was visibly turning white.
Watching Ariados leap rapidly between trees and branches, Liam frowned slightly, then turned to Scizor.
"Chase it, Scizor—but be careful. The forest favors our opponent. Don't get caught in the webs again."
"Sha!"
Scizor nodded, leaned forward, and dashed off in pursuit.