A heavy slap landed on Gliscor's right cheek, causing its entire face to twist in distortion once more. Heracross wasn't finished; it delivered another blow immediately, giving Gliscor no chance to react as its left palm followed up.
The audience watched in stunned silence as Heracross continuously pummeled Gliscor.
"Was that Substitute Heracross used just now?" Tetsu asked in surprise. "When did Eichi even give that command?"
Sato shook his head. "I'm not sure. It's possible they practiced that response in their regular training."
Keita was dazed. He couldn't understand how the situation had flipped so instantaneously.
"Dammit! Gliscor, fight back!" Keita screamed.
Regardless of how much Keita shouted, Gliscor was completely shell-shocked by the assault and failed to mount any reaction.
It's about time to end this, Eichi thought, seeing that Gliscor had no path to a comeback. "Heracross, Night Slash. Give it the final blow."
Heracross's eyes emitted a dark glow as it instantly identified Gliscor's vital spot. It poured every ounce of its strength into a strike directed at the weak point.
Gliscor let out a pathetic cry. This single hit was enough to completely strip it of its ability to battle. It was sent spiraling away, crashing heavily into a rock formation.
Bang!
The rock shattered upon impact, and a pile of stones tumbled down, burying the battered Gliscor. It was a miserable sight.
"Gliscor!" Keita cried out.
The referee ran over and pulled Gliscor out from the rubble. After confirming it was incapacitated, he announced:
"Gliscor is unable to battle. Heracross wins."
"Dammit..." Keita couldn't believe it. Everything had been going well—how did he lose so suddenly? Why? Why?
Keita's mind was a mess, and he felt utterly lost. Like a walking corpse, he recalled Gliscor into its Poké Ball.
Down in the stands, Tetsu relaxed. "Well, there's not much left to see now. Two of Keita's Pokémon are down. That Gliscor was his strongest one, too. Meanwhile, Eichi hasn't lost a single Pokémon yet. More importantly, Keita can't even beat Eichi's weakest one."
Sato shook his head. "It's not that simple. Keita studied at Lily of the Valley Academy in the Hoenn region for a long time. It's impossible that these are the only two strong Pokémon he has."
Sure enough, it wasn't long before Keita reached for his third Poké Ball. His eyes lit up. Right, I still have it. I still have a chance.
Under the gaze of the crowd, the previously soul-crushed Keita regained his composure. He looked like a completely different person compared to a moment ago. Eichi naturally noticed this change. Seeing Keita's restored confidence, he secretly raised his guard.
"Will contestant Keita please release his third Pokémon."
Before Keita could act, Eichi recalled Heracross. The Sandstorm in the air finally subsided. Heracross had taken a fair amount of damage during the fight and had been panting heavily since defeating Gliscor. To be safe, Eichi decided not to push Heracross further; it had already worked hard enough.
He pulled out Scizor's Poké Ball and released it.
"Go, Scizor!"
He tossed the ball, which clicked open in mid-air. A burst of white light formed into a crimson Pokémon on the ground.
"Scizor!"
Scizor's eyes radiated an intimidating aura, brimming with fighting spirit. The energy surrounding its body was exceptionally dense, leaving the spectators momentarily awestruck.
"That Scizor has grown stronger again," Sato remarked, his expression grave.
"Eichi is a monster," Tetsu lamented. "It's only been a short while since we last saw Scizor, and it's improved once more."
Among the top-ten second-year students, a boy wearing glasses spoke with a heavy tone, "This Scizor is incredibly powerful."
Yuli nodded. "I really don't know how Eichi trains them. Among all the Pokémon in the second year, there are very few that could outmatch this Scizor."
Keita looked at Scizor and sneered, "My partner isn't bad either. Go, Medicham! Show them what you're made of!"
A flash of white light converged on the ground to reveal a peculiar Pokémon. It was a humanoid Pokémon slightly shorter than an adult. The top of its head, its legs, and its lips were bright red with yellow spots. The rest of its body was white. Its upper body was slender while its lower half was more bulbous.
It was a Medicham!
Eichi activated his Eye of the Bug Emperor.
Medicham, the Meditate Pokémon.
Types: Fighting / Psychic
Abilities: Pure Power (Standard), Telepathy (Hidden)
Talent Grade: Outstanding
Trainer Rank: Elite
Description: Through yoga training, it has gained the ability to use its psychic powers to predict its opponent's moves. It meditates to heighten its energy and elegant movements.
This Medicham was quite impressive at Level 43, roughly on par with Scizor. Its presence had clearly restored Keita's confidence.
"Battle begin!"
"Medicham, Power Trick!"
Power Trick—a move that swaps the user's Attack and Defense stats.
Medicham held its hands in a strange posture that reminded Eichi of a yoga pose. Its eyes glowed with an orange-red light. Scizor felt as though its entire body was being covered by a mysterious force, but the feeling vanished instantly, making it seem as if nothing had happened.
However, Scizor felt like it was missing something, while the Medicham opposite it looked revitalized. Eichi knew that Scizor's Attack and Defense had been swapped with Medicham's. Medicham's base stats are typically balanced, but with its Ability, this was going to make the fight tricky.
"Scizor, Bullet Punch!"
Even if the stats had been manipulated, Scizor still had its speed. It vibrated its wings, moving with a velocity that no one could ignore.
"Medicham, Fire Punch!"
Just as Keita finished his command, Scizor appeared right in front of Medicham. Its crimson pincer swung forward, shrouded in a silver-white light, striking down in an instant.
Even with the pincer inches from its face, Medicham didn't panic. It calmly extended a hand which erupted in flames. To the onlookers, its hand seemed to move slowly, yet it wasn't slow at all.
In the blink of an eye, pincer and fist collided.
Bang!
Contrary to expectations, Scizor was actually knocked back a considerable distance by the collision, while Medicham only wobbled slightly. It then returned its hand to its original position, continuing its yoga-like movements.
The crowd was stunned. What? Scizor lost a direct clash of strength to Medicham?
Eichi frowned. That attack power is way too high. Even with the stat swap from Scizor, it shouldn't have been that effective.