The two Pokémon finally clashed, colliding violently. Instantly, a sound of metal crashing rang out from the field, and the powerful gust of wind generated by the collision swept past Eichi's face. Eichi did not flinch, watching the battle on the field with open eyes. Shinta, conversely, was forced to shield his face as the strong wind passed.
The Pokémon's initial clash ended in a stalemate. Ursaring and Beedrill were locked in a fierce contest in the center of the field. Ursaring's paw was slammed against Beedrill's right stinger, with Beedrill's left stinger pressing down on the right.
Shinta could hardly believe his eyes: Beedrill was actually a match for Ursaring in terms of raw power. Ursaring, seeing Beedrill block its attack, became angry and increased its strength, trying to overpower it. However, Beedrill's expression seemed to convey sheer indifference. No matter how much force Ursaring added, Beedrill always matched it with an equal amount. Thus, the two Pokémon remained in a stalemate.
At this moment, the audience in the stands was shocked. This was the first time they had ever seen a Beedrill match an Ursaring in strength. It was a true eye-opener for them. Director Yanagi and Teacher Takemoto were also left stunned in the spectator seating.
After a long moment, Director Yanagi finally spoke. "This young Eichi truly gives us surprises. This Beedrill is remarkable." Director Yanagi was at a loss for words to describe Eichi's Beedrill.
Teacher Takemoto was slightly manic. "This Beedrill is incredible! At the same level, my own Beedrill would definitely not be as strong as his. How did he do it? We old men spent countless resources to nurture my Beedrill. He doesn't have access to those resources. How did he manage this?"
***
Returning to the battle arena, Shinta realized that a stalemate was not a viable strategy and ordered Ursaring to retreat first.
"Ursaring, fall back," Shinta commanded.
Ursaring was reluctant, but it could not disobey its Trainer's order, so it reluctantly loosened its grip and retreated a short distance. It then glared fiercely at Beedrill, which looked back with a slight disdain.
"Ursaring, use Slash!" Shinta, still unwilling to accept the situation, ordered Ursaring to continue its attack on Beedrill.
Eichi still did not choose the tactic of using speed to wear down Ursaring's stamina; instead, he commanded Beedrill to charge forward again.
"Beedrill, use Brick Break!"
Upon hearing this, a red light flashed in Beedrill's eyes, and it dashed forward. Seeing this, Ursaring roared in fury and charged once more. Ursaring forcefully swung its paw at Beedrill. Beedrill quickly dodged, then swung its twin stingers to strike Ursaring. Ursaring blocked the blow with its other paw and continued its assault.
The two Pokémon fought on the field, trading blows. They exchanged swipes and parries in a hard-hitting, head-to-head confrontation. During this process, Ursaring occasionally struck Beedrill, and Beedrill frequently landed hits on Ursaring. Both Pokémon sustained injuries, but a closer look revealed that Ursaring was taking more damage.
Being hit repeatedly by the relatively weak Beedrill and failing to defeat the seemingly weaker Bug-type completely ignited Ursaring's fighting spirit. It became increasingly agitated, pouring all of its attacks onto Beedrill. As a result, Ursaring's Attack power increased significantly. This Ursaring's Ability was Guts; when afflicted by a status condition, Guts dramatically boosts its Attack power. In the preceding skirmish, Beedrill had struck Ursaring with Poison Jab, and Ursaring was instantly Poisoned.
Different from Eichi, Shinta's face was worsening. What is going on? Shinta thought. Why hasn't Ursaring defeated that damn Beedrill yet?
"Ursaring, quickly defeat it!"
Upon hearing the command, Ursaring went berserk and prepared to use a new move: Hammer Arm. Ursaring began channeling the energy within its body, powerfully gathering it into its fist. Beedrill also sensed that Ursaring was about to use a very powerful move.
"Beedrill, use Pin Missile! Don't let Ursaring use it!"
Right in front of Ursaring, Beedrill formed countless sharp needles and fired them at Ursaring. Ursaring blocked them all with its forearms. Although it blocked everything, it was not unscathed. However, it was now Ursaring's turn to counterattack.
Shinta shouted excitedly, "That's it! Give it everything you have! Ursaring, use Hammer Arm!"
Ursaring roared and swung its right arm heavily toward Beedrill. The move was incredibly fast as Ursaring executed it. Furthermore, an invisible force seemed to restrain Beedrill, preventing it from moving. However, Beedrill forcefully struggled free from the restraint, just as Ursaring's attack arrived.
"Beedrill, use Protect!"
Upon hearing the command, Beedrill rapidly formed a green screen in front of itself, which solidly blocked Ursaring's Hammer Arm. Ursaring saw the green screen blocking its attack and glared at Beedrill with its furious red eyes. The two Pokémon's faces were extremely close. Beedrill met Ursaring's gaze, its own blood-red eyes showing no sign of weakness.
Ursaring roared again, continuing to use all its might to try and break through the barrier. Then, the screen in front of Beedrill emitted the sound of great strain. This is bad. The barrier is about to shatter. Ursaring's move power is exceeding the barrier's limit. It can't hold up much longer, Eichi thought.
With a sound like shattering glass, the barrier in front of Beedrill completely broke, and Ursaring's fist swung toward Beedrill.
"Beedrill, use Substitute!"
Just as Ursaring's Hammer Arm hit Beedrill's body, Beedrill instantly generated a copy of itself from behind and flew backward with lightning speed. Ursaring's Hammer Arm struck the Beedrill Substitute, which instantly crumbled into dust under the force of the attack. Beedrill had successfully dodged the attack. Seizing the moment while Ursaring was recovering, Eichi immediately commanded Beedrill to launch an attack.
"Beedrill, use Twineedle!"
Beedrill, now airborne, dove toward Ursaring, crossing its twin stingers across its chest and channeling energy through its body. Ursaring, catching its breath on the ground, saw Beedrill dive down and quickly got up, preparing to intercept it. I guess I have no choice but to use that move, Shinta thought, steeling his resolve. Shinta issued the command to Ursaring: "Ursaring, use Hyper Beam on Beedrill!"
What!
Ursaring knows Hyper Beam?
Beedrill is in danger! The spectators below the arena began to worry about Beedrill's safety.