Just as Raticate was about to sink its teeth into Heracross, its two large incisors glowed with a white light. Its body drew closer, but suddenly, a massive force erupted from its abdomen. The body before its eyes drifted further and further away.
It turned out that at the very moment of impact, Heracross's expression shifted, and it whipped its single horn back. The explosive speed of this movement was so fast that Raticate couldn't react. The horn drove straight into Raticate's belly.
With a forceful thrust, Raticate was sent flying. It crashed heavily onto the ground. A Gym Leader level Pokémon was truly different; had it been an Elite level opponent, that single thrust would have cost them half their life. Raticate, however, was only slightly injured, and its fighting spirit remained intact. It scrambled quickly to its feet and charged again.
"Raticate, Scary Face!"
As it ran, Heracross saw black energy surging behind Raticate, forming a giant, ghastly face. The entire space seemed to turn dark, and a wave of fear welled up in Heracross's heart.
"Steady yourself, Heracross. Don't let it affect you," Eichi called out.
"Ya-kulu!"
Heracross closed its eyes and activated its senses. Because it trained its perception regularly, it quickly adjusted its emotions and effectively neutralized the effect of the Scary Face.
"Raticate, Hyper Fang!"
"Ra-da!"
Raticate ran at high speed, orange energy gathering frantically in its large front teeth. It lunged to bite down on Heracross.
"Heracross, Brick Break!"
Heracross swung its arm quickly, ripples of energy swirling around its limb. Just before the teeth could sink in, Heracross's arm blocked the attack. Raticate's teeth bit directly into Heracross's forearm.
"Ya-kulu!"
Heracross let out a cry of pain, its face contorting. Despite the agony, it reacted reflexively, swinging its other hand to strike Raticate hard in the face. Raticate was sent flying once more and tumbled to the ground, its face visibly swelling.
Heracross hadn't escaped unscathed, either. The arm bitten by Raticate hung limp and loose at its side. It was temporarily immobilized and unusable.
"Raticate, continue with Crunch."
Asen remained calm, proceeding step-by-step without any sign of haste. In his rhythm, Heracross would soon lose its ability to battle under Raticate's relentless assault. Eichi had to admit that Asen had some skill; Raticate was well-trained and utilized its strengths perfectly. A Raticate's talent lies in attack and speed, with its teeth being its greatest weapon.
However, that was as far as it went. Eichi felt the testing phase was over; it was time for his counterattack.
"Heracross, fly into the sky!"
"Ya-kulu!"
Heracross vibrated its wings and took to the air, gradually increasing its altitude. Just as Raticate was about to land a Crunch, Heracross shot straight into the heavens.
"Heracross, Seed Bomb!"
From above, Heracross puffed out its chest and opened its mouth wide. Countless black seeds shot out like a machine gun, raining down on Raticate. Raticate darted left and right, trying to dodge, but the seeds were too numerous and moving too fast. Under the airtight barrage, Raticate was hit repeatedly.
"Ra-da!"
The attack sent Raticate scurrying in all directions as the seeds chased after it.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we can see the situation has reversed! Previously, Raticate held the upper hand," the commentator shouted. "But now, Heracross is taking the initiative. The tables have turned completely!"
Asen was slightly surprised, but he still maintained an air of confidence.
"Raticate, Double Team!"
Bright yellow energy spilled from Raticate's body as it fled, instantly creating over a dozen clones.
"Heracross, Pin Missile!"
After finishing its volley of seeds, Heracross condensed countless needles of light in the air. Under Heracross's control, it fired them frantically toward one specific Raticate.
Asen's brow furrowed. Is it my imagination, or did Heracross find Raticate's true body?
He soon saw his suspicion confirmed. Every needle of light accurately struck the same Raticate. A direct hit.
"Ra-da!"
Raticate let out a scream of pain, and all the clones vanished instantly. The Raticate that was hit collapsed onto the ground, kicking up clouds of dust.
In the spectator stands, a middle-aged man sitting next to Lorelei looked surprised. "Oh? This Heracross is quite good! It actually saw through the true body among the Double Team clones."
"Heracross, Swords Dance and Megahorn!"
"Ya-kulu!"
Even though one arm was currently unusable, Heracross didn't hesitate.
"The tide has turned quite clearly now; Asen's Raticate might truly be on the verge of defeat," the announcer noted. "Let's see how Asen responds!"
Heracross vibrated its wings and began to spin, its eyes glowing with red light. Countless ripples of energy formed circles of swirling power. The atmosphere grew heavy as the crowd sensed the staggering amount of energy gathering. Yellow, electricity-like energy appeared on Heracross's horn, crackling as it formed a concentrated energy cone around Heracross.
Asen looked at the descending Heracross, his face darkening. He could feel the raw power contained in the move.
"Come on! Show them what we're made of!" Asen shouted. "Raticate, Hyper Beam!"
Excitement flickered in Asen's eyes. He believed Raticate's Hyper Beam could defeat Heracross. However, deep down, he felt a sense of gloom; he hadn't expected to struggle this much against the opponent's first Pokémon.
"Ra-da!"
Raticate scrambled up from the ground, its gaze turning fierce as it stared at the oncoming Heracross. Its eyes glowed red, and its internal energy surged violently, causing the surrounding air to turn turbulent. Raticate opened its mouth as wide as possible, and a pillar of compressed orange-yellow energy erupted.
Bang!
Heracross didn't dodge—and it couldn't. It slammed head-on into the Hyper Beam.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we've reached the climax! Asen's Raticate has unleashed Hyper Beam against Heracross!" the commentator yelled. "And Eichi's Heracross has used Megahorn! Let's see who is the last one standing!"
Bang!
The two forces collided, creating a massive shockwave of energy that expanded in a glowing ring. Heracross felt intense pain and a wall of resistance pushing back against it.