"Pinsir, use Vice Grip!" Following a clear command, the Samurai boy's Pinsir suddenly spread its pair of sharp, giant horns and lunged toward Hora's Beedrill like an arrow from a bow, the wind from its sprint kicking up fallen leaves.
"Beedrill, fly up to evade, then use Venoshock!" Hora stood his ground, composed, his voice showing no hint of panic.
Beedrill's wings buzzed as it ascended gracefully into the air, narrowly dodging Pinsir's pincer attack. Immediately following the dodge, a glob of purple venom condensed at its stinger and shot toward the Pinsir on the ground like a bolt.
"Pinsir, dodge it and use Substitute!" The Samurai boy reacted quickly, adjusting his orders instantly.
Pinsir jerked its body to the side to avoid the venom. With a blur of motion, two identical figures appeared on the field—one standing firmly in place while the other took an offensive stance, making it impossible to distinguish the real one.
"A Substitute?" A faint smile played on Hora's lips as he whispered, "If we hadn't practiced precision yesterday, I might have been fooled. But now..." He raised his voice: "Beedrill, Venoshock, single-point shots!"
As soon as the order fell, Beedrill adjusted its posture in mid-air. The venom was no longer sprayed in a wide arc; instead, it condensed into tiny droplets fired with pinpoint accuracy. Whish, whish, whish! The droplets struck the two "Pinsirs" in succession.
One figure instantly dissolved into blue smoke—the Substitute. The other retreated hurriedly; though it avoided a direct hit to its vitals, its foreleg was grazed by the venom, turning slightly red and swollen.
"What precise control!" Surprise flashed in the Samurai boy's eyes, followed by a renewed fighting spirit. "Pinsir, use Harden! Then jump up and use Seismic Toss!"
Hora narrowed his eyes. He had been wondering if he would run into this Samurai today, but he hadn't expected the encounter to happen so soon. What surprised him even more was that this Pinsir knew a technical move like Seismic Toss.
He intentionally refrained from using the System to check Pinsir's data, wanting to enjoy the fun of an "unknown battle." The Samurai boy's tactics were clearly more sophisticated than he had anticipated.
A greyish-white luster coated Pinsir's body as Harden took effect, instantly boosting its defense. Then, its hind legs surged with power as it leapt—despite having no flight capabilities, the jump reached nearly three meters. Its arms reached out for the Beedrill in mid-air, clearly intending to grab it and execute a Seismic Toss.
Hora understood—to ensure the accuracy of its Venoshock, Beedrill had kept itself at a relatively low altitude, inadvertently giving Pinsir an opening.
But he didn't panic. Instead, he calmly ordered, "Beedrill, abandon the Venoshock. Circle behind Pinsir."
The frequency of Beedrill's wings accelerated sharply. Its body became a blurred yellow shadow, instantly evading Pinsir's embrace and rounding to its rear. Unable to adjust its trajectory mid-air, Pinsir could only watch helplessly as its target disappeared behind it.
"Now! Beedrill, use Fury Cutter!" Hora's command fell clearly. Beedrill's twin stingers glinted with a cold light as they slashed down like twin blades against Pinsir's defenseless back.
Crack! The crisp sound of impact was accompanied by the faint sound of a cracking shell. Pinsir cried out in pain, its massive body losing balance as it plummeted toward the earth.
With a heavy thud, it slammed into the leaf-covered ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. Fortunately, the earlier Harden had boosted its defense enough to prevent an instant knockout. However, as it struggled to stand, its footing was unsteady, and two deep gashes remained on its back shell.
"Pinsir, are you okay?" The Samurai boy rushed over, kneeling down to gently touch Pinsir's carapace, his voice full of worry.
"Pinsir~" The Pokémon shook its giant horns and took a small step forward, nuzzling its head against the boy's hand to indicate it could still fight.
"That's enough. Come back, Beedrill." Hora didn't press the attack; instead, he beckoned toward the air.
Beedrill buzzed down and settled beside him. Its stingers remained vigilant, but it no longer radiated an aggressive aura.
He looked at the Samurai boy and spoke sincerely, "Your Pinsir is very strong, especially that jumping Seismic Toss—it used a power-type Pokémon's skills to the limit. I took a significant advantage because of the type matchup, but it's injured now. Continuing wouldn't be fair to it, and it can't beat Beedrill in this state."
The Samurai boy stared silently at the gashes on Pinsir's back. Finally, he sighed and pulled out a Poké Ball. "I lost. Your Beedrill is not only fast, but its precision is incredible—that was the first time I've seen someone use a wide-area move with such focus to break a Substitute."
"That was all from practicing in the forest yesterday." Hora paused, then asked, "Do you want another round? I'll use Bulbasaur this time. Do you have any other Pokémon?"
The Samurai boy's eyes lit up, but then he shook his head helplessly. "I only have Pinsir and a Metapod. Metapod only knows Harden and Tackle; it's no match for your Bulbasaur. Let's forget it."
"That's a pity." Hora felt a bit of regret. He had hoped that if the Samurai had another Pinsir, he could use it to train Bulbasaur's resilience. It seemed he would have to wait for another time.
Just then, two cold glints of Air Slash suddenly swept in from the side. With a swish, they slammed into the ground in front of Hora, carving two half-finger-deep gashes into the earth and sending dirt flying.
Hora's pupils constricted as he looked sharply toward the source of the attack.
On a nearby tree, a green figure sat firmly on a branch. A pair of scythe-like forelimbs crossed in front of its body, reflecting a cold luster in the sunlight. It was a Scyther!
Its compound eyes were locked onto the Beedrill beside Hora, its wings vibrating slightly. Clearly, the Air Slashes had come from it. Beedrill immediately tensed up, stingers aimed at the Scyther, its wing speed increasing in a ready-to-fight stance.
"An active challenge from a wild Pokémon?" Hora felt a mix of shock and joy—he had been wondering how to find a Scyther, and now one had delivered itself to his doorstep.
He slowly reached into his backpack, pulled out a Poké Ball, and said, "It seems you are to be my new partner."
The Scyther on the tree seemed to understand his words. It let out a sharp cry and swung its scythes again, sending another Air Slash toward Beedrill—this time, its goal was clear: it wanted a direct confrontation.
The Samurai boy recalled his Pinsir and stepped aside, his eyes full of excitement. "A wild Scyther! And it looks incredibly strong! Be careful, Hora, its speed and attack power don't look any weaker than your Beedrill's!"
Hora nodded, his gaze locked onto the Scyther as a battle-hungry smile appeared on his face. "Beedrill, get ready! This time, our opponent won't have a type disadvantage."
Beedrill let out a responsive buzz and took to the air, facing off against the Scyther from a distance.