Its speed was even faster than when it fought Magnemite just now, even leaving a faint silver afterimage in the air.
"Electrode, dodge it!"
Wattson was well-prepared.
Electrode, like a flexible red and white ball, suddenly bounced to the side, narrowly avoiding the Iron Head attack.
Beldum's attack landed on the empty ground, kicking up a small cloud of dust.
Just like that, Beldum pursued relentlessly under the precise control and propulsion of magnetic levitation and Confusion, while Electrode relied on its superb movement speed to dodge left and right.
The two Pokémon engaged in a dazzling chase across the field.
Beldum's silver figure followed like a shadow, while Electrode's red and white body moved like a ghost, sometimes accelerating suddenly, sometimes stopping and turning abruptly.
It had to be said that the Psychic-type attributes were somewhat "broken" in real-life combat.
In the games of his past life, it was no different from other types, but in reality, paired with Beldum's own steel body and magnetic talent, it became an excellent support.
It could use Confusion to sense Electrode's turns, keeping the pursuit always under its control.
During the chase, Electrode would occasionally discharge small currents from its body, trying to disrupt Beldum's rhythm.
But they were all sensed in advance by Beldum's Confusion or deflected by an invisible barrier it propped up.
Those currents hit the barrier, only stirring up a few small sparks, unable to get close to its body at all.
"This can't go on."
Wattson looked at the deadlocked situation on the field, his brow slightly furrowed.
He could see that with the help of Confusion, long-range attacks were really difficult to affect Beldum.
"In that case, Electrode, use Quick Attack!"
Wattson ordered in a heavy voice: "If magnetic field control can't handle you, then let's try the paralysis effect of the Static ability combined with Quick Attack. I don't believe your speed can't be sealed!"
"Buzz~"
Electrode's body emitted a sharp hum, and its entire body was instantly covered in a layer of glowing electric light.
The current sizzled, forming a layer of flickering light film on its surface.
As long as Beldum dared to collide at close range, the current attached to the move would have a high probability of being conducted into Beldum's body, plus Electrode's own Static ability.
There was a high probability it could directly paralyze Beldum; this was Wattson's trump card to seal Beldum's speed.
Electrode's golden electric light, accompanied by the sound of breaking wind, rushed straight at Beldum, the air in the field slightly distorted by this energy.
"Now! Beldum, Zen Headbutt!"
A sharp light flashed in Lionel's eyes; he had finally waited for the opportunity for a head-on confrontation.
A rich blue light instantly lit up around Beldum's body, Psychic-type energy gushing out like a tide, covering Beldum's silver-white body with a layer of blue radiance.
Beldum did not flinch at all, and facing that piercing electric light, it launched a bold counterattack!
"Bang!"
The blue Confusion light and the dazzling golden electric light collided fiercely in the center of the field, erupting in a violent energy shockwave.
Surprisingly, Electrode's electric light was actually blocked by the blue light outside Beldum's body.
Those currents, which were enough to bring about paralysis, seemed to have hit an invisible wall and could not penetrate at all, let alone trigger the paralysis effect.
After the collision, Beldum gently shook its body in the air, its red crystal eyes even carrying a hint of a relaxed smile, as if saying, "Is that it?"
It even deliberately spun in a circle on the spot, its posture incredibly leisurely.
In contrast, Electrode was shaken back repeatedly by the reaction force of this blow, its body trembling slightly, and the electric light on its surface had dimmed significantly.
It had clearly suffered quite a loss; the mischievous smile on its face had long since disappeared, replaced by a hint of pain and fatigue.
Wattson stared closely at Beldum's body, his eyes full of Confusion and gravity: "Something's not right—how could it be completely fine?"
"Even if Beldum is a Steel-type Pokémon, it shouldn't be completely uninjured after such a head-on collision of skills, right?"
He gazed at Beldum's silver-white body, the doubts in his heart growing like vines, always feeling that something was eerily out of place.
A moment later, Wattson's pupils suddenly shrank as he finally captured that subtle detail.
Beldum's body on the battlefield seemed even more dazzling than before.
A layer of extremely faint silver glow was quietly swirling around it, blending with its own body color; it was impossible to distinguish without careful scrutiny.
"It's Iron Defense! It's actually been maintaining the Iron Defense skill in secret?"
Wattson blurted out, his tone full of the shock of realization.
"So that's it!"
Walter, who was also acting as the commentator, finally reacted as well, hurriedly bringing the microphone to his lips to explain clearly to the entire audience: "Everyone, look closely! Challenger Lionel's shiny Beldum has been quietly running the Iron Defense skill from the very beginning!"
Walter's voice echoed through the stadium via the amplification equipment, filled with hard-to-conceal excitement.
"The Steel attribute already possesses inherently powerful defense, and with the enhancement of the Iron Defense skill stacked on top, its defensive power has climbed to a terrifying level!
What's even more ingenious is that this shiny Beldum's body is naturally silver-white, blending perfectly with the radiance when the Iron Defense skill is activated.
No wonder Electrode's close-range onslaught seemed to cause it no damage. So that's how it is!"
This explanation made the audience on the sidelines suddenly realize, and they all stood on their tiptoes to look at the Beldum in the center of the field.
"It's true! I thought it looked brighter than before just now, but I thought it was because of the reflection of the stadium lights. I didn't expect it to be secretly running a skill. That's so sneaky!"
The bullet chat in the live broadcast room was instantly flooded, with dense text almost covering the entire screen, the refresh rate so fast it was dizzying:
[Holy crap! I knew something felt off just now. It turns out it secretly turned on Iron Defense!]
[This play is brilliant! Hiding the skill so seamlessly, it's a total master of tactical deception!]
[No wonder Electrode's attack hit like a tickle. How can you even fight this!]
[Do shiny Pokémon come with double buffs? It's one thing to be good-looking, but for its IQ to be so high is just too ridiculous!]
On the sidelines, Lionel looked at the increasingly proud Beldum in the field, a gentle smile unconsciously tugging at the corners of his mouth.
This little fellow, Beldum, had been a little rascal since it was young.
When playing head-butting games with Tyrunt, it always loved to secretly activate Iron Defense to take advantage. Now, after training in the desert, it has mastered this move to perfection.
Its silver-white steel body was already one with the faint glow of Iron Defense's operation; if one didn't pay close attention, it was easy to overlook this point.
A Steel-type's defense is already uniquely endowed, and with the addition of Iron Defense, the current Beldum can be called a mobile steel fortress.
Electrode daring to attack it at close range was simply asking for trouble.
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