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"Ha-cha!"
Scizor materialized on the battlefield, its crimson armor gleaming as it fixed a cold, steady gaze on Escavalier.
"This Scizor is well-trained…" Alder's eyes lingered on the Pokémon, and he couldn't help but murmur in admiration.
Scizor and Escavalier shared the same typing — Bug and Steel — a combination that left them vulnerable only to Fire-type moves. Neither of them, however, could learn any.
"And now — this battle officially begins!"
The moment the referee's words rang out, Alder wasted no time.
"Fell Stinger!"
Escavalier's twin lances shimmered with a deep, dark glow as it launched itself toward Scizor.
"Block it with X-Scissor!"
Bang!
Scizor surged forward and crossed its pincers, catching Escavalier's descending lances dead-on. Then, with a sharp upward sweep, it sent the lances flying wide.
"Fury Cutter!"
Without pausing, Scizor drove off its back legs and shot forward.
"We'll meet it with Fury Cutter too!"
Escavalier's eyes narrowed. Its lances whipped through the air with a sharp whoosh and collided head-on with Scizor's pincers. In terms of raw strength, though, Escavalier came up just short.
Escavalier was never known for its speed — but its lances moved with a precision and quickness entirely their own.
Using Quick Attack's burst to offset Scizor's weight? Steven watched closely, and the answer came to him almost instantly.
When Scyther evolved into Scizor, its entire body became encased in dense red metal. The added weight slowed it down, but hardened its defenses and sharpened its striking power. By weaving Quick Attack into its movements like a passive technique, Scizor was able to compensate for that loss in speed.
Interesting.
The momentum on the field was slowly shifting in Scizor's favor. Escavalier kept thrusting and thrusting, but it was gradually losing ground — struggling to keep pace with the rhythm of Scizor's pincers.
Scizor had trained every part of itself with discipline. Stamina, defense, strength, speed — all of it had been honed. That was the source of its overwhelming presence in close-quarters combat.
Bang!
A clean hit from Scizor's pincers sent Escavalier stumbling back several meters. Fortunately, Fury Cutter was not a move that threatened Escavalier greatly — its physical bulk absorbed most of the impact.
"Counter with Horn Drill!"
"Kee-toh!"
Escavalier steadied itself, adjusted the angle of its lances, then drove them straight at the oncoming Scizor.
"Ha-cha!"
Scizor twisted its body at the last instant — but not quite fast enough. One lance grazed it across the chest. It used the moment to spring backward, putting a bit of distance between them. Then it tapped its chest with one pincer, steadied itself, and stared Escavalier down with an unshaken expression.
After that brief exchange, both sides had taken each other's measure. Scizor wasn't about to let its guard down. It collected itself and charged forward again.
"Fell Stinger!"
Swish —
Escavalier's lances pulsed with that same eerie dark shimmer, thrusting toward the incoming Scizor. Scizor opened its pincers and caught both lances firm.
"Iron Head!"
Both Steven and Alder called out at the same moment.
The pincers and lances locked together — then both Pokémon reared back and drove their foreheads into each other with a resonant clang. The sound alone was enough to tell anyone watching just how dense those shells were.
By unspoken agreement, they each stepped back to reset.
Scizor shook its head, clearing the daze.
"Bullet Punch — push forward!"
Scizor stepped in, and in the blink of an eye it was right in front of Escavalier. Its pincers began to move — fast, then faster — hammering Escavalier in a relentless barrage that drove it back several steps before it could find its footing.
"X-Scissor!" Alder called the counterattack.
Escavalier pushed through the pain, crossed its lances in front of its chest, and let a faint yellowish-green glow wash over them.
Whoosh —
The lances shot forward, unstoppable.
Clang!
Scizor caught them — gripped both lances in its pincers and held. Like that, Escavalier could barely touch it. And in a battle of pure strength, Scizor had the edge.
"Brick Break!"
Alder's voice dropped low. "Escavalier — Metal Burst, now!"
Escavalier yanked its lances back, leaving itself open — letting Scizor's pincers crash into its body.
"Kee-toh!"
It endured the hit. A silvery, translucent aura flared to life around it, and a gleaming burst of energy launched straight at Scizor.
Boom!
Scizor braced, crossing its arms as Metal Burst detonated against it. A thick cloud of black smoke rolled across the field. The shockwave rippled through the protective barrier and pressed against the front rows of the stands — enough to make the spectators feel it in their chests.
Whoosh —
A crimson shape tore out of the smoke, trailing dark wisps behind it.
"Air Slash!"
"Ha-cha!"
Scizor's expression hardened. It swung its pincers through the air in sharp arcs — each swing sending an invisible wind blade streaking through the lingering smoke toward Escavalier.
Escavalier extended its lances and batted them down one after another, shattering each cleanly.
But…
Scizor wasn't known for special attacks. Was Steven really planning to wear Escavalier down with Air Slash?
That same thought crossed Alder's mind — and then he looked back toward Scizor, and found nothing there.
"Damn it —"
He realized it too late. The Air Slash had been a feint.
A red streak cut through the thinning smoke. Boosted by Quick Attack, Scizor closed the gap in an instant.
"Aerial Ace!"
Scizor dropped low, coiled — then burst upward in a spinning arc, driving an uppercut straight into Escavalier's chin. The hit launched Escavalier clean off the ground.
"Bug Bite!"
Scizor leapt after it. Its pincers clamped down on Escavalier's helmet and drove it down — hard.
Bang!
The impact cracked the battlefield. Dust surged up in a thick cloud, and jagged fissures radiated outward across the field floor, enough to draw a sharp breath from anyone watching.
Scizor landed clear of the cloud and held its position two or three meters back — far enough to dodge, close enough to strike.
It stood still and watched.
Steven knew. Scizor knew. And Alder knew.
Escavalier wasn't done.
Its endurance was extraordinary, its strength a match for Scizor's. And beyond that — this Escavalier and Alder had been partners for a long time. It was a true veteran of battle.
To think that would be enough to bring it down.
That was wishful thinking.