Beneath the mountain waterfall, in an open clearing, Aaron and Moss stood facing each other.
The old man stood off to the side, acting as referee for the battle.
He glanced at the two boys and said,
"This battle will be Aaron versus Moss."
"It will be a one-on-one match."
"The battle ends when one Pokémon loses the ability to fight."
"Begin!"
The moment his words fell, both trainers threw their Poké Balls at the same time.
"Come out, Scizor!"
"Come out, Beedrill!"
Moss naturally sent out the towering Scizor with Champion-class potential, carrying its Scizorite.
Meanwhile, Aaron chose Beedrill—the Shinigami.
Its body was also far larger than that of an ordinary Beedrill.
Mysterious markings covered its twin needles and tail stinger, giving it a strange and dangerous aura.
The moment the old man saw Beedrill, his eyes narrowed slightly.
He could immediately tell this Beedrill was no ordinary Pokémon.
Its strength had already reached the elite-late stage, the same level as Scizor.
The old man glanced quietly at Aaron and muttered inwardly,
"This boy isn't simple either…"
…
The battle officially began.
"Scizor… Instant Focus Energy!"
Moss had already realized how strong Beedrill was, so he had no intention of holding back.
In a Pokémon battle, going all out was the greatest sign of respect.
"Scizor…"
Scizor let out a low cry and inhaled deeply.
Hummmmm…
A faint gray glow instantly spread across its body.
Focus Energy activated successfully, sharply increasing its critical-hit rate.
Aaron naturally was not going to stand around waiting.
He calmly ordered,
"Beedrill… use Agility and keep circling around it."
This time, Aaron wanted to win using Beedrill's own strength, so he had no plans to use Suzumebachi's power.
A one-hit-kill ability was simply too unfair.
Using something like that against the straightforward and innocent Moss would honestly feel like bullying.
Bzzzzzz!
Beedrill let out a sharp buzz as purple energy wrapped around its body.
Its figure transformed into a streak of yellow light, rapidly accelerating around Scizor.
Its speed grew faster and faster.
Agility had already taken effect, raising its Speed by two stages.
Against a Pokémon like Scizor, which possessed overwhelming Attack but relatively low Speed, hit-and-run tactics were naturally the best option.
BZZZZZZ—
Beedrill's wings vibrated at high speed, producing a piercing drone as it darted through the battlefield.
"Scizor… focus on your breathing. Don't panic."
"Keep your breathing steady."
"Feel the airflow around you."
"Find Beedrill's position and use Bullet Punch!"
Once the battle began, Moss became completely different from his usual goofy self.
His expression turned calm and focused as he issued commands.
"Scizor…"
Scizor nodded.
It calmed its mind and slowly began tracking Beedrill's movements through the shifting air currents.
"Beedrill… don't give it the chance!"
"Use Pin Missile!"
Aaron immediately ordered.
Beedrill did not possess many offensive moves to begin with.
Its Poison-type attacks were ineffective against Scizor, while its Bug-type attacks were heavily resisted as well.
This was practically the worst possible matchup.
After all, Scizor only had a single weakness—a quadruple weakness to Fire.
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!
As Aaron's command rang out, several sharp needles shot out from among Beedrill's countless afterimages, firing straight toward Scizor.
"Now, Scizor… dodge and use Bullet Punch!"
Moss's eyes flashed as he shouted immediately.
The instant Beedrill attacked, Scizor had already pinpointed its true location through the flow of air.
"Scizor!"
A sharp glint flashed across Scizor's eyes.
It sidestepped and narrowly avoided the incoming Pin Missiles.
At the same time, silver light burst from its right fist.
Bullet Punch activated instantly.
Fast as lightning.
Swift as a flash.
Scizor's explosive burst speed was terrifying.
Aaron's pupils contracted slightly.
"Beedrill, dodge with Flash Step!"
"Then use Deadly Poison Point!"
SWISH!
Just as Bullet Punch was about to connect, Beedrill vanished instantly.
Scizor's punch struck nothing but empty air.
At nearly the same moment, Beedrill had already appeared behind Scizor.
Its tail stinger glowed with dazzling white light as it thrust forward viciously.
Moss was startled.
What kind of speed was that!?
But he reacted immediately.
"Scizor… use Double Team!"
"Scizor!"
Several identical afterimages instantly appeared around Scizor.
Beedrill's Deadly Poison Point pierced straight through one of the clones.
After that first exchange, both trainers had shown sharp commands, while both Pokémon had displayed exceptional reactions and battle instincts.
In the end, neither side had landed a hit.
For a brief moment, Aaron and Moss looked at each other.
Then both of them smiled.
This was what a battle between true trainers felt like.
Their fighting spirit burned even brighter.