The two Scizors locked eyes as they sized each other up. While both of them were surprised to see another Scizor, they were more excited to beat the other one to show they and their trainers were the stronger one.
Gladion eyed Roland's Scizor, its dark red battle-scarred plating a mirror to his own Scizor, Tengen, whose red exoskeleton gleamed with lethal grace. Tengen was the Scizor that evolved from a Scyther that he got during his Kanto journey where he found it in the safari zone along with another Scyther. Both of them wanted to become strong and Gladion needed a bug type in his team.
'They're evenly matched,' Gladion thought, his smirk widening. 'Same level, mostly same moves other than the TM learned moves—unlike Pryce's rout, this one's down to skill. The trainer and the Scizor which is more skilled would win this.'
Most battles relied on his Pokémon's raw power—Colossus raw strength, Zeus's Thunder—but here, strategy was king. 'Roland's no pushover. He has been an ace trainer for more than a decade with ton of experience fighting in such high level battles. This'll be fun.nLet's see who's the better trainer.'
'It would also help Tengen. He has never been a powerhouse of my team. So whenever he spars with them, it kind of looks like he is weak. Now with an equal match up, he could prove himself and get his confidence boosted up.'
The referee's flag snapped down, and the stadium erupted. Both trainers barked commands in unison.
"Iron Defense!" Gladion ordered, his voice cutting through the din. Tengen's claws glowed, its body hardening as steel plates tightened, boosting its defense.
Roland had ordered, "Agility!" His Scizor movements blurred as it's speed increased.
The crowd roared, the announcer's voice booming, "And we're off! Gladion's Scizor bulks up with Iron Defense, while Roland's Scizor goes for blistering speed! It's defense versus speed, folks!"
Roland didn't hesitate, seizing the momentum. "Scizor, Wing Attack!" His Scizor's wings buzzed, propelling it forward in a streak, slamming into Tengen with a gust that cracked nearby ice spikes.
Tengen skidded back, claws scraping the slick floor, but Gladion was unfazed. "Take the hit, Tengen—then Metal Claw!" Tengen braced, absorbing the blow, then lashed out, its claw glowing white-hot. The strike caught Roland's Scizor mid-retreat, sending it crashing into the ice with a resounding crunch, shards flying.
"Another Metal Claw!" Gladion pressed, sensing an opening. Tengen lunged, claw raised, aiming to end it. Roland's eyes flashed, his voice sharp. "Roll and Double Team!" His Scizor rolled sideways, dodging the claw as it smashed the ice, cracks spiderwebbing outward. In a blink, the Scizor split into a dozen illusory copies, each mirroring its stance, circling Tengen.
The crowd gasped, the announcer hyping, "Double Team! Roland's Scizor's playing mind games! Can Tengen find the real one?"
Gladion's psychic senses tingled—he could locate the true Scizor instantly, his mind brushing its aura. But he grinned, shaking his head. 'Where's the fun in that? Let's do this the hard way.'
"Don't bother finding it, Tengen—Iron Defense again!" Tengen's body glowed, steel hardening further, its defense now a fortress.
The crowd buzzed, some puzzled at this move. But the experienced trainers can see the logical reason behind it. Scizor don't really have a wide area attack that can get rid of double team or some way to find the real one so it was better to increase your defense to reduce the damage received.
Roland seized the moment, his voice a whip. "X-Scissor!" The illusory Scizors charged, claws glowing in a cross pattern, converging on Tengen.
Most passed through, harmless shadows, but one struck true, its claws slamming Tengen's chest.
Even with double Iron Defense, the hit stung—Tengen grunted, ice cracking beneath his feet. But Gladion had planned for this.
"Tengen—grab that claw!" Tengen's pincers snapped shut, catching the real Scizor's arm as it tried to retreat. The crowd roared, sensing the turning point. Gladion's smirk was pure Vortex.
"Dodge this with your increased speed—Flash Cannon!" Tengen's mouth glowed, unleashing a blinding beam of steel energy point-blank. The blast engulfed both Scizors, a supernova of light and force, ice vaporizing in its wake. The stadium shook, fans leaping to their feet, the announcer screaming, "FLASH CANNON! A point-blank nuke! Did Gladion just went for a suicide move to take out both the Pokemon?!"
Smoke cleared, revealing Roland's Scizor crumpled on the ice, fainted, its armor scorched. Tengen stood, panting, claw marks and burns marring its hide but still defiant.
The crowd exploded. Gladion nodded as he smiled with pride. "Good job, Tengen." The double iron defense had strengthened his exoskeleton. Thus, It helped him endure the explosion from the point blank flash Cannon.
Roland recalled his Scizor, his wry smile intact. 'Kid's as good as they say,' he thought. 'But I'm not done. He'd known winning was a long shot—Gladion had crushed Champion Pryce with just two Pokémon, a feat Roland couldn't match.
'I'm here for the hype, to show my team's skills. Let's make it count.'He tossed his next Poké Ball. "Let's go, Heracross!"
A Heracross materialized, its blue shell gleaming, horn raised, muscles rippling with Fighting-type power. The crowd buzzed, the announcer hyping, "Heracross takes the field! Roland's bringing a Bug-Fighting bruiser to the ice! Can Gladion's Tengen keep the momentum?" The referee signaled the next round, and Gladion's eyes glinted,
'Heracross, huh? Tengen's hurt, but I've got this.'
---Author Notes------
Thankyou Howellsy and Jacob Zuspann for supporting me!
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