章 26: Sneasel vs Squirtle

"Squirtle! Use Skull Bash again!" The easy battle in the first round made Gary overconfident and rashly ordered his Pokemon to attack, thinking the outcome would be the same as the previous round.

"Squirtle!"

Squirtle let out a cry full of fighting spirit and nodded its head. It then launched itself like a rocket toward the Sneasel with its head down.

"Sneasel, block it!"

Although Sneasel is not a sort of power-type Pokemon, it is still easy for her to block the attack of a low-level Squirtle. She crossed her arms and leaned her body forward as Squirtle's charge arrived. Her right leg was slightly bent as she efficiently dispersed the impact from her arms.

After that, she quickly used her left arm to smash Squirtle to the ground and quickly pinned its body using her legs.

"Squirtle!" It screamed.

"What? Squirtle!" Gary shouted in worry.

"Sneasel! Metal Claw now!" Hisoka ordered, not giving Gary a chance to react.

Sneasel raised its claws high as they glowed in silver metallic light and slammed it down on Squirtle's head. Unfortunately, Squirtle couldn't avoid the attack because its body was pinned down by Sneasel.

"Squirtle!" It let out a cry of pain.

A few seconds later, Squirtle was unconscious on the ground after Sneasel hit its head as Sneasel leaped away from it.

"Damn it!" Gary clenched his fist fiercely. Then, he took out Squirtle's Pokeball and recalled it with a growl.

Squirtle's sudden defeat made Gary wary of Hisoka's Pokemon, so he quickly grabbed the Pokedex given by his grandfather from his bag and let it scan the unknown Pokemon's information.

Beep!

[Sneasel, the Sharp Claw Pokemon. It is a smart and sneaky Pokemon. It makes its opponents flinch by suddenly showing the claws hidden in its paws. They can be mainly found in Mount Silver, Johto. It is a Dark and Ice-type Pokemon.]

The handheld electronic encyclopedia device or Pokedex, in short form, explained Sneasel's general information recorded in its database as it spoke in a male mechanical-like voice.

Due to Johto and Kanto's close proximity, many Pokemon from each region often strayed to the other side. So, he wasn't surprised that Sneasel's information was recorded in Gary's Pokedex.

"Hmmm, Dark and Ice typing," Gary began to consider his second Pokemon's choice. He was mainly thinking about which of his Pokemon has the typing advantage against Sneasel.

Learning how to use a Pokemon typing advantage is one of the most basic and the most important skill in a Pokemon battle. A rookie trainer must consider this factor first and foremost before focusing on other things such as tactics, venue, and commands. Unless there is a huge difference in strength between the two sides, the typing advantages will always be the key to winning a Pokemon battle.

"Geodude? No!" Gary shook his head. Although Rock-type moves are super effective against Sneasel's Ice typing, it wasn't suitable in this kind of field surrounded by water.

"Nidorino is no good either. Its speed is too slow, and it doesn't have an effective move to restrain the Sneasel."

...

"I know!" Gary's eyes lit up as he clapped his hands.

He finally remembered the powerful Pokemon he captured in the Viridian Forest not long ago. Moreover, a Bug-type move just happened to be one of Sneasel's weaknesses.

"Don't be happy yet. It's only a draw for now. There are still two more rounds to go," Gary regained his previous confidence and solemnly took out a strange Pokeball from his belt.

It has a dense mesh on its turquoise-colored surface. Any bug catcher or fisherman worth their salt knows that it's a Net Ball. It is more effective when attempting to catch a Water or Bug-type Pokemon using this special Pokeball. Of course, the market price for this kind of Pokeball is not low. There aren't many trainers able to afford it.

"It's your turn to perform, Scyther!"

"Scyther!"

A bipedal, mantis-shaped Pokemon with a green body and two large white scythes appeared in the arena. It fluttered its cream-colored wings on its back as it landed on the flat board softly. It then let out a brave cry as it raised its two scythes, readying itself for a battle.

'Scyther!' Hisoka raised his brows in recognition.

Scyther is an excellent Pokemon. Moreover, it is among the favorite of many trainers specializing in Bug-type Pokemon. Hisoka also considered adding Scyther to his lineup before giving up. Thanks to its green coloration, it can camouflage itself well in the grasslands and forests where it lives, which makes it hard to track in the wild. Besides, he had already found a much better choice in Sneasel.

Scyther is also said to be like a ninja. It can move so quickly that it cannot be followed by eyes. In addition, it can perform a short-term gliding flight, which is helpful in this pool venue.

"Scyther, Quick Attack!" Gary immediately ordered Scyther to attack as if he wanted to compete with Sneasel in speed.

"Scyther!"

The Scyther leaned its body forward as it cried loudly. Then, the two pairs of its wings on its back began to move at high speed. Suddenly, its whole body disappeared in place as the flat board was pushed away due to the recoil caused by its charge.

"Sneasel, on your left!" Hisoka quickly warned Sneasel after seeing a green shadow rushing in from the left side of the pool.

Hisoka standing above the podium could clearly see the ongoing situation in the field.

After more than a month of running in their tactics, Sneasel can tacitly cooperate with Hisoka. The moment she heard his warnings, she immediately leaped away from the floating board.

Swoosh!

A moment later, a scythe appeared right where Sneasel was before as it rubbed against the air in a slashing motion.

Crack!

The floating board that Sneasel was standing on just now was cut into two halves by Scyther. Then, Scyther stood on the half-cut flat board after stopping its attack.

Meanwhile, Sneasel hovered in the air for a moment before landing gently on another flat board.