Blastoise flipped over and stood up immediately. However, before it could celebrate, a massive bolt of lightning crashed down upon its body.
Crackle!
"Blastoise!"
As a Water-type Pokémon, Blastoise took significant damage from the Electric-type move. Once the lightning dissipated, visible wounds began to appear on Blastoise's body.
"Blastoise, Hydro Pump!" Shida commanded.
A massive Hydro Pump erupted toward Beedrill, who was hovering overhead. In the next instant, Beedrill vanished, and Blastoise adjusted the trajectory of the Hydro Pump to follow Beedrill's evasion. The power of Blastoise's Hydro Pump was immense. Beedrill was fragile; if it were hit by that move, it wouldn't last long. Therefore, it was imperative that Beedrill avoided being struck by any of Blastoise's attacks.
"Damn it," Shida muttered, his expression darkening. Beedrill was too fast, and Blastoise's moves were failing to connect. This couldn't continue; he had to find a way to restrict Beedrill's speed.
"Blastoise, Rain Dance!"
"Blastoise!"
Blastoise looked up at the sky as an invisible wave of energy surged from its body. The sky began to shift; one moment it was clear and sunny, and the next, dark clouds gathered. Soon, droplets of water began to fall, quickly turning into a torrential downpour. As the rain struck Beedrill, it hindered its speed, finally allowing the audience to see its silhouette clearly.
Shida let out a cold sneer and ordered Blastoise to attack. "Blastoise, Hydro Pump!"
Two massive pillars of water erupted from the cannons on its shoulders. The pillars were now significantly wider because the power of Water-type moves was enhanced in the rain. Since Beedrill had stopped its high-speed maneuvers and the rain was weighing it down, its speed had dropped drastically. Sensing the incoming water pillars, Beedrill felt it couldn't dodge in time.
"Beedrill, Protect!" Eichi shouted.
Beedrill's eyes glowed white, and a massive white screen formed out of thin air in front of it.
Bang!
The water pillars slammed into the screen. Although the attack was blocked, Beedrill was pushed back quite a distance. As soon as the screen vanished, Blastoise unleashed another Hydro Pump.
"Beedrill, Double Team!"
In the air, Beedrill transformed into countless copies of itself. The two water pillars blasted through several clones, and Blastoise shifted its aim, washing away the copies one by one. However, the other Beedrill clones did not simply wait around. They swarmed toward Blastoise.
"Beedrill, Hidden Power!" Eichi's lips curled into a slight smile.
All the Beedrill clones charging at Blastoise began to accumulate energy within their bodies. Countless electrical currents converged into massive bolts of lightning, which all struck Blastoise simultaneously.
"Oh no! I forgot that the power of Electric-type moves increases in the rain!" Shida grit his teeth in frustration.
The massive current surged through Blastoise's body.
Zzzzt!
"Blastoise!"
Blastoise's entire body trembled as it let out a cry of agony. It felt incredibly humiliated; it was a King-rank Pokémon, yet it was being toyed with by a Beedrill. Aside from the pain, Blastoise was consumed by rage. It was truly angry now. As the lightning faded, the Beedrill clones dissipated. Blastoise prepared its counterattack.
"Ladies and gentlemen, as we can see, the battle has entered a state of extreme tension!" the commentator yelled. "While Shida's Blastoise managed to limit Beedrill's speed, Eichi's Beedrill launched an immediate counterattack!"
"Blastoise, Rapid Spin!"
"Blastoise!"
Blastoise instantly retracted its head, tail, and limbs into its shell. The entire shell began to spin rapidly, faster and faster, until it looked like a brown, circular projectile from a distance. Even without eyes, it could track Beedrill's position. It moved with incredible speed, reaching Beedrill in the blink of an eye.
"Beedrill, Fury Attack!"
Seeing no way to escape, Beedrill acted immediately. It swung its twin needles and stabbed at the shell.
Clang! Clang!
Beedrill felt a powerful counter-force vibrate back through its needles. Its efforts were futile; the shell was simply too hard.
Bang!
Beedrill failed to halt Blastoise's momentum and was sent flying.
Thud!
The sound of Beedrill crashing into the ground echoed through the stadium. A second later, Beedrill flew out of the shallow crater. Its body was covered in muddy water and wounds sustained from Blastoise's impact.
"Blastoise, finish it with Skull Bash!" Shida commanded confidently.
"Ladies and gentlemen, after knocking Beedrill away, Shida has ordered Blastoise to use Skull Bash!" the commentator shouted. "Can Eichi's Beedrill withstand this? Let's find out!"
Blastoise extended its head and stopped spinning as orange-yellow energy began to gather on its brow. After a few seconds, its head glowed with a metallic luster, and it charged toward Beedrill at high speed. With Beedrill's current speed reduced so significantly, it seemed impossible to dodge.
In the stands, Lorelei adjusted her glasses. Is it going to lose? she wondered.
Just as the collision was about to occur, Eichi's lips curled upward, and he pressed the switch on the Weighted Vest controller in his pocket. In an instant, the look in Beedrill's eyes changed, and its speed exploded beyond anything seen before. It vanished from in front of Blastoise instantly. Having lost its target, Blastoise couldn't react in time and slammed straight into the ground.
Boom!
With a loud crash, a fresh crater appeared in the concrete.
"What happened? How did its speed increase so suddenly?" Shida asked, bewildered.
Seizing the opportunity, Beedrill launched its assault.
"Beedrill, Poison Jab!"
Eichi had devised a way to defeat Blastoise: poison. He planned to poison Blastoise and then use Beedrill's speed advantage to stall for time until Blastoise succumbed. Beedrill swooped down to the ground, the tip of its stinger dripping with a purple liquid. It targeted Blastoise's tail and stabbed it fiercely, injecting the venom deep inside.
"Blastoise!"
Blastoise poked its head out of the crater and let out a pained scream as a sharp, stinging pain radiated from its tail. Two seconds later, Beedrill withdrew its stinger and retreated. Blastoise immediately aimed its shoulder cannons and fired at Beedrill, but it was too slow; the attack missed.
As Blastoise climbed out of the crater, its entire face had begun to turn purple.
"Ladies and gentlemen, you saw it! Eichi's Beedrill suddenly increased its speed to dodge a fatal blow and successfully poisoned Blastoise!" the commentator exclaimed. "The situation has reversed once again! At this point, no one can say for sure who will win!"
"Can Eichi truly create a miracle? Let's keep watching!"