Just as Clemont had said earlier, he had already seized control of both the initiative and the pace of the battle.
If Wikstrom did not want to slowly be boiled like a frog in warm water and eventually lose, or if he refused to continue suppressing his true strength and instead chose to overwhelm his opponent through the sheer might of a King-level Pokémon Trainer, then he had no choice but to attack his opponent's strength with his own weakness, taking the initiative to search for an opportunity and a method to break the deadlock.
"Don't stop. Keep using Agility until your speed reaches its absolute limit."
On the battlefield, Wikstrom issued his command to Escavalier, which was dodging attacks while simultaneously pursuing Heliolisk.
"Chrrr~!"
"Whoosh..."
Escavalier's movement speed was extremely slow.
However, after repeatedly using Agility, the Escavalier on the battlefield seemed as though it had truly transformed into a mounted knight.
Its curled shell-like tail gradually lifted away from the ground, almost as though an anti-gravity magnetic levitation device had been installed beneath it.
Its body flickered and floated unpredictably, while its speed continued to increase.
"BOOM!!"
Around the outer edge of the battlefield, Heliolisk was sprinting at full speed while continuously firing Aura Spheres toward Escavalier.
However, every single one of them was effortlessly dodged by Escavalier.
The Aura Spheres exploded behind it, and the enormous shockwaves blossomed like fireworks at a festival, further accentuating Escavalier's fearless and heroic appearance.
"Wikstrom... Wikstrom...!!"
"Wikstrom... Wikstrom...!!"
"Escavalier... Escavalier...!!"
"Escavalier... Escavalier...!!"
"..."
"..."
Seeing Escavalier's speed increase more and more, the fans and supporters in the audience erupted into wave after wave of increasingly thunderous cheers.
"Onii-chan..."
Seeing this, Bonnie, who was sitting in the very front row of the spectator section together with Serena and the others, tightly clasped her hands together.
She was becoming increasingly worried and anxious for her brother.
However, unlike the concern shown by those around her, Ash, standing by the window of the waiting room in the rear, did not show the slightest trace of worry.
Even Clemont himself, who was actually participating in the battle, had no hint of anxiety on his face.
Escavalier only had a pitiful base Speed stat of 20.
Even though Agility could increase Escavalier's movement speed, the extent of that increase was ultimately limited.
As long as Wikstrom did not release the restrictions he had placed on Escavalier's own strength, then even if Escavalier repeatedly used Agility and pushed its speed enhancement to the absolute limit, it was still impossible for it to catch Heliolisk, whose base Speed was an astonishing 109.
Of course, Wikstrom could remove the restrictions on Escavalier's strength.
But if he really did that, then even if he won this battle, he would actually have lost.
After all, he was one of the Four Elite of the Kalos League.
If he couldn't defeat an opponent of the same level without relying on overwhelming power, then what else could that be called except a loss?
"Whoosh..."
Watching Escavalier flicker unpredictably as it charged forward in pursuit, Clemont gave no additional commands.
There was not even the slightest trace of panic on his face.
On the battlefield, Heliolisk continued sprinting rapidly while firing Aura Spheres at Escavalier.
Whenever its stamina consumption became too high, it immediately used Parabolic Charge to drain Escavalier's stamina and replenish its own.
This continued until Escavalier had used Agility several times in succession.
Its movement speed had already become extremely fast, and its speed had been pushed to the absolute limit.
Yet even then, it still could not catch Heliolisk.
Clemont still showed no reaction.
He neither ordered Heliolisk to use Agility as well to increase its speed, nor did he use Thunder Wave to interfere with Escavalier and reduce its movement speed.
It was as though Clemont deliberately wanted Wikstrom and Escavalier to clearly see the difference between their speed and Heliolisk's.
He wanted them to recognize the enormous gap for themselves.
And, in doing so, shake the confidence of his opponent.
There was no denying it.
Clemont's grasp of his opponent's psychology was incredibly precise.
This also gave Ash an even clearer and deeper understanding of Clemont as a Trainer.
"So it really is like this?"
"Using one's weakness to attack the opponent's strength... Even after Escavalier used its moves to raise its speed to the absolute limit, it still can't catch Heliolisk."
Watching the two Pokémon chasing one another around the battlefield, Wikstrom spoke with a slightly helpless expression.
"There isn't much we can do."
"Heliolisk's speed isn't the fastest among all Pokémon, but Escavalier's weakness in speed is simply one of the most severe among all Pokémon."
Clemont pushed up his glasses.
He did not become arrogant simply because his Heliolisk had ultimately won the contest of speed.
His opponent was one of the Four Elite of the Kalos League.
Wikstrom was certainly not an ordinary Trainer.
Since he had dared to capture a Pokémon like Escavalier, whose speed was such an obvious weakness, and then raise it as one of his main aces, he clearly had far more tricks and abilities than this.
Attacking an opponent's weakness with one's own strength and gaining an advantage in an inherently uneven contest was hardly something worth bragging about.
Furthermore, Clemont knew that this was probably the final advantage he would be able to seize in this battle.
From this point onward, it would likely be his turn to struggle desperately while trapped in a disadvantageous and passive position.
"Heliolisk, use Thunder Wave."
Clemont no longer became complacent.
Knowing when to stop after gaining an advantage, he immediately gave Heliolisk the command.
"Chaaat..."
On the battlefield, Heliolisk was still sprinting at high speed.
Upon receiving the command, the umbrella-shaped membrane around its neck rapidly spread open before suddenly snapping shut.
At that instant, countless thin arcs of electricity scattered outward in every direction, like a school of Wishiwashi suddenly frightened into dispersing.
They fled and spread in all directions.
Escavalier, which had been rapidly pursuing Heliolisk, seemed to see a powerful blast of sandstorm rushing straight toward its face.
It instinctively slammed on the brakes.
Its steel lances were abruptly drawn back, and it raised both arms in front of itself to shield its face.
However, Heliolisk's attack was not an ordinary sandstorm capable of obscuring one's vision.
It was Thunder Wave—an attack capable of making the entire body tingle, twitch, and seize up.
"Whoa!!"
Steel-type Pokémon possessed extremely high resistance, but steel was also an excellent conductor of electricity.
After being struck head-on by that wave of electric energy, arcs of electricity immediately began jumping across the steel armor covering Escavalier's body.
Escavalier was paralyzed!!
"This is the absolute limit of what I can accomplish."
"From here on, let me see just what kind of methods one of the Four Elite of the Kalos League possesses."
Seeing Escavalier paralyzed by Thunder Wave, Clemont thought silently to himself.
His opponent was now facing an unprecedented disadvantage, while his own side possessed an unprecedented advantage.
Yet this did not make him feel relaxed.
Compared with the confidence he had displayed earlier, Clemont now looked especially solemn and serious.
His entire demeanor had become one of complete vigilance, as though he were preparing for the most difficult battle of his life.
Seeing Clemont's expression, a smile also appeared at the corner of Wikstrom's mouth.
He did not play around with Clemont.
Instead, he issued a single command.
And with that command, Escavalier officially began its counterattack.
"Escavalier, use Smart Strike!!"
Wikstrom swung his arm forward and gave the command with tremendous force and authority.