Having had its little trick exposed, Beldum showed not the slightest hint of embarrassment. Instead, it seemed even more at ease as it floated and danced lightly around the battlefield.
Its silver-white body gleamed ever more brilliantly under the arena lights, swaying gently from time to time, its movements lively and playful.
When those ruby-crystal-like eyes looked toward Gym Leader Wattson, they even carried a few traces of completely natural "innocence." The adorably honest expression was enough to make anyone chuckle in spite of themselves.
Wattson stared at Beldum's swaying, deliberately innocent act for several seconds, momentarily stunned. Then he threw his head back and burst into hearty, unrestrained laughter.
His voice brimmed with undisguised approval and admiration. "What a clever little Pokémon! To think it hid such an exquisite tactical trick—even I was fooled by it. Impressive, truly impressive!"
As his words fell, thunderous applause instantly erupted from the stands, mixed with good-natured laughter and enthusiastic cheers that surged across the entire stadium like a tidal wave.
"Beldum is way too cute! It gets found out and still puts on that innocent face—absolutely adorable!"
"The streamer's tactics are insane, being able to dig out a Pokémon's strengths this thoroughly is just amazing!"
The livestream chat completely descended into madness, messages flying by so fast they were nearly impossible to read:
"Hahaha, Wattson's facial expressions were priceless. This match is hitting all the right notes for me."
"Beldum is too smart—strong and cute, how could anyone not love it?!"
"I thought this would be a brute-force slugfest, but it turned into textbook-level tactical deception. This twist gets full marks from me!"
"I never expected Beldum to have Iron Defense up its sleeve, and Zen Headbutt on top of that," Wattson said as he looked at the situation on the field, his tone tinged with emotion. He shook his head lightly, seemingly regretting his earlier tactical choice. "I originally planned to seal your speed with Magnetic Flux then paralysis, but now it looks like that was completely ineffective.
If I'd known earlier, I should've gone for a direct frontal assault from the start.
Voltorb, use Electro Ball! We can't let them underestimate the strength of Mauville Gym!"
Electro Ball was an Electric-type special attack whose power scaled with the user's speed. More importantly, it didn't rely on physical contact.
Beldum's Iron Defense mainly strengthened its physical defense. Against this kind of special energy attack, it provided no boost to special defense at all.
Upon hearing the command, the electric currents around Voltorb rapidly converged, forming a golden sphere of electricity that spun at high speed in front of it.
As energy continued to pour in, the Electro Ball grew increasingly brilliant, emitting sharp crackling sounds as it shot toward Beldum like a homing missile.
"Beldum, use Zen Headbutt again! Go straight for Voltorb itself!"
Theo issued his command just as decisively.
After the earlier exchanges, Voltorb was already injured, its condition visibly declining. Beldum clearly held the advantage now.
There was no need for further evasive maneuvering—it was time to decide the outcome.
The two commands were issued almost simultaneously.
A blue glow erupted around Beldum once more, Psychic energy wrapping its body like a solid suit of armor.
Faced with the incoming Electro Ball, it didn't try to tank it head-on. Instead, it deftly twisted midair with the help of Psychic power.
Its silver figure traced a smooth S-shaped arc through the air, nimbly avoiding the Electro Ball's frontal impact.
Voltorb had to actively control the Electro Ball's pursuit, and with Beldum pressing closer and closer, it was forced to frantically twist its round body and retreat again and again, dodging Beldum's relentless assaults to the left and right.
It had to split its focus—controlling its own movements to desperately evade Beldum's ferocious charges, while simultaneously locking onto its target and guiding the Electro Ball to continue the chase.
With its attention divided, it quickly fell into a dilemma. In just a short moment, obvious signs of panic and clumsiness appeared.
The electric currents around its body became slightly disordered due to the scattered focus, and even the Electro Ball's flight path began to wobble faintly.
At the critical moment, a ruthless glint flashed through Voltorb's eyes. It abruptly abandoned all attempts to dodge.
Pouring all of its focus into controlling the Electro Ball, the golden sphere—having previously missed Beldum—suddenly came to a halt.
Then, in a flash faster than lightning, it accelerated explosively and lunged toward Beldum from behind.
"Beldum!"
Theo shouted a warning in a low voice.
Relying on Psychic sensing, Beldum reacted as if it had eyes on its back. It spun around instantly, and blue Psychic energy collided violently with the golden Electro Ball.
The physical defense boost from Iron Defense offered little protection against special attacks. Electric current instantly raced across Beldum's body, scattering a dense shower of sparks.
But Beldum forcibly endured the blow. Using the recoil, it suddenly accelerated into a downward dive, its Zen Headbutt striking Voltorb with pinpoint accuracy!
The increase in bodily strength granted by Iron Defense made Beldum's close-range attack power anything but trivial.
Bang!
With a dull, heavy impact, Voltorb flew backward like a glass ball struck by a massive hammer. It slammed hard into the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust—clearly having taken severe damage.
Beldum didn't have it easy either. The Psychic energy coating from Zen Headbutt had already dissipated, its silver body trembling slightly, a trace of fatigue flashing through its red crystalline eye.
Yet it stubbornly continued to hover in midair, refusing to fall.
At that moment, the injured Voltorb's eyes suddenly flashed with grim resolve, and its entire body burst into blinding white light.
It was the sign of Explosion!
It was actually prepared to go down together with Beldum, determined to deliver one final blow even at the cost of its own defeat.
"That's enough, Voltorb!"
Wattson shouted sternly as he swiftly pulled out a Poké Ball. "This was my mistake in tactics. I shouldn't have fixated on paralysis strategies from the start. Come back—there's no need to keep fighting. You've already done very well."
A flash of red light enveloped Voltorb, safely recalling it into the Poké Ball just before it could explode.
Wattson gently stroked the Poké Ball, a trace of barely concealed tenderness in his voice. "You've worked hard."
He looked up at Theo, his eyes filled with undisguised appreciation. "I have to say, your Beldum is truly impressive.
I thought it was just a Pokémon you'd only recently captured, but I never imagined you'd trained it to this level. The younger generation is formidable indeed."
Theo nodded slightly. "You flatter me, Gym Leader. Beldum is the one who's worked hard."
"But—" Wattson suddenly changed his tone, pulling another Poké Ball from his waist and lightly tapping it with his fingers. "I can't let you think Mauville Gym only has this much strength.
Next up, it's his turn—Manectric!"
"Mane!"
The Poké Ball burst open in a blaze of dazzling white light, and a majestic Pokémon appeared on the battlefield.
Its build was sleek and powerful, its blue body adorned with a mane of bright yellow fur, like a messenger bathed in thunder.
The yellow mane atop its head burned like living lightning. Its four paws struck the ground, sending arcs of electricity crackling across the battlefield.
Even standing still, it radiated an overwhelming and suffocating aura of power.
"It's the Gym Leader's Manectric!"
Watt shouted excitedly, his voice booming through the stadium speakers. "This Manectric is an elite Pokémon that has competed in League tournaments! It boasts both speed and power, and excels at overwhelming opponents with high-speed movement combined with devastating lightning attacks!"
(End of Chapter)