"Heh..." Shiro didn’t pay much attention to Grant’s arrogant and boastful words.

  Although the oppo’s Pokémon had taken the opportunity to boost its speed twice with the first move, it had also ewo attacks.

  For a Pokémon like Rookidee, whose stamina was retively weak, these two hits had already caused siderable damage.

  Shiro could clearly see that each time the opposing Pokémon soared through the air, it anting heavily.

  The spectators outside the battlefield began discussing the match.

  "Grant's Rookidee is fast, but its stamina is running low."

  "True." An older man with gray-white hair nodded in agreement, fog otle. He lowered his void said, "That guy Shiro’s Pokémon is still in good shape. If he nds two more hits, he win this fight."

  "But he keep nding hits?" someone else added.

  The discussions from the onlookers didn't interfere with the battle in the arena.

  Shiro uood that there was a huge speed gap betweewo Pokémon. He ordered his Rookidee to hover in the air on his side of the field, waiting for the oppoo make a move.

  If he forced his Rookidee to rush in while it was slower, his oppo would easily dodge and terattack.

  "Use Air Cutter!" Grant ordered. His Pokémon gathered flying-type energy in the air, and two light, white bdes of wind shot toward Shiro’s side.

  "Dodge, then use Hone Cws!" Shiro’s Rookidee reacted immediately to the and. It fpped its wings hard, dodging the Air Cutters.

  The two Pokémon were noposite sides of the arena, with a good distaween them. Even though Grant’s Rookidee was faster, it didn’t mean that Shiro’s was slow.

  Air Cutter, being a straightforward attack, was easy to avoid.

  At Shiro’s and, Rookidee hovered in the air, its cws scratg together as a pale gray energy ed around its body.

  By using Hone Cws, Rookidee boosts both its attad accuracy, allowing it to anticipate the oppo’s movements more effectively.

  Grant quickly noticed Shiro’s strategy and shouted ands at his Pokémon.

  "Charge in, use Peck!"

  His Pokémon disappeared from its spot with a quick fp of its wings, its sharp beak gleaming with a metallic sheen as it dived toward Shiro’s Rookidee’s wings.

  Grant's Pokémon had gohrough many battles against its own kind and was well-versed ieiques taught by its trainer. For a Pokémon like Rookidee, the most important thing was its wings. Ohe wings were injured, it would have almost no ability to fight back.

  Grant’s previous oppos lost battles for the same reason.

  Just as Grant’s Rookidee paused and lifted its head to use Peck, Shiro immediately shouted.

  "Rookidee, attack!"

  “Ki-dee!”

  A gust of wind swept around Shiro’s Rookidee as the Air Cutter, already charged, shot out from beh its wings. It collided perfectly with Grant’s Rookidee’s head, which was aimed directly at its own wings.

  "Rooki… Dee!"

  Grant’s Rookidee, already wounded, was momentarily dazed by the blow. It quickly fpped its wings areated. The speed was so fast that Shiro couldn’t rea time to give an order to pursue.

  Outside the battlefield, the trainers watg had started to chatter excitedly.

  "Did it not use Hone Cws earlier?"

  “Not possible! It's using it, that Rookidee has a glow of energy around it...”

  “Could that be the glow of an Air Cutter?”

  “Hmm... what do you think, old man?”

  The surrounding trainers, puzzled, turheir attention to the older, more experienced gray-haired traihis veteran, known for his strength in the Hammerlocke Stadium, had been a formidable presence for years.

  “Mm..." The old man thought for a moment before expining, "It should be an Air Cutter. Not sure if you're aware, but a few days ago, this young man, Shiro, battled Ryn using his Gastly, relying on a clever deception strategy to gain the upper hand.”

  “Deception strategy?” Some trainers didn’t quite uand.

  “Ryn...” A few trainers whnized Ryn fell into thought.

  But most were still fused. They hadn’t seetle between Shiro and Ryn, didn’t uand the deception strategy, and didn’t even know who Ryn was.

  "It's the oh the Dragon Scale bet!" The old man, noting their fusion, remihem.

  “Oh!” Now the trainers uood.

  It was the battle from a couple of days ago that had been making waves, where the prize was a Dragon Scale. The match between two Novice-level Pokémon had been incredible, with the fight being as intense as oween Beginner-level level Pokémon.

  But some people cast subtle, unfriendly g Shiro.

  So far, all Shiro had shown were his Gastly and Rookidee, both retively okémon, though they had great potential. It was hard to tell whether he was training a sed team of Pokémon.

  Although Shiro appealed to be young, being a Pokémon trainer had nothing to do with age.

  Maybe some three-year-old kid's father is a powerful trainer who raised a pseudo-legendary for him. The momearts his journey, he already has ae-level Pokémon.

  There are plenty of wealthy trainers like that.

  While the surrounding trainers outside the battlefield were lost in thought, ihe two Rookidees cshed once again.

  Grant khat after falling into Shiro’s trap, his Rookidee had taken serious damage. It wouldn’t st much longer. He had to end this quickly.

  ‘He actually mao form this kind of bond with his Rookidee…’ Grant gritted his teeth, his expression darkening. His eyes grew cold as he issued the and.

  "Rookidee! Get in close and use Peck!"

  Grant no longer dared to waste time talking big. His trash talk had only ever been a tactic to disrupt his oppo and secure a win. Now that he was at a disadva was useless. There was no point in saying anything unnecessary.

  Shiro's Rookidee had gained a signifit advahanks to its two early attacks and the tactics he had pnned from the start. But he also uood that the opposing Rookidee still had a ce to turn things around.

  The oppo was fast, and Rookidee as a Pokémon had obvious weaknesses and limited endurance.

  A slower Rookidee was nothing more than a sitting target, making it even easier to strike its vulnerable areas.

  If Shiro made a mistake and gave Grant an opening, his Rookidee could likely nd a single blow strong enough to knock Shiro's Rookidee out of the fight, gradually draining its strength until defeat.

  ‘The most likely spot… is the wings.’

  Shiro's Rookidee had previously is wing, so he was very cautious and made sure to protect it well.

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