Pokemon: I'll Exchange Everything

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"Battle, begin!" 

"Arbok! Dark Pulse!" 

"Lapras! Hydro Cannon!"

 "Chaarbok!" 

"Wooo~~!"

The intense battle resumed in an instant. Arbok's Dark Pulse and Lapras's Hydro Cannon were launched swiftly—but this time, they didn't collide. 

Instead, they shot from different angles, narrowly missing each other and striking directly at their respective targets with full force.

"Chaarbok!"

Hit by the Hydro Cannon, Arbok gritted its fangs and endured, sliding backward several meters before finally halting. Then it lifted its head and roared at Lapras, who had been blasted away by its Dark Pulse.

"Wooo~~!"

Lapras had been forcefully shoved back—not exactly blasted off, but rather pushed aside by the force of the Dark Pulse. 

After regaining its footing, it raised its head, gaze steady and alert, sizing up Arbok with caution.

"Lapras! Use Perish Song again!"

Lorelie was well aware of how ridiculously strong Arbok was. If it came down to a direct clash of strength, Lapras had no real advantage.

"Wooo~ Wooo~"

That strange, eerie melody rang out again. Perish Song was once again activated.

"Don't try that trick again, got it?! Don't let it succeed! Arbok! Dragon Rage!"

Liam wasn't going to be caught off guard by the same move twice. The moment Lorelie gave her command, he immediately shouted another to Arbok.

"Chaarbok!!"

Arbok opened its maw wide, a surge of violet-blue dragon energy briefly gathering before firing out like a small dragon, roaring toward Lapras with fangs bared. 

The speed was terrifying—it reached Lapras almost instantly. A deafening explosion followed, cutting off the melody of Perish Song.

"Lapras!! Are you okay?!"

The black smoke from the blast engulfed Lapras. Lorelie, unsure of its condition, cried out anxiously into the fog.

"Wooo…"

Before Lorelie even finished speaking, Lapras's voice echoed out from within. A moment later, its silhouette slid gracefully from the smoke, making a smooth circle across the icy field before stopping in front of Lorelie.

"Whew… Lapras! I'm so glad you're okay."

Seeing Lapras unharmed, Lorelie exhaled in relief and smiled at her partner.

Thanks to its Ice typing, the Dragon-type move Dragon Rage wasn't particularly damaging to Lapras. 

Although Dragon Rage deals fixed damage, it clearly still consumed a fair bit of Lapras's stamina—even if it didn't show it outwardly.

"Lapras! The battle isn't over yet! Be careful! First use Mist to protect yourself, then wait for the right moment to strike!"

Having seen Lapras take a hit, Lorelie had grown more cautious, opting for defensive measures before attacking.

"Woo~~~"

Lapras nodded at her command, then exhaled a pale white mist that quickly veiled its entire body, hiding it from view. With a swift motion of its flippered limbs, it vanished into the fog.

"She's hiding again—so cautious. But we're not afraid! Arbok! Charge in and use Iron Tail!"

Seeing Lapras disappear once more, Liam didn't hesitate to send Arbok charging into the mist. Even though Arbok's newfound Dragon typing meant Ice attacks could now counter it more effectively, Liam had absolute faith in it—Arbok would never let him down.

"Chaarbok!!"

Upon hearing the command, Arbok's eyes gleamed with confidence. It flicked out its crimson tongue, tasting the air for traces of its foe. With a roar, it surged into the mist. 

Its thick tail shimmered with a bright metallic light, smashing aside chunks of broken ice in its way as it honed in on a direction and dove deeper into the white fog.

"Woo~~~" 

"Chaa-bok!!"

The ambush began in the mist. As a frequent user of Mist, Lapras had trained to retain limited visual perception even within it. It glided near the fog's edge, planning to sneak up on Arbok. 

But just then, it heard the sound of scales dragging across ice behind it. Alarmed, it whipped around—and the instant it did, all it saw was a massive, gleaming metal tail growing rapidly larger in its vision.

"Wooo~!!"

A cry of pain rang out. Arbok's immense strength sent Lapras flying—this time, for real. It was blasted clean out of the fog and crashed hard in front of Lorelie. For a moment, Lorelie just stared blankly, her face frozen in surprise.

"La… la…."

That Iron Tail had landed with brutal force. As a Steel-type move, it was devastating against the Ice-type Lapras. Arbok's tail had slammed into Lapras's shell from the side and launched it out of the mist. 

Now, faint cracks were clearly visible across Lapras's shell.

Lapras struggled to lift its head once more and met Arbok's gaze as the serpent slowly emerged from the fog. Its eyes were filled with determination—but then its neck sagged, its eyes swirled, and it collapsed.

"Lapras!"

Seeing Lapras fall at last, Lorelie rushed over and cradled its head.

"Lapras is unable to battle! Arbok wins!"

The referee raised his flag and shouted the result loudly after Lorelie entered the battlefield.

"Uh… did I go a bit too hard?"

Seeing Lorelie's pained expression, Liam lowered his head and muttered quietly.

As Lapras collapsed and time ticked by, the storm clouds above began to break apart, revealing a clear blue sky.

Lorelie gently withdrew Lapras into its PokeBall and returned to her side of the field. She turned to look at Liam—only to find him lost deep in thought. 

Sharp and clever as she was, Lorelie instantly realized what was on his mind. Her expression turned cold, and she raised her voice at him.

"Liam! What are you thinking about?! I get the feeling it's something condescending!"

"Huh?! N-No! I was just thinking about strategy for the next round…"

Caught off guard by Lorelie's accusation, Liam frantically waved his hands to deny it.

"Hmph. It better be! I told you yesterday—if you go easy on me during this battle, I'll never forgive you! I meant what I said! Don't think I was just joking! I'm being completely serious about this!

"I know how strong you are. I'm not your match—not right now, at least. But that doesn't mean I'll give up! I'm a Pokémon Trainer. I have my pride and my principles. Your pity would be the greatest insult to me. I won't allow you to become someone I hate…"

"This battle is important—for both of us. I know your promise to Delia. If you don't defeat me, you won't be able to fulfill that promise. And… to be honest, I'm a little jealous of her. Jealous she met you so early in life. I know it's not fair, but I won't give up, either! I'll keep getting stronger! I'll keep improving myself! So…!!"

"Liam! I'm going to beat you! Even if it seems impossible, I'll still try! I won't hold back in this battle! This is the resolve of a girl chasing her own happiness! You better be ready to fight seriously—or I'll look like a total idiot!! Go! Jynx! Let our opponent witness the icy passion of Sheer Cold!!"

Lorelie was already rambling a bit by the end.

This was the Main Hall's official battlefield—spectators could not only watch the battle unfold on giant screens, but they could also clearly hear every command shouted by the trainers. 

Naturally, Lorelie's entire monologue had been heard—not just in the arena, but by everyone watching live on television.

She only realized that midway through her speech. But even so, she didn't back down. She shouted her heartfelt words for all to hear—her cheeks now flushed red, but her gaze firm as ever as she stared at Liam.

She had declared her resolve—one that would not lose to anyone.