"Come back, Butterfree, you've done well." Ash retracted Butterfree and took out his second Pokeball.
"It's decided, Muk!" Ash's second Pokemon was Muk, and this was Muk's debut in the competition.
In terms of level, Muk had already reached Elite Peak; if it could win this battle, it might advance straight to Professional Level.
Its ability values had been trained by Ash to the current level's limit; as long as the experience was sufficient, it could level up anytime.
Additionally, Muk's poison type was quite effective against Scyther. Scyther's bug and flying types were both weak against poison-type attacks. Both were similar in level; only mobility differed.
Ash had always used high-speed attacks to defeat opponents, favoring speed style, with seldom matches where slow faces fast.
"Muk... It's really rare to see someone with this Pokemon. How do you tolerate the smell of Muk?" Xunzi didn't think about how strong Muk was upon seeing it; instead, she wondered how Ash tolerated Muk's stench.
"If you're good to Muk, it won't emit an unbearable stench, and the usual smell just needs some getting used to." Ash shrugged, appearing indifferent.
Initially, Ash didn't adapt to Muk's odor, but after being with Muk for a while, he discovered its scent subsided around close friends, which was why Professor Oak accepted Muk's smell easily.
While Ash was Muk's trainer, they had little contact initially. It wasn't until they trained and spent time together that Muk's impact on Ash diminished, now almost nonexistent.
"I don't understand, but I support you. But in this battle, I won't hold back. Scyther, use Quick Attack!"
"Cha!" Scyther tapped the ground with its toes, transforming into a green lightning bolt across the grass.
Scyther's silhouette dazzled the field, and its speed, enhanced by Quick Attack, was indeed fast, completely beyond Muk's capability to match.
"Don't worry about it. Use Minimize." For a slow-speed Pokemon facing a fast-speed Pokemon, it's best not to make the first move, but to use stillness against motion.
Let them be fast; they'll always need to come close for an attack, and that's the perfect moment for a counterattack.
Meanwhile, don't foolishly wait for them to approach; use enhancement skills to boost oneself, naturally urging the opponent.
"Use Dual Chop!" As expected, seeing Muk enhancing itself, Xunzi couldn't hold back, urging Scyther to attack immediately.
The Muk on the field flattened out, using Minimize to boost its defense, while Scyther accelerated in circles before catching the chance to appear behind Muk, slashing with its sharp scythes!
"Swoosh!" Scyther's scythes chopped directly into Muk's body, seemingly dealing considerable damage.
But upon seeing this, Xunzi's face suddenly changed dramatically!
"Scyther, get away quickly!!"
"Too late, Muk, Gunk Shot!" Ash decisively gave the command.
Muk's upper body bizarrely spun 180 degrees. Being a mass of sludge, its body had incredible flexibility, even a 360-degree spin wasn't a problem.
Scyther desperately tugged its scythes but found them stuck as if glued, unable to extract from Muk's body.
From the start, Ash intended for Muk to tank Scyther's first strike physically and bind it. Otherwise, facing its maneuverability would be quite troublesome.
Xunzi's straightforwardness in falling for the trap was somewhat unexpected to Ash. What's her level? How did she reach the fourth match of the preliminaries?
The Pokemon isn't particularly outstanding, and command abilities are average. Could it be good luck?
While Ash pondered this, Muk already began spewing deadly toxic-filled sludge.
The eerie purple-black beam struck Scyther at almost point-blank range, making Scyther scream in agony, struggling harder with its arms.
After being continuously hit by Gunk Shot for nearly ten seconds, Scyther finally broke free, flown backward by Gunk Shot's force, skidding back dozens of times before stopping.
"Scyther!!" Xunzi's worried voice echoed on the field. Scyther hadn't lost fighting capability like Beedrill earlier, but the damage taken was hefty.
After all, it was point-blank Gunk Shot, the poison type's signature move. With such a close hit, Scyther, being fragile, remained barely withstanding combat ability, left with only a sliver of health.