Suicide is never the answer to your problem.
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In the end, Morrison relied on his Beldum's strength and successful evolution mid-fight in adversity to successfully break through the preliminaries and go through to the next round.
The group then went to see Tyson and his match that was just about to begin, "Great, we got here just in time!" Max said excitedly.
Of course, the Pokémon Tyson sent out was the one Ash was most curious about, his Meowth. Since he had already decided to use Meowth in the preliminaries, he didn't expect much, but still, seeing that his opponent, a girl with a ponytail named Vivica, on the opposite side was actually using a Persian.
"Talk about my luck…" Tyson couldn't help but sigh and shake his head in disbelief. It simply happens to him too much for his liking, though he never liked it in the first place.
"Come on, I won't hold back!" In anyone's view that did not need to use a braille, it was obvious that this young lady was very confident in her strength and the strength of her Persian, the Pokémon that evolved from the Meowth it is now up against, so she feels that she was sure to win this battle.
Looking at the Meowth, Ash looked a bit more serious while Gary frowned at noticing something, "That Meowth… it seems to have encountered something bad, it's still not fully recovered from an old injury." He said with all the wisdom that comes with being a new Pokémon Researcher.
Even he, someone without Aura or any special power, could see what was going on with that cowboy costumed Meowth.
Ash nodded, he too could see it without the need to use any of his powers. "Though it might be more than a physical injury, more like a… a trauma. Something that it has yet to come out of fully."
Ash gave Gary his two senses, having a better idea now about what could have possibly happened to it once he saw Meowth's face.
Gary as well as Brock nodded from side, but did not comment anything more on their understanding and instead turned back to the hissing felines.
There was a clear image of rage and resentment in its eyes, as if he wanted to tear the Persian in front of it into pieces no matter what the consequences were for him.
However, when he turned back and saw the concerned look of the human that took care of him so much and made him into his companion.
He steeled himself to try and calm down, to not let his emotions get the better of him and ruin this one change that his Trainer had worked so hard to achieve.
"Then let's start the preliminary round between Pokémon Trainer Tyson and Vivica!" The referee announced it to the stadium.
Sure enough, just after the referee finished saying his things and beginning the match, Meowth had already run out after being taunted by the opposing Persian, losing all the previous composure he built up. He ran out with not only his fighting spirit, but also deep resentment and anger burning in its usual calm and collected eyes.
"Meowth, get a speed boost and use Slash!" Tyson seemed to know what was going on with his Meowth and decisively issued an order to provide support, as a good Trainer should do, and also because he knew he couldn't do anything for now.
Meowth stretched out his claws and slashed at the opposing Persian, threatening to cut Persian in half with its Slash attack.
However, this Persian was well trained by its Trainer, and was also very agile and managed to avoid the anger empowered slashes. It followed Vivica's confident command in a split second, "Persian, use Fury Swipes!"
This was a skill that can be pretty much said to be the signature move of the Meowth line. After evolving into a Persian, their physique becomes more powerful, so of course the power of the Fury Swipes will also increase dramatically compared to its weaker previous form.
Its sharp claws poked out, and Persian's Fury Swipes kept going on and on. Meowth stood upright as it was easier to control his body balance like this, and he finally managed to get away from Persians range of attack.
"Meowth, leave it be and use Double Team to confuse its vision!"
Tyson's command was strangely calm seeing his Meowth acting like this, almost as if he had experienced this before.
He was decently good at incorporating various tactics in his plans to do the most damage, such as using Meowths Double Team to create a containment and distracting its senses, allowing it more time to regain its strength and power up even more for the next confrontation.
Meowth's fake clones immediately surrounded the Persian, but Vivica didn't seem panicked at all, and instead it seemed like everything was going according to her plan (cucucu), "Persian, use Water Pulse on the ground, and make sure to maximize it as well!"
This move alone was enough for Ash to focus more of his expectations and attention on her for the level of this battle. "She seems like a formidable Trainer, training her Persian into having such a well controlled Water Pulse." Ash said to which Gary took out a small notebook from his pocket and began writing something.
Ash couldn't help but smile at seeing his long time friend like this, 'Looks like old habits really die hard; he still can't stop thinking of new ways to train his Pokémon despite giving up on the Pokémon Trainer life.'
The Water Pulse hit the ground and created a small wave of water to spring up, smashing all the Double Team clones back into nothing and really turning Meowth into one of those drowned cats.
"Wow, the level of that Persian is definitely very high." Max said in excitement, forgetting the fact that he came here to support Tyson and not his opponent.
"Mhm, and she's beautiful!" Brock said, beginning to be swayed by the non-existent wind in the stadium.
This battle was anything but easy for Tyson and his Meowth.
Meowth was hit again and was forced to retreat violently, but he still managed to land smoothly on his cowboy boots with a backflip. Despite facing a powerful Persian with a good Trainer behind it, Meowth didn't show any timidity or hesitation, just hostility.
Every movement it made was crisp and neat, even if it wasn't being useful. Even if it was difficult for him to land a good attack and it was also the one being bombarded with attacks, most of the damage from Persians attacks didn't do too much damage as Meowth managed to do something at the last moment to negate most of the damage.
"Meowth, now use Iron Tail!" Tyson and Meowth regained their strength after looking at each other (Power of Friendship) and took the initiative to attack this time. Its long cat tail shone with a bright metallic luster.
"That Iron Tail looked powerful," Gary said with his old arrogant voice, "but I doubt it would even do anything against my Blastoise. It's not even worth comparing this against your Pikachu."
Ash nodded, as it was more than true. The same attacks from two different Pokémon were not even on the same level.
[I know that's true, but dear, did you notice that Gary has been glazing you hard since yesterday?]
Ciel said with a questionable laugh, making Ash shake his head with his right eye twitching.
'That's just your imagination.' He said, like a certain Manas from somewhere else.
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The Iron Tail hit very hard and on a weak area, knocking Persian further away with that blow.
"Meowth, keep it up like this and use Thunderbolt!" When she heard Tyson giving out this order, she knew that she messed up with her previous Water Pulse attack on the ground, Vivica immediately became anxious, "Persian, hurry up and use Dig to burrow and hide under the ground!"
The Persian reacted quickly, but just not fast enough. He got hit again by another Iron Tail, but still managed to plunge itself to the ground and dived under the venue.
But Meowth's Thunderbolt was faster with that on the ground and it seeping underneath as well, the attack split open the ground under it.
Persian was immediately swallowed by yellow electricity and completely lost his fighting ability!
"No, Persian!" Vivica exclaimed in defeat. Although she used the evolved version, she still lost the battle at the end because of one of her own judgement mistakes.
However, at this time, Meowth actually stepped forward and stretched out his sharp white claws, as if he really wanted to tear the Persian into pieces, not even caring that it couldn't even move.
"Persian loses its ability to fight, meaning the winner of this battle is Tyson and his Meowth!" The referee announced the result of the battle, but Meowth ignored everything he said and stretched out his claws to get ready to pounce on its defeated opponent.
Tyson hurried forward once he saw this and grabbed it, but Meowth still wanted to struggle free from his hold. His eyes were full of hatred and hostility, nothing like the calm and collected Meowth the group saw before at the restaurant.
After a few attempts to break free from his Trainer's hold, he actually broke away from Tyson and threw himself at the Persian who was still lying on the ground, defeated and unable to protect itself.
If Meowth really attacks the defenseless Persian, who has lost the ability to fight and was in an unconscious state, there is little to no doubt that Tyson will be disqualified from the competition all together without being able to do anything, and even more likely is that his Trainer's license and reputation will be affected.
"Come back, Meowth!" Helpless, Tyson had no choice but to take out the Poké Ball and take Meowth back and temporarily lock it.
In fact, the story of his Meowth was very simple. Like many other Meowths in the world, it battled for the position of the group leader, but it lost to its evolved form Persian and was beaten until he couldn't even get up. He was very injured, especially his legs, which now needed to be supported by long boots.
Not to mention its partner also left him for the stronger Persian, even having a couple of kids with that Persian not long after it, while he was still recovering from the battle.
{Ps. I added this because it feels weird hating its evolved form just because it lost a battle that it had little chance of winning in the first place, even if the hate is somewhat justified.}
This was the reason it has such hostility towards all Persians, and so naturally he will not evolve into the most annoying form.
Although it was expelled from the group after his partner gave birth to the Persians kids, it may also have been a blessing in disguise that it met Tyson who cared so deeply for him, unlike that trash-digger ex partner of his.
{That Meowth is for the streets, literally.}
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"Now begins the preliminary battle between the renowned Champion of the Johto Region Silver Conference and the newest Top Pokémon Coordinator Ash Ketchum and some random mofo named Gilbert!
Tell me your parents don't love you without telling me your parents don't love you! His parents definitely don't like him, like who names their kid Gilbert and still likes them?!"
This commentator was hella glazing Ash, definitely had all his life savings bet on Ash's victory for the championship title.
It was finally Ash's turn to battle.
Tyson, Morrison, Gary, Ash's group and the parents all came to cheer for Ash from their VIP seat.
Tyson really wants to see how strong Ash is with his own eyes. Before, he was only able to watch the recordings of his battles, so this will be a new experience for him.
Ash's opponent, Gilbert, was wearing a martial arts uniform, so was most definitely someone who considered himself as a Fighting-type specialist.
The Pokémon he chose for this battle was a Hitmonlee. Ash also happens to have a Hitmonlee, which was obviously much stronger and bigger than the one in front of him because he was the main character of the show and not Gilbert.
"Stand by for battle, Growlithe!" Just as he had decided before, Ash sent out his Growlithe in this preliminary round.
Although he was ready to send out his Pikachu or the other strong Pokémon he had on him if his opponent was too strong for his Growlithe to handle.
Why?
Because ain't no way was he losing in the preliminaries because of his stupidity.
And also because he saw that Gilbert the NPC and his Hitmonlee was still within the range that his Growlithe could beat up even without his commands, not to mention with his commands.
"GROWW!"
When Growlithe landed on the ground, he let out a powerful roar that began to burn the very air, making sure the Aura Farming technique Entei taught him were used correctly.
The orange hair and the black tiger stripes on its body moved automatically without the need of any wind.
This was the result of the Auradynamics technique his teacher taught him from a book written by a sect from an ancient eastern region, the Tibetan Aura Monks.
{Yes, we see the fit, Piccolo!}
Embers burst out, and the heat wave even distorted the area of the air above him.
"Ash's Growlithe, such a strong start with its Aura Farming technique, even better than my Meowth, who I have been training for years so he could reach his current level!"
Tyson was stunned just by the Aura Farming of Ash's Growlithe before the battle. He never imagined that such a technique, his ability to move his fur without wind, would appear on a Growlithe that has not yet evolved into the powerful and majestic Arcanine.
"Hmph!" Gary shouted coldly, "That is the Growlithe that my grandfather received from the Jenny Clan themselves because of some MASSIVE contributions Ash apparently made for them."
Now Gary often doubts whether Ash is Professor Oak's biological grandson, or he was. Like how can he be so kind to him...
But some time ago, it all but disappeared. He was on the phone with his grandfather, but he randomly saw a fuking Rayquaza of all things chilling in the backyard of his grandfather's Laboratory, so then hearing it was from Ash, he lost his composure.
Then he lost it again when he heard that his grandfather helped place a Groudon in the dormant Cinnabar Island Volcano, so he couldn't help but admire his friend.
"Hitmonlee, use the Great Leaf Whirlwind!" The battle soon started, and Gilbert took the lead in launching the first attack after getting pissed by being so underestimated.
He didn't know who this Ash person was as he was in seclusion because of his sect, but he also didn't care that he was a so-called Champion. He will bring pride to the ancestors that never liked him.
The Hitmonlee species as a whole was very good at using various kicking and close range fighting styles that revolved around using its foot.
So there was no doubt that its attack had some power behind it.
However, Ash did not give any verbal orders and was instead using Auradynamics to make sure Growlithe understands his mission, and he did just that as his figure disappeared instantly before Hitmonlee could react.
His attack failed.
This was in fact not the move known as Agility, just its raw speed. Ash's Growlithe has a very outstanding talent when it comes to its speed ability. After all, several generations of its parents were powerful Arcanines, especially the last few ones. When it completes its evolution and becomes a glorious, majestic Arcanine, it will definitely be able to better use the powerful Normal-type move known as Extreme Speed.
"Flamethrower!"
It was only then that Ash slowly issued his real first order.
Growlithe suddenly appeared behind the confused Hitmonlee, and a violent pillar of fire swept in from behind it, swallowing its whole body in one go.
As Ash's Growlithe was trained by him and Entei, the Legendary Beast of Fire, one of Ho-oh's creations. And was also a member of one of the stronger Fire-type species.
How could he not have excellent skills when it comes to its Fire-type abilities?
The temperature of this Flamethrower was so high that what appeared after Growlithe stopped its attack was that its whole body was scorched black, and Ash and Gilbert could even smell the smell of burnt meat.
And this was the only reason Ash stopped his Growlithe from continuing to attack.
"How is that possible!" Gilbert was so stunned that he couldn't believe the scene in front of him, he thought he was still dreaming.
Ash gave a sheepish grin, "Nothing is impossible, Bobby." Ash forgot Gilbert's name.
He had sent it to Entei for training since he was a child. If he couldn't even reach this level, it would have honestly been a little disappointing.
"Flare Blitz!" Ash clenched his fist a little tighter and used the move that his Growlithe was currently undergoing special training for and had not yet mastered. This was one of the moves that Ash was most keen on teaching it before he let it evolve into an Arcanine.
This was also the most powerful Fire-type physical attack skill that Growlithe can currently learn, so it's something Ash was keen on.
Everyone saw Growlithe roaring up to the sky, the sun literally shining on his face. The terrifying momentum rubbed against the air, forming blue arcs and terrifying flames intertwined, and it crushed towards Hitmonlee!
"Damn it, I can't avoid it!" Gilbert's face changed drastically. The Flamethrower caused his poor Hitmonlee to be already seriously injured, and the next attack from this guy he didn't know about was really something he had no counter against.
With a bang, Hitmonlee was knocked away and crashed into the wall of the stadium outside the main battlefield, creating a huge dent in the wall!
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Tyson took a deep breath to calm his nerves down, Ash's power was even more terrifying than what he saw on those recordings of his old battles.
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Give me your stones, children.