c143: Light of Evolution, Surprised Oak!!
"Froakie, use Bubble to attack!" Ash commanded, stepping forward, his aura radiating with confidence as he pointed sharply at the recovering Inkay.
"Froa—kaa!!"
"Puff, puff, puff…" Froakie inhaled deeply and launched a stream of hollow, thick-walled water bubbles each the size of a Poké Ball. The high-pressure spheres shot through the air like a scatter volley of water bullets, aimed directly at Inkay, who had just been blasted into the air by Quick Attack.
"Inkay!!" cried Stéphane, his voice rising in alarm as he saw Ash and Froakie initiate a fierce follow-up assault.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Inkay instinctively twisted its body mid-air in an attempt to dodge. But after being disoriented by the previous hit, its timing was off. Froakie's Bubble attack was precise and well-timed. The compressed water orbs struck Inkay mid-fall like a shooting gallery target.
Unlike single-strike moves, Froakie's Bubble scattered like a burst-fire attack, hitting multiple times. Inkay, already off balance from the Quick Attack, was peppered by the barrage before it could brace for landing.
"Inkay, retaliate with Payback, quick!" Stéphane shouted, urgency crackling in his voice.
"Froakie, finish it! Use Water Pulse!"
"Haola~!" Despite the damage it had sustained, Inkay was tenacious. Hearing its trainer's command, it pushed itself upright, its small body trembling as it activated Payback. A faint, red aura enveloped its form energy building as it launched itself toward Froakie like a determined torpedo.
But Froakie didn't dodge. With unwavering focus in his battle-hardened eyes, he locked onto Inkay's approach using his dynamic frog-eye perspective a technique Ash and Froakie had honed during their intense post-camp training, as detailed in Chapter 140.
With the calm precision of a warrior, Froakie tucked his gloved hands near his waist. Like a miniature Kamehameha, he began to charge a pulsating orb of aquatic energy.
Swish!
As Inkay hurtled closer, Froakie unleashed the fully charged Water Pulse. The bright-blue orb rocketed through the air and met Inkay head-on.
BOOM!!
The collision detonated mid-air. The evolved proficiency of Froakie's Water Pulse, almost maxed out from repetitive training over the past two weeks, produced a concussive burst that sent Inkay flying backward in a spiraling arc.
"Ka-laa!!"
"Inkay!" Stéphane gasped, watching helplessly as his partner slammed into the ground and didn't rise again.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host. Inkay (LV.8) defeated. Experience Points +120]
Ash heard the familiar system notification ring in his mind. Without needing to check the opposing side, he turned sharply, directing Froakie's attention toward the still-unconscious Flabébé.
"Inkay… get up, please!" Stéphane shouted desperately. But his partner lay motionless, its eyes spinning knocked out cold.
"Froakie, use Bubble Mousse on Flabébé!"
"Froaaak kaa!!" Froakie, now fully in rhythm, turned around, reached to the foamy bubbles at the back of his neck, and plucked two thick globs of Bubble Mousse a custom hybrid technique taught during Professor Sycamore's experimental move workshop. Then, with practiced aim, he hurled them like globs of syrupy glue at the helpless Flabébé lying prone on the field.
The tiny Fairy-type Pokémon, still under the effects of Clefairy's copied Hypnosis, didn't stir despite Erwin's increasingly frantic shouting.
Splack! Splack!!
The sticky mousse splattered across Flabébé's body. Like a flower stuck in honey, the red-petaled Pokémon was immobilized, now even more deeply restrained.
Even if Flabébé had awakened in that moment, the overwhelming stickiness of Bubble Mousse designed to slow down and weigh down foes meant it would have had little mobility left to fight back.
"Froakie, go! Finish it with Pound!!" Ash called decisively.
"Froak!"
Leaping high into the air, Froakie brought his arm back and dove straight down toward Flabébé. His webbed hand glowed slightly as he prepared the finishing blow. The Pound move, now at a proficient mastery level, had become Froakie's reliable finisher.
There was no doubt about the result.
Flabébé: Level 7.
Froakie: Level 16.
Battle status: one-sided.
The strike came crashing down like a hammer.
Wham!!
The move was delivered with the force of a ping-pong smash, slamming directly onto the immobilized Flabébé. A visible puff of dust and mousse lifted off the ground as the flower Pokémon was flattened further into the turf.
Professor Oak's eyes widened behind his glasses, stunned not only by Froakie's speed and control, but by the sheer improvement since the last camp evaluation. He scribbled something quickly into his digital notepad.
The arena fell into silence.
"Bang!!"
Flabébé, who had finally begun to regain consciousness under the desperate cries of Trainer Erwin, opened its eyes dazedly only to be struck cleanly by Froakie's descending Pound. Its delicate little eyes spun back, and it immediately lost consciousness again, collapsing flat on the ground like a withered flower in a storm.
[Ding! Congratulations to the host Flabébé (LV.7) defeated. Experience Points +110]
[Froakie meets upgrade requirements. Level up… Current Level: LV.17]
The gap between levels was too vast. With Froakie's Pound move now at proficient mastery, Flabébé stood no chance. A single decisive blow sealed its fate in an instant.
Ash, still locked in the rhythm of battle, heard the system's notifications chime in succession in his mind. With both opponents down, he finally allowed himself to relax. The adrenaline began to subside.
"Inkay and Flabébé are unable to battle. Victory goes to Cadet Ash and Serena, with Froakie and Clefairy!"
Professor Oak declared the outcome with authority, his voice echoing across the training grounds. He glanced proudly at Ash and Serena, visibly impressed.
Seeing their clean, coordinated victory, Oak's eyes lit up. Ash's command style and strategic use of wave-guided communication had matured visibly over the last few weeks.
"Serena, we did it!" Ash turned to his partner with a wide grin, the cheers of the other cadets ringing in the background like celebration bells.
"Yeah… but really, it was all you, Ash," Serena said with a sheepish smile. "I didn't do that much. You carried the whole match."
Though her tone was cheerful, there was a trace of embarrassment in her voice like a quiet admission of self-doubt. She recalled her minimal contribution and felt it paled in comparison to Ash's explosive offense.
But Ash just smiled and shook his head, voice filled with sincerity.
"Serena, what are you talking about? You were vital. If you hadn't ordered Clefairy to use Copycat and mimic Hypnosis, we couldn't have disabled Flabébé. If they'd attacked together, no matter how strong Froakie is, we might've been overwhelmed."
"Quack—ka!"
Froakie gave a firm nod, agreeing wholeheartedly with Ash. But before another word could be said, Froakie's entire body began to glow with a soft, blinding white light.
"Eh?! Did you see that flash? Froakie's body it just shimmered!"
"I saw it too!"
"Wait, was that light… could it be...?"
The students gathered around the battlefield erupted into murmurs and excited speculation, their eyes wide with amazement. Several had caught the moment Froakie's glow pulsed like a beacon.
Professor Oak, who had been observing intently from the edge of the field, adjusted his glasses sharply.
"This is!"
The Professor's eyes sparkled with recognition. He stepped forward, his voice raised above the crowd.
"That glow… that's the signal of evolution. Ash, your Froakie is about to evolve."
Ash's eyes widened in shock. "Evolve…?"
Oak nodded. "Yes. The battle experience, your close bond, and the stress of real combat all triggered it. Froakie has reached a threshold. It's ready."
Ash blinked in disbelief, still staring at Froakie's glowing outline.
Over the past two weeks at the summer camp, Ash had earned perfect scores in nine consecutive challenges, each adding to his cumulative performance. He had outpaced his peers not only in results, but in tenacity, creativity, and synergy with Pokémon. Even if the final tally didn't place him in the top three, Professor Oak had already made a silent decision Ash's consistent performance more than qualified him to be awarded the title of "Excellent Cadet."
Moreover, Ash's bond with Froakie had strengthened dramatically since the Wave Guidance exercise, where Ash first synchronized their thoughts. From that moment on, Froakie had regarded Ash as more than a partner.as his chosen Trainer.
That's why, even before the camp ended, Professor Oak had started referring to Froakie as "your" Pokémon when speaking to Ash. The relationship between them had already surpassed the camp's temporary assignments.
And now, as evolution began, it was undeniable Froakie had chosen Ash.
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