"Venusaur, Razor Leaf!" Ash said, his expression utterly serious.
"Persian, Double Team."
"Venusaur!" Venusaur's shoulders jerked, the large flower on its back trembling slightly. Two half-meter-wide leaves flew toward Persian like twin blades, slicing through every flower in their path.
"Perrr~" Seeing the two leaves coming toward him, Persian showed no panic. He swiftly created over ten clones. When the "Razor Leaf struck, it only eliminated two of the clones, leaving the real Persian unscathed.
"Seems your Persian has improved greatly." Ash watched Persian effortlessly dodge his Venusaur's Razor Leaf, his expression turning serious.
"If that's all you've got, I suggest you give up now." White continued flipping through her book, utterly emotionless.
"Of course I have more than that. Venusaur, use Earthquake!" "Venusaur!" Venusaur raised both front legs and stomped heavily into the ground.
White raised an eyebrow and said casually, "Shadow Ball." Over a dozen Shadow Balls launched simultaneously from the Persian clones. Just as Venusaur's feet struck the ground, the barrage of Shadow Balls slammed into its chest.
"Venusaur!" The pain made Venusaur stagger backward. Had it fallen, Ash would have faced defeat once more.
"Damn... I didn't expect it to be this strong." Ash frowned. Persian's power had reached Elite levels, matching Venusaur blow for blow. Combined with Persian's agility and seamless coordination with White, this battle was proving to be a grueling struggle for Ash.
"Venusaur, Vine Whip!" "Venusaur!" Venusaur thrust forward with fiery determination, lashing out with two vine whips as thick as half an arm toward Persian. Unlike "Razor Leaf", Venusaur could control the direction of Vine Whip. This time, Ash was confident it would hit Persian.
"Ice Beam." "Perrr!" This time, Persian didn't dodge. Following White's command, over a dozen Persian clones opened their mouths, firing multiple silver beams that collided with the vines.
"BOOM!" This marked the first clash of powerful moves in the battle. Most of Venusaur's vines froze solid, but it still managed to strike the real Persian. Watching Persian fly away, White finally showed a hint of seriousness, shedding her earlier nonchalance.
"It seems your Venusaur is indeed quite powerful." It was the first time White had ever complimented one of Ash's Pokémon.
"Of course." Ash's lips curved upward. Though Venusaur's vines were frozen solid for the moment, Persian had taken a heavy blow. Ash knew Venusaur's destructive power well, Persian wasn't exactly a tank-type Pokémon. Taking that hit meant serious injury was almost inevitable.
"But it's still not enough." White quickly resumed her detached expression.
"What?" Persian had been sent flying over ten meters, yet it stood up seemingly unscathed. This astonished Ash. It seemed Persian's resilience was impressive... To survive Venusaur's Vine Whip like that? If any other Trainer's Pokémon had taken that hit, Ash was certain few would emerge as calmly as Persian now. Most would either be instantly incapacitated or gravely injured.
"Agility, then Fury Swipes." White commanded the moment Persian rose.
"Perrr!" Having taken that hit, Persian shed its earlier dismissive gaze, now meeting Venusaur with the focused intensity of a worthy opponent. Persian lunged forward at blinding speed, scratching over a dozen gashes into Venusaur's body before the Pokémon could react.
"Venusaur!" Venusaur cried out in pain.
"Venusaur does indeed surpass Persian in strength and defense, but there's one area where Persian holds the advantage, and that's Venusaur's weakness." White explained while flipping through a book.
"Damn it..." Ash knew exactly what White was referring to. Though Venusaur surpassed Persian in stamina, strength, and destructive power, there was one area it could never overcome: speed!
Speed often determines victory. If the Persians kept attacking like this, Venusaur would be worn down and defeated sooner or later.
"Venusaur! Use Bullet Seed!" If speed couldn't win, then quantity would.
"Venusaur!" Venusaur opened its massive mouth, unleashing hundreds of seeds like a rain toward Persian.
"Doge with Quick Attack!" White commanded simultaneously.
"Perrr!" Persian's form blurred into a streak of light, every seed went past it without a single hit.
"Damn it!" Ash frowned. Persian's speed was simply too overwhelming, even Bullet Seed couldn't land a blow. If this continued...
"Persian, use Shadow Ball." White was ready, planning to slowly wear down Venusaur.
"Perrr!" Persian used Shadow Ball from a distance to disrupt Venusaur, who had no way to counter it... "Damn it..." Seeing Persian use such hit-and-run tactics, Ash felt a flicker of anger.
"Looks like I'll have to use a special move." Ash muttered, glancing at the surrounding flowers.
"Venusaur! Use Petal Blizzard!" Ash commanded with a wave of his hand. This was the first time he'd ever had Venusaur unleash such a powerful move.
"Venusaur!" Venusaur roared, sending petals flying in all directions like a blizzard toward Persian. The sheer density of the storm made it impossible for the Persians to dodge.
"Perrr!" Persian was struck once more by Venusaur's attack, this time with far greater force. Feeling each petal slice through its body like a blade, Persian let out a pained wail.
"Use Dig!" White commanded at that moment.
"Perrr!" Persian gritted his teeth, enduring the storm's agony and went underground.
"Perfect timing. Use Earthquake!" How could Ash let such an opportunity slip? He immediately commanded Venusaur.
"Venusaur!" Venusaur stomped its feet heavily into the ground. The impact doubled the damage to Persian underground, forcing him out.
"Perrr-shaa!" Persian wailed in agony.
"Impressive." White couldn't help but praise, acknowledging she had fallen for Ash's entire strategy.
"Thanks for the compliment." Ash smiled, having gained the upper hand.
"But that's not enough." White stared directly at Ash.
"You won't be saying that soon." Ash smiled.