Along the way, Ash had shocked and amazed Misty so many times she'd nearly forgotten—he was just a Beginner Trainer.
Most beginners in Gym battles didn't even know type matchups. They didn't know when to switch Pokémon. They didn't know how to use status effects. They just hammered away with attacks, hoping raw damage would be enough. If it was, they won. If it wasn't, they lost.
But Ash carried himself more like a seasoned Trainer—sometimes Misty even glimpsed the shadow of a top-class expert in him.
And yet, right now, he was showing the clumsy side of a rookie again. Misty honestly couldn't tell—did Ash know how to battle or not?
On the field—
Ash watched Butterfree narrowly dodge Rock Slide and finally let out a relieved breath.
Brock, though, was surprised. "Dodging Rock Slide in a storm like that… your Butterfree's Speed and reflexes are impressive. But it doesn't change anything. With Sleep Powder sealed off, what else can your Butterfree do?"
And he was right. Without Sleep Powder, Butterfree's Bug-type and Flying-type moves couldn't scratch Onix.
Ash had only two choices: send Pikachu back out and try to finish Onix with Aura Sphere, or stall until Sandstorm ended. Once it did, a slowed-down Onix would never dodge Sleep Powder.
But Brock would never let him stall. If Onix landed even one clean hit on Butterfree, it was game over.
Yet when Brock glanced at Ash, he didn't see frustration—only burning determination.
Sleep Powder's gone. Level disadvantage. Terrible type matchup. Weak attacks. And he still hasn't lost his fighting spirit? Does he have something else up his sleeve? Brock frowned, already opening his mouth to order Onix forward.
"Butterfree, use Supersonic!" Ash's voice rang out, and sound waves rippled invisibly from Butterfree's wings.
Brock froze, then his face darkened.
Supersonic. Low accuracy, sure—but if it hit, it inflicted the nastiest status of all: confusion.
A confused Pokémon couldn't hear its Trainer clearly. Even if it did, it might just lash out at itself instead!
First Sleep Powder. Then String Shot. Now Supersonic. What kind of disgusting set of moves was this?!
"Onix, Dig! Get underground, now!"
As long as the move didn't lock on, it could be dodged. Supersonic wasn't wide, and it was invisible—but if you were careful, you could avoid it.
But Brock had already figured out Ash's Butterfree had Compound Eyes. That meant Supersonic's accuracy was way higher than normal. He couldn't risk hoping it would miss. Digging was the safest option.
Onix slammed its head into the ground, carving open a tunnel as it began to slither inside.
But its digging was slower than usual.
"Wait… that's not right. Onix is never this slow when digging—ah, the String Shot!" Brock's eyes widened.
Those sticky strands lodged in the cracks of Onix's rocky body were still there, hampering its movements. Onix's body was already segmented and slow to bend; add the silk, and its motions dragged even more.
So even in Sandstorm, its Dig was sluggish—far too sluggish.
"This is bad…" Brock realized instantly.
The way Onix's body lagged, it was still halfway out of the ground—an easy target.
Sure enough, the Supersonic struck home, hitting the exposed half of Onix's body dead-on.
Onix froze mid-dig, then burst back out of the hole, thrashing wildly across the rocky field like it was in unbearable pain.
"Nice work, Butterfree. Come back!" Ash recalled it instantly, not wasting a second of Onix's confusion. He turned to Pikachu. "It's your turn again, Pikachu!"
"Pika pika!" Pikachu dashed forward, eyes glowing blue—the Aura fusion state.
To fire Aura Sphere, Pikachu needed that state. And with each time he entered it, the power flowed more naturally through him.
"Let's go, Pikachu—use Aura Sphere!" Ash struck the same pose as his partner.
"Onix, calm down!" Brock shouted desperately.
But Onix didn't hear. It writhed and slammed around uncontrollably, lost in confusion.
Confusion wasn't shaken off so easily. Only sheer luck could give a Pokémon clarity in that haze—and right now, Brock's luck was as black as his expression.
Seconds later, a glowing blue Aura Sphere swelled in Pikachu's paws. He launched it with a violent thrust.
Whoosh—
BOOM!!
The Aura Sphere tore through the sandstorm, smashing straight into the flailing Onix.
The explosion roared across the arena, shockwaves rippling outward, blasting sand and gravel beyond the field's edge.
Brock gritted his teeth, fists clenched tight. His face was grim.
He'd been caught again!
First sleep, now confusion—how could a Beginner Trainer field a Pokémon with so many nasty tricks?!
Still, there was a chance to turn it around. Aura Sphere hit hard, sure—but under Sandstorm, Onix's Sp. Def was boosted. One hit alone wasn't enough to fell it. He just needed Onix to land a counterattack.
"Onix, Rock Slide!!" Brock bellowed with everything he had. This was his last chance. If Rock Slide failed and Onix stayed confused, Pikachu would definitely finish it.
Inside the smoke, Onix twitched. For a split second, it almost looked like it heard its Trainer's voice. Boulders formed in the air around it.
As the dust cleared, the rocks were ready—
And in the next instant, they fired—straight into Onix's own body.
Self-destruction?!