Tangrowth had actually absorbed the flames!
Everyone—Gary, the announcer, and the entire audience—was left stunned at the sight.
"H-how is that even possible?" Gary's eyes went wide, disbelief all over his face. At this very moment, he felt that Yozora was even more unpredictable than Ash.
Or more accurately… Yozora's Pokémon were far more unpredictable!
Water-types immune to electricity, Grass-types immune to fire—how was anyone supposed to fight against this?
But while Gary was still reeling from shock and frustration, Tangrowth suddenly lashed out, its vines snapping forward in a Vine Whip.
Shhh! Shhh! Shhh! Countless vine tendrils whipped through the air like a swarm of writhing tentacles, striking straight toward Gary's Arcanine.
Gary snapped back to his senses, shouting quickly: "Dodge it, Arcanine!"
On the battlefield, Arcanine twisted its body, springing to the left.
Gary had chosen to avoid a head-on clash, looking for a chance to counter.
But unlike Ash, who relied on instinct and creativity, Gary was a theorist. When the battle situation broke the rules of common sense, his carefully studied strategies became useless. And in that moment, his adaptability fell far short of Ash's.
"Wow, look at those vines—so fast!" the announcer cried.
As Arcanine dodged left, Tangrowth's vines curved with it, snapping after it at incredible speed. In the blink of an eye, the vines wrapped Arcanine tightly, binding it in place.
"Such speed?!" Gary's face was pale with shock. "Tangrowth's so bulky, how can it move like that?!"
"Solar Beam!" Yozora's command rang out.
Under the blazing sunlight, Tangrowth's right arm lit up with a blinding white glow as it drew in the power of the sun. The energy swelled, overflowing with devastating force.
With a swing of its arm, Tangrowth released the Solar Beam directly into Arcanine's body.
BOOM!! The solar energy erupted, detonating in a thunderous explosion that sent dust and smoke rolling across the arena.
"That's… Solar Beam?! What incredible power!" the announcer exclaimed.
Normally, Grass-type moves hardly damaged Fire-types at all. But the sheer power of this Solar Beam was absurd—so strong that even halved by type resistance, it still left a heavy impact.
As the smoke cleared, Arcanine was revealed collapsed on the ground, unconscious.
The referee raised the red flag at once. "Arcanine is unable to battle! Tangrowth wins!"
Gary recalled Arcanine with a beam of red light, quickly sending out his second Pokémon—Scizor.
"Gary sends out Scizor! A very wise choice. As a Bug-type, Scizor has a natural advantage against Tangrowth!" the announcer analyzed excitedly.
The second match began swiftly. Yozora wasted no time, commanding Tangrowth to unleash its vines once more.
It was the same strategy as before—bind the opponent with Vine Whip, then finish with Solar Beam.
But this time, Tangrowth's vines slashed through empty air. Scizor moved like a phantom, dodging with impossible speed.
Gasps erupted across the stadium.
Scizor, encased in gleaming armor, looked far heavier than Arcanine. Yet it had just evaded the very same attack that Arcanine had failed to dodge!
The reason? This Scizor possessed the rare Light Metal ability, halving its weight and doubling its speed.
Combined with its already higher level and superior potential compared to Arcanine, Scizor was frighteningly fast.
Gary was confident. He grinned, his voice sharp: "Close in, Scizor! Use Fury Cutter!"
Shhh!
In a flash, Scizor blurred into a streak of crimson, crossing the battlefield in mere moments. Bug-type energy surged, its twin claws glowing a venomous green as it slashed repeatedly at Tangrowth.
Tangrowth staggered back under the flurry of blows.
Scizor pressed its assault, relentless, but each strike cut only air.
Despite Scizor's frightening speed, Tangrowth's footwork was just as elusive—every evasion perfectly timed, slipping away at the last possible instant.
It wasn't just skillful movement. Without raw speed to match, no amount of clever dodging mattered.
It was like insects—cockroaches were fast enough to be hard to hit, but ants? No matter how erratically they moved, they could be crushed in an instant.
"Impossible…" Gary muttered, sweat dripping down his cheek. "Tangrowth shouldn't be this fast!"
He had no idea Tangrowth had the Chlorophyll ability. In bright sunlight, its speed doubled!
"Wow! Tangrowth's footwork is incredible! Scizor can't land a single hit!" the announcer shouted.
But the pace was draining Scizor. Its stamina dwindled rapidly, its movements growing sluggish.
Yozora's eyes sharpened as he spotted the opening. "Tangrowth—Solar Beam!"
BOOM!
The blazing beam of sunlight struck Scizor, blasting it backward.
Scizor steadied itself mid-air, wings buzzing furiously before it landed upright again.
"Due to typing, that Solar Beam barely did anything!" the announcer explained.
Indeed, with both Bug and Steel typing, Scizor resisted Grass four times over. Solar Beam dealt only a quarter of its normal power. Even with Tangrowth's monstrous strength, the blow was nothing more than a scratch.
"Scizor, Agility!" Gary ordered.
Scizor's speed surged again, climbing to terrifying heights.
"Now, strike with Fury Cutter!"
Once more, Scizor blurred into countless afterimages, attacking from every angle. This time, Tangrowth couldn't keep up. Blow after blow landed, forcing Tangrowth back.
Within several exchanges, Tangrowth's stamina gave out. It collapsed onto the ground, unable to battle.
"Tangrowth is down at last!"
"This marks the first time since the preliminaries that Yozora has been forced to use a second Pokémon!" the announcer roared, whipping the crowd into a frenzy.
"Return, Tangrowth."
Yozora recalled his Pokémon with a calm smile, then tossed another Luxury Ball forward. "Your turn—Arcanine!"
White light burst forth, revealing a majestic Arcanine.
But unlike Gary's, this one shone with radiant golden fur. Its entire body gleamed like burnished sunlight, exuding an aura of nobility.
"A Shiny Arcanine?!" The announcer nearly lost his voice. "Yozora's second Pokémon is a Shiny Arcanine! Look at that dazzling gold—this is beyond amazing!!"
The stadium erupted into shrieks of awe.
The golden Arcanine was simply breathtaking, the very picture of majesty. Even the Officer Jennys assigned to maintain order couldn't hide their envious stares.
As policewomen, they understood Arcanine better than anyone. And just from one look, they could tell—this Shiny Arcanine was overwhelmingly powerful, its aura fierce and commanding.
With such a partner as a police dog, any petty thief would probably collapse in fear at a single roar!
At that moment, Arcanine's Intimidate ability flared. An invisible wave of pressure swept across the battlefield, blanketing the arena.
Though only at Elite-level, its sheer presence rivaled that of an Elite Four Pokémon.
Scizor trembled, its body shuddering uncontrollably under the oppressive aura.
"Scizor?!" Gary's heart lurched. His proud partner was cowering—actually cowering!
Though not paralyzed, its attack and speed had plummeted drastically.
Already weaker than Arcanine, with its stats now crippled, Scizor had no chance.
"Arcanine, Flamethrower!" Yozora commanded.
Scizor barely dodged the first jet of flame—only to be struck by the second. The super-effective blast engulfed it, knocking it out instantly.
"Scizor is unable to battle! Arcanine wins!"
The referee's flag swung toward Yozora.
The stadium exploded with cheers.
Since the Silver Conference began, this was Yozora's first time revealing his Arcanine—and it had stolen the spotlight completely. With its commanding presence and overwhelming strength, Arcanine instantly won over the crowd.
From the stands, Professor Oak watched with Ash, Brock, and the others. He nodded again and again.
"Yes, splendid. Yozora is truly remarkable—gifted and strong. Compared to him, Gary still has a long way to go," he said with pride.
Oak had watched Yozora grow up. To him, Yozora was like a grandson. And seeing him outshine Gary filled him not with disappointment, but with pride.
Besides, Gary wasn't weak. He might not match monsters like Yozora or Red, but among his peers, he was undeniably a genius. And ever since this year, Gary had tempered his arrogance, becoming more humble. With steady effort, his future remained bright.
…
As Oak mused, Gary sent out his third Pokémon.
"Gary's third Pokémon is Golem! A solid choice!" the announcer exclaimed.
The moment Golem entered the field, it too shuddered under Arcanine's Intimidate, sweat beading on its rocky hide.
Like Scizor before it, it was instantly forced into a state of fear, its strength and speed suppressed.
But Gary stayed calm.
He had anticipated this, yet still chose Golem.
First, Golem's typing gave it an advantage.
Second, its greatest strength lay in its defense. Even weakened, its sturdy defenses would hold.
And once it began rolling, Golem's power and speed could climb dramatically.
"Arcanine, Flamethrower!"
"Golem, Harden!"
Both trainers gave their commands.
Arcanine roared, unleashing a torrent of blazing flames.
At the same time, Golem's body gleamed white as it hardened its rocky shell. Unlike in the games, here "Harden" boosted its entire defense, not just physical.
The crimson flames, tinged faintly with gold, surged like a tidal wave and engulfed Golem.
The display of force was staggering, leaving the crowd gaping.
But the result? Not so certain. After all, this was Golem.
Gary clenched his fists, sweat on his brow. Through the bond he had forged with his Pokémon, he could feel Golem's pain within the flames—but also its resilience.
"Endure it, Golem! Rollout—break through!" Gary bellowed.
BOOM!
In an instant, Golem tucked into a ball and spun forward like a boulder, bursting out of the flames and charging at Arcanine.
Its rolling speed grew fast—very fast—but Arcanine was faster still. With one sidestep, it dodged easily, countering with another blast of fire.
"Such tenacity! Golem's fighting spirit is only growing stronger!" the announcer cried.
Indeed, Arcanine's flames engulfed Golem again and again, only for Golem to crash through each time, its momentum building.
Its Rock typing and immense defense made it stubbornly resistant. Arcanine simply couldn't land a finishing blow.
The battle dragged on, stretching longer and longer.
Though Arcanine's stamina barely wavered, Golem's speed and power continued to climb with each Rollout, its momentum swelling.
Gary's eyes gleamed—this was exactly what he needed.
At last, Yozora made his move.
He recalled Arcanine into its Luxury Ball. The oppressive aura of Intimidate faded with it.
"Type advantage is type advantage—that's the true charm of Pokémon battles!" the announcer shouted. "Faced with such a disadvantage, Yozora finally decided to switch out!"
…
…
(End of Chapter)