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Giselle's first Pokémon was Marowak, a Pokémon with a terrifying skull on its head, more intimidating than its pre-evolution, Cubone.
When she was at the academy, this Pokémon was still a Cubone. After Giselle's careful training, it has now successfully evolved and reached the Superior Intermediate Level. This level is already quite high.
Strictly speaking, Giselle has only been a Trainer traveling for less than a year. To train a Normal Level Cubone into a Superior Level Marowak in just half a year is already the mark of a genius Trainer.
Ash, on the other hand, sent out the Chimchar he had just caught two days prior. The moment Chimchar appeared, Paul, who was watching from the stands, had his pupils contract and his clasped hands involuntarily trembled.
This Chimchar was the one he had abandoned. He couldn't be mistaken. He never expected Ash to have caught that Chimchar.
"Catching Pokémon that others have abandoned? Utterly foolish." Paul showed great disdain for Ash's actions.
It was true that he couldn't unleash Chimchar's Super Blazefire Ability, but could Ash?
Theoretically, Ash shouldn't have seen Chimchar's Super Blazefire Ability, so Ash's purpose in catching Chimchar was merely out of sympathy. Such a reason for catching a Pokémon would never cross Paul's mind.
He wouldn't catch a Pokémon out of sympathy. The only thing he cared about when catching a Pokémon was whether its talent was strong enough.
Even if its current strength wasn't enough, as long as its talent was sufficient, he could still cultivate it to success.
Chimchar's Super Blazefire Ability was the point he valued, but after several months, Chimchar hadn't even used Super Blazefire Ability once, and its level progression was pitifully slow.
Paul judged that even if he successfully activated the Super Blazefire Ability within Chimchar, this Chimchar would not achieve much in the future. This was why he decisively released Chimchar.
Its level progression was too slow. Even if Super Blazefire Ability could boost its strength and allow it to battle above its level, its inherent lack of strength was its biggest flaw.
In Chimchar's situation, let alone Super Blazefire Ability, even Sacred Fire wouldn't help. If the level couldn't be raised, the number of opponents it could fight above its level would ultimately be limited.
You can battle a Superior Level Pokémon as an Advanced Level Pokémon, but can you battle a Professional Level Pokémon as an Advanced Level Pokémon? That's clearly impossible.
And yet, this Chimchar, which he deemed to have no training value, was picked up by Ash.
This guy's compassion is truly overflowing. With such a mindset, how could he become so strong in such a short time?
Ash was unaware of Paul's doubts, nor did he notice if Paul was watching from the stands. However, he knew that Paul would definitely come to watch his battles, as long as Paul still considered him a rival at the Indigo Plateau Conference.
So today, he would clear Chimchar's name as a 'waste'!
"This Chimchar... isn't it the one that competitor named Paul used two days ago?" Giselle was momentarily stunned when she saw Chimchar. Her knowledge base included information about Chimchar.
It was a Starter Pokemon from the Sinnoh region, almost unheard of in the Kanto region, yet she had seen two of them at the Indigo Plateau Conference.
However, the Chimchar that Ash sent out gave her a sense of déjà vu. Most Pokémon look alike, but each Pokémon gives a unique feeling; they are one of a kind.
Giselle had also watched Paul's battle. The Chimchar Ash had gave her the same feeling as Paul's.
Ash nodded in acknowledgment: "That's right, this was Paul's Chimchar, but that was in the past. Now, he is my Pokémon."
"Although I don't know what happened, I still want to remind you, Ash, that levels are very important for Pokémon. Chimchar is only Advanced Novice Level, while my Marowak is Superior Intermediate Level. The gap between them is not just ordinary, not to mention Marowak also has a type advantage over Chimchar," Giselle said, lightly tapping her fair chin, a hint of pride on her face.
To train a Cubone into a Marowak and reach the Superior Level in such a short time, the teachers at the academy all praised her as a super genius. She was indeed proud of this.
More importantly, the first Pokémon Ash brought out was only Advanced Level. This might be the lowest-level Pokémon in Ash's team. Giselle had never imagined that when facing Ash, she could actually suppress him in terms of Pokémon levels.
"Whether we can win or not, we'll only know after we try. Let's go." Ash didn't mind Giselle's condescending tone. She seemed to have grown a lot, but the arrogance in her bones didn't seem to have been smoothed out. But none of that mattered; he would win this battle.
"Heh heh, I hope you can still show that confident expression when Chimchar falls. Marowak, Boomerang!" Seeing Ash's stubbornness, Giselle no longer held back and immediately ordered Marowak to attack Chimchar.
And it started with Marowak's signature move, Boomerang.
"Marowak!!" Marowak fiercely threw the bone in its hand. The bone turned into a powerful fan, spinning in the air and attacking Chimchar.
Chimchar showed a hint of timidity on its face. The opponent's strength was too much greater than its own, and this attack was incredibly fast. It had almost no chance of dodging.
Was it going to be instantly knocked out in its first battle for its new Trainer?
Was it going to disappoint someone else again?
"Don't be afraid, just lie down!" Ash's clear voice rang in Chimchar's ears. Chimchar instantly snapped back to attention and then, without thinking, lay down on the ground.
The Boomerang just grazed Chimchar's back as it flew past.
"Now—Aura, be in my heart!!" Ash made a strange gesture with both hands. A powerful Aura surged from his body and entered Chimchar's body. Chimchar's internal power instantly increased by more than one level!
Although this wasn't the first time Chimchar had experienced this power, when its body was completely filled with that powerful Aura, Chimchar still felt as if it were in a dream.
This power... was it truly its own?
"Go, Chimchar, Fire Punch!!" With the boost of Aura, Chimchar now had the strength to confront Marowak head-on!
Chimchar, lying on the ground, nimbly rolled to its feet, then clenched its furry little hand, and powerful flames erupted from it!
"Hoo-cha!!" The Fire Punch, burning with scorching flames, clashed with the Boomerang.
"Bang!" Chimchar was knocked back several steps, but the Boomerang was also knocked down. There were also clear injuries on Chimchar's fist.
But this action had already caused an uproar among the spectators and made Giselle's face show an expression of disbelief.
Chimchar actually blocked the Boomerang head-on. How was this possible?!
That Chimchar was only Advanced Novice Level. How could it possibly do that?!
"We can see that Chimchar blocked Marowak's Boomerang head-on! Incredibly, Chimchar's strength is only Advanced Level. It actually managed to block a same-type move from a Superior Level Marowak! This kind of ability to battle above its level, could it be that Ash has used that mysterious boosting power?!" The commentator's voice was particularly excited.
Ash had two well-known trademarks: one was the rapid increase in his Pokémon's levels, and the other was his incredible power to boost Pokémon.
In just half a year since his debut, Ash's Pokémon's improvements could only be described as incomprehensible. It was simply not a speed of improvement that humans could achieve.
Besides levels, the situation of Pokémon battling above their level was even more astonishing. He wasn't just surpassing one or two minor levels; it was common for him to surpass an entire major stage, or even more than one major stage.
Previously, Ash's explanation was Victini's blessing. This explanation didn't really hold up. Later, news revealed that Ash actually had a special ability himself that could boost Pokémon. As for what kind of special ability, outside rumors did not disclose this.
And now, Chimchar's abnormal power increase must be the special ability within Ash's body that the outside world rumored. This kind of power that can directly raise a Pokémon by a whole major stage is only something Ash possesses.
Giselle blinked her large eyes, her bright eyes filled with disbelief. That Advanced Level Chimchar actually blocked Marowak's Boomerang.
And it wasn't just a simple power increase. Chimchar was clearly only Advanced Novice Level two days ago. How did it reach Advanced Intermediate Level now? Did it improve in these few days?
"Chimchar, show all your power, Flame Wheel!" Giselle was in a daze, but Ash wouldn't stand there with her.
Boomerang could only inflict a minor injury on the current Chimchar. Compared to that minor injury, making Marowak lose its bone weapon was very worthwhile.
A Marowak without its bone was no different from cutting off an arm. At Ash's command, Chimchar curled into a ball and then swiftly spun and charged towards Marowak.
It was then that Giselle snapped out of her daze: "Marowak, Headbutt!"
After losing its bone club, Marowak couldn't use many of its moves. Now, it could only rely on its hard skull to clash head-on with the opponent.
The two figures moved rapidly across the field, colliding in the blink of an eye!
"Boom!!" Scorching flames shot into the sky, and a deafening roar echoed across the field. One side was engulfed in flames, while the other relied on its hard skull to resist the opponent.
The flames tried to consume Marowak entirely, while Marowak also unleashed its power, trying to pierce through Chimchar in its Flame Wheel state.
Ash clenched his fists, his body trembling slightly, as if he too was using all his strength to clash with Marowak.
"Don't lose to him, Chimchar!!"
"Hoo-cha!!" A brilliant light erupted from the flames. The moment the light shone, the flames of Chimchar's Flame Wheel became even more scorching, and their temperature directly increased by more than one level!
Marowak, which had barely been evenly matched, was instantly suppressed!
"Rumble!!" A more violent explosion sounded on the field. Flames burst open, releasing thick black smoke.
Giselle put her small hand in front of her, blocking the storm and grit that rushed towards her. Her eyes narrowed slightly, unable to clearly see what was happening on the field.
She seemed to have vaguely seen that Chimchar's power had become even stronger, and it wasn't just a little bit... But how could that be? Even if Ash had a way to increase Chimchar's strength from Advanced Intermediate Level to Superior Intermediate Level, to increase it further, first, it's questionable if Ash has that ability, and second, Chimchar's body probably couldn't handle it, right?
But what was that fleeting glimpse just now?
The explosive commotion on the field slowly dissipated. Giselle also lowered the small hand that had been in front of her, her bright eyes fixed on the situation after the smoke cleared.
One Pokémon lay on the ground, one Pokémon still stood. A few seconds later, everyone clearly saw what Pokémon was lying on the ground—Marowak!
On the other side, the smoke also dispersed, but what appeared before everyone was not Chimchar, but—Monferno!
Monferno, Chimchar's evolved form, was a few sizes larger than Chimchar, with a blue facial pattern and a tail that had grown out, still burning with fierce flames.
Compared to Chimchar, Monferno gained the Fighting type, and its strong physique also indicated its difference from Chimchar.
No one would have expected that during the battle clash, Chimchar would actually evolve into Monferno!
Evolution during a battle is already rare, but evolution during a clash is even rarer. Evolution causes the body's energy to be in an unstable state. If a Pokémon evolves temporarily during a battle, it might explode if it's not careful!
If lucky, it would only lose its ability to battle and just need to recover at a Pokémon Center. If unlucky, it could suffer a lifelong injury, preventing its strength from ever progressing again.
So, Chimchar evolving into Monferno during the clash was greatly beyond everyone's expectations, including Cynthia and Leon.
"That Monferno, wasn't it the one that young man named Paul had two days ago? How did it end up with Ash?" Cynthia's jade hand rubbed her smooth chin, a hint of confusion on her beautiful face.