I have added this story to my Patreon. You can support me and read the 50 latest and advanced chapters there. It also fed and motivate me to write more chapters!
Free Members will get 10 Chapters Ahead of the schedule on Patreon!!!
Link: Patreon.com/AVRKingsTL
—------------------—
On the field, Gengar had already lost its ability to battle, and Ash had recalled Monferno. While Gengar had indeed lost its ability to battle, Monferno's remaining combat power was insufficient to sustain it for the next match.
Today's two battles had already pushed Monferno to its limits. If it continued to fight, it would not only be detrimental to Monferno but might even cause it to suffer the same kind of damage it had experienced before.
Although Ash had Aura to help it recover, that feeling wasn't pleasant for Monferno, so Ash still chose to recall Monferno.
In any case, these two battles had been exhilarating for Monferno; not only did it evolve, but its strength also increased by more than one level, in addition to triggering its Super Blazefire Ability, which it barely managed to control with Ash's help.
These various gains were incredibly bountiful for Monferno.
"I didn't expect the gap between us to be so huge. You can make even an advanced Monferno perform to such an extent. If you had used Ralts, you probably could have dealt with Gengar even more easily, right?" Giselle said to Ash after recalling her Pokémon, instead of releasing a new one immediately.
Ash shrugged, noncommittal.
Giselle didn't know how strong Gardevoir was now. If Gardevoir had entered the battle, it wouldn't have been a matter of dealing with Gengar more easily; it would have been a complete beatdown, with Gengar unable to retaliate.
The difference between the two was already astronomical, completely incomparable. Ash also didn't plan to use Gardevoir as his third Pokémon. He had already registered three Pokémon, originally intending to let Chimchar fight only one match.
In Ash's estimation, Chimchar's stamina would be mostly depleted after one match, allowing him to switch to a second Pokémon. But who knew, Chimchar actually evolved into Monferno, and its strength also soared.
So Ash decided to let Monferno continue its second battle. This match wouldn't allow him to use all three Pokémon.
"This is my last Pokémon, and my ace Pokémon... at least, at least defeat one of your Pokémon! I'm counting on you, Arcanine!!" As Giselle threw her last Poké Ball, a light shone on the field, and a valiant Arcanine appeared.
A noble lady truly lives up to her title; first, a rare Pokémon like Gengar, and now Arcanine, a Pokémon pitifully scarce in the wild. Regardless of their strength, the species of Pokémon she possesses are absolutely top-tier rare.
This Arcanine's level was as high as Professional Level intermediate, indicating it was Giselle's ace Pokémon.
There truly are many geniuses in the world. When he first met Giselle back then, she was just a young girl who believed her theoretical knowledge was invincible and that she could easily defeat opponents regardless of their level.
Now, she had transformed into a mature Trainer.
But when it came to growth... who could surpass Ash?
"I choose you, Pidgeot!!"
"Pidgeot!!" A majestic Pidgeot appeared in the sky, soaring with outstretched wings!
Ash's second Pokémon, and his originally planned third Pokémon, was his second-string ace, Pidgeot!
He had originally planned to use Tauros as his second Pokémon and Pidgeot as his third, but facing a Professional Level intermediate Arcanine, Ash really couldn't let an Superior Level Tauros go up against a Professional Level Arcanine. Wouldn't that just be sending Tauros to its defeat?
Unless Ash used Aura, but Ash had thought about this before the match: unless absolutely necessary, he didn't want to use that power. Chimchar was a case of absolute necessity; he needed a victory to restore its self-confidence.
Ash could help Chimchar with regulating its physical condition, its overall training rhythm, and increasing its strength. The only thing, self-confidence, Chimchar needed to build on its own.
Indeed, one battle not only allowed Chimchar to unleash all the accumulated experience and potential it had, but also helped it regain its self-confidence.
But for this next battle, there was no need for such elaborate measures. Without using Aura on Tauros, it definitely wouldn't be able to defeat the opponent. However, even if Aura was used, would it guarantee a win?
Tauros and Arcanine are both running Pokémon, but Tauros's speed is much slower compared to Arcanine, specifically its burst speed. In terms of endurance, a Tauros of the same level should still be Superior to Arcanine.
However, battles are about instantaneous burst speed, and Tauros has a significant disadvantage in this regard. So, even if it were boosted to the same level as Arcanine with Aura, it might not necessarily defeat Arcanine.
But Pidgeot is different. In terms of speed, it is second only to Charizard and Pikachu in the team. Even Gardevoir cannot match Pidgeot in pure physical speed. If Teleport is taken into account, then no one except Pikachu can keep up with Gardevoir.
So, speed against speed, let Pidgeot decide the outcome against Arcanine!
"Pidgeot, a Pokémon I haven't seen before... but judging by its Aura, it doesn't seem weak. Be careful, Arcanine!" Giselle's expression tightened as she saw the large bird in the sky. Compared to the lower-level Monferno, Pidgeot's Aura was more intimidating.
In terms of actual level alone, Pidgeot was significantly stronger than Monferno. If it also possessed Monferno's ability to battle above its level, then her ace Pokémon, Arcanine, would probably not even be considered a challenge.
"Pidgeot, Air Slash!" Giselle didn't attack first, but Ash couldn't wait. Pidgeot, being high in the sky, had an aerial advantage. Even attacking first wouldn't put it at a disadvantage, so Ash directly had Pidgeot launch the first attack.
"Pidgeot!" Pidgeot flapped its wings, and countless pure white energy blades rained down like raindrops, covering almost half the field!
"Dodge!" Arcanine planted its four paws on the ground and shot out like the wind, reaching the other side of the field in the blink of an eye. At that moment, the Air Slash landed on the spot where Arcanine had just been.
A series of dull thuds echoed, and clouds of smoke rose from the ground. Although Arcanine was lower in level than Pidgeot, its speed was indeed fast enough, and Pidgeot's initial attack was still dodged.
"It's our turn to counterattack, Arcanine, Flamethrower!" Arcanine twisted its head, opened its mouth wide, and a scorching stream of flames shot out, directly at Pidgeot in the sky!
Pidgeot remained calm, its body twisting, its large frame circling the Flamethrower as it descended vertically.
"Use Aerial Ace like this!" Ash's voice rang out at just the right moment. Pidgeot, coiling around the pillar of fire, spun continuously, and a dazzling light shone on its wings.
"Oh no, Arcanine, use Protect!" Seeing Pidgeot rapidly charging towards Arcanine, enveloped in the pillar of fire, Giselle quickly commanded Arcanine, but it was already too late.
"Bang!!" Pidgeot's massive wing slammed heavily into Arcanine's body. Arcanine's Flamethrower was interrupted, and its entire body flew out like a kite with a broken string, finally falling to the ground tens of meters away.
Aerial Ace hit!
This was originally a move that was very difficult to dodge; it was fast, its movements were unpredictable, and the target would be Lock-On by the attacker. Unless moves like Teleport were used, it was basically impossible to dodge.
Giselle also knew this, which is why she had Arcanine use Protect. Protect has a very high priority; as long as Arcanine was given a moment, it could use it.
But Arcanine was still using Flamethrower at the time. It needed to stop Flamethrower first before it could use Protect, and that time, for Pidgeot, was an eternity.
Arcanine simply didn't have time to use Protect.
"Press the advantage, Pidgeot, Brave Bird!!" After Arcanine was sent flying, Ash didn't delay, directly having Pidgeot use the ultimate Flying-type move, Brave Bird!!
Brave Bird, like Flare Blitz, is a move that harms the user while damaging the opponent, but it can decisively end a battle!
Given the level difference between Pidgeot and Arcanine, if this move hit, it would be over.
"Arcanine, Protect!!" Seeing Pidgeot already enveloped in a dark blue light, Giselle quickly had Arcanine use the Protect skill once more.
The previous Protect skill wasn't used, so this time it wasn't a consecutive use, meaning the chance of using Protect was — one hundred percent.
"Roar!!" Arcanine got up from the ground, roared with its head held high, and a verdant barrier appeared around it, protecting it firmly.
"Aerial Ace!" Seeing the verdant barrier light up in front of Arcanine, Ash's eyes flashed with brilliance, then he issued another command.
Using Aerial Ace in the middle of Brave Bird, this situation was like being suicidal.
Brave Bird emphasizes a ferocious, straight-line attack, moving forward without retreat, leaving no room for escape. Besides the move itself, momentum is also crucial.
Aerial Ace, on the other hand, is a roundabout attack, emphasizing unpredictability. It's completely different from Brave Bird.
Adding a curved attack to a straight-line attack, not to mention how difficult it is, just using two skills together is already very challenging.
So, when Giselle heard Ash's voice, she initially thought she had misheard. Using Aerial Ace at that speed? Are you crazy!
However, Pidgeot, which was charging in a straight line, covered in dark blue light, flickered and suddenly vanished from its original spot. The attack that was about to hit the Protect barrier also disappeared without a trace.
Arcanine was completely stunned. Where did such a big bird go? How did it disappear?
The Protect barrier around it also began to slowly fade due to time. Protect cannot be used indefinitely; it will automatically disappear after a period of not receiving an attack. Although it won't affect the next Protect, you must use Protect again.
This is also why the timing of Protect is very important. If you could always use Protect to defend against attacks that could appear at any time, wouldn't this skill be invincible?
At the moment Protect was about to disappear, a premonition of danger, causing Arcanine's fur to stand on end, came from behind it. Before Arcanine could even turn its head, it felt a heavy blow to its body!!
"Boom!!"
A violent Roar echoed across the field, and the entire arena seemed to tremble at that moment. The spreading shockwave dispersed into the surroundings, blowing Giselle's hair.
However, at this moment, Giselle paid no attention, only staring blankly at the scene on the field.
Pidgeot flew out from the smoke, appearing to have several wounds on its body, but those wounds were self-inflicted damage from using Brave Bird. The other Pokémon in the smoke, however, was completely silent.
"How... is that possible?" Giselle murmured softly, her voice filled with disbelief. The reason was that Pidgeot had actually used the Aerial Ace skill while using Brave Bird.
Aerial Ace forced Pidgeot's attack to change direction, making it circle around, finally seizing the moment when Arcanine's Protect weakened, then reappearing behind Arcanine, hitting directly!
How could such an impossible combination move be used? What kind of monster was this Pidgeot?
Could its body withstand the completely different recoil brought by these two combined moves?
The reality was, Pidgeot only seemed to have suffered a little recoil damage, while Arcanine... as the smoke cleared, everyone saw the scene that had been covered by the smoke. Arcanine was lying on its side on the ground, its eyes closed, having lost its ability to battle.
Giselle's ace Pokémon was directly defeated without even touching Pidgeot once.
At this point, all three of Giselle's Pokémon had completely lost their ability to battle. The victory of this battle belonged to Ash!
"The winner is decided! Trainer Ash has won the final victory of this battle! Monferno's astounding evolution and extraordinary Blaze Ability, Pidgeot's shocking speed, and that miraculous combination skill brought us a very exciting match! Let's give a round of applause to Trainer Ash and his Pokémon!"
As the host's words fell, deafening applause resounded enthusiastically on the field. Ash also recalled Pidgeot, bowed to the audience, and then came to the center of the field to shake hands with a complex-faced Giselle.
"That was an excellent battle."
"Excellent? What was excellent about it? Was it excellent because I was crushed by you?" Giselle laughed self-deprecatingly, replying somewhat weakly.
"Not at all. Your Pokémon are very strong. I remember when I first met you at the academy, you didn't even have your own Pokémon, or rather, you couldn't even bring them out to battle. And now, you are a mature Trainer, your progress is undeniably significant." Ash, uncharacteristically, didn't act like a blockhead but replied with high emotional intelligence.
In reality, this was also his true thought. Giselle's ability to emerge from that academy, not only standing on the stage of the Indigo Plateau Conference but also possessing strength far exceeding that of an average Trainer, truly earned his heartfelt admiration.