Faced with May's request, Ash hesitated for less than a second before nodding, "Let's go."
This time it was May's turn to be stunned. Normally, when challenged by someone you'd only known for less than half a day, you'd at least ask why, right?
But Ash agreed without even asking.
"Between trainers, a glance is the signal for a duel. I could tell you wanted to fight me from the very beginning, so I was prepared. Let's go, May, there's a training arena nearby that can be used as a battleground," Ash said, shrugging at May's surprise.
From the moment he met May, he had already seen the fighting spirit hidden in her eyes. This girl was not only beautiful, but also seemed very passionate about battle.
This was also evident in her demeanor.
Therefore, after May proposed a battle, Ash only hesitated instinctively for a moment before agreeing.
"Oh, okay, let's go then." Ash's decisiveness baffled May; even though she was the one who suggested it, Ash seemed like the eager challenger.
The group left the beverage shop and arrived at the battle arena near New Bark Town.
The battle arena, usually deserted, was packed with people today.
Just as Ash had said, when trainers make eye contact, it's the signal to start a battle.
Trainers have been flooding into New Bark Town lately, even if they don't know each other, if they see someone release a Pokémon and feel an urge to fight, they can issue a challenge.
Adding small bets to increase the excitement of the battles makes the place incredibly popular.
When May and Ash arrived, they had to wait in line.
New Bark Town had added eight more battle arenas, making a total of ten, all of which were full.
Although there were many battle arenas, the League and designers had considered whether the Pokémon's moves would affect the surrounding crowd or other trainers when they were built.
So the battle arenas were spaced quite far apart. Although there weren't any fences around them, a designated area was marked out on all four sides to prevent spectators from getting too close.
Ash and May waited in line for about thirty minutes before it was their turn.
"How about a single-elimination battle?" Ash suggested.
"Sure! Multiple Pokémon battles take longer. After we're done, we can recover and then head to Violet City," May readily agreed.
She had also been thinking about one-on-one battles, which would allow her to experience the opponent's strength without wasting too much time.
"Hey! Isn't that Ash over there battling?"
"Ash? Is that the Ash who battled Elite Four member Lorelei?"
"Is that the Ash who used a legendary Pokémon?! Oh my god, it really is! Let's go check it out!"
"..." Ash's appearance was immediately recognized by the spectators outside.
Upon seeing Ash's battle arena, they all rushed to the viewing area, quickly packing the area around the arena.
Serena, standing behind Ash, looked at the massive crowd and involuntarily shrank back.
"Wow... there are way too many people here!" It's just a small peripheral match, but the crowd seems no less impressive than the battle against the Orange Islands' top trainer.
"That's Ash's fame! With so many people watching, Ash, don't embarrass yourself!" Misty shouted at Ash.
"Don't worry, it won't tarnish the reputation of us Kanto people. So, I've decided to use him. Go, Venusaur!" Ash threw a Poké Ball, and with a flash of light, a robust Venusaur appeared on the field.
"Bana!!" Venusaur hadn't played in a long time, and now that it finally had a chance, it let out an excited cry.
"Venusaur, it's one of the Kanto starters. I'll send it out! Go, Blaziken!" May also threw her Poké Ball, and with a flash of light, a majestic figure appeared on the field.
This was a Pokémon with white feathers and a V-shaped comb. It had blue eyes, bandaged claws, and strong, powerful legs.
Overall, it looked quite handsome, and its appearance alone gave off a very powerful aura.
Ash glanced at the other trainer's stats and discovered that this Blaziken was already a top-tier Gym Level Pokémon, with remarkably high stats across the board. Besides its A-rank Defense, Special Attack, and HP, its Speed and Attack were S-rank.
This Blaziken has the makings of a Champion!
He never expected that a trainer he randomly bumped into on the street would be the daughter of a Gym Leader, and her strength was simply incredible.
Judging from her appearance, she was about his age. How could someone so young possess a top-tier Gym Leader Pokémon?
"Isn't my Blaziken cool?" Seeing Ash's stunned expression, May assumed he was stunned by Blaziken's impressive debut.
In her opinion, Blaziken's coolness was undeniable; among Pokémon, its looks were top-notch.
Who wouldn't love a Pokémon that's cool, strong, and full of potential?
"Yeah, it's cool, but my Charizard is even cooler."
Adh nodded a few times, acknowledging Blaziken's coolness while also praising his own Charizard.
While Blaziken is undeniably cool, the Fire-type starter Pokémon from the Kanto region are just as cool, perhaps even the coolest!
This was Ash's first time seeing Blaziken in real life.
He'd seen plenty of pictures and information, though. As one of the three starter Pokémon from the Hoenn region, Blaziken not only boasts a cool appearance but also formidable strength, making it virtually unbeatable among its peers.
This is due to its agile and nimble body, often allowing it to remain undefeated among its opponents.
In terms of agility, perhaps only Infernape can rival Blaziken.
"What?! Blaziken is the coolest!"
"No, no, no, Charizard is cooler!"
"Blaziken!"
"Charizard!"
"..." The two battling Pokémon started arguing about which of the three starter Pokémon was coolest on the field.
The spectators, who had prepared snacks and treats, were completely bewildered.
"Dude, are you still going to fight? If not, my mom's calling me home for dinner."
"Pfft, how weird, discussing this on the field." Amidst the bickering, May couldn't help but burst out laughing.
They were supposed to be battling, but they were arguing about something so irrelevant on the battlefield. Blaziken and Venusaur, who had been poised for battle, relaxed their tense bodies and exchanged slightly helpless glances.
Their trainers hadn't given them any orders, so they couldn't possibly attack each other without permission. They could only wait for their trainers to finish arguing.
"That's right, let's decide after the battle. Venusaur, prepare to battle!"
"Bana!"
"That's exactly what I was thinking! Blaziken, here we go!"
"Cha!" The trainers returned to battle mode, and Blaziken and Venusaur reignited their fighting spirit.
Blaziken spewed blazing flames from its wrists—flames that only ignited during battle.
The stronger the flames, the stronger Blaziken's fighting spirit and power.
"Strike first, Blaziken, use Flame Kick!" May waved her hand, commanding Blaziken to attack first.
Blaziken's strongest attack was undoubtedly its legs; those long legs weren't just for show!
"Chirp!" Blaziken took a leap, its body instantly flashing into the air.
This was achieved by using the power of its legs to jump, making it seem almost like it could fly!
In mid-air, one of Blaziken's legs burst into flames, and the temperature of the entire arena seemed to rise significantly in an instant.
"Frenzy Plant." Facing the counter to Flame Kick, Ash didn't dare to be careless and immediately had Venusaur use its Grass-type ultimate move, Frenzy Plant!
"Bana!" As soon as the words left his mouth, Venusaur stomped its foot hard on the ground, and the entire arena began to shake. Dozens of arm-thick, dark green vines instantly erupted from the ground, and the entire arena seemed to transform in an instant...
into a forest!
"Chirp!" Without hesitation, Blaziken, its fiery paws whipping through the air, slammed into Venusaur with a whooshing gust of heat.
The intense heat of the flames almost distorted the surrounding air, and Blaziken plummeted like a meteor.
But just as Blaziken was falling, Hardened Vines rose up like a sturdy shield, densely weaving in front of Venusaur.
"Bang!" A deafening crash echoed as flames and Hardened Vines collided violently, sending dazzling sparks flying and waves of heat spreading outwards.
The onlookers instinctively took a half-step back, gasping in surprise.
The aftershocks of a Gym Leader-level battle were far greater than anticipated; anyone even slightly closer would likely be caught in the blast.
Blaziken's Flame Kick was incredibly powerful, yet it couldn't budge the hardened vines an inch.
Fire is supposed to be a perfect counter to trees, and Blaziken's Flame Kick was incredibly powerful and hot; even a piece of steel would likely be broken and melted in its path.
Yet Venusaur's Frenzy Plant was even harder than steel!
Was this really a plant?
In mid-air, Blaziken's expression was grave.
The flames on its paws grew even larger, as if it wanted to burn through the Frenzy Plant.
But even with the increased flames, it could only slightly char the plant; it couldn't even burn it properly, let alone burn it through.
"Blaziken, retreat! Regroup!" May's voice echoed across the arena. She realized that this Venusaur was a higher-level player than Blaziken.
Blaziken was already a top-tier Gym Leader, so a higher-level Venusaur meant… it was an Elite Four member!
Moreover, this Venusaur wasn't just any ordinary Elite Four-level Pokémon.
Its Grass-type moves were immune to Fire-type burns; otherwise, even an Elite Four-level Frenzy Plant wouldn't have been able to block Blaziken's Flame Kick so easily.
Just as Blaziken was about to retreat as instructed by May, the Frenzy Plant that had blocked Blaziken seized the moment when the flames on Blaziken's feet weakened and launched a counterattack.
Its thick, rooted plant, like a nimble python, rapidly coiled around Blaziken's feet, binding its legs in the blink of an eye.
Then, in the next blink, Blaziken was completely bound by the Frenzy Plant. Now, even if Blaziken wanted to leave, it couldn't.
Bound in mid-air, Blaziken let out an angry cry, struggling with its arms and legs, but it remained firmly bound by the steel-like vines, completely unable to move.
"Giga Drain!" Ash shouted. Instantly, the vines binding Blaziken glowed green. Blaziken clearly felt its stamina and even its life force draining away the moment the light appeared.
Giga Drain is the most powerful drain move among Grass-type moves, but even so, for a Fire-type like Blaziken, the effect wasn't optimistic—or so it initially seemed.
Now, Blaziken could clearly feel its stamina and life force rapidly draining away. If only stamina was disappearing, that would be one thing, but having its life essence drained was incredibly damaging!
Furthermore, besides Giga Drain, the Frenzy Plant was also continuously tightening its grip, inflicting massive damage on Blaziken. With both combined, even though Blaziken is a Fire-type, it probably wouldn't last long.
"Blaziken, use Flare Blitz to break free!" May, seeing the pain on Blaziken's face, didn't care why Grass-type moves could cause such terrifying damage; the most urgent thing was to escape from the Frenzy Plant.
"Chamo!!" Blaziken strained its body, bursting into crimson flames. The heat was so intense that it felt like a sun was hanging nearby.
Under this terrifying temperature, the hardened plants binding Blaziken began to burn, eventually turning the same color as the flames engulfing the bird.
Blaziken used both its paws and legs to break free from the brittle, charred vines, then rolled to the ground.
"That Frenzy Plant is amazing! Flame Kick couldn't even budge it. But Venusaur is probably stunned now. It's our turn to attack! Blaziken, Flame Dash!" May wasn't discouraged by her earlier defeat. Instead, she quickly regrouped and launched another attack with Blaziken.
Using the Frenzy Plant leaves a period of stunned state. She needed to use this time to attack Venusaur. She refused to believe Venusaur's body could be as tough as the Frenzy Plant!
"Chirp!" Blaziken's feet burst into flame, its soles slamming into the ground as it leaped into the air once more, only to crash heavily back down!
"Is that so? My Venusaur is a bit different. Venusaur, use Earth Power!" Ash smirked, directing Venusaur to counterattack.
To May's astonishment, Venusaur raised its front leg high and slammed it down!