The light flashed, and the garlic king turtle made a dazzling appearance!
As Bulbasaur appeared, the surrounding bubbling noise, with Misty and Brock cheering, instantly fell silent.
Koga, who was striking a pose, paused for a moment upon seeing Bulbasaur, and his face immediately fell, his elegant pose disrupted.
"Bul... Bulbasaur?!" Misty shouted in disbelief, her pretty face full of question marks.
Why would the last Pokémon be Bulbasaur?!
Bulbasaur had gradually fallen behind in Ash's team because it didn't want to evolve, which slowed its progress significantly.
Not all Pokémon are like Ash's Pikachu. Pikachu didn't evolve and got so strong because it was very special, but such uniqueness is almost unheard of.
Unfortunately, Bulbasaur doesn't have Pikachu's uniqueness, so its progress in the team has become relatively slow.
Besides Riolu, who just started training, Bulbasaur's level is basically on par with Butterfree, at the bottom rank of the team.
In this crucial battle, facing Koga's strongest Pokémon, why would he send out Bulbasaur?!
Brock couldn't even speak, you could say Pikachu has secrets, Charizard has secrets, even Gardevoir has secrets, but Bulbasaur...
No matter how much it might be hiding, Bulbasaur's typical performance in wild battles doesn't hold much mystery!
Even considering Ash's strength, being able to fight at the Professional Level is already extraordinary for Bulbasaur, against the Elite Level... how could he dare?!
Is Ash planning to give up directly in this fight?
Bulbasaur came on stage with a face full of fighting spirit, knowing Ash had to face a very important battle today, and Ash had explained before the battle that he would be the trump card!
A finale! A trump card! These two terms could actually appear on him one day!
The team leader has always been Pikachu, with number two and three contested by a big brother and sister, while number four is temporarily occupied by Pidgeot, in its final evolution.
He and Wartortle competed for the fifth position, but as Wartortle evolved, its level and ability value speed increased significantly.
So basically, he has settled into the sixth position within the team.
If Ash hadn't caught a new Pokémon, Riolu, who just started training, he would be at the bottom of Ash's current team.
Now, he's being used as the final trump card! He couldn't wrap his head around it.
But since Ash said so, he'll just follow Ash's orders!
Since becoming Ash's Pokémon, Bulbasaur has been deeply convinced of Ash's capabilities as a Trainer, because all the skills Ash taught him were real and effective.
On the issue of evolving or not, Ash left the choice to him, not deciding for him, which is why he's so torn.
If Ash said to evolve, even if part of him wanted to stay as Bulbasaur, he would abide by Ash's wish to evolve, such is Ash's position in his heart.
'Let me see who my opponent is!' Bulbasaur thought, eyes fixed forward, and immediately, an immense pressure emanating from the opposite purple bat fell upon him.
At this moment, Bulbasaur felt it was even hard to breathe.
Bro, who are you letting me fight against! Is this a foe I can actually beat?
The battle hadn't even started, and the mere aura is about to crush me!
Fighting like this, what's the point?
'Bulbasaur.' Ash's deep voice echoed in Bulbasaur's mind: 'You've always been caught up on the evolution issue. Now, you can feel what evolutionary power is like, then decide whether to evolve or not.'
As the words fell, before Bulbasaur could react, an incomparable force rose from within him. Instantly, the pressure Crobat exerted vanished completely!
Bulbasaur felt the power in his body nearly overflowing, a force many times stronger than his own.
Normally, such power might have torn his body apart, but now it seemed fully integrated, even enhancing his constitution, as if it was his natural power.
Is this the power of evolution?
No... He saw Charizard, Wartortle, their evolution wasn't so excessively boosted!
Frankly speaking, if Charizard and Wartortle came out now, tied together to fight him, he could beat them with just one Vine Whip!
'Now the power you feel belongs to your future self, allowing you to prove that you can become strong without evolving. Now you can prove it.'
'Not evolving can make you strong, but you must withstand loneliness and stay calm, not competing with Charizard and others, slowly amassing your power. This strength will one day truly be yours.'
'But if you evolve, this power will come quicker. The choice is yours.'
Champion Ash's voice continued in Bulbasaur's heart, feeling serious and remote, as if no longer his Trainer…
Though the voice sounded the same, the tone was similar, but this Ash felt like an outsider recounting his problem.
Something the previous Ash would never do.
'Prepare for battle, think thoroughly after you win.'
Before Bulbasaur could think it through, Champion Ash's voice rose again, and only then did Bulbasaur realize he was still in the midst of a battle, focusing on defeating the opponent and thinking later!
Bulbasaur snapped back, casting a sharp look at Crobat in the sky, ready for combat at any moment.
Koga glanced at Bulbasaur, feeling something wasn't right.
Why does this Bulbasaur seem different from before?
At first, with Ninja's experiential perception, the gap between it and Crobat was huge!
But now, it felt unfathomable, why is that?
"Must be an illusion... What could Bulbasaur possibly achieve? Crobat, finish it, use Air Slash!" Koga ordered with a wave of his hand.
Dealing with Bulbasaur, he even used a restraining move, precisely to finish off Bulbasaur cleanly!
Koga originally planned a dirty win; winning was better than losing.
But now, he wanted not only to win, but to win gloriously, showcasing the demeanor of an Elite!
Only this way could he remedy his earlier embarrassing defeat, reclaiming some dignity for himself.
However, as Crobat flapped its wings, sending countless pure white energy blades, Ash didn't command Bulbasaur to dodge but calmly said, "Use Vine Whip to crush Air Slash."
Using Vine Whip to crush Air Slash? What kind of command is that?
Questions erupted in Koga's mind.
Your Bulbasaur's level, and my Crobat's level? Vine Whip against Air Slash was a Negative Attribute, why dare face it with Vine Whip? Eager to die faster?
With the order, bulging two vines rapidly extended, as Bulbasaur swung them wildly, forming countless afterimages amidst Air Slash's onslaught.
"Bang Bang Bang!!"
Air Slashes met the Vine Whips, crumbling like tofu against steel, breaking instantaneously into energy particles sprinkling into the air.