On the computer screen, Aron's HP suddenly jumped back to full.
Brock was stunned, Misty and Joe sat frozen with their mouths hanging open.
At first, they hadn't understood Ash's bizarre strategy, but after Brock's explanation, they more or less got it. And as Brock pointed out, it had a fatal flaw, Sturdy only worked once. After Aron used Endeavor, it shouldn't have been able to repeat the trick.
Yet, before Brock even finished voicing his doubts, Aron's HP was full again!
If it could restore its health every time… didn't that mean Aron could sweep the entire team?
Ash calmly clicked Endeavor again and explained:
"The item Aron is holding is a Shell Bell. It restores one-eighth of the damage dealt as HP. Since Aron's hitting Pokémon that are way higher level, even one-eighth is more HP than Aron's entire health bar. So as long as Endeavor connects, Aron's HP is guaranteed to go back to full."
With that, Karen's second Pokémon was knocked out just like her Umbreon.
Cheap? Definitely. But unbeatable? Not at all. There were plenty of ways to counter this gimmick, if you had the right Pokémon, abilities, or moves.
Karen's AI finally adjusted and sent out her third Pokémon: Tyranitar.
Ash hit Endeavor again, dropping Tyranitar to the brink… but the Sandstorm failed to finish it off.
Ash blinked, then smirked as he realized why: "So that's it… Rock type." Steel and Rock types resist sand damage. That was the hole in this strategy.
But Ash had built in a backup.
He simply used Tackle to knock out Tyranitar's last sliver of HP. Karen answered with Honchkrow, which easily dispatched the weakened Aron with Wing Attack.
But Ash still had another Aron in reserve.
The second Aron came in, and the cycle repeated. Honchkrow fell to Endeavor plus Sandstorm, Absol followed, and suddenly Karen's Elite-tier team was down five Pokémon, all taken out by the same Level 1 trick.
Still, the advantage wasn't all on Ash's side.
In the real world, weather moves wore off after a set time. But on the simulator, they ended after a fixed number of turns. Thanks to Tyranitar's stall earlier, the Sandstorm had already faded.
Karen's last Pokémon appeared: Houndoom, her ace.
In reality, a Pokémon like Houndoom could have turned the tide. But here? It was still just data.
Aron managed to drop it with Endeavor, but finally fainted under Houndoom's attack. Now both Pokémon were left with only a shred of stamina.
Ash still had a Level 1 Hippopotas waiting. He could simply bring it in, let Sand Stream reactivate, and the Sandstorm would finish Houndoom on the spot.
But instead, Ash smirked and sent out Gyarados.
After stalling the opponent for so long, Ash finally decided to go for a head-on clash!
If this had been the real Karen, she would've been fuming.
Houndoom's HP was hanging by a thread, like a candle flickering in the wind, ready to go out with the slightest touch. How could this possibly count as a "clash"?
But Gyarados, holding a Choice Scarf, had its Speed boosted by fifty percent. With that boost, it easily outsped Houndoom at the same level!
Ash called out the command, and Gyarados charged forward with a crushing Waterfall, finishing off Houndoom and sealing the victory.
The screen flashed: "Congratulations on defeating the Elite!"
For a moment, Joe thought he was dreaming.
A rookie Trainer, barely a month into his journey, had just cleared an Elite Four-level simulation?! Impossible!
Then came the voices all around:
"Clap, clap, clap… brilliant strategy! I never thought I'd see an Elite Four simulation beaten so easily."
"That was amazing! Which academy are you from?"
"How did that strategy even work? Can you explain the core of it to us?"
"…!"
Ash blinked, startled. When he turned around, he found a small crowd had gathered behind him. Some were younger students, some older, but all were buzzing with excitement. The applause had come from a striking young woman at the front, clearly the leader of the group.
"She's one of the academy's Elite Students," Joe whispered quickly. "Top of the junior division. Her strength is already equal to a Trainer with four Badges. And she's not even fourteen yet! If she wanted, she could move up to the intermediate division anytime."
Ash looked her over. Even while offering praise, her expression carried an unmistakable arrogance. Still… she was undeniably beautiful, with bright, clear eyes, delicate features, and a sharp confidence that made her stand out. Dressed in a neat academy uniform, she had an aura of authority.
"Are you a graduate from another research institute?" the girl asked curiously.
Ash shook his head. "Nope. I only started traveling less than a month ago."
Her eyes widened. "What?! You've been on the road for less than a month? Are you kidding me? Someone like that can't possibly beat an Elite-level simulation, especially with such low-level Pokémon! You'd need deep knowledge of mechanics and strategy to pull something like that off."
She and the other students had arrived partway through the match, but they'd seen enough. Two Level 1 Pokémon sweeping nearly an entire Elite-tier team, plus a single Gyarados sealing the victory, it was outrageous. And this kid claimed he was just a rookie?
"Are you treating me like a Spoink?" she snapped. "Don't mess with me!"
Ash just shrugged with an easy grin. "I've got no reason to lie. I've only earned two Badges so far. We just stumbled into this academy because we got lost in the forest. Oh, actually, could you tell us how to get to Vermilion City from here?"
The crowd blinked, dumbfounded.
For Ash, beating Karen's AI hadn't been about pride. He'd just wanted to test out the "gimmick team" strategy one of his alternate selves, Tactician Ash, had taught him in the group chat. Against a predictable AI, the method worked like a charm.
But against a real Elite? Not a chance. If someone thought a couple of Level 1 Arons could topple Karen herself, they were delusional.
Still, in this game at least, Ash could boldly say: "Elites? Weaklings."