Giselle's first Pokémon was Marowak, a Pokémon wearing a fearsome skull, far more intimidating than its pre-evolution, Cubone.
Back at the Academy, this Pokémon had still been a Cubone. Under Giselle's meticulous training, it had successfully evolved and reached Mid level, an impressively high benchmark.
Strictly speaking, Giselle had been traveling for less than a year. To raise an Ordinary-level Cubone to this in just six months already placed her firmly among genius Trainers.
On Ash's side, he sent out the Chimchar he had captured only two days earlier.
The moment Chimchar appeared, Paul, watching from the stands, narrowed his eyes. His crossed arms trembled slightly.
He recognized it instantly.
That was the Chimchar he had abandoned.
He had never expected Ash to actually take it in.
"Capturing a Pokémon discarded by someone else…" Paul scoffed quietly. "Utterly foolish."
It wasn't that Paul denied Chimchar's potential, he had seen Super Blazefire with his own eyes.
But if he couldn't draw that power out, could Ash?
In Paul's view, Ash had never witnessed Chimchar's Super Blazefire. That meant Ash's decision must have been driven by sympathy alone, an incomprehensible motive to Paul.
He would never capture a Pokémon out of pity.
To him, only one thing mattered when choosing Pokémon: talent.
Even if a Pokémon's current strength was lacking, as long as its potential was high enough, he could refine it into something formidable.
Chimchar's Super Blazefire had once convinced him of its value.
But after months of effort, Chimchar had failed to activate it even once, and its level growth had been painfully slow.
Paul concluded that even if Super Blazefire awakened again, Chimchar's future ceiling would still be limited.
That was why he released it without hesitation.
Its base strength was simply too weak.
Even if Super Blazefire allowed Chimchar to fight above its level, that advantage would diminish over time.
You might defeat a Mid-level Pokémon at Low level, but could you challenge Elite level Pokemon at Mid level?
Impossible.
In Paul's eyes, even if Chimchar possessed talent, it would still be meaningless if its level couldn't rise.
And yet, Ash had picked up the very Pokémon Paul deemed worthless.
'This guy's sympathy really is overflowing,' Paul thought with disdain. 'With that mindset, how did he even become this strong so quickly?'
Ash, of course, had no idea Paul was scrutinizing him from the stands.
But he knew Paul would come watch, as long as Paul still considered him a rival.
Today, Ash intended to wash away Chimchar's reputation as a failure.
"This Chimchar…" Giselle paused when she saw it. "Is it the one used by that Trainer named Paul two days ago?"
Her database included Chimchar, Sinnoh starters were rare in Kanto, yet she'd seen two at this Conference.
And Ash's Chimchar gave her a strong sense of déjà vu.
Pokémon of the same species looked similar, but each carried a unique presence. This Chimchar felt exactly like Paul's.
Ash nodded calmly.
"That's right. It was Paul's Chimchar. But that was before. Now, it's my Pokémon."
"I don't know what happened between you," Giselle said coolly, "but I should remind you, levels matter. Chimchar is only Low-High Level, while my Marowak is Mid level. The gap isn't small. And Marowak also has a type advantage."
She lifted her chin slightly, pride evident.
Raising a Cubone to Marowak and pushing it into Mid level so quickly had earned her high praise from Academy instructors, she was proud of that.
"Whether we win or not, we'll find out by fighting," Ash replied calmly. "Let's go."
He didn't mind Giselle's arrogance. She had grown stronger, but her pride hadn't softened.
That didn't matter.
He would win.
"Heh. I hope you're still smiling when Chimchar falls," Giselle said coldly. "Marowak, Bone Rush!"
She opened with Marowak's signature technique.
"Marowak!!"
The bone weapon whirled through the air like a violent cyclone, tearing straight toward Chimchar.
Chimchar's face flickered with fear.
The opponent was far stronger. The attack was fast, almost impossible to dodge.
Was it about to be defeated in its very first battle for its new Trainer?
Was it going to disappoint someone again?
"Don't be afraid, drop flat!"
Ash's shout snapped Chimchar out of its panic.
Without hesitation, Chimchar threw itself to the ground.
The Bone Rush sliced straight through the air, passing just over Chimchar's back.
"Now, Aura, reside within my heart!!"
Ash formed a strange hand seal. In an instant, powerful Aura surged from his body and poured into Chimchar.
Chimchar's internal strength leapt by more than an entire tier.
This wasn't the first time it had felt this power, but having its body completely flooded by that overwhelming Aura still felt unreal.
'This power… does it really belong to me?'
"Go, Chimchar, Fire Punch!!"
With Aura Power reinforcing it, Chimchar finally had the strength to confront Marowak head-on!
Still lying prone, Chimchar rolled nimbly to its feet. Its small, furry fist clenched tight, and blazing flames erupted around it!
"Chimmm!!"
The Fire Punch, wreathed in scorching heat, smashed directly into the incoming Bone Rush.
Bang!
Chimchar was forced back several steps, its arm stinging as visible burns and abrasions appeared on its fist, but Marowak's Bone Rush was sent crashing to the ground.
The bone weapon bounced once… then lay still.
The stadium erupted.
Giselle stared, her face frozen in disbelief.
Chimchar… had blocked Bone Rush head-on?!
How was that possible?!
"We just witnessed Chimchar block Marowak's Bone Rush head-on!" the announcer shouted excitedly."
"This is unbelievable! Chimchar's strength is only at the Low level, yet it stopped a Mid-level Marowak's signature move! Could it be, has Ash used that mysterious boosting power again?!"
Ash had two trademarks that were already famous across the League.
The first was the absurd rate at which his Pokémon grew.
The second was his terrifying ability to make Pokémon fight far above their level.
In just six months, Ash's team's growth defied all logic. It wasn't merely fast, it was incomprehensible.
Even more shocking was how often his Pokémon crossed entire major tiers in combat, not just one or two sub-levels.
Ash once attributed this to Victini's blessing, but few believed that explanation.
Later, rumors spread that Ash possessed a special ability capable of directly boosting Pokémon. As for what that ability was, no one outside knew.
And now, Chimchar's sudden surge of strength could only be explained by that rumored power.
Only Ash possessed something capable of elevating a Pokémon by an entire tier in an instant.
Giselle blinked, her wide eyes shimmering with disbelief.
That Chimchar had only been Low level two days ago.
Now it was clearly fighting at Mid-tier.
Had it really grown that much… in just a few days?
Ash didn't give her time to process.
"Chimchar, show your full power! Flame Wheel!!"
The slight injury Chimchar had taken was negligible. Knocking Marowak's bone weapon away was more than worth it.
A Marowak without its bone was like a warrior missing an arm.
At Ash's command, Chimchar curled its body tightly and began spinning at high speed, flames erupting outward as it shot toward Marowak.
Only then did Giselle snap out of her daze.
"Marowak, Headbutt!!"
Without its bone club, Marowak was forced to rely on its hardened skull.
Two figures surged across the battlefield, and collided in an instant!
BOOM!!
A deafening explosion rocked the arena.
Flames roared skyward, bathing half the field in blazing heat. Chimchar's Flame Wheel burned violently, while Marowak braced itself, skull forward, resisting with brute force.
The fire tried to swallow Marowak whole.
Marowak strained to punch through the inferno.
Ash clenched his fists, his body trembling faintly, as if he were pouring his own strength into the clash.
"Don't lose to him, Chimchar!!"
"CHArrr!!"
A brilliant light erupted from within the flames.
The moment it appeared, Chimchar's fire intensified dramatically, its Flame Wheel blazing hotter, fiercer, as the temperature surged to an entirely new level.
Marowak, which had only been barely holding its ground, was instantly overwhelmed.
BOOM!!
A far more violent explosion tore across the battlefield. Flames erupted outward, swallowing the arena in fire as thick black smoke billowed skyward.
Giselle raised her slender arm instinctively, shielding her face from the shockwave of heat, sand, and debris. Her eyes narrowed sharply, but she couldn't see anything through the smoke.
Just moments ago, she had caught a fleeting glimpse.
Chimchar's power had surged again.
And not by a small margin.
But how was that possible?
Even if Ash possessed a way to boost Chimchar from Low-High to Mid-tier, any further increase, regardless of method, should have exceeded what Chimchar's body could endure.
At least, that was how it was supposed to work.
Then what had she just seen?
The turbulent shockwave slowly subsided. Smoke thinned, embers drifted down, and Giselle finally lowered her arm, her bright eyes fixed unblinkingly on the battlefield.
One Pokémon lay motionless on the ground.
The other was still standing.
A few seconds passed, and the result became unmistakable.
Marowak was down.
And as the smoke fully cleared, the Pokémon standing at the center of the field was no longer Chimchar, It was Monferno.
Monferno, Chimchar's evolved form, stood tall. Its body was larger and more robust, blue markings framing its face, its longer tail whipping behind it while blazing flames roared fiercely.
Unlike Chimchar, Monferno now possessed the Fighting-type, its physique radiating explosive strength and battle instinct.
The stadium fell into stunned silence.
No one had expected Chimchar to evolve in the middle of that clash.
Evolution during battle was already rare.
But evolving during a direct collision?
That was almost unheard of.
During evolution, a Pokémon's internal energy becomes violently unstable. If evolution occurs mid-combat, a single misstep can cause that energy to implode inward.
If lucky, the Pokémon would merely lose its ability to fight and require extended recovery.
If unlucky, it could suffer permanent internal damage, never able to advance again.
And yet Chimchar had evolved into Monferno at the exact moment of impact.
That alone shattered expectations.
Even Cynthia and Leon were visibly taken aback.
"That Monferno…" Cynthia murmured, resting her delicate fingers against her smooth chin, a faint crease of confusion forming between her brows.
"Isn't it the one that boy, Paul, used two days ago? How did it end up in Ash's hands?"