On the battlefield, Gengar had already lost the ability to fight, and Ash recalled Monferno.
Gengar was down, but Monferno's remaining strength was no longer sufficient for another match.
The two battles today had pushed Monferno far beyond its limits. Continuing to fight would not only provide no benefit, it could even reopen the old injuries it had accumulated in the past.
Even though Ash could use Aura Power to heal him, the process was not pleasant for Monferno. Out of consideration for his Pokémon, Ash chose to withdraw him.
In any case, those two battles had allowed Monferno to fight to its heart's content. It had evolved, its strength had leapt more than an entire tier, and under Ash's guidance it had even awakened the Super Blazefire Ability and barely learned to restrain it.
Taken together, this was nothing short of a jackpot for Monferno.
"I never imagined the gap between us was this large," Giselle said after recalling her Pokémon. She did not immediately send out another.
"You pushed an Mid-level Monferno to that extent. If you had used that Ralts instead, you probably could have defeated Gengar even more easily, right?"
Ash simply shrugged, neither confirming nor denying.
Giselle had no idea how strong Gardevoir currently was. If Gardevoir had taken the field, it would not have been "more easily." Gengar would have been completely overwhelmed, unable to fight back at all.
The difference between them was already like heaven and earth.
Ash had no intention of using Gardevoir as his third Pokémon anyway. He had registered three Pokémon long ago, and his original plan had been for Chimchar to fight only one match.
Under that plan, Chimchar would have been exhausted after a single bout, and Ash would have switched immediately. Who could have predicted that Chimchar would evolve into Monferno and experience such an explosive surge in power?
Because of that unexpected development, Ash allowed Monferno to fight a second time. At this point, there was no way to field all three Pokémon.
"This is my last Pokémon, my ace," Giselle said, taking a deep breath.
"At the very least, let me defeat one of yours. Please come out, Arcanine!"
Her final Poké Ball burst open in a flash of light, and a majestic Arcanine appeared on the field.
A noble lady was indeed a noble lady. First a rare Gengar, and now an Arcanine that was scarcely seen in the wild. Regardless of strength, the species she commanded were undeniably top-tier.
This Arcanine had reached mid-peak. It was clearly Giselle's strongest partner.
The world was full of prodigies.
When Ash had first met Giselle, she had been a girl who believed her theoretical knowledge alone was enough to overcome any level gap.
Now, she had grown into a genuine Trainer.
But when it came to growth, who could compare to Ash?
"I choose you, Pidgeot!"
"Piii!"
A majestic Pidgeot appeared high above the field, wings spread wide as it claimed the skies.
Ash's second Pokémon, originally planned as his third, was his second-team ace: Pidgeot.
His original plan had been to send Tauros second and Pidgeot last. But facing a mid-peak Arcanine, Ash could not bring himself to send out his Tauros. That would have been sending Tauros to certain death.
Unless he used Aura Power.
But before the match, Ash had already decided that unless absolutely necessary, he would not rely on that force. Chimchar had been such a necessity. It needed a victory to rebuild its confidence.
Physical condition, training pace, and strength growth could all be managed. Confidence was something Chimchar had to reclaim on its own.
That single battle had allowed Chimchar to release all the pressure, frustration, and potential it had accumulated, restoring its belief in itself.
For this fight, none of that was needed.
Without Aura Power, Tauros would definitely lose. Even with Aura Power, victory was not guaranteed.
Tauros and Arcanine were both runner-type Pokémon, but Tauros's burst speed fell far behind. In endurance, Tauros could outlast Arcanine at the same level, but battles were decided by instantaneous bursts, not long-distance stamina.
Even boosting Tauros to Arcanine's level would not ensure a win.
Pidgeot, however, was different.
In terms of raw speed, Pidgeot ranked just behind Charizard and Pikachu on Ash's team. Even Gardevoir could not match Pidgeot's movement speed. Only Pikachu, with Teleport considered, could rival Gardevoir in instantaneous repositioning.
Speed versus speed.
Let Pidgeot and Arcanine decide the outcome.
"Pidgeot… I haven't seen this Pokémon before," Giselle said, her expression sharpening as she looked up.
"But judging from its aura, it's no pushover. Be careful, Arcanine."
Compared to the lower-level Monferno, Pidgeot's presence was far more oppressive.
In sheer level alone, Pidgeot surpassed Monferno by a wide margin. If it also possessed the ability to fight above its tier, then even her ace Arcanine might not qualify as a proper opponent.
"Pidgeot, Air Slash!"
Giselle did not open with an attack, but Ash did not hesitate. Holding the aerial advantage, Pidgeot had no reason to delay.
"Piii!"
With a powerful sweep of its wings, Pidgeot sent countless pure-white blades of compressed air raining down, blanketing nearly half the battlefield.
"Dodge!"
Arcanine's four paws struck the ground, and its body shot forward like the wind. In a blink, it crossed to the opposite side of the field, narrowly avoiding the barrage.
A series of dull impacts followed as the Air Slashes struck the ground, sending dust and debris flying.
Although Arcanine was at a lower level than Pidgeot, its speed was real. Pidgeot's opening strike had missed.
"Our turn," Giselle called out. "Arcanine, Flamethrower!"
Arcanine twisted its head upward, jaws opening wide as a roaring jet of fire shot straight toward the sky.
Unhurried, Pidgeot banked smoothly, its massive body spiraling downward alongside the rising flames.
"Use Aerial Ace like that!" Ash's voice rang out at exactly the right moment.
Wrapped in a spiraling column of fire, Pidgeot continued its descent as brilliant light ignited along its wings.
"Not good. Arcanine, Protect!"
Seeing Pidgeot charging straight toward Arcanine while engulfed in flames, Giselle shouted the command in panic, but it was already too late.
Bang!
Pidgeot's massive wings slammed into Arcanine's body, forcibly cutting off the Flamethrower and sending the Pokémon flying like a kite with its string severed. It crashed to the ground more than ten meters away.
Aerial Ace hit cleanly.
This move was infamous for a reason. It was fast, unpredictable, and locked onto its target. Unless one used a move like Teleport, dodging it was almost impossible.
Giselle knew that, which was why she ordered Protect.
Protect had high priority. If Arcanine had even a split second, it could activate it.
But Arcanine was still channeling Flamethrower. It had to stop the attack first, then activate Protect. That brief gap was insignificant to most opponents.
To Pidgeot, it was an eternity.
Arcanine never got the chance.
"Press the advantage. Pidgeot, Brave Bird!"
With Arcanine knocked away, Ash immediately followed up with the Flying-type ultimate.
Brave Bird, much like Flare Blitz, inflicted severe recoil on the user, but it could decide a battle in a single strike.
Given the level gap between Pidgeot and Arcanine, one direct hit would be enough to end it.
"Arcanine, Protect!"
Seeing the deep-blue aura already forming around Pidgeot, Giselle shouted again.
The earlier Protect had failed to activate, so this was not a consecutive use. The success rate was one hundred percent.
"Roar!"
Arcanine struggled upright, let out a fierce howl, and a green barrier snapped into place around its body.
"Aerial Ace!"
At the sight of the barrier, Ash's eyes flashed and he issued a second command.
Using Aerial Ace in the middle of Brave Bird was almost suicidal.
Brave Bird demanded an unrestrained, straight-line charge. No hesitation, no retreat. Momentum was everything.
Aerial Ace, on the other hand, relied on curvature, deception, and sudden angle changes. The two techniques were fundamentally opposed.
Combining them required impossible precision, not to mention flawless timing.
Giselle thought she had misheard.
Aerial Ace at that speed? Was he insane?
Yet the deep-blue blur that was Pidgeot vanished mid-charge. The imminent collision with the Protect barrier disappeared entirely.
Arcanine froze.
Where did the giant bird go?
Its Protect barrier began to fade. Protect could not be maintained indefinitely without incoming pressure. Once the attack threat vanished, the barrier timed out. It did not block future uses, but it had to be recast.
That limitation was why Protect timing mattered so much. If it could be held forever, the move would be broken.
Just as the barrier was about to vanish completely, Arcanine felt an icy sense of danger from behind.
Before it could even turn its head, a crushing impact slammed into its body.
Boom!
A thunderous roar shook the entire arena. The shockwave rippled outward, whipping Giselle's hair across her face.
She did not react. She simply stared blankly at the battlefield.
Pidgeot glided out of the smoke, its body scratched and scuffed from Brave Bird's recoil. Within the haze behind it, the other Pokémon lay motionless.
"How… is that possible?" Giselle whispered.
Pidgeot had actually fused Brave Bird and Aerial Ace.
Aerial Ace had forced its trajectory to bend mid-charge, allowing it to circle the field, wait for the exact instant Protect expired, and reappear behind Arcanine for a decisive strike.
A combination that should not exist.
What kind of monster was this Pidgeot?
Could its body even withstand the conflicting recoil forces of two opposing techniques?
The answer was clear.
Pidgeot suffered only light recoil damage. Arcanine, revealed as the smoke cleared, lay on its side with eyes closed, completely unconscious.
Giselle's ace had been defeated without landing a single hit.
With all three of her Pokémon down, the victory belonged to Ash.
"Winner decided! Ash claims final victory! Monferno's dazzling evolution and terrifying Blaze, Pidgeot's overwhelming speed, and that godlike combo have delivered an unforgettable match. Let's hear it for Ash and his Pokémon!"
Thunderous applause erupted across the stadium.
Ash recalled Pidgeot, bowed briefly to the stands, then walked to the center of the field and shook hands with a dazed Giselle.
"Great battle."
"Great? Where?" Giselle laughed weakly. "In how completely I got crushed?"
"Not at all," Ash replied calmly. "Your Pokémon are strong. When we met at the academy, you didn't even have one you could properly battle with. Now you're a seasoned Trainer. You've come a long way."
He meant every word.
Giselle had left the academy, reached the Indigo Plateau Conference, and surpassed the vast majority of Trainers.
That alone deserved respect.