The showdown between Aomori and Ash entered its second half.
So far, none of Aomori's Pokémon had been rendered unable to battle, while Ash had suffered two consecutive losses. If he lost this match, the battle would be over.
As the match began, Aomori crossed his arms, letting Pidgeotto fight on its own initiative.
When Pidgeotto's Quick Attack met Caterpie's Tackle, the result was naturally that Caterpie was knocked flying. Pidgeotto pressed its advantage and extended its claws for a follow-up strike.
Seeing this, Ash immediately shouted, "Dodge quickly! Then aim for Pidgeotto's wings and use String Shot!"
Caterpie twisted in the air, avoiding Pidgeotto, and simultaneously shot out silk, attempting to bind Pidgeotto's wings.
However, Pidgeotto wasn't deaf. Having heard Ash's loud-and-clear strategy, it ascended as anticipated, causing Caterpie's attempt to fail.
Faced with Pidgeotto high up in the air, Caterpie had no attacking moves that could threaten it. Ash was momentarily at a loss for what to do.
Pidgeotto wouldn't wait for its opponent to finish strategizing. It vigorously flapped its wings, generating a gale even stronger than before—it used Whirlwind!
For a moment, dust and sand flew everywhere. Ash and the others had to close their eyes. Caterpie, having taken the attack, was instantly blown away, crashing into the nearby small grove. It slammed into numerous branches, steadily accumulating more injuries on its body.
Squinting, Ash ran into the grove, shouting at Caterpie: "Use String Shot to anchor yourself!"
Caterpie, which had been tumbling uncontrollably and couldn't think straight, instinctively followed Ash's voice. It used String Shot to bind itself to the trunk of a large tree, finally escaping the effects of the Whirlwind attack.
"Ash, Caterpie is out of bounds." Seeing Caterpie dozens of meters away from the field, Brock was about to blow his whistle but was stopped by Aomori.
"What does it matter? This isn't an official match. Besides, Pidgeotto wants to keep fighting, too, doesn't it?"
"Pidg!" Pidgeotto flew above the grove, responding to Aomori with action.
"Alright, the battle continues then!" Brock wasn't a stickler for rules, and he didn't want to declare Ash the loser immediately. He had only been concerned about Aomori's feelings, so hearing Aomori's statement, he let it go.
As for Ash, he wasn't thinking much at all. As long as Caterpie's fighting spirit remained, he would choose to continue the battle.
Pidgeotto's eyes were sharp, and it quickly locked onto Caterpie's position, spreading its wings to dive down.
"Caterpie, let go of the silk, quick!"
Caterpie intentionally released the silk and dropped down, narrowly avoiding Pidgeotto's pounce.
The impact of landing on the ground worsened Caterpie's injuries. It let out a muffled groan and was immobilized for a moment, but Pidgeotto circled once and attacked again.
"Caterpie, get up! You don't want to lose, do you! Don't forget all your desperate training every day was for this moment, for now!"
Ash unleashed the miracle skill of the Rallying Cry, which was super effective on Caterpie. It suddenly snapped its eyes open and, as Pidgeotto attacked, used String Shot to swing and successfully dodge once more.
"That's right! Just like that! Keep using String Shot!" Ash's eyes lit up; he seemed to have thought of another idea.
Caterpie continuously used String Shot afterward, swinging around like Spider-Man with its silk. Soon, it began weaving a dense web in the grove. However, Pidgeotto was experienced in battle. Sensing something was wrong, it promptly used Whirlwind and tore apart the web that Caterpie had painstakingly created.
Ash sighed, "I underestimated Pidgeotto."
The disparity between Pidgeotto and Caterpie was too vast, leaving him with no hope of victory.
"Eee!" Caterpie hopped up and patted Ash, snapping him back to attention.
Seeing Caterpie, still unwilling to concede, Ash's fighting spirit reignited. "If even you won't give up, Caterpie, how can I, your trainer, give up?"
"Go, Caterpie! Use that remaining piece of webbing to launch yourself!"
Caterpie nodded, voluntarily hopping into the web. Using gravity, it pulled down the branches at both ends of the web. Then, like a stone in a slingshot, it was suddenly flung out, rocketing towards Pidgeotto in the air to use Tackle.
Pidgeotto would not back down from Caterpie's challenge. It used Quick Attack, ready to bring a perfect end to this battle!
"Charge!"
Everyone's eyes were fixed on the aerial collision, awaiting the final result.
Thud!
The two Pokémon slammed into each other, both showing expressions of pain, and they both tumbled to the ground.
Ash and his friends rushed to where they landed. They saw Pidgeotto struggling to its feet, but Caterpie remained motionless.
Brock observed them and shook his head at Ash. "It can't fight anymore. Any more, and it could die."
"Caterpie!" Ash rushed over and picked Caterpie up.
"Let me help it." Aomori placed his hand on Caterpie. A white glow emerged as he used a Healing Spell to treat its injuries.
Before long, Caterpie woke up. Seeing Ash, Aomori, and the sharp-eyed Pidgeotto nearby, it understood that it had lost. Large tears welled up in its eyes.
"Caterpie, don't be sad. If you lost this time, we'll win next time!" Ash put Caterpie down and held out his fist. "Let's work hard together!"
"Eee!" Caterpie reached out and nudged his fist. The next moment, a white light enveloped its body.
"Is it... going to evolve?"
"Evolution?" Caterpie was alarmed, shaking its head frantically. It didn't want to evolve yet. Its ultimate goal was to become a dragon after emerging from its cocoon.
Under Caterpie's intense reluctance, the light of evolution gradually faded. Caterpie's evolution had failed.
"What are you thinking, Caterpie? Isn't evolving a good thing?" Misty was confused.
Caterpie simply shook its head.
Aomori hadn't realized this was caused by his previous comment. He stood aside, smiling silently.
"It's okay. If you don't want to evolve, then don't. You're cute like this anyway," Ash said happily as he picked up Caterpie.
"Cute where? I don't get you two big idiots at all!" Misty turned away in a huff.
"Eee-eee."
"Go away! Don't come near me! I'm terrified of bugs!"
"Hahahaha..."
"Pika Pika!"
After the playful moment, Brock officially announced the result of the battle: "Ash's three Pokémon are all unable to battle. The winner is Aomori!"
No sooner had he spoken than Pidgeotto, standing on the tree, suddenly began to glow white as well.
"Ah! Pidgeotto is going to evolve, too!"
"Hm?" Aomori opened his system and realized that defeating Ash had earned him a massive amount of experience, which instantly pushed Pidgeotto to Level 36.
Within the white light, Pidgeotto's form grew larger and larger. When the white light dissipated, a giant eagle-like Pokémon, nearly two meters tall, appeared before everyone.
"So cool!" Ash immediately pulled out his Pokédex: "Pidgeot, the Bird Pokémon. A Normal/Flying type and the evolved form of Pidgeotto. It has excellent flying ability and can fly at Mach 2."
"What a huge Pidgeot!" Brock, in a fanboy daze, reached out to stroke its feathers but was knocked down by a flap of Pidgeot's wing.
'Only one person can touch me, hmph!' Pidgeot had become even more tsundere.
"I'm so jealous," Ash said, looking at the majestic Pidgeot. He wanted to ride it.
"Ash, your Pidgeotto will also evolve into Pidgeot. You'll have your chance to ride it." You'll even ride all sorts of Legendary Pokémon later, Aomori thought to himself.
"You're right!" Ash was full of hope for his Pidgeotto.
"Ash, once a Pokémon chooses you, it is our responsibility to raise them well. You must never let them down in the future," Aomori said, his words holding a deeper meaning. The Ash who was so confident now did not realize how many Pokémon he would release later, nor how much time he would waste for them.
"Well, I have to go now."
"Huh, Aomori-san? You're leaving already? Where are you going next? Will you be challenging any Gyms?" Ash asked reluctantly.
"I'll just wander around. I might challenge a Gym, but I see myself more as an adventurer than a Trainer."
"An adventurer? That sounds amazing!" Misty's eyes filled with longing. She also wanted to travel everywhere.
"Alright then. I'll see you all next time!"
"Yeah, see you again!"
"Pika!"
Pidgeot carried Aomori, spread its wings, and soared high, disappearing instantly, leaving Ash and his two friends continually waving goodbye.
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You can read the ahead chapter on Patr if you're interested: p-atre-on.c-om/Overgod [Just remove the hyphen to access normally]