Butterfree held the advantage of flight. If it deliberately stayed high in the air, it would actually be very difficult for Raticate's attacks to land.
If Kael were the one giving orders, he would have had Butterfree fully exploit its aerial advantage—then slowly grind Raticate down with Stun Spore, Poison Powder, and Sleep Powder.
Bug-type Pokémon were never known for outstanding physical defense or stamina. Once Raticate managed to leap up and latch on with Super Fang, the match could very well end in an instant.
Unfortunately, the Ash of today still lacked real combat experience. He was stubborn to a fault—charging straight ahead without any thought of maneuvering or playing to his Pokémon's strengths.
Ash pointed forward with a confident wave of his hand and shouted,
"Butterfree, use Tackle!"
The command left Kael completely dumbfounded.
With Butterfree's body strength, who exactly was it supposed to ram?
"Raticate, jump!"
The gentleman tapped the deck lightly with his cane.
Raticate sprang high into the air, colliding head-on with Butterfree as it dove downward. Because it was airborne and had nothing to push off against, Raticate lost much of the agility it normally had on the ground.
The two Pokémon collided repeatedly midair, the dull thump-thump of bodies crashing together echoing nonstop. The sight made the surrounding spectators' blood boil with excitement.
"Ash's Butterfree might not be able to beat that Raticate," Misty said worriedly.
"That's not necessarily true…"
Brock folded his arms and smiled. "The two of them are evenly matched."
"Raticate, use Super Fang!"
The gentleman could no longer tolerate the stalemate and immediately ordered Raticate to use its finishing move.
Ash might be thick-headed, but he wasn't brainless. He knew very well how terrifying Super Fang could be.
"Butterfree, dive down—dodge it!"
This command, at least, showed some real instinct. Taking advantage of a Flying-type's natural superiority when ascending and descending made it much easier to evade close-range attacks. Butterfree flicked its wings upward, its entire body plunging sharply downward, easily slipping past Raticate's snapping fangs.
Ash clenched his fists, confidence surging.
"Nice one, Butterfree! Use Stun Spore!"
Butterfree climbed back into the air, its wings beating rapidly. In an instant, waves of pale yellow powder poured down like a curtain, sweeping toward Raticate below.
The spectators' expressions changed immediately when they saw the Stun Spore, and they all hurriedly retreated. This was not something you wanted to get caught in—once it settled on your body, that numb, paralyzing sensation that left you unable to move was pure misery.
The Stun Spore fell from above, covering nearly half the battlefield. Raticate had nowhere to dodge and could only endure as the powder settled into its fur. Its previously calm expression twisted in pain as its eyes squeezed shut. Its body grew increasingly numb; its legs trembled, and it nearly collapsed.
Because Bug-type Pokémon had short life cycles, their evolution speed was extremely fast. For example, a wild Caterpie in an environment with sufficient food could evolve into Metapod in just three weeks—and from Metapod into Butterfree in only one more week. Completing a two-stage evolution usually took no more than a month.
Under the careful training of a Trainer, this process could be shortened even further.
For the starter Pokémon, a month was barely enough to grow from an infant into a toddler—still nowhere near even their first evolution, let alone their final form.
Because of this rapid evolution, Bug-type Pokémon often held a significant advantage in the early stages among rookie Trainers. Evolution meant a massive jump in strength, and this gave rise to a unique group among beginners—children who loved Bug-types and were collectively known as Bug Catchers.
Butterfree's Stun Spore, Poison Powder, and Sleep Powder were collectively referred to by Trainers as the "Three Powders." In early, low-level battles, this strategy could disgust and overwhelm countless rookie Trainers. Even experienced ones, if unprepared, could easily fall victim.
The Raticate before them was a perfect example. Perhaps its previous three victories had made the gentleman overconfident, leading him into this awkward predicament. Once Raticate was fully paralyzed, the battle would be effectively over.
The gentleman's right hand clenched tightly around his cane. His mustache twitched repeatedly, his eyelid jumping—clear signs of inner turmoil. He knew that if he didn't act now, the match would be lost.
"Alright, now's the chance—use Gust!"
Ash wiped his nose excitedly, ready to deliver the final blow.
Heh, so he wasn't that amazing after all. Didn't I take him down easily?
That was Ash's inner thought at the moment.
But just as Butterfree was about to launch its attack, the gentleman covered his mouth and nose with a handkerchief and strode onto the battlefield, scooping up the immobilized Raticate.
"That's enough. Let's call it a draw."
With that, he turned and disappeared into the crowd, Raticate in his arms. The noblewoman accompanying him followed close behind, the two of them gradually vanishing among the spectators.
"What the heck? I clearly won!"
Ash felt like he'd just swallowed a mouthful of something foul. Butterfree had only needed one more move to secure victory, yet the opponent simply picked up his Pokémon and walked away, not giving Ash even a chance to argue.
With the battle over, there was no more spectacle to watch, and the onlookers soon dispersed.
Kael didn't step forward to greet Ash and the others. Now wasn't the time yet—there would be plenty of chances later.
He was genuinely curious about what kind of connection he would eventually form with these so-called protagonists.
It was something worth looking forward to.