After surviving the initial anxiety of encountering Ho-Oh, Ash finally came to his senses. Although the Ho-Oh in this world was still strong, compared to his own world, it didn't seem like an invincible legend.
That's right, the newly composed Ash had realized it. This Ho-Oh didn't seem utterly unbeatable. Though that Sacred Fire attack was indeed terrifying, after achieving full Bond Evolution with Houndoom, Ash could intuitively feel the true power of those flames. It was strong, undoubtedly, but it was beatable.
It wasn't that Ash's ego was inflating. It was a genuine conclusion he had deduced. Even though he knew this Masked Man definitely had Pokémon stronger than Ho-Oh, Ash wasn't worried now. Because his time was up; all Ash had to do was say the word, and that mysterious voice would transport them away from this world. Since that was the case, Ash didn't mind making this guy who attacked his wives pay a little price.
Meanwhile, thanks to the live broadcasts from a few fearless reporters, Ash's situation was already being watched by countless people in this world. They witnessed Houndoom risking its life to block Ho-Oh's flames, heard the words spoken in that critical moment, saw Houndoom literally bite Ho-Oh's fire into pieces, and finally saw Ash's true face beneath the mask.
At the Pokémon Center, Blue watched Ash's Houndoom on the screen and couldn't help but sigh. "What a terrifying enemy... Looks like I'll have to train even harder from now on."
Just as Blue said this, the Raticate beside him squeaked. "Raticate?"
Seeing Raticate calling him, a rare, warm smile graced Blue's face. "It's alright, Raticate. We'll catch up to him. You just rest up for now. While you're recovering, I'll tell you everything that happened."
Hearing Blue's words, Raticate nodded and started munching on a Berry. Blue stroked Raticate while watching the TV. His feelings toward this guy calling himself Sebastian were incredibly complex. After all, it was Team Rocket who had poisoned his Raticate, yet this very Team Rocket General, Sebastian, had given him the antidote to save its life. Because of this, Blue had no idea how he should face Sebastian now.
And under these circumstances, Blue finally saw the Masked Man's true face. Upon seeing Ash's face, Blue was completely dumbfounded. "That's... an older version of Red?!"
Equally stunned was Red, who had just been defeated by Giovanni. He looked at Ash's face in surprise, then ran over and asked, "Excuse me, Sebastian... are you my older brother?"
"...No. And if you don't mind, get out of here quickly. A war is about to start!"
With that, Ash looked at the Masked Man still riding Ho-Oh. The Masked Man looked at Ash's group, extended his hand, and demanded, "Hand over the Marsh Badge."
"Hmm? Marsh Badge? You mean this?"
Hearing that the Masked Man's objective was the Marsh Badge, Ash was a bit surprised. Although Sabrina had told him the Marsh Badge possessed special powers, he never expected it would draw someone this strong to steal it. However, no matter how strong the opponent was, Ash had no intention of handing it over. Because Ash had been thoroughly enraged by him.
"If you want the Marsh Badge, let's see if you have the skills to take it! Everyone, go!"
"Roar!"
"Pika! Pikachu!!!"
At Ash's command, Mega Absol and Mega Houndoom instantly blasted a dual Dark Pulse. Pikachu followed up directly with a Thunderbolt. The three beams of energy surged toward Ho-Oh.
The Masked Man simply commanded, "Sacred Fire."
"SCREECH!"
The golden flames appeared once more, causing a massive explosion the moment they collided with the three energy beams. When the shockwave hit, Blissey quickly stepped in front of everyone, deploying its strongest defense to withstand the impact.
The Masked Man looked at the resulting blast, shook his head, and said to Ash, "It's useless. Hand over the Marsh Badge."
"Oh? Is that what you think?"
Hearing Ash say this, the Masked Man sensed something was off. Right at that moment, an Aerodactyl carrying Arbok burst out of the smoke, heading straight for Ho-Oh. Mega Beedrill did the exact same.
Seeing the three Pokémon rocketing toward him, the Masked Man shook his head and said, "You still don't understand the gap in our combat power. Ho-Oh, use Sacred Fire."
"SCREECH!"
It had to be said, Ho-Oh was truly worthy of being a Legendary Pokémon. Even though it was much weaker in this world, a single move from it was still enough to force Ash's Pokémon to temporarily retreat. However, this time, Ash was already prepared.
"I'm the real main attacker, Meowth!"
With the sudden appearance of the talking Meowth, the Masked Man froze. And right in that moment of hesitation, Meowth used Fury Swipes, about to strike him. But bizarrely, the Masked Man suddenly shifted into the air.
"Huh? Boss, he's got a Gastly right underneath him!"
Hearing Meowth's words, Ash was surprised but didn't pay any more attention to the Masked Man. Instead, he stared at Ho-Oh and yelled, "Now! Arbok, go!"
Arbok slithered up rapidly. Just as Ho-Oh was about to attack, Meowth viciously slashed Ho-Oh's back. The sharp pain prevented Ho-Oh from launching Sacred Fire in time. Seizing the opening, Arbok sank its fangs viciously into Ho-Oh's body.
The moment he saw Ho-Oh get bitten, Ash knew: his absolute favorite strategy could now begin.
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