Amid the anticipation of countless spectators, the first quarterfinal match officially began!
As Ash and Gary took their places on opposite sides of the battlefield, a thunderous wave of cheers erupted from the stadium.
Whether it was Gary, the wealthy prodigy, or Ash, the dark horse from humble beginnings, both had plenty of supporters.
"Ash," Gary said, looking across the field, "who would've thought we'd finally make it this far?"
"That clueless idiot from back then is actually standing on the same stage as me now."
His thoughts drifted back to their childhood.
The two of them had competed over everything.
No matter what it was, they always had to determine who was better.
And yet, after all these years, neither had ever truly settled the score.
Hearing Gary's words, Ash rubbed his nose.
"Yeah."
"Even though you've always lost to me, you've still been a pretty good rival."
The moment he heard that, even Gary's normally calm temperament couldn't endure it.
"Who lost to you?!"
"You're the one who lost to me!"
Gary took a deep breath.
His eyes sharpened.
"Enough, Ash."
"Save your trash talk."
"We learned under the same master."
"I'm not falling for your provocation."
In the spectator stands, Misty and Brock stared in disbelief.
"Wait a second."
"That was Ash using psychological warfare?"
"Ash actually knows mind games now?!"
Misty was merely surprised.
Brock, however, was already clutching a handkerchief, tears streaming down his face.
"Waaah!"
"It hasn't been easy!"
"Ash actually knows psychological tactics now!"
"Is this really the Ash I know?!"
As the team's longtime caretaker and unofficial mother figure, Brock had looked after both Ash and all of his Pokémon for years.
Seeing this version of Ash felt strangely unfamiliar.
And yet incredibly gratifying.
"Enough talking."
"Go, Forretress!"
Unlike Ash, Gary had access to Professor Oak's resources.
His roster was significantly larger.
And this Forretress had been prepared specifically for this match.
Gary had put far more thought into this battle than Ash had.
To Ash's surprise, Gary had sent out a Pokémon he'd never seen before.
Fortunately, Ash's studying hadn't been for nothing.
He immediately recalled its information.
"Forretress."
"Bug and Steel-type."
"Its only weakness is Fire."
"It's commonly seen on Rain teams."
"If it's Forretress, then I should send out—"
For some reason, something felt off.
Ash's hand, which had been reaching for Charizard's Poké Ball, stopped midway.
After a brief hesitation, he chose Bulbasaur instead.
Seeing Bulbasaur emerge instead of Charizard, Gary felt slightly disappointed.
That meant his planned Self-Destruct strategy wouldn't work immediately.
Still, against Bulbasaur, Forretress could comfortably perform the role it excelled at.
First, a layer of Spikes.
Then Stealth Rock.
With those hazards in place, every Pokémon Ash sent out would immediately lose one-eighth of its health.
An enormous early advantage.
And all Gary had sacrificed was a small amount of Forretress's HP.
Seeing Forretress continue setting hazards, Ash immediately panicked.
He quickly recalled Bulbasaur and sent out the only Pokémon he had capable of removing them.
"Squirtle!"
"Use Rapid Spin!"
Squirtle retracted its limbs and head into its shell.
Its body began spinning at high speed.
Using its sturdy shell, it swept away all the hazards Forretress had painstakingly laid.
"Heh!"
"No way I'm just going to sit there and let you set hazards, Gary!"
Clearly, after acquiring proper competitive knowledge, Ash's battle skills had been improving exponentially.
Just as he was beginning to feel pleased with himself, Gary calmly revealed that he had anticipated this move all along.
"Forretress!"
"Giga Drain!"
Countless green streams of energy shot from Forretress and struck Squirtle immediately after it finished clearing the hazards.
Because of the type advantage, Squirtle suffered significant damage.
Meanwhile, every injury Forretress had received from Bulbasaur vanished instantly.
It returned to perfect condition.
Seeing this, Ash didn't hesitate.
"Good work, Squirtle!"
He recalled it immediately.
This time, he finally grabbed Charizard's Poké Ball.
"In the end, it's up to you!"
"Go, Charizard!"
The moment Charizard appeared, a look of ecstasy flashed through Gary's eyes.
But he suppressed it almost instantly and maintained a calm smile.
"Forretress."
"Self-Destruct."
The order was delivered without hesitation.
Ash's brain nearly froze.
"GARY!"
"YOU SET ME UP!"
The round Forretress suddenly erupted with brilliant white light.
A massive explosion blossomed into a mushroom cloud.
The commentator nearly screamed.
"My goodness!"
"Trainer Gary is incredibly decisive!"
"The instant Charizard entered the field, he ordered Self-Destruct!"
"Can Charizard possibly remain standing after such a devastating explosion?!"
As the smoke gradually cleared, Gary recalled his unconscious Forretress.
On the other side of the battlefield, all eyes focused on the aftermath.
Finally—
Charizard crawled out from a pile of scorched rubble.
Its upper body was blackened with soot.
Yet despite everything, it had not fainted.
Gary sighed regretfully.
"What a shame."
"It must've used Protect at the last moment."
"Otherwise, Charizard definitely wouldn't have survived."
Back in Pallet Town, Professor Oak watched the battle on television with great interest.
"One relies on meticulous planning and step-by-step strategy."
"The other adapts on the fly and counters whatever appears."
"I really can't tell who's going to win."
Back at Indigo Plateau, the commentator suddenly received a report from production staff.
After reading it, his eyes widened dramatically.
"Ladies and gentlemen!"
"I've just received new information!"
"It turns out that Ash, Gary, and Shinji—the three competitors who reached the Top 8—are all disciples of Gym Leader Red from Mossweed Gym!"
"So today's match isn't just a showdown between two boys from the same hometown!"
"It's also a battle between fellow disciples from the same master!"
"No wonder Ash and Gary understand each other so well!"
"It looks like today's battle may exceed all expectations!"
"Charizard!"
"Use Roost and recover your health!"
As feathers began gathering around Charizard to restore its stamina, Gary immediately sent out another Pokémon.
"Go, Umbreon!"
"Use Quick Attack and interrupt its recovery!"
Before Charizard could heal much at all, Umbreon slammed into it.
The impact nearly knocked Charizard out on the spot.
Ash immediately realized he couldn't afford to get greedy.
"Come back, Charizard!"
"Go, Pikachu!"
The moment Pikachu appeared, Gary instantly withdrew Umbreon.
Then he revealed another Poké Ball.
"Go, Raichu!"
Because Gary specialized in Rain teams, he'd consulted Red extensively.
In the end, he had decisively chosen Raichu as his Electric-type special attacker.
This Raichu also possessed the Lightning Rod ability, making it particularly effective against opposing Electric-types—one of Rain teams' greatest threats.
Lightning Rod:
Electric-type attacks deal no damage and instead raise the user's Special Attack.
"Raichu!"
"Use Earthquake on Pikachu!"
Watching the familiar matchup of Raichu versus Pikachu unfold once again, Red—currently looking slightly disheveled, as though he'd just escaped a storm—couldn't help sighing.
"Gary..."
"How many times have I told you?"
"Raichu is an excellent Pokémon."
"But Ash's Pikachu..."
"It's basically a Raichu exterminator."
Despite looking like a refugee after what he'd just gone through, Red couldn't suppress the smile on his face.
Because the results had far exceeded his expectations.
Not only had Marshtomp evolved into the Swampert he'd always dreamed of—
But it had also gained something extraordinary from that trace of Walking Wake's blood.
Something far more valuable than he had ever anticipated.
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