*Note: Guys, if you want to read the Pokémon League before anybody... suscribe to my Patreon or buy the chapter! Link at the end of the chapter as always.
...
I'll be honest, I'm almost done. There's only one battle left… but damn, what a battle. It's incredibly complicated, and just deciding the team, the strategies, and everything else has already taken me about two full days… and I haven't even started writing it yet.
That said, tomorrow I'll finally begin working on the last battle of the Pokémon League.
I really hope you stick with me through all of this, because without a doubt, this is the best and most detailed arc I've ever made in this fic—and honestly, one of the best out of everything I've written so far.
I seriously recommend you don't miss it, because… wow. Even I get excited just thinking about it. It's a shame that, as the author, I already know how everything will play out. Otherwise, I'd be enjoying it like a kid.
And don't think everything ends after the Pokémon League. After that, there will be some very interesting transition chapters, along with a plot twist that I'm pretty sure none of you are expecting.
And if that wasn't enough, I already have the next region Ash will travel to planned out, and even some chapters are already in the works.
Seriously, there are some really, really exciting things coming… so I hope you'll stick with me through all of it.
...
Both Pokémon stared at each other with fierce determination. Charizard, frowning, locked eyes with Pikachu, who returned the gaze without backing down in the slightest.
"Let's begin! Charizard, use Flamethrower!" Blaine shouted.
"Char!" Charizard roared.
A massive torrent of fire burst from its mouth, rushing straight toward Pikachu.
"Use Quick Attack and dodge it!" I shouted.
In the games, it's a pretty weak move, but in real life, it's absolutely essential if you want to dodge almost anything.
"Pika!" Pikachu cried.
A flash of white light surrounded her as she moved at incredible speed, slipping past the flames and reappearing right behind Charizard.
"Use Iron Tail and take it down!" I ordered.
Pikachu's tail hardened, turning metallic, and struck toward Charizard's body.
"Charizard, use Slash!" Blaine countered.
Charizard's claws lit up as they collided with Pikachu's Iron Tail, the impact forcing both of them to step back.
This Charizard definitely wasn't weak.
"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" I called out.
Pikachu rubbed her cheeks and released a powerful Thunderbolt.
"Flamethrower!" Blaine responded.
The lightning and flames collided, exploding on impact. This time, the shockwave pushed both Pokémon back, leaving them slightly injured.
"Not bad. Looks like I made the right call not underestimating you this time," Blaine said.
He was genuinely surprised. That Pikachu… was actually matching his powerful, highly experienced Charizard blow for blow. It was incredible just how much power a well-trained Pikachu could unleash.
"That's not all! Pikachu, use Iron Tail on the ground!" I shouted.
Now that Charizard wasn't flying but standing on the ground, this was the perfect moment to use one of Ash's most iconic strategies.
"Pika pi!" Pikachu nodded.
Blaine tensed up, watching carefully, but when Pikachu slammed her tail into the ground, confusion crossed his face.
What the hell is he doing?
"Pikachu, use Quick Attack!" I ordered.
Pikachu activated Quick Attack, and because her tail was still embedded in the ground, the high-speed movement created intense vibrations that spread through the battlefield.
"W-What kind of ridiculous strategy is that?! Charizard, take to the air!" Blaine shouted.
At first glance, it seemed easy to counter. After all, Charizard was a flying Pokémon.
But—
"Char!" Charizard roared.
It tried to flap its wings and lift off, but the vibrations destabilized its footing. It stumbled… and fell.
"Now, use Thunderbolt!" I shouted.
Pikachu pulled her tail out of the ground and immediately launched another Thunderbolt.
"Dodge it, Charizard!" Blaine commanded.
Charizard tried, but its heavy body made it too slow to recover in time. The Thunderbolt struck directly, injuring it badly.
"Are you alright, Charizard?" Blaine asked.
"Char!" Charizard nodded.
But it was clear the attack had hurt.
Looks like the strategy worked. Pikachu's Thunderbolt landed cleanly, dealing significant damage. Using the original Ash's strategies isn't a bad idea sometimes. They may not work twice against the same opponent, but the first time? They almost always do, and that alone can give you a small advantage… and who knows? Maybe even victory. It all depends on when and how you use it.
"Alright. Since long-range attacks aren't working, we'll switch to close combat. Charizard, take to the sky and use Flare Blitz!" Blaine ordered.
To avoid being hit again, Charizard soared into the air and quickly enveloped itself in a blazing aura of fire.
Now, here's the problem. Flare Blitz works differently from Pikachu's Volt Tackle. While Volt Tackle requires momentum, Flare Blitz can be activated instantly. That makes it much harder to counter. A Quick Attack won't save us this time… which means I only have one option left.
One of Ash's most iconic strategies.
Let's see if it works.
"Pikachu, let's use that! Thunderbolt!" I shouted.
Pikachu immediately understood. She dropped to the ground and began spinning rapidly like a top.
"What the hell?" Blaine muttered, confused.
At that moment, Pikachu unleashed Thunderbolt. Because of her rotation speed, the electricity spread wildly across the battlefield, creating a storm of lightning bolts that struck everything in range.
"Not bad… but it won't work! Go, Charizard!" Blaine shouted.
Charizard charged forward at full speed, completely enveloped in flames, pushing through the lightning strikes. The attacks were hurting it—but not enough to stop it.
Celeste and Roxanne were shocked.
What is he trying to do? That's not working at all.
But Ash's mind worked differently. His deep knowledge, battle instincts, adaptability, and ability to create absurd yet effective strategies set him apart from most trainers.
Seeing that the lightning wasn't stopping Charizard, I simply smiled.
Why?
Because that wasn't my real plan.
It was just a distraction.
I wanted Blaine to relax, to believe the attack would land no matter what.
But—
That wasn't the case.
"Pikachu, use Iron Tail!" I shouted.
Still spinning, Pikachu stopped using Thunderbolt and her tail turned metallic again.
"What?" Blaine said.
He tried to react, but it was too late.
Both attacks collided.
What should have been an even clash ended instantly.
The inertia Pikachu had built up from spinning gave her attack far greater force than Charizard's straightforward Flare Blitz. If both had used similar setups, the clash might have been even—but this wasn't the case.
Pikachu's Iron Tail sent Charizard flying, crashing violently into the wall.
"Charizard!" Blaine shouted in shock.
What just happened?
He couldn't understand it.
"Char…" Charizard groaned.
It tried to stand, to return to battle—but suddenly collapsed, completely unable to continue. The previous Thunderbolt, the accumulated damage from the scattered lightning, and the final Iron Tail, combined with Pikachu holding a Light Ball… it was too much.
Charizard couldn't keep going.
Its performance had been impressive—but it had faced a genius like Ash, one who also had a system that allowed Pokémon to hold items just like in the games.
"Charizard is unable to battle! Pikachu wins! And since all three of the Gym Leader's Pokémon have been defeated… the winner is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town!" the referee घोषित.
The battlefield erupted in celebration, just like the previous six times. Cheers, congratulations, and praise filled the air.
{Note: The reactions are always the same when Ash wins a badge. Why bore you with repetitive details? Better to summarize and move on to what matters.}
"Congratulations, Ash. That was an incredible battle. It's been years since I enjoyed a fight this much," Blaine said as he handed me my badge.
"Thank you very much," I replied.
{Note: Ash can be seen celebrating with his three Pokémon after winning the badge.}
"Once again, congratulations on earning your seventh badge. However, I must warn you—it would be best if you hurry to obtain your final badge," Blaine added.
"Why the rush? There are still two months before the Pokémon League begins," Celeste said.
"Young lady, in one month your… friend—or whatever he is—must register his eight badges to qualify. And two months, while it may not seem like it, is very little time. Many trainers will participate. Some inexperienced, yes—but others highly skilled. My advice? Train hard. Develop new strategies. Prepare countermeasures. Of course, this is just advice from an experienced Gym Leader. The final decision is yours," Blaine explained.
"I agree with him. We shouldn't waste any more time. We should rest today and head to Viridian City tomorrow. You won't have much time to prepare… but I think it's the right call," Roxanne said.
"Alright. We'll rest for the rest of the day and head to the Gym tomorrow," I nodded.
They were right. With only two months left—and one to register—I needed to get the final badge as soon as possible.
Once I had all eight, I'd return to Pallet Town and train. Refine strategies, create new ones, develop countermeasures… and strengthen my Pokémon even further.
After saying goodbye to Blaine, we headed to the Pokémon Center.
"By the way… shouldn't you call your grandmother and tell her we're heading there tomorrow?" I asked.
To reach Viridian City from here, we'd take a ship to Fuchsia City and then a taxi. Unlike the games, where everything is linear, real life allowed freedom of movement. Roads existed for a reason.
{Note: It wouldn't make sense for roads not to exist. Even in the Pokémon world, goods need to be transported.}
"Right, I'll call her!" Celeste nodded.
"I should call my mom too… and let everyone know I'll be there soon," I said.
We entered the Pokémon Center, planning to eat and relax, but suddenly Nurse Joy approached us.
"Excuse me… are you Ash?" she asked.
"Yes. Is something wrong?" I replied.
I had never seen this Nurse Joy before. How did she know me?
"A tall elderly man came by earlier and asked me to give this to you. He described you in great detail," she said.
She pulled out a bracelet with a colorful stone embedded in it. Next to it was another stone—multicolored, with a symbol anyone would recognize.
"That's… a Mega Stone, a Mega Bracelet… and even a Key Stone!" Roxanne exclaimed.
"That's right. He also said something strange about the Mega Stone," Nurse Joy added.
"What did he say?" I asked.
"He said that if you're worthy, and your bond is strong enough… Floette will be able to Mega Evolve. But that's impossible. Floette is a pre-evolution. And Florges doesn't even have a known Mega Evolution," Nurse Joy explained.
Right in front of me was my direct path to Mega Evolution and a unique Mega Stone in the entire world.