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"No, is he...?"
Seeing Ash choose Gengar to fight Drapion, Platinum was directly stunned.
Drapion's type is Poison + Dark, while Gengar's type is Ghost + Poison. This isn't right.
Because neither Ghost nor Poison is very effective against Drapion. Simply put, Ash chose a battle where he was at a disadvantage from the start.
Although Gengar can indeed be immune to Toxic Spikes on the field, fighting like this would be too difficult.
Moreover, while Toxic Spikes are indeed annoying, one could choose to clear them.
For example, clear-out moves like Rapid Spin and Defog. Could it be that Ash doesn't have any Pokémon that know these moves? That shouldn't be the case.
Even if he doesn't have a hazard remover, there should still be better options, but using Gengar is really not the optimal choice.
So Platinum was very surprised.
"..."
Hearing Platinum's startled and confused voice, Misty and Brock's expressions were a bit awkward.
How to put it, Ash's choice was indeed unexpected, but for them, who had been traveling with Ash, it was nothing out of the ordinary.
"When it comes to unpredictability, Ash really has it down pat."
Mammon was not surprised and said with a smile, this was indeed something Ash would do.
And Ash's team has indeed changed a lot.
Mammon looked at that Gengar, plus Dragonite. If he also captured that Lucario, this team would truly be very different.
"You're using Gengar? Have you lost your mind?"
Paul also came to his senses and couldn't help but frown as he looked at the Gengar opposite him.
There's a saying that goes, a Trainer who can't win a type-disadvantaged battle isn't a qualified Trainer.
But that's when you're targeted as a counter, what normal person would actively choose such a disadvantaged matchup?
"What are you talking about? I'll defeat you!"
Ash, however, was very displeased. What did he mean by 'Have you lost your mind?'
How can this guy be so irritating when he talks, you idiot!
"..."
Paul was speechless. He felt that Ash might have some mental issues.
But it didn't matter, it would just be considered special training.
However, the subsequent battle was very unexpected. Gengar is a fast special attacker, and Drapion had already taken a lot of damage from Dragonite earlier.
Although Drapion used Iron Defense to raise its physical defense, Gengar doesn't rely on physical attacks for damage, so the defense boost was useless.
And Ash's Gengar was truly exceptionally agile, but under Paul's steady battle rhythm, Gengar was still hit by a pincer-tailed Knock Off from Drapion.
But precisely because of this, Ash became even more cautious.
Both sides fought fiercely, and finally, with a Dazzling Gleam from Gengar, Drapion fell heavily to the ground.
"Drapion is unable to battle. Gengar wins." Platinum announced the battle result.
"Yay! We defeated Drapion!"
Ash cheered happily, and Gengar also stood with its hands on its hips, looking up adorably and very proud.
Seeing Ash turn the tide, Misty and Brock both breathed a sigh of relief.
"Come back."
Paul recalled Drapion, his brows tightly furrowed. He didn't blame Drapion.
He knew in his heart that Drapion had performed very well, and it wasn't even at full health when it fought Gengar.
The key is...
"Could it also dodge that Sucker Punch?" Paul felt it was incredibly unbelievable.
Mid-battle, Drapion's Knock Off hit Gengar once, causing significant damage.
And Paul, of course, wouldn't miss this opportunity. He immediately had Drapion use Sucker Punch in a seamless follow-up.
Logically speaking, Gengar, having just been hit by Knock Off, should have been very difficult to dodge the follow-up, especially such a quick one.
But with Ash loudly shouting 'Dodge it!', that Gengar actually managed to roll to the side just in time, narrowly avoiding Sucker Punch.
This... isn't right!
If that Sucker Punch had hit, Paul had already envisioned it: he would have Drapion follow up with an Earthquake, and Gengar definitely wouldn't have been able to withstand it.
After all, Gengar's defense isn't high; it's inherently a squishy Pokémon.
However, thinking about this during battle was useless. Paul collected his emotions and took out his second Poké Ball.
"Hmph~! See? I won't lose to a guy like you."
With the situation tied again, Ash immediately began to retort.
"Is that so? We'll see."
Paul's calm words left Ash completely unsatisfied.
Tch! This guy!
"Honchkrow! Prepare for battle!"
Paul threw out his second Poké Ball.
Honchkrow cawed and spread its wings, appearing in the air in front of Paul.
"Honchkrow, huh."
Ash looked at this Honchkrow and, after some thought, still recalled Gengar.
A Dark + Flying Honchkrow, Gengar was really not a good matchup.
"Pikachu can counter Honchkrow, but..."
Ash pondered. An Electric-type Pikachu should have no problem defeating this Honchkrow.
Ash had great faith in his electric mouse.
But the key was that there were Toxic Spikes on the field now. Once Pikachu entered the battle, it would take damage from the Toxic Spikes.
He still had to deal with the Toxic Spikes first.
Ash understood the hidden danger of Toxic Spikes. From this point alone, Ash's overall battle awareness was actually far superior to his anime counterpart.
In the anime, even during the Lily of the Valley Conference in the Sinnoh region, Ash initially fought by enduring the Toxic Spikes, only realizing he needed to deal with them after taking too much damage.
As the battle continued, Ash sent out Squirtle to clear the Toxic Spikes with Rapid Spin, but Paul seized the opportunity to relentlessly pursue him.
Paul's ability to seize opportunities was excellent.
Honchkrow defeated Squirtle and maintained a very good condition.
Ash immediately sent out Pikachu, and Pikachu defeated Honchkrow with a small price.
The situation was tied again.
Paul's third Pokémon was the Ultra Beast Buzzwole. Ash had Pikachu do a simple test.
Pikachu charged up Thunderbolt.
But Paul directly had Buzzwole counter with Earthquake. Ash, not wanting to trade damage, had Pikachu jump to dodge, but then Buzzwole's Bug-type Lunge almost directly slammed the electric mouse into the ground.
Ash recalled Pikachu and sent out Gengar.
However, Gengar was also no match for Buzzwole, and instead gave Buzzwole an Ultra Boost.
Then Ash sent out Charizard, and Paul, seeing this, decisively switched out Buzzwole.
After all, Buzzwole is 2x weak to Fire and 4x weak to Flying. How could it fight Charizard?
Paul didn't think fighting with a type disadvantage was reasonable. He sent out his fourth Pokémon, Electivire.
And Ash did not choose to switch out Charizard.
Ash's Charizard was very strong, especially under Ash's encouragement, its will was extremely tenacious.
However, after an intense battle, it ultimately lost to Electivire.
Then Ash's last Pokémon was Snorlax. Paul switched back to Buzzwole, and Buzzwole defeated Snorlax, triggering its Beast Boost ability.
Ash now only had his last Pikachu left.
"This guy..."
Misty was already sweating profusely.
In her opinion, Ash's Trainer talent was actually extremely exaggerated, but she didn't expect this Trainer from Sinnoh to be able to suppress Ash from beginning to end.
"His tactics and Ideas are too clear; he's like a robot." Brock praised Paul from the bottom of his heart.
In Brock's opinion, Paul had fought until now with almost no command errors.
Moreover, his tactical design and battle strategy were perfect, avoiding disadvantageous battles, and his Pokémon matchups were basically all advantageous.
And Ash was purely suppressed in this battle.
"Ash is going to lose."
After his admiration, Brock sighed helplessly.
Ash only had one Pikachu left, while Paul had only lost two Pokémon, Drapion and Honchkrow. Although Electivire was heavily damaged by Charizard,
But it had already been switched out.
Could Pikachu really sweep four Pokémon?
Misty was silent.
As Ash's most trusted ace Pokémon, Pikachu once again entered the battle against Buzzwole.
This time, Ash was even more cautious and serious than ever before, utilizing Pikachu's excellent mobility to battle Buzzwole.
Finally, as Pikachu's explosive Thunder hit Buzzwole, Buzzwole's Arm Hammer also directly smashed onto Pikachu's forehead.
"Buzzwole and Pikachu are both unable to battle. Ash has lost all six of his Pokémon. Paul wins the battle." Platinum entered the field, observed, and then raised her arm to announce the battle result.
Hearing this announcement, Ash froze in place, clenching his fists tightly, looking at the unconscious Pikachu.
He actually lost...
"Still a bit immature. Is it because his growth has been too smooth?"
Mammon stroked his chin, pondering. In his opinion, Ash's strength was absolutely fine.
But clearly, Ash's battle experience was far too lacking compared to Paul, which directly led to Ash being completely overwhelmed.
In terms of strength, Ash's team was not at all weaker than Paul's team; it should even be stronger.
But the battle result was so disparate.
It was clear that because of his exceptional Trainer talent, Ash's battle experience hadn't grown much while challenging Gyms along the way.
Although there were many 'ingenious ideas' during battles, and his Pokémon also tried their best to respond to Ash, it was still not enough.
In contrast, Paul was already a master of special training, and after joining Team Rockets, he became even more diligent. He also frequently sparred with Platinum, Gladion, and others in special training battles.
Paul's strength and battle experience grew rapidly.
However, this problem wasn't too big; it could be remedied.
"..."
Paul glanced at Ash, recalled Buzzwole, and fell into thought as he looked at the Buzzwole's Poké Ball in his hand.
He had won the battle, which was not unexpected. From the moment Drapion defeated Dragonite, Paul had already determined that he couldn't lose this full-team battle.
Because if it were him, a Dragonite of that strength could never be defeated by Drapion. This could only mean that the opposing Trainer's command had issues.
But the key was that many 'special' situations during this battle confused Paul.
For example, attacks that he thought were sure hits would be dodged by the opponent, or the opponent's Pokémon, which he judged should have already fainted, would still be standing.
A typical example was that electric mouse. With Pikachu's defense and HP, it should have been knocked out by Buzzwole, whose attack was boosted by Beast Boost.
But it was very wrong.
Paul recalled that Pikachu took a Dark Pulse when battling Honchkrow, and a Lunge during its first encounter with Buzzwole.
During its second battle with Buzzwole, it took two Brick Breaks from Buzzwole, a glancing Lunge, and a glancing Rock Slide, and finally withstood an Arm Hammer before falling.
This was completely unscientific!
Logically speaking, that second Brick Break should have defeated Pikachu, but then Pikachu kept fighting while panting heavily, and finally even took down Buzzwole.
Especially the power of that Thunder, it even made Paul lose his composure.
How on earth did this guy train such a Pikachu?
Is this Pikachu legitimate?
Paul, a master of special training, frowned deeply. He strongly suspected that Ash had subjected Pikachu to abusive endurance training!
Otherwise, there was no way to explain why this electric mouse was so durable.
It couldn't possibly be because Ash kept ridiculously shouting things like 'Hang in there, Pikachu!' and 'Get up, Pikachu!' during the battle, could it?
This person is a bit off, and his Pokémon are a bit off too.