"Go, Charmeleon!"
Ash threw out his Pokémon.
"Roar!" Charmeleon roared as it entered the field, boosting its morale.
"Charmeleon?" White saw Ash release Charmeleon. "Are you sure it's a match for my Torterra?"
White raised an eyebrow. Although Charmeleon had a type advantage over Torterra, it wasn't yet at its final evolution. Aside from the type advantage, it was no match for the Venusaur from before.
"How will you know if you don't try?" Ash chuckled. Although he considered using other Pokémon, he thought about his existing ones. While he had two Legendary Pokémon, one was a Water/Fighting type and the other an Electric type, neither of which could deal much damage to Torterra. His other Pokémon were even less effective. Ash decided to use Charmeleon to fight Torterra in a battle.
"Torterra! Use Razor Leaf!" White didn't say much and went straight for the kill.
"Charmeleon! Use a flamethrower!" Ash quickly had Charmeleon engage.
Although Charmeleon was far below Torterra's level, Ash could still win due to type advantages. Torterra was much slower than Charmeleon, and Ash could slowly wear it down. However, White wasn't going to let Ash's plan succeed so easily.
"Torterra! Use Earthquake!" White commanded.
Torterra stomped its feet hard. The violent tremors nearly knocked Ash to the ground. Charmeleon was thrown to the ground by the impact.
"Torterra, use Rock Climb again!" White pressed her advantage.
"Torterra!" Torterra stomped the ground again, creating a small hill, half a meter wide and over ten meters high, that launched Charmeleon into the air, leaving it no way to dodge. Torterra then climbed the hill and used its body to slam Charmeleon away.
Charmeleon, in pain, was sent flying backward. The force of Torterra's impact was considerable. Charmeleon struggled to its feet; the attack had been devastating.
"Damn it." Ash saw his strategy of draining away Torterra's health was crushed by White's Torterra. He gained a new understanding of Torterra's mobility; at this rate, Ash was definitely going to lose.
"Charmeleon, use Flamethrower!" Ash shouted.
Charmeleon stood up and unleashed a massive fireball, about half a person's length, at Torterra.
"Torterra, use Razor Leaf!" White commanded. Torterra shook its back, sending out two sharp Razor Leaf that sliced a straight line through the fireball. The Flamethrower couldn't even scratch Torterra.
"Damn it!" Ash was incredibly annoyed that Torterra's Razor Leaf had so easily countered his Charmeleon's Flamethrower. Charmeleon was already quite strong, only one evolution away from its final form, but it wouldn't evolve. This left Ash feeling helpless. If Charmeleon evolved, Ash would have a chance to win, but if it didn't, his Charmeleon would likely be defeated.
"Charmeleon, use Ember!" Now, even if Ash wanted Charmeleon to evolve, it wouldn't obey. Ash wasn't powerful enough to force his Pokémon to evolve easily.
Charmeleon opened its mouth again, unleashing countless flames toward Torterra. This time, even if Torterra wanted to block, it couldn't. White didn't command Torterra to attack; it silently withstood the flames, the damage being only moderate. Ash didn't see a trace of pain on Torterra's face.
"Torterra, use Vine Whip!" White commanded after Charmeleon's flames subsided.
"Torterra!" Torterra pulled two thick vines from its body and lashed out at Charmeleon. Ash tried to get Charmeleon to dodge, but the vines were significantly faster than before, giving Charmeleon no chance to escape. Charmeleon was instantly knocked to the ground by Torterra's Vine Whip.
"You're no match for me. Give up," White said coldly.
"How do you know I'm no match for you before it's over?" Ash retorted stubbornly.
"Ugh..." Charmeleon was sent flying by the thick vines, but it managed to get back up through sheer willpower.
"Not bad that it can still stand up." White praised Charmeleon for its perseverance.
"Roar!" Charmeleon roared at Torterra, its body emitting a white glow.
"This is!" Ash and White's eyes widened at the change in Charmeleon. Neither of them expected it to evolve at this moment. White's face showed a hint of seriousness, while Ash was overjoyed. With Charmeleon evolving now, his chances of winning had greatly increased.
"It seems victory is still on my side." Ash smiled at White, a sense of responsibility creeping in.
"That's not necessarily true." White didn't show much emotion, but Ash could see the pressure on her.
"Then let's wait and see." Ash chuckled.