The Ground Type and Grass Type moves of Torterra don't really deal any damage to Venusaur, so if Drapion is sent out now, it should have a good matchup against Venusaur.
But then again, if it's Ash, he wouldn't recall Torterra just because it's at a disadvantage. No matter how unfavorable the situation, if his Pokemon wants to battle, Ash will fight to the end.
Logically speaking, this choice isn't great, but that's exactly what Ash would do, and that's what makes him different from the average Trainer.
In that sense, Paul and Ash are like two sides of the same coin—one is extremely emotional, and the other is extremely rational.
After sending out Drapion, contrary to Paul's expectations, Frenzy Plant's effect hadn't dissipated. Although the time he took to recall and release his Pokemon wasn't long, it should have been enough for Frenzy Plant to start fading.
But now, Frenzy Plant was still full of vitality, showing no signs of disappearing.
As soon as Drapion appeared, Frenzy Plant seemed to come to life, quickly closing in on Drapion.
"Pin Missile!" Paul's expression tensed as he commanded Drapion to use Pin Missile in response.
Drapion curled its body slightly, and its tail shot out five emerald-green sharp arrows. Pin Missile can fire up to five consecutive shots. For ordinary Pokemon, hitting all five depends purely on luck, but for professionally trained Pokemon, they can consistently launch all five. Drapion is one of those.
Five sharp Pin Missiles imbued with Bug Type power blasted towards the approaching thorns. With each explosion sound, thick smoke rose on the field.
The next second, several thorns burst out from the smoke, lashing heavily onto Drapion!
"Bang! Bang! Bang!!" Even with the effect being weak, Drapion's face displayed a look of pain.
Paul's expression darkened. This Venusaur was much more peculiar than he imagined. Not only did Frenzy Plant linger on the field longer, but its power was also frighteningly strong.
Pin Missile is a Bug Type move, naturally suppressing Grass Type moves. Yet, the five consecutive Pin Missiles merely slowed Frenzy Plant down, not even enough to pause it, as Frenzy Plant directly pierced through and struck Drapion.
This situation only highlights the significant strength gap between the two sides.
After hitting Drapion, Frenzy Plant's energy was finally exhausted, falling limp. As for Venusaur, despite hitting its opponent, it seemed not very pleased.
It wanted to face off against the Grass Type Torterra!
Now they sent in a scorpion, what's that about? What happened to the dignity of a Grass Type duel? Torterra, where's your pride!!
Ash saw Venusaur's protest and let out a helpless smile: "Take a break for now, Venusaur. You'll have a chance to settle the score next time."
According to Paul's style, when facing Venusaur, unless all his Pokemon lose their ability to fight, he likely won't send Torterra out again.
After all, Torterra's disadvantage against Venusaur is just too extreme, so Ash decided to recall Venusaur and give the other Pokemon space to come out.
"It's decided, Charizard, you're up!" Facing Drapion, Ash's choice was to send in Charizard!
Between the two, there's no type advantage or disadvantage; it's purely a test of strength!
"Charizard, huh? Drapion, use Toxic Spikes."
"Stop it, Flamethrower!!" Toxic Spikes, like Stealth Rock, is an outright annoying move. Once on the field, they can poison a Pokemon upon entry, and even Flying Type Pokemon will be affected if brought down to the ground.
Poison not only continuously depletes a Pokemon's physical strength, but also impedes their actions. If the poison attacks while using a move, there's a chance the move could fail.
So no matter what, Ash wouldn't let the opponent set up Toxic Spikes.
Fierce flames gathered in Charizard's throat, and in the next second, scarlet flames illuminated the entire field!
Drapion's tail stinger just rose when it felt like a massive sun was falling from the sky!
That's right, Charizard's Flamethrower was like the sun, one might even mistake it for Blast Burn!
Paul was taken aback, then sharply looked toward the field's upper side, where a dazzling energy sun hung. It was precisely that energy sun giving Charizard's flames such an overwhelming boost!
"So that's what you've been setting up for Charizard's entrance, huh? Drapion, Protect!" At the speed of Flamethrower, there wasn't even time to set up Toxic Spikes before Drapion would be obliterated by the flames.
This fire-type's ATK is just too strong. With Sunny Day's support, even if Drapion had nine lives, it wouldn't hold out.
Hearing the command, Drapion immediately canceled Toxic Spikes and erected a verdant barrier in front of itself instead.
"Boom!!" An unparalleled explosion resounded on the field. A dense black smoke obscured everyone's vision. The surrounding audience wished they could embed their eyes into the field to see what's happening.
A moment later, a figure shot out from the black smoke like an arrow leaving the string, crashing heavily into the barrier.
All eyes turned towards the figure, revealing it to be Drapion!
Despite using Protect, Drapion still suffered significant damage, what's going on?
"Charizard, Fire Punch!" The Charizard, basking under the overhead sun, flapped its wings, its entire body descending like a fiery meteor, with its clenched claws ablaze in a vivid crimson flame!
"Boom!!" The Fire Punch landed squarely on the immobilized Drapion, brilliant flames surged upwards, engulfing Drapion entirely.
Drapion let out a long, agonizing wail, and moments later, its body, made rigid by the flames, collapsed weakly, as Charizard withdrew its fist.
"Drapion is unable to continue fighting; Charizard wins!" Another almost instantaneous knockout. If Froslass was due to its frailty and a two-level gap with Venusaur making it easy prey, what about Drapion?
With only a one-level difference from Charizard, and being notoriously durable, Drapion still fell to two moves even after using Protect. Is that Charizard really just at Gym Peak level?
Even an Elite Level Pokemon wouldn't swiftly dispatch Drapion like that, even with Sunny Day's boost.
Paul quietly recalled Drapion. By now, he had three Pokemon unable to fight, whereas Ash had only one contender, Infernape, considered unfit for battle.
Under normal circumstances, even with three Pokemon down in a full six-on-six, Paul wouldn't be fazed, as their sacrifice would undoubtedly have been worthwhile.
But now, with three Pokemon unable to fight, he hadn't gained any valuable insight.
The opponent merely lost their weakest, Infernape, without revealing much about the rest of Ash's lineup, which, other than Infernape, were indecipherably strong.
Before battling Ash, Paul never believed anyone his age could push him this far, not even Ash.
Yet, facing Ash, he realized what a true genius was.
Victory seemed increasingly distant for him in this battle. In a typical match, he'd no longer continue if winning seemed impossible, as battling without victory held no meaning. But this was the Quartz Conference finals; forfeiting was not an option.
"Aggron, prepare for battle!"