In the air, Crobat's Air Slash stormed down like a blizzard of razor feathers, only to shatter instantly under Bulbasaur's sweeping Vine Whip.
For a fleeting moment, the sky itself seemed to glitter.
Fragments of white energy rained down like snow, giving the battlefield a surreal beauty, almost like a Contest Spectacular rather than a Gym battle.
Koga, who had been bursting with confidence, his victory speech practically ready, felt his arms fall limply to his sides.
His hands trembled. His eyes widened. His mouth hung slightly open.
Every part of his body expressed one simple word: shock.
'What… what even was that Bulbasaur?'
Did it really just block Air Slash, with Vine Whip?
No. Not just block it, destroy it.
A Grass-type move completely obliterated a Flying-type attack. How could that be possible?
And not even a strong Grass move like Solar Beam or Petal Dance!
It was Vine Whip, the most basic, low-power move in the entire Grass arsenal!
Everyone knew Vine Whip's strength wasn't in its power, but in control and restraint.
A Trainer relying on it for offense was practically asking to lose.
But Ash had just proven the impossible:
"Vine Whip's damage isn't high? That depends on who's using it."
His Bulbasaur's Vine Whip didn't just hurt, it overpowered.
"I'm not seeing things, am I…?" Misty murmured under her breath.
If she hadn't been holding Pikachu, she probably would've rubbed her eyes raw trying to confirm what she'd just seen.
This was Bulbasaur?! Since when could Bulbasaur do that?
Using Vine Whip to crush a Champion-level Pokémon's Air Slash?
Misty's sharp eyes could estimate levels just from how moves were executed.
And judging from Crobat's Air Slash, its strength was unmistakable, it wasn't just strong, it was at Champion Peak!
Which meant Koga had been holding back his trump card all along. That Crobat was the one he'd reserved for fighting Elite Four members, yet here it was, used against a fifteen-year-old Rookie.
And still… the situation didn't look good for Koga.
The fact that Air Slash had been shattered by Vine Whip could only mean one thing: the gap in power between the two sides was massive.
Under normal conditions, not even ten Vine Whips could have stopped Air Slash head-on.
Flying-type moves naturally countered Grass-types, especially a cutting move like Air Slash, which should've sliced through vines like butter.
But now? Everything was reversed.
Bulbasaur's attack hadn't just matched Crobat's, it had overpowered it.
Misty's thoughts ran wild. When did Bulbasaur become this strong?
She and Brock had been with Ash the whole time, there was no way he'd secretly trained Bulbasaur to this level without anyone noticing.
This was beyond training.
It was practically cheating.
Brock, standing beside her, was even more stunned.
For the first time in forever, his eyes, usually half-closed, were open wide.
He wanted to see clearly what was happening out there on the field.
But even with his eyes fully open, he couldn't make sense of it.
It felt like Bulbasaur was wrapped in fog, its true power unreadable.
Brock didn't have Ash's Aura Sight or Insight Eye.
Opening his eyes was more symbolic than anything, an expression of his shock.
Still, no amount of observation could explain what he was seeing.
If this was Ash's Aura boost again, it didn't make sense either.
Charizard and Pikachu had both been far stronger than Bulbasaur, yet even they had struggled against their opponents.
How could Bulbasaur, of all Pokémon, be achieving such domination?
Did Bulbasaur take some kind of miracle drug? And what kind of drug could make a non-Elite Pokémon hit like a Champion?!
On the field, Koga took two deep breaths, forcing himself to calm his racing heart.
This battle was testing his limits far more than the previous two combined.
In general, a Pokémon's strength corresponded closely to its level, but exceptions existed.
Some Pokémon were born with higher potential caps and could display strength above their tier.
He'd seen cases where a Peak Intermediate Pokémon had the stats of an Elite, or an Elite Peak matched a low-tier Professional.
But this…
This Bulbasaur had shattered everything he thought he knew.
A High-Intermediate Pokémon showing power equal to, or greater than, a Champion Peak Crobat?
That wasn't just unusual. It was impossible.
Koga almost laughed out loud.
It was so absurd that even as a joke, it wouldn't be funny. Anyone who said something like that in public would be labeled an idiot or a lunatic.
And yet… here it was, right in front of him.
For a brief moment, Koga wondered if he'd fallen under Psychic hypnosis, if all of this was just an illusion.
Because if it wasn't… then what kind of monster had Ash created?
"Aren't you going to attack?"
Ash's calm voice pulled him back to reality.
He stood there with a faint, knowing smile, lifting his hand slightly, beckoning him forward.
Koga's face stiffened.
After a moment's silence, his eyes hardened, his composure returning bit by bit.
"No matter what trick you've used to raise that Bulbasaur's strength, I know one thing, it can't last forever.
There's a limit to every boost. And I will not lose this battle!"
Ash tilted his head slightly, that same faint smile still on his lips.
"Is that so? Funny… you don't sound very confident."
Koga frowned, his thoughts a tangled mess.
'What's going on? Why does Ash suddenly feel like a different person?'
Before, it was just his Aura that felt off, but now, even his voice carried a different weight.
And something else bothered him, Ash had always called him Mr. Koga. But now, that formality had vanished. Why?
He shook his head sharply, forcing his thoughts back into order. His expression hardened.
"Confidence isn't just talk," Koga said coldly. "Crobat, Agility!"
Unlike the previous two Pokémon, Crobat's greatest weapon wasn't brute strength, it was speed. And when it came to speed, Crobat stood among the very best in the entire Pokémon world.
"Ku...luu!"
Crobat blurred, vanishing into a streak of violet light as its wings beat furiously. Its body flickered through the air so fast that, to ordinary eyes, it seemed to split into a dozen afterimages.
In mere seconds, the field was filled with ghostly silhouettes, more than a dozen Crobats dancing through the air. To a casual observer, it looked like a Double Team, even though it was a single Agility move.
Koga's Crobat was exceptional, even among its own kind. Its speed had earned him countless victories and was the foundation of his confidence in challenging even Champion-tier opponents.
If he'd sent out Crobat earlier, he thought grimly, Ash's Charizard and Pikachu, no matter how good their reflexes, would never have kept up.
No matter how fast you can react, it's meaningless if you can't move fast enough.
Champion Ash tilted his head slightly, watching the blurred figures in the sky. His expression was calm, his voice even.
"Bulbasaur, you're incredibly agile right now. But after you evolve, you'll be heavier. Your top speed may increase, but your agility will definitely drop.
So for now, try to get a feel for that fighting style, how Venusaur moves, how it fights.
Whether you evolve or not later, you'll need this experience."
Bulbasaur gave a determined nod. His four legs, which had been tensed as if to dodge, stayed firmly rooted to the ground instead.
"Alright then. Start with Grassy Terrain."
"Bulba...saur!"
Bulbasaur stomped his front legs down.
Instantly, a wave of green light spread across the battlefield. In less than a second, the entire field shimmered with living grass, vibrant energy pulsing through it.
Koga's brows rose slightly. The execution speed, astonishing.
"Crobat, Air Slash!"
The order came the moment Koga recovered from his surprise.
Crobat, still darting through the sky at high speed, didn't slow down. Its four wings cut through the air, sending a blizzard of white energy blades raining down from all directions.
There was no room to dodge, no escape.
Even sweeping them away with Vine Whip this time would be impossible. The sheer volume was overwhelming.
Ash didn't flinch.
"Don't bother avoiding it," he said calmly. "Use Ingrain."
Ingrain?
Koga's eyes narrowed. That was a defensive move that sacrificed mobility, and against an aerial storm like this, it was practically suicide.
But Bulbasaur didn't hesitate.
Thick vines burst from his body, driving deep into the ground. The glow of the Grassy Terrain intensified as energy surged up through the vines, pouring into his body.
"Ch-ch-chhh!"
The Air Slashes struck a moment later, slamming into Bulbasaur's small frame from every direction. The blasts exploded across the field, and when the dust settled, his body was covered in wounds.
Under normal circumstances, even with Aura Fusion, that barrage would have ended the match right there.
Aura Fusion enhanced attack and speed, but not defense, and it even drained stamina. When Ash fought with Aura Fusion, getting hit once often meant losing outright.
But this time was different.
This wasn't the power of Aura Fusion.
This was the shared strength of Champion Ash's Venusaur, transferred directly through the group connection.
Don't let the fact that Bulbasaur was still at the Advance level fool you, his overall attributes had already reached… Champion Peak.
The gap between Champion Peak and ordinary Champion level was the same as the gap between a novice and a master.
Once a Pokémon reached Champion rank, every tiny sub-level represented an enormous difference in power.
And Champion Peak, that was just one step below God-Tier.
The final summit before divinity itself.
Right now, Bulbasaur's strength placed him among the absolute elite of all Pokémon trained by humans anywhere in the world.
The barrage of Air Slashes had looked devastating, leaving Bulbasaur's body covered in cuts and bruises.
But in truth, those wounds were nothing more than surface damage.
Within three seconds, yes, three seconds, every mark vanished. His skin gleamed smooth again, the energy in his vines thrumming with life.
Koga's jaw nearly hit the ground.
'No way… No way!'
"You're telling me that's Bulbasaur?! A Bulbasaur can do THAT?!"
Who had ever heard of such insanity?
A Bulbasaur taking an Air Slash head-on, then regenerating all the damage almost instantly?
Even with Ingrain and Grassy Terrain combined, that rate of recovery was absurd. It shouldn't have been possible.
"Come again, Koga."
Ash's faint smile never wavered. His tone wasn't mocking, it was patient, almost like a teacher giving a lesson to a student.
That calmness, coupled with the sheer absurdity unfolding on the field, sent Koga's composure spiraling.
His heart raced. He could barely think straight.
"Tailwind!" he barked.
"Sunny Day."
Both commands came out almost simultaneously.
Crobat's wings flared wide, catching the wind, while Bulbasaur's seed pulsed with radiant energy, shooting a small blazing sun into the sky.
A rush of wind filled the arena as the air grew hotter by the second.
But the most unnerving thing wasn't the moves, it was the timing.
Ash had spoken in perfect sync with Koga.
It wasn't the kind of coincidence you could dismiss as luck.
It felt… intentional.
Some of the high-level Trainers watching the live broadcast exchanged uneasy glances.
"He's holding back," one murmured.
Indeed, with Bulbasaur's current strength, Ash could've struck several times while Koga was still reeling from shock.
Yet he didn't. He waited, always giving Koga just enough time to act.
A rookie Trainer, deliberately holding back against an Elite Four candidate, it was almost insulting.
In the sky, Crobat's speed multiplied again.
It zipped through the air like violet lightning, wings cutting sonic booms into the sky.
On the ground, Bulbasaur glowed under the warmth of Sunny Day, his power rising in tandem.
"Supersonic! Screech!"
"Growth."
The two voices overlapped again.
Koga's frown deepened.
This time he was sure, Ash wasn't just predicting his next move.
He was predicting the exact moment Koga would open his mouth.
Was that even possible?
Predicting the next action was one thing, anticipating the timing of an opponent's voice was another level entirely.
Koga forced a smirk. 'Coincidence. It has to be coincidence.'
If Ash could really predict him, he would've had Bulbasaur interrupt, because if Crobat landed both Supersonic and Screech, then followed up with Brave Bird, Bulbasaur wouldn't stand a chance.
That meant this was still within reason. It had to be.
Up above, Crobat opened its mouth wide, baring its sharp fangs. A shrill, piercing sound exploded across the battlefield.
"SKREEEEE!!"
...
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