Back when Greninja had first begun its training, Ash had been forced to prioritize his time, energy, and resources carefully.
Of the three aspects of Greninja's development, his primary focus had been its Ability—maximizing the potential of Protean.
His second priority was its Combat Path. Although Ash hadn't invested quite as much time into it, he had always ensured that Greninja's growth remained aligned with its intended development.
As for its Combat Style, while Greninja had naturally developed a deceptive and unpredictable fighting style through its Protean training and battle adaptation exercises, it wasn't particularly pronounced at first.
Most of the time, Greninja fought its opponents head-on in an open and straightforward manner. There were even occasions when it would rush directly into melee combat.
However, a mature combat style was often something that could only truly be explored and perfected once a Pokémon's combat strength had sufficiently matured.
For that reason, Ash had always planned to refine Greninja's battle style after it had grown powerful enough.
His ultimate goal was simple—to have Greninja fight like the very thing its name represented: a true ninja.
Although Ash himself was a martial artist rather than a ninja and possessed little experience or specialized knowledge in that field, general information that didn't involve any secret techniques was readily available online.
While browsing a ninja enthusiast forum in the past, Ash had come across a user by the name of Pink Ninja Bee.
The mysterious netizen had provided Ash with a great deal of valuable advice regarding how to cultivate Pokémon along a ninja combat path. For example:
Using Haze and Smokescreen to conceal one's movements and presence.
Using Substitute to evade critical attacks.
Using Double Team to confuse and mislead opponents.
Using Spikes and Toxic Spikes to restrict an opponent's movement and control the battlefield.
Although Ash himself understood most of these techniques—and many Trainers throughout the world used them as well—the difference between an ordinary Trainer's usage and a ninja's usage was like comparing a novice showing off before a grandmaster.
In the hands of true ninjas, these seemingly harmless support moves were elevated into genuine arts of combat.
They could create countless ingenious combinations and tactical applications that constantly left Ash astonished and inspired.
Thus, after Greninja had learned virtually every off-type move available to it and fully developed the capabilities of its Protean Ability, Ash began training it according to many of the suggestions provided by the mysterious Pink Ninja Bee.
By now, Greninja could truly be considered a qualified ninja Pokémon.
Its combat style was becoming increasingly reminiscent of the ninjas people imagined—more deceptive, more unpredictable, more dangerous, and more deadly.
The way it had just utilized Haze in battle was one of the ninja arts it had mastered.
BOOM!!
Its vision obscured and unable to determine Greninja's location, Blastoise had no choice but to slam itself toward the position where Greninja had been standing moments earlier.
As expected, that spot was now completely empty.
Blastoise's attack struck nothing but air.
Moreover, Haze possessed the additional effect of resetting all stat changes.
The defensive boost Blastoise had previously gained through the combination of Rapid Spin and Withdraw instantly disappeared.
Without that increase in physical defense, even a Pokémon as durable as Blastoise suffered considerably more impact from crashing heavily into the battlefield than it normally would.
The collision left it dizzy and seeing stars.
"Greninja, use Night Slash!"
The moment Blastoise's Rapid Spin attack missed its target, Ash immediately issued his next command.
Shing!
As Ash's order rang out, Greninja didn't reply verbally.
Instead, within the pitch-black Haze, a phantom-like shadow suddenly flashed across the battlefield.
The shadow rapidly approached Blastoise, and immediately afterward, a brilliant purple blade-like slash cleaved through the darkness.
BANG!!
"Blastoise—!"
Night Slash was a move specialized in striking vital points.
Having missed its attack and only just poked its head out while still dazed, Blastoise was immediately greeted by Greninja's Night Slash directly across the face.
Although Blastoise possessed exceptional defensive capabilities, the vast majority of that durability originated from its massive shell.
The body hidden within that shell was considerably more vulnerable.
Greninja couldn't directly bypass the shell's protection to strike Blastoise's true weak points, and Blastoise's head and limbs were themselves covered in thick scales.
However, compared to its nearly impregnable shell, the exposed head remained one of Blastoise's greatest weaknesses.
Having suffered a vicious slash directly to the face, Blastoise immediately cried out in pain.
"Blastoise! Get out of Haze immediately!"
Hearing Blastoise's agonized cry coming from within the black mist, Mr. Morkel anxiously shouted from the opposing Trainer's platform.
Originally, he had believed that this match wouldn't be decided quite so easily.
After all, both Pokémon were Water-types. Water-type attacks weren't particularly explosive to begin with, and Water-type moves dealt reduced damage against fellow Water-types.
Combined with Blastoise's outstanding defensive capabilities, he had assumed that Ash wouldn't have an easy time defeating it.
Yet, to his surprise, Blastoise had fallen into a disadvantageous position almost immediately after the battle began.
An inexplicable sense of frustration began to well up within Mr. Morkel's heart.
Whenever he battled Ash, it felt as though Ash was destined to emerge victorious regardless of which Pokémon either side sent out.
No matter what happened, Ash completely controlled the battle's tempo and initiative.
As his opponent, Mr. Morkel could only respond passively while being forced onto the defensive.
Ash naturally paid no attention to what his opponent was thinking.
Even if he knew, he wouldn't care.
From the moment a battle began, one should fight wholeheartedly and without distraction.
Seeing Blastoise attempting to retreat now, how could Ash possibly allow it to escape so easily?
Once it had entered Greninja's domain, leaving wouldn't be nearly that simple.
"Greninja, use Pursuit!"
Ash immediately issued his command.
Pursuit was a Dark-type move with a base power of only forty.
However, when used against an opponent attempting to retreat or switch out, it not only granted a tremendous burst of acceleration but also doubled its damage.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Sure enough, the moment Blastoise attempted to retreat, Greninja—hidden within the black mist—instantly accelerated and gave chase at an even greater speed.
"Blastoise, use Rapid Spin and charge straight out!"
Although Mr. Morkel couldn't clearly see what was happening inside the Haze, as a professional Trainer, he understood Pursuit's mechanics all too well.
This battle had only just begun, yet both sides were already engaged in an intense contest of tactics, speed, and battlefield control.
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