[Apology chapter lol]
[Leon: Charizard has grown a lot.]
[Flint: No denying it. Back then, one Ice Beam from that Poliwrath nearly crippled him.
But now? A legendary Articuno's Ice Beam barely fazes him!]
[Lance: But right now, Charizard is being completely suppressed.
If I'm not mistaken… that Articuno's Ability should be Snow Cloak.]
Snow Cloak—
a terrifying Ability in hail, allowing the user to melt into the blizzard and become nearly untouchable.
With hail active, Articuno became a phantom in the storm.
And for Charizard, already struggling in raw power, this battlefield was an absolute nightmare.
How was Ash supposed to fight this?
"Charizard! Track the direction of the attack!"
"Articuno—Ice Beam!"
"Now! Aim your Flamethrower there!"
"Roooaaar!"
Charizard opened one wing, blocking Ice Beam head-on, sparks of frost scattering off his scales—
Then unleashed a blazing Flamethrower toward the origin point.
BOOM!!
"Kriiii!!"
Hidden in the snowstorm, Articuno was forced out of stealth, hit directly by the flames!
A second blast followed—
another solid hit!
"Trading blows, huh? Interesting… Articuno, Blizzard!"
"KRII!"
Against a fire-type, Darach would never force a frontal clash.
In hail, Blizzard became 100% accurate—the most lethal control tool possible.
Freezing winds howled.
Thousands of tiny snowflakes burst toward Charizard—
each one housing a lethal ice-type force.
"Charizard—
Use Fire Spin on the ground! "
The audience: ???
Directing Fire Spin at the ground?!
But Charizard didn't hesitate—Ash's commands were absolute.
"ROOOOAAR!!"
Fire swirled downward—hit the ground—
and rebounded upward like a fiery geyser!
Flames wrapped Charizard's entire body—
forming a blazing vortex armor!
Blizzard smashed into the fiery spiral—
and melted instantly!
Audience: !!!
"WHAT?! Ash is insane!"
"Fire Spin can be used like THAT? This is genius!"
"BRAVE FIRE DRAGON! PUSH FORWARD! BEAT ARTICUNO!!!"
Leon's eyes lit up.
"Ash's command style… fascinating.
His fundamentals still need work, but his creativity? Even I can't match that unpredictability."
"Hehehe, you praise me too much, Leon!" Ash scratched his cheek.
Misty immediately splashed a bucket of cold water:
"Leon's talking about the future you!
You're not anywhere close right now!"
Ash: "…"
Classic bickering.
Back to the battlefield—
Even though Fire Spin blocked Blizzard, the situation hadn't improved.
Hail still raged.
Articuno disappeared again into the storm.
If Articuno refused to attack, Ash's "trade blows" strategy meant nothing.
"...If that's the case—
Charizard, take to the skies!!"
"ROOOOAR!"
Charizard shot upward, climbing past the shattered roof into the open sky.
But hail still poured down—Darach's weather blanketed the entire factory.
"It's useless, Ash! This hail covers the entire field.
Flying won't let you escape!"
"I'm not trying to dodge it, Mr. Darach."
"…What?"
"Charizard—
max-power Heat Wave!
Burn EVERYTHING around you!"
"ROOOAAAAAAR!!"
Charizard beat his wings with monstrous force—
Fire energy gathered—
the air warped—
and then—
WHOOOOOOOOM!!!
A flaming hurricane exploded outward,
sweeping across the entire battlefield—sky and ground alike!
Hail evaporated.
Snow clouds were blown apart.
The entire arena became a blazing inferno of scorched wind.
Hail weather…
completely erased.
By Heat Wave.
[Leon: …What even was that??]
[Flint: I don't get it, but I'm impressed.]
[Lorelei: Hail can be broken like THAT?! Is that even real?!]
The Champions were stunned speechless.
Every time they thought Ash's "unconventionality" had peaked—
He would show them there was always another level.
Ash Ketchum—
the human embodiment of "I do what I want."
Even Darach froze for a moment.
Using Sunny Day? Understandable.
But using Heat Wave to break the weather?!
This kid…
was terrifying.
With hail finally gone, Articuno's figure appeared—
Its speed visibly reduced under the oppressive heat.
"Now!! Charizard—Dragon Breath!!"
"ROAAAAR!!"
A torrent of green draconic energy blasted forth—
striking Articuno dead-on and slamming it into the ground!
[Leon: Why not use Fire Blast…!?]
[Flint: Or Flamethrower again?! Why Dragon Breath?!]
[Bruno: With Ash, the next move is always a mystery.]
They weren't wrong.
Ash had every chance to use a super-effective STAB move…
and instead chose a not-very-powerful, non-STAB Dragon Breath.
Why?
Cardinale turned to Ash:
"Ash… do YOU know what you were thinking there?"
Ash scratched his head sheepishly.
"Uh… probably…
I wanted to use a move I hadn't used before!"
Everyone: "…"
Yes.
That was exactly the kind of answer only Ash Ketchum could give.
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