"Ash, with only this much ability, you won't be able to rescue Erika from me."
Suicune stands aloof on the ground, its calm eyes watching the panting Pikachu.
Cool, noble, elegant!
This is the legendary embodiment of the north wind, Suicune!
If asked normally, Misty would probably scream at how handsome Suicune is.
But now she only feels despair; with a creature this powerful, how can they deal with it?
Even Ash's Pikachu is no match for Suicune.
Erika purses her lips and refuses to look up; she would be embarrassed if she did.
Speaking of it, how could Mr. Damian act like this?
Isn't he treating himself like a princess kidnapped by a dragon? So embarrassing.
Caitlin keeps her eyes away from Erika, pretending not to see.
"Damn it!!"
Ash grits his teeth; he's not satisfied, not at all.
"You're still this weak, Ash. Right now, you can't do anything."
Damian yawns listlessly.
"If you want to beat me, you'd better get stronger, not like you are now—just a youngster by the roadside, crumbling at a touch."
Damian tilts his head slightly, looking at Ash who isn't looking good.
Ash isn't perfect either; he gets sad when he loses a battle, and anger when provoked by an opponent.
But Damian believes these will be "nutrients" that make Ash stronger.
After all, those "monsters" from other regions are growing fast, and in the strong region of Kanto, their local monsters can't lose to those from other regions.
Damian thinks Red and Ash are a bit too comfortable, so he gives them a taste of difficulty.
The last incident likely left a deep impression on Red; this time it's Ash's turn.
As for Blue… haven't seen him yet, not sure where our "Five-Minute Champion" hides.
"Looks like you're only at this level now; goodbye then."
Damian glances at Ash one last time, then turns to Erika with a hug and starts to leave.
Suicune does not move, only stares calmly at Ash and Pikachu to deter them from chasing Damian.
"Stand still! The battle isn't over yet!"
Ash, unwilling, immediately throws his second Poké Ball.
"Charizard! Use Flamethrower!"
The ball opens; a mighty Charizard spreads its wings, flames pouring from its mouth toward Suicune.
Even if Suicune has resistances, Ash believes in his Charizard.
"Hydro Pump." Damian returns the words.
Suicune opens its mouth and unleashes a massive Hydro Pump in reply.
Water type Hydro Pump!
Boom!
Hydro Pump clashes with Flamethrower, the classic water vs fire, blue vs red.
But the result isn't surprising to Damian: Suicune's Hydro Pump pushes Flamethrower back and charges onto Charizard, slamming it hard.
Boom!
A loud explosion; Ash's Charizard screams and crashes to the ground.
This… Brock is shocked by the sight.
Although water beats fire, this kind of outright power matchup rarely happens.
This shows how strong Suicune is; Brock knows Ash's strength is already very high.
Even Blaine at Cinnabar Gym admitted he could go all out but not beat Ash, yet now Suicune is treating him like a Bug Catcher on the roadside.
"Charizard!" Ash cries out, rushing toward Charizard.
"You're still quite far from it; I hope you'll have some progress the next time we meet?"
Damian shakes his head; it's clear Ash is skilled, but not enough to be interesting to watch.
"I must rescue Miss Erika!"
Ash checks Charizard's sigh of relief, unwillingly glancing at Damian; this Suicune is just too strong.
But he won't give up! In battle, there is no such thing as abandoning.
"Meaningless." Damian glances at Ash.
"Squirtle!"
Ash ignores him and throws out his third Pokémon.
A healthy Squirtle appears; its excellent battle sense tells Ash it would be impossible to beat Suicune without it.
Squirtle? Damian raises an eyebrow; Ash, a talented trainer, wouldn't let Squirtle evolve?
Well, Ash respects a Pokémon's own will; if Squirtle doesn't want to evolve, Ash would back it.
But in truth, evolution can greatly boost a Pokémon's power; although Ash has trained Squirtle wonderfully.
But how does Squirtle's tactics compare to Blastoise?
Blastoise can Mega Evolve, Dynamax, and handle many opponents; Squirtle's tactics are no match.
Damian sees Squirtle's appearance and feels a little sorry; he expected Ash's team to change, but it's still just Squirtle.
"Squirtle, Fake Out!"
Ash orders immediately.
"Hm?" Damian freezes.
Suicune's gaze instantly changes as that small Squirtle runs toward Suicune and jumps up, slapping Suicune in the face.
Smack!
Normal-type Fake Out! It's Squirtle's inherited move.
"Suicune!!"
Suicune's expression hardens; it growls at Squirtle, cold and icy.
Damn it! A Squirtle slapped me!
Shaken by Suicune's cold gaze, Squirtle swallow hard.
"Well done! Squirtle! Continue with Double-Edge!"
Ash sees Fake Out take effect and immediately orders an attack.
Squirtle emits a soft cry, its body glows white, and slams into Suicune's chest with Double-Edge.
Normal-type Double-Edge!
Suicune staggers but regains momentum.
No, actually, Squirtle seemed to recover the moment it hit.
"Go roam free." Damian doesn't lead; he lets Suicune roam.
Suicune moves forward; its oppressive aura is enough to make Squirtle uneasy.
An icy glow forms at Suicune's mouth and shoots out.
"Squirtle! Rapid Spin dodge."
Squirtle tucks into its shell and spins to dodge the Ice Beam.
But the Ice Beam is too fast; it hits Rapid Spin, freezing much of Squirtle's body into ice blocks that spread along the ground.
"Aaah!" Ash gasps.
"Squirtle…"
Squirtle's head pops out; it realizes it's frozen, then struggles.
But in the next moment, a shadow covers Squirtle; Suicune's expression is calm as it leans in.
Squirtle swallows hard.
Then—smack, smack, smack!
With rhythmic slaps, Suicune lands a flurry of slaps on Squirtle's face.
Is this Double Slap?
Misty stares in shock and hesitates.
Double Slap is a Normal-type move, usually not tied to White-light effects.
"Double Slap? Suicune is really hitting Squirtle's face! Squirtle!"
Ash snaps, angry.
This Suicune's vengeful streak is insane.
My Squirtle just touched you, you slapped it back?
"…," Misty.
"…," Brock.
Ash recalls his dizzy Squirtle with a saddened sigh.
And in Ash's shadow, orange eyes widen in horror as Suicune stares back.
Suicune is terrifying!
"Let's go." Damian laughs, leading Erika and Caitlin away from the training ground.
Ash, though determined to stop this, sees Suicune as a mountain in front of him; he can only watch Damian and the others leave.
Misty sighs helplessly.
"With Damian's strength, Officer Jenny and them probably can't do anything."
Brock sighs too.
Ash grits his teeth and stares after Damian's departing silhouette; he must become stronger! Grow stronger!
Damian! Next time! I will beat you!!
"Which region shall we head to next?"
On the way back to Erika's small courtyard, Damian contemplates where to go next.
~~
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