After knocking out two of Paul's Pokémon in succession, Swellow finally ran out of stamina and was defeated cleanly by Nidoking.
At this point, Ash sent out Corphish. Unfortunately, Corphish barely scratched Nidoking before being taken down as well.
Then Glalie entered the battlefield.
With overwhelming dominance, it crushed Nidoking, allowing Ash to finish the first half of the match with a clear advantage—he still had Glalie standing.
But in the second half, the situation reversed.
Glalie was defeated by Aggron, and Torkoal fell soon after. Ash suddenly found himself at a disadvantage.
At the critical moment, Sceptile forcefully turned the tide.
It consecutively defeated Paul's Aggron and tied with his Magmortar in a mutual knockout.
In the end, both sides were left with only one Electric-type Pokémon.
Pikachu vs Electivire!
After a desperate, all-out battle, Pikachu emerged victorious, making Ash the first trainer to advance into the Top Eight.
Defeating Paul proved Ash's strength beyond doubt.
What surprised Aiden Flint, however, was that Ash hadn't changed his battle lineup at all. That kind of decisiveness wasn't unexpected.
What truly shocked him was that Paul hadn't changed his lineup either—he was still using the same Pokémon as before.
It seemed that Paul's personality hadn't yet become as extreme as it would later be in Sinnoh.
After his defeat, Paul took a deep look at Ash and said calmly,
"You won. I take back what I said to you back in the Scientist Town. You're strong."
With that, he turned around and left, leaving Ash and Pikachu standing there, their gazes fixed on his departing figure.
The following matches went smoothly for Tetsuya, who secured an easy victory.
Soon after, it was finally time for the battle everyone had been waiting for—
Aiden Flint vs Morrison.
As the two trainers stepped onto the main battlefield, they faced each other from a distance.
Morrison spoke first, his eyes burning with fighting spirit.
"Aiden Flint, I know you're strong. But I'm definitely going to beat you!"
Hearing those words, Aiden couldn't help but see a reflection of Ash in Morrison.
Right now, Morrison looked just like Ash in his early days.
"Good. I'm looking forward to your performance," Aiden replied with a faint smile. "Come on, Morrison."
The commentator's voice echoed across the stadium.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the next match is about to begin! Both Aiden Flint and Morrison are brimming with fighting spirit!"
"So who will emerge victorious in this intense showdown?"
As the announcer spoke, the referee raised his hand and declared,
"The fifth match of the third round of the Ever Grande Conference is about to begin! The battle will be between Aiden Flint from Littleroot Town and Morrison from Verdanturf Town!"
"Each side may use six Pokémon! Once one side has three Pokémon knocked out, there will be a mid-match break!"
"Pokémon substitutions are allowed during the battle! The first move goes to Aiden Flint! The battlefield is the Grass Arena!"
As the referee's voice fell, Aiden immediately threw a Poké Ball.
A moment later, a majestic Arcanine appeared on the battlefield.
Seeing Aiden's Arcanine, Morrison's eyes lit up with excitement. He also took out a Poké Ball.
"Aiden! I've got an Arcanine too! Go!"
On the grass battlefield, two Arcanine stood facing each other, their battle about to begin.
Aiden's Arcanine was Level 55, with the ability Intimidate.
Morrison's Arcanine was also Level 55, with the ability Flash Fire.
At first glance, it seemed like Aiden's Arcanine didn't hold an obvious advantage.
But in terms of potential and aptitude, Aiden's Arcanine possessed golden-grade talent, while Morrison's was only purple-grade.
The moment it appeared, Intimidate took effect, lowering Morrison's Arcanine's Attack by one stage.
"Arcanine, use Flame Wheel!"
At Morrison's command, his Arcanine burst into flames. With Flash Fire boosting its Fire-type power, igniting itself actually enhanced its offensive strength.
In that instant, the stat drop caused by Intimidate was largely offset.
"Arcanine, use Extreme Speed!"
Since Fire-type moves were being nullified, Aiden decisively sealed off Fire-based attacks.
At his command, Arcanine vanished in a blur, its four legs moving faster than the naked eye could follow.
The two Arcanine collided head-on.
The violent impact forced both of them backward, each taking damage.
"Arcanine, keep going—Crunch!"
"Arcanine, Thunder Fang!"
In the next moment, Morrison's Arcanine bared its fangs, dark-type energy surging through its bite as it lunged toward Aiden's Arcanine's neck.
Aiden's Arcanine refused to back down.
Crackling lightning surged between its teeth as it leapt forward in response.
The two legendary beasts tore into each other in a brutal clash.
"Arcanine, use Fire Blast!"
Seeing that the stalemate wouldn't be resolved anytime soon, Morrison changed tactics.
Aiden responded calmly,
"Arcanine, Hyper Beam!"
Blazing flames erupted from Morrison's Arcanine, rushing toward its opponent.
Meanwhile, Aiden's Arcanine gathered energy in its mouth, forcibly enduring the Fire Blast before unleashing Hyper Beam.
Boom!
A violent explosion swallowed Morrison's Arcanine completely.
That single strike dealt massive damage.
However, Hyper Beam carried recoil, preventing Aiden's Arcanine from immediately pressing the attack, giving Morrison and his Pokémon a chance to breathe.
Forcing itself back to its feet, Morrison's Arcanine stood tall again. Its once-glorious mane was now disheveled, yet its eyes still burned with fierce determination.
"Arcanine, Flare Blitz! Show them your spirit!"
"Arcanine, Aerial Ace!"
As the commands rang out, the two Arcanine charged toward each other once more—one wrapped in blazing flames, the other moving with overwhelming speed.
Boom!
After another violent collision, Morrison's Arcanine was sent flying backward.
Despite enduring repeated attacks, Aiden's Arcanine remained standing firm on the battlefield.
The earlier Hyper Beam had inflicted devastating damage.
This final clash was enough to end the battle.
"Ding! Arcanine has defeated Arcanine! Gained 1,000 experience points. Level increased. Current level: Lv56!"
After losing the first round, Morrison clenched his teeth and threw out another Poké Ball.
"Go, Girafarig!"
Facing the Normal/Psychic-type Girafarig, Aiden chose to switch Pokémon after Arcanine had expended too much stamina.
"Come on out, Shelgon!"
…
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