A thick cloud of poison erupted across the battlefield.
Chansey immediately fell into badly poisoned status.
From that moment on, the tug-of-war battle had officially entered its countdown phase.
On one side stood Arboliva, holding a Big Root, backed by triple recovery:
Giga Drain
Grassy Terrain
Leech Seed
And protected by Light Screen.
On the other side—
Chansey.
A Pokémon with almost no offensive pressure, now suffering from both Toxic and Leech Seed.
The outcome was practically written already.
They exchanged attacks several more times. Chansey's Serene Grace triggered once, freezing Arboliva with Ice Beam. It even tried to recover using Soft-Boiled.
But in the end, the combined damage from poison and Leech Seed proved too much.
Chansey collapsed.
Peter let out a long breath.
"Finally… it's over."
The battle had lasted more than ten minutes.
Ridiculous.
Especially because the outcome had been obvious from the start.
The moment Cheryl chose Calm Mind as her third move, the match had already ended.
Even if Chansey used Refresh to remove status conditions, there were no remaining move slots for sustained healing beyond Soft-Boiled.
Cheryl's only option had been to try brute-forcing through the fight.
Unfortunately—
Arboliva's Special Defense was a wall Chansey simply couldn't climb.
[Ding! Partner Trainer Challenge Completed: Cheryl]
Reward: Stamina Talent +50
[Ding! Arboliva leveled up. Additional talent points available.]
Peter opened his system panel and spent 2,000,000 funds to increase both defenses by +10.
Arboliva's presence became heavier and more imposing. It even grew a few centimeters taller, reaching around 1.6 meters.
Arboliva ♀ — Lv.39 (Advanced)
Talent: 570 (exceeding species limit of 510)
HP: 100
Attack: 30
Defense: 130
Sp. Atk: 130
Sp. Def: 150
Speed: 30
…
Peter glanced at the stats and chuckled.
I'm honestly looking forward to the day Groudon drops a Precipice Blades on Arboliva and it just stands there untouched…
As a reward, he fed Arboliva a Rare Candy.
It became Peter's second Pokémon to reach Elite-tier.
…
After the battle, just like in the original storyline, Cheryl said goodbye and continued traveling alone.
Even Brock's dramatic crying failed to make the elegant big-sister spare him a second glance.
Ash, being the loyal bro he was, ignored Brock completely.
Instead, he stared at Peter with burning excitement.
Since Ash had only recently begun traveling through Sinnoh, his team wasn't particularly strong yet.
Besides Pikachu, he only had:
Turtwig
Staravia (evolved from Starly)
Aipom
Peter thought briefly before throwing a Poké Ball.
"Indeedee, you're up!"
Ash responded immediately.
"Pikachu, take the lead!"
…
Pikachu — Lv.37 (Advanced)
"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"
Golden lightning tore through the air.
Yet Indeedee didn't even attack.
It simply stepped sideways—
And the Thunderbolt missed entirely.
Ash narrowed his eyes.
"Good at dodging, huh? Then close in! Quick Attack!"
"Pika!"
Pikachu streaked forward like a shooting star.
Brock rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"That looked like Detect, didn't it? But Indeedee shouldn't be able to learn Detect…"
Whitney smiled knowingly.
"That one's actually Zoroark."
Dawn gasped.
"Then Pikachu's in danger!"
Pikachu had already closed the distance.
Peter grinned.
"Hone Claws—then Shadow Claw!"
The "Indeedee" raised glowing claws—
And Pikachu passed straight through it.
Illusion shattered.
The claws darkened with ghostly energy—
SLASH!
They struck Pikachu square in the back.
"Pika!"
Pikachu crashed to the ground.
Ash realized instantly.
"Dang it—you tricked me! Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"
"Shadow Sneak!"
Just as the lightning fired, Zoroark melted into Pikachu's shadow and reappeared behind it.
Ash shouted,
"No way you're getting that! Iron Tail!"
"PIKA—!"
Pikachu's tail turned metallic, smashing the incoming Shadow Sneak and knocking Zoroark back several meters.
Peter clicked his tongue.
Two moves at once… truly the legendary Pikachu.
Ash had his flaws, but when he and Pikachu fought together—
Miracles happened.
One reckless.
One recklessly brilliant.
"Pikachu, use Double Team!"
Five Pikachu appeared instantly, surrounding Zoroark.
Unlike the games where Double Team simply raises evasion, in reality it created multiple visual clones to confuse the opponent.
"Now—Thunderbolt!"
Five lightning bolts fired simultaneously.
Zoroark seemed trapped.
Ash grinned.
Peter chuckled.
"Ash… I think you forgot something."
"Use Detect."
"Zoroark!"
Its crimson mane flared.
The fox's body moved like flowing smoke.
All five Thunderbolts brushed past harmlessly.
"Shadow Sneak!"
Zoroark slipped behind Pikachu again, launching it into the air with a rising slash.
Peter's eyes sharpened.
"Finish it. Shadow Claw!"
SLASH—
The strike landed.
Pikachu flew backward, barely conscious.
Ash's eyes flickered with uncertainty—
Then burned with determination.
"Stand up, Pikachu! Thunderbolt!"
Something changed.
Pikachu, who had been on the verge of collapse—
Forced its eyes open.
Lightning erupted, far stronger than before.
Faster.
Fiercer.
BOOM!
Zoroark was caught completely off guard.
"Pika…"
Pikachu fell.
Unconscious.
The smoke cleared.
Zoroark also collapsed.
Brock raised his hand.
"Both Pokémon are unable to battle! Trainers, send out your next Pokémon!"
Peter rubbed his forehead.
Ah yes.
Ash's legendary comeback roar plus the suicidal Thunderbolt.
No wonder Pikachu averages at least a one-for-one trade in tournaments…
Ash gently picked Pikachu up.
"You did great. Leave the rest to our teammates."
He threw another Poké Ball.
"Staravia, let's go!"
A brown bird with swept-back feathers soared into the sky.
…
Staravia — Lv.25 (Intermediate)
Peter recalled Zoroark and reached for another Poké Ball.
Just then—
The sixth Poké Ball on his belt shook.
He smiled.
Putting Indeedee's Poké Ball back, he grabbed the shaking one instead.
"Looks like you want in."
"Then go—Rufflet!"
The blue eaglet burst into the air, wings spreading as it soared high above the battlefield.
Ash acted first.
"Staravia—Quick Attack!"
Trailing white light, Staravia rocketed upward—
Straight toward the young eagle.
--------------
T/N:
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