Back to the battle.
Even though the shock over Mew still lingered, it didn't distract Ash, who took advantage of Verity's momentary lapse to attack.
"Mew, use Nasty Plot!" Ash said.
"Mew!" Mew nodded.
Its body glowed faintly black for a moment before the light faded almost instantly.
Seeing this, Verity realized that the distraction had given Ash's Mew an extra turn, making it even stronger than before. She decided to stop wasting time.
"Lucario, Aura Sphere!" Verity said.
A bluish sphere shot toward Mew.
"Dodge and use Psychic!" Ash said.
With impressive agility, Mew dodged the attack and countered with Psychic, hitting Lucario squarely and forcing it to step back from the impact.
"We won't fall here! Lucario, use Close Combat!" Verity exclaimed.
Using its great experience and speed, Lucario managed to land Close Combat on Mew, but… Mew endured the blows remarkably well despite the punishment.
"It's time to take that Lucario down a notch. Mew, use Charm and then retreat!" Ash said.
Since it was close to Mew, Mew took advantage of a moment of distraction from Lucario, dodged one of its strikes, and flew toward the sky. Immediately after, Mew struck a very cute pose, and a pink aura enveloped Lucario for a few seconds.
When the pink aura dissipated, Lucario felt as if its strength had been drained. It felt weaker than before.
"Now use Psychic again!" Ash said.
This time Mew successfully landed the attack on Lucario, sending it flying.
"PARTICIPANT ASH IS DOMINATING THE MATCH!" Bob shouted.
"THAT'S RIGHT! IT SEEMS HIS MEW ISN'T JUST FOR SHOW OR SOMETHING TO BRAG ABOUT — IT'S ACTUALLY POWERFUL!" Carl said.
Verity understood. Under these conditions, her Lucario would never be able to defeat Mew. She was just wasting valuable time.
"Lucario, return!" Verity said.
With a red beam of light, Lucario returned to its Poké Ball.
"Rest up. I'll still need you," Verity said.
"PARTICIPANT VERITY SEEMS TO HAVE REALIZED IT'S ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO REACH MEW WHILE IT'S FLYING!" Bob said.
"EXACTLY! PLUS, HER LUCARIO HAD ALREADY TAKEN SEVERAL STRONG HITS AND LOOKED TIRED. IT WAS A GOOD DECISION!" Carl said.
"Gliscor, I choose you!" Verity said.
A powerful Gliscor appeared.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE NEXT POKÉMON FROM PARTICIPANT VERITY IS A GLISCOR!" Bob announced.
"IT LOOKS QUITE INTIMIDATING, BUT THE GOOD THING IS IT CAN FLY TOO! WILL IT BE ABLE TO REACH MEW? STAY TUNED TO FIND OUT!" Carl said.
Ash didn't hesitate. He wanted to end this battle as quickly as possible because he knew Gliscor could learn a move that would definitely put him in serious trouble.
"Mew, use Psychic!" Ash said.
Mew obeyed its trainer instantly and landed a powerful Psychic on Gliscor, forcing it back.
"Finish it with one blow! Use X-Scissor!" Verity said.
"Cor!" Gliscor cried.
Gliscor charged toward Mew at incredible speed while its pincers glowed greenish.
"Dodge it!" Ash exclaimed.
But it was too late. Mew hadn't reacted in time and was struck by Gliscor's attack, taking a fairly strong hit.
"Mew!" Ash called out, slightly worried.
Mew quickly recovered and looked at Ash with a reassuring gaze.
"Show that Gliscor is nothing compared to us! Use Mega Punch!" Ash said.
Mew's speed worked in its favor as its punch made direct contact with Gliscor. Despite its small size, the force behind the blow was simply impressive and sent Gliscor flying several meters.
"Gliscor, recover and use X-Scissor!" Verity said.
Gliscor tried to recover, but…
"Finish it with Psychic!" Ash said.
It was too late. Mew landed its attack on Gliscor, who fell to the ground completely weakened.
"Gliscor is unable to continue!" the referee declared.
The stadium roared. Mew was truly living up to its legends! It wasn't just strong — it was incredibly strong!
Verity was also surprised. She had genuinely believed Gliscor could take on Mew, but that wasn't the case. After recalling Gliscor to its Poké Ball and thanking it for the wonderful battle it had given, she took out another Poké Ball and threw it into the air.
"Empoleon, I choose you!" Verity said.
Empoleon emerged from its Poké Ball, ready for battle. As soon as it appeared, it fixed its gaze on Mew with a defiant look.
"Let's not waste time. Mew, use Psychic!" Ash said.
The Psychic hit, but it didn't move Empoleon much from its position.
"Hydro Pump!" Verity said.
Empoleon opened its beak and a powerful, high-pressure jet of water shot toward Mew at high speed.
"Try to send it back using Psychic!" Ash said.
This was a new strategy that had suddenly come to his mind. Was it possible to deflect any enemy attack using Psychic?
Mew nodded and launched a powerful Psychic that completely stopped the Hydro Pump, but… it couldn't do the same with Empoleon.
"Now Empoleon, use Whirlpool!" Verity said.
Empoleon immediately stopped the Hydro Pump and formed a huge water vortex. It was a giant whirlpool heading rapidly toward Mew.
"Use Psychic and send it back!" Ash said.
Mew used the same strategy and at first it seemed to work, but Mew couldn't hold it for long and the attack hit directly. Ash was right — any attack could be stopped using Psychic, but everything depended on the Pokémon's strength, the size and power of the attack, and the Pokémon launching it. Determining whether it can stop an attack is something that has to be figured out on the fly, and it isn't very smart to let your opponent notice your strategy and give them time to come up with a countermeasure.
"Mew!" Ash called out.
"Now Empoleon, finish it with Metal Claw!" Verity said.
Empoleon rushed toward Mew at full speed while the fins on its arms glowed metallic.
"Mew, recover and use Psychic!" Ash said.
But Mew had been destabilized by Empoleon's attack, so it didn't have time to follow Ash's order and was struck by Empoleon's Metal Claw, sending it flying.
"INCREDIBLE! PARTICIPANT VERITY HAS PUT MEW ON THE ROPES!" Bob said.
"A VERY GOOD STRATEGY FROM PARTICIPANT VERITY! SHE ANALYZED MEW'S PSYCHIC TO TRY TO FIND A COUNTERMEASURE!" Carl said.
Indeed, Verity had realized the danger Psychic posed, so she tried everything to create an opening and go all out to weaken Mew with a single blow. Luckily for her, the opening came on its own in exchange for a few hits… and she took full advantage of it.
"Tch. Mew. Are you okay?" Ash asked.
"Mew!" Mew nodded.
It was a bit tired, but it could still fight. However, Ash knew Mew wouldn't last much longer like this. Verity's Empoleon was truly strong and agile.
[Do you want to use the new system function? You might find some clue on how to approach this battle.]
No, I'll do it my way. I wouldn't feel good about winning the Pokémon League using cheats.
[Understood, whatever you want.]
Ash was thinking about what to do, but Verity wasn't going to give him time to think.
"It's hesitating! Empoleon, finish Mew with Metal Claw!" Verity said.
"Use Mega Punch and push it back!" Ash said.
He simply couldn't think of a way to get rid of Empoleon. Mew didn't have any Electric-type moves.
BAM! Both attacks collided, but neither Pokémon wanted to yield to the other.
Ash thought. All of Mew's attacks were not very effective. Should he lower Empoleon's physical attack with Charm or boost himself with Nasty Plot? No, Verity wouldn't let him do that. What should he do then? Was the only solution really to switch Pokémon? But at that moment…
[Attention! It has been detected that the host's Pokémon Mew has learned the move Aura Sphere!]
What?! Just like that?!
Ash was surprised, but he didn't have time to keep doubting.
"Mew, separate from Empoleon and use Psychic!" Ash said.
"Mew!" Mew nodded.
The clash of powers stopped and Mew rose into the air.
"Again? I'm afraid not! Empoleon, use Whirlpool!" Verity said.
Before Mew could strike, Empoleon had already launched its huge whirlpool, but… Mew's attack never came. Instead, it dodged the Whirlpool with astonishing agility.
"Now, finish it with Aura Sphere!" Ash exclaimed.
"What?!" Verity said, surprised.
But she didn't have time to react. The Aura Sphere hit Empoleon squarely, sending it flying and causing it to fall to the ground completely weakened.
"IMPRESSIVE! IN AN INCREDIBLE TWIST OF EVENTS, PARTICIPANT ASH TRICKED PARTICIPANT VERITY WITH A FEINT AND TURNED A BATTLE THAT SEEMED LOST!" Bob said.
"I AGREE, BOB, BUT PARTICIPANT ASH SHOULDN'T GET COCKY. HIS MEW HAS TAKEN A LOT OF HITS AND, IF YOU ASK ME, I DON'T THINK IT CAN REMAIN STANDING MUCH LONGER!" Carl said.
Verity took a deep breath.
"Return, Empoleon. You did fantastic, but now it's time to rest!" Verity said.
With a sigh, Verity stored Empoleon's Poké Ball and took out another one.
"This is getting tough… but I have to endure," Verity said.
At that moment.
"Mew, return!" Ash said.
Mew was very exhausted and it wasn't worth continuing to fight in that state.
"PARTICIPANT ASH HAS WITHDRAWN HIS MEW!" Bob said.
"AND IN A WAY, THIS SWITCH HAS BENEFITED PARTICIPANT VERITY!" Carl said.
"THAT'S RIGHT! LET'S REMEMBER THAT IN THIS TYPE OF SITUATION, IT SHOULD BE PARTICIPANT ASH — IN THIS EXAMPLE — WHO SHOWS HIS POKÉMON FIRST, WHICH IS QUITE BENEFICIAL FOR PARTICIPANT VERITY, WHO WILL BE ABLE TO USE THE MOST SUITABLE POKÉMON TO FACE ASH'S NEXT POKÉMON!" Bob said.
Ash fixed his gaze forward with determination. It was time to move to the next level. So far he hadn't gone all out, but it was time to show part of his true strength.
"Floette, I choose you!" Ash said.
When the Poké Ball opened, a small Floette appeared, floating gently. Its gaze was calm, its expression unperturbed despite being watched by thousands of people.
The stadium murmured.
"IT'S UNUSUAL TO SEE AN UNEvolved POKÉMON AT THIS LEVEL…!" Carl said.
"BUT PARTICIPANT ASH HAS ALREADY PROVEN THAT ISN'T A PROBLEM…!" Bob replied.
"THAT FLOWER… I'VE NEVER SEEN A FLOWER LIKE THAT ON ANOTHER FLOETTE!" Carl added.
"THAT'S TRUE, BUT LET'S REMEMBER THAT THE WORLD IS BIG AND IT'S NOT SURPRISING TO SEE SOMETHING LIKE THIS FROM TIME TO TIME!" Bob said.
Verity narrowed her eyes.
That Floette… wasn't normal.
It wasn't just the flower. It wasn't just its calmness. There was something more, something that didn't quite fit. She had seen many battles and many Pokémon, but this one… this Floette didn't fit any known pattern. That serenity wasn't typical of a Pokémon in the middle of a battle at this level.
If she let her guard down, she would lose.
"…That's not an ordinary Floette," Verity murmured as she fixed her gaze on it.