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Taking two consecutive hits from Frenzy Plant, even with Light Screen in the way, had dealt tremendous damage to Torterra. Had it not been Elite Four Class, it might already be down.
But Torterra's actual level was still a notch above Venusaur's, so it could endure the damage from those grass-type finishers.
'Zen Headbutt.' A ripple of emotion flickered through Paul's voice, yet the resolve within it never wavered.
The pain-lined Torterra snapped its eyes open. The faint energy above its head flared anew, gathering far faster than before. Before Venusaur could react, Torterra jerked its head up and slammed the psychic-charged skull hard under Venusaur's chin.
Venusaur was blasted backward—the heaviest blow it had taken since entering the field. Psychic-type moves were still notably effective against it.
Twisting through the air, Venusaur finally righted itself and landed squarely, though a clear bruise marred its jaw.
An Elite Four Class, super-effective strike—had Venusaur not been so tough, it would have been left half-crippled.
'They're no pushover. Venusaur—Frenzy Plant again!' With Xerneas' power, Venusaur could treat Frenzy Plant like a basic attack.
Normally, Frenzy Plant required pouring huge amounts of energy to convert it into life-energy before those fearsome thorny vines could form. Venusaur could skip the conversion, shaping the plants straight from life force.
Thus its Frenzy Plant was not only stronger than usual but also free of the usual recoil stun—explaining why Venusaur showed no lag after using it.
With a roar from Venusaur, countless huge-rooted plants burst from the ground and surged toward Torterra.
'Sweep them all aside with Thrash,' Paul said coldly.
Thrash is a Ground-type move equal in power to Flare Blitz. It inflicts no recoil damage but lowers the user's defenses.
Ground-type moves don't affect Venusaur; that was already known. Paul wasn't using it to strike Venusaur but to clear the Frenzy Plant vines.
Potent earthen power cloaked Torterra, turning its entire body ochre. It surged forward, rampaging straight at Venusaur.
Countless huge-rooted plants tried to block it, but after passing through Light Screen their force was halved, then they met the ochre energy coating Torterra and wilted instantly.
The weakened Frenzy Plant couldn't compete with Torterra's Thrash.
In less than a second Torterra had lunged to Venusaur's face. The earthy energy vanished, replaced by a blue glow over its head—Zen Headbutt!
Boom! This time Venusaur couldn't dodge. The opponent had charged through Frenzy Plant; even without recoil, Venusaur couldn't casually sidestep a point-blank rush.
Zen Headbutt landed again. Venusaur was flung backward, tumbling across the ground until it slammed into the barrier that flared alight.
Seeing this, the ever-stoic Paul finally smiled. Fighting this way—he could win.
At the very least, he could take Venusaur down.
'Venusaur, Synthesis,' Ash said, brows knitted, ordering recovery.
'Interrupt—Crunch.' Paul wasn't about to watch Venusaur heal. Grass- or Ground-type moves wouldn't work: one lacked power, the other couldn't touch Venusaur. A fast off-type move was needed, and Crunch fit.
Torterra thundered forward, jaws wide. Dark fangs formed before its maw, eerie energy capable of crunching through steel.
Venusaur paid no heed. Petals on its back began gathering light. Under Sunny Day, Synthesis could restore all health at once and do it quickly.
But Sunny Day had ended, so the process wouldn't be rapid—slow enough, surely, for Torterra to reach it.
Just as Paul thought that, the glow on Venusaur's petals faded— Had it stopped? No. The wounds on Venusaur's jaw and forehead had vanished; the move had already completed—impossibly fast!
'Jump with Vine Whip!' With Synthesis done, Ash had Venusaur evade instantly.
A normal dodge wouldn't do; a move had to assist.
Venusaur extended two thick vines from its petals, lashing them against the ground. The force hurled it skyward.
The dark fangs snapped shut on empty air.
'Power Whip!' From mid-air Venusaur shot out four more vines, flailing downward. The heavy green lashes struck Torterra for massive damage.
Power Whip being physical, Light Screen offered no help. After the barrage, even Torterra's stout body neared its limit.
It simply lacked Venusaur's level of bulk. Tougher than most Pokémon, yes—but it couldn't take this pounding forever.
'Finisher—Petal Dance!' Still descending, Venusaur loosed countless blossoms from the huge petals on its back. The flowers danced prettily through the air, each hiding lethal force.
Shhk-shhk-shhk! The falling petals slashed Torterra madly. Multicolored blooms cut like blades, scoring deep grooves across the sturdy rock shell.
Torterra trembled, trying to push itself upright, but the Petal Dance stormed on. When the last petal burst, Torterra gave a low groan and collapsed, limbs limp, eyes slowly closing—battle consciousness lost.
'Torterra is unable to battle—Venusaur wins!' The referee raised the flag and shouted.
Ash punched the air. 'All right, Venusaur!'
Venusaur landed on the ground, its petals rising and falling softly, head held high—he had won the dignity duel between grass-type Pokémon.
This time he hadn't beaten some cannon-fodder nobody; he'd toppled an Elite-level Pokémon, and he'd done it without a scrap of Ash's help—the greatest leap of his frog-life.
On the other side, Paul expressionlessly recalled Torterra's Poké Ball, fingertips brushing the sphere. From the instant that Synthesis had fired off in a blink he'd known the victory was no longer his.
He'd never even heard of Synthesis being used that fast; with recovery speed like that, unless you could one-shot Venusaur, the thing simply wouldn't stay down.
To beat that Venusaur you'd need at least a mid-tier Elite Pokémon landing a same-type, super-effective nuke straight to near-faint—only then would you have a chance.
Torterra alone wasn't going to cut it.
He slowly lifted his left hand and pulled the last Poké Ball from the belt at his waist. This was the end.
Paul's voice was low and steady; with a sharp flick of the wrist he sent the ball slicing through the air. "Fight ready—Electivire!"
Even down to his final Pokémon, neither his face nor his voice wavered: the mark of a stone-cold competitor.
The ball burst open in a flash of white light; a lithe figure leapt out, thudding to the turf.
Yellow-and-black, muscles coiled, eyes sharp as lightning, a faint crackle cloaked its body—every breath snapped with static. Its raw aura pressed outward, thickening the very air.
Paul's sixth Pokémon: Electivire.
Like Torterra, this Electivire had climbed a rung, rising from High-level Gym Stage to Gym Peak.
Whether Paul had timed it or evolution had simply arrived, no one could say.
For this Champion match he'd prepared to the hilt; had he and Ash still been equals, Ash would have been blown away by the surprises in store.
Sadly, most of Ash's team had already reached Gym Peak, and aside from Infernape none had yet revealed Aura Fusion. For Infernape the boost merely leveled the field; for the rest it would be outright annihilation.
Though at this point the match already felt like a rout—
Seeing Paul's last Pokémon, Ash recalled Venusaur. "Thanks for the hard work, Venusaur. Pikachu, finish this."
Ending with Pikachu was fitting—because it was Pikachu, and because across the field stood Electivire.
After itching for a fight the whole match, Pikachu could finally take the stage.
"I choose you, Pikachu!" Beginning with Pikachu, ending with Pikachu!
"Pika-Pika!!" Pikachu sprang from Ash's feet onto the field, cheeks sparking.
"Trainer Ash is sending out Pikachu as his fourth Pokémon—answering Electivire? We just witnessed a heart-stopping grass-type duel; now we've got a same-type clash, and one of them is Ash's signature Pikachu. What fireworks await?"
The crowd, commentators included, erupted. Among Ash's Pokémon, neither Charizard nor Bulbasaur but Pikachu reigned in fame.
Venusaur had outshone Pikachu in beating an Elite, so why the fuss over Pikachu?
Because Venusaur's strength felt unreal, whereas Pikachu—though still absurd—somehow felt believably strong.
Apart from the battle against Koga, Pikachu hadn't fought many headline matches; there had been bouts, just unseen by the public.
Had footage of the recent duel with Cynthia leaked, it would have detonated the league!
Still, everyone knew Pikachu was special to Ash. Unleashing him now meant Ash wanted Pikachu to deliver the final blow.
This wasn't just an electric clash—it was the curtain call.
If Paul could beat Pikachu here, even a final loss would make him a legend of the Indigo Plateau Conference, perhaps as famous as Ash himself.
"Using an Electric type against Electivire? You're not that ignorant," Paul said—his first non-command words since the opening clash with Infernape.
Perhaps because this might be the last battle, or perhaps he simply couldn't fathom an Electric type facing Electivire.
"I know Electivire's ability is Motor Drive; it nullifies Electric power and boosts speed when hit. But it could have the hidden ability Vital Spirit," Ash replied casually.
Motor Drive is the standard, Vital Spirit prevents sleep.
Yet with the Eye of Insight Ash had long confirmed Motor Drive—and still chose Pikachu.
He hadn't flinched at a four-times disadvantage; a mere Motor Drive was nothing.
Paul narrowed his eyes, trying to read Ash, but Ash's sunny grin only gleamed brighter.
"Electivire, Thunderbolt." After a pause Paul struck first.
Golden lightning burst from Electivire—