Besides the Gym battle, this fight was more of a test from Blaine to Ash, to see if he had the strength to protect Gardevoir.
"Let's make a bet, if you lose, I'll still give you the Cinnabar Gym badge, but you must hand over Gardevoir to Oak, and let Oak send it to the league for protection until the league either captures Mewtwo or finds a method to deal with Mewtwo."
"If you win, you keep Gardevoir by your side, and I'll give this to you." Blaine said as he slowly stood up, walked to the table on the side, opened a drawer, and took out a safe box.
He opened the safe, and inside were two smooth stones. These stones were transparent, with patterns inside resembling genetic chains, and their colors were different.
Ash's pupils contracted sharply at the sight of these two stones, and he couldn't help but show a look of astonishment on his face.
Even though he didn't know what type they were, he knew exactly what they were—MEGA Evolution Stones!
Blaine actually had MEGA Evolution Stones, and there were two of them!
"Do you recognize these?" Blaine asked, unable to resist after seeing Ash's expression.
"Yes, where did you get these two gems?" Ash admitted frankly, because he might need to use this power in the upcoming battle, so there was no need to hide it.
"These are two gems that appeared suddenly beside Mewtwo at its inception. At that time, everyone was shocked by Mewtwo's birth, so I quietly put away these two gems."
"I don't know their specific utility, but they should be things that Mewtwo needs, and they might make Mewtwo stronger or even fill in the mental origin defect. If you have these, in the future, if Mewtwo finds you, you can use these to trade with Team Rocket or Mewtwo. If they refuse, then destroy them."
Blaine's calm words carried a tinge of ruthlessness, truly worthy of someone involved in Mewtwo's creation and its mental origin extraction, doing things with enough cruelty.
And the implications of his words were clear, even if Ash defeated him, Blaine did not think Ash could contend with Team Rocket and Mewtwo. After all, even he could only hide from them.
Unless Ash could defeat him with overwhelming superiority, otherwise, facing that behemoth organization, Ash's fate wouldn't be much better.
And the two stones he gave to Ash were to be used as a bargaining chip in times of crisis.
Originally, this chip was meant for himself, but if Ash could defeat him at such a young age, then why not give it to him?
"You said you recognize these, where have you seen them? Do you know their specific functions?" After explaining the origin of the stones, Blaine asked Ash in return.
"As for the function, you'll see it soon, where will we battle, and what are the rules?" Ash did not answer directly, since he was going to battle Blaine, he definitely needed to hold something back, how could he reveal such critical information before the battle?
Hearing this, Blaine buried his doubts temporarily and then gestured, "Let's go, let me take you to the battle site. The normal battlefield of the Cinnabar Gym cannot be used now, but there's a secret battle site that outsiders don't know."
"Wait a minute, Blaine, can I call my friend over? He's Professor Oak's grandson, grew up playing with me, and he also wants to battle you. Don't worry, I'll make sure he won't call anyone else over, and he won't reveal your whereabouts."
"Alright." Blaine agreed without hesitation.
On one hand, he was planning to change locations after this battle anyway, on the other hand, since Ash's friend was Oak's grandson, there should be no problem.
There weren't many people in the league that he especially trusted, but Professor Oak was one of them.
With Blaine's consent, Ash dialed Gary's number...
...
Thirty minutes later, the group followed Blaine to a very secluded place, near the volcanic crater of Cinnabar Island, where almost no one would come. Although Cinnabar Island was a tourist paradise, this place was very dangerous.
Before becoming a tourist spot, Cinnabar Island often experienced volcanic eruptions, even now, it's considered quite dangerous. The surrounding area is cordoned off with warning lines to keep tourists away.
In case of a volcanic eruption, as long as no one is nearby, it's relatively easy to evacuate people from the lower city areas.
Tourist spots must, of course, have proper safety measures in place.
This very fact, that no one else would be here, made this place suitable as one of Blaine's battle grounds.
"What kind of place is this, Ash, is there really a spot for battles here?" Gary looked around, wiped the sweat off his forehead, and said with a face full of discomfort.
Traveling this far was one thing, but getting near the volcanic crater made the air hotter, a temperature that was a little too high for Gary.
Moreover, this place involved climbing the volcano; the entire surface was sloped. How could this place be used for battles? Battles should be fought on flat ground, right?
"We're almost there." Blaine said, leading the group further up. As time passed, it gradually became clear where Blaine's so-called venue was.
Ten minutes later, Blaine led Ash and the others to the volcanic crater, where many small platforms were located, and at the center was a huge battlefield chained up with iron chains!
This was the battlefield Blaine spoke of!
"Battling above a volcano, truly in line with a Fire type Gym's style!" Brock exclaimed at the sight of this battlefield, impressed by the grandeur of it.
The chains securing the gym's field were definitely not ordinary, and even the field itself was probably made of special materials.
Otherwise, with the frequent volcanic activity on Cinnabar Island, a regular battlefield would be swallowed by lava in an instant.
Even without eruptions, the continuous rising heat from the volcano would cause significant wear on the field, and any Pokemon standing on it might fall right through, so the field had to be made from special materials.
"What are the battle rules?" Ash asked, eager to start the battle upon seeing the field. After battling Koga, he hadn't faced a notably strong trainer in a while.
The wandering trainers he occasionally fought at most reached the Elite Level, nothing more. Today's battle would surely be at least a Professional Level!
"How about an Elite three-on-three?"
Ash: ???
Ash looked at Blaine full of question marks, are you for real?
"Blaine, do you know how long I've been traveling? You propose an Elite three-on-three, have you no shame?"
Blaine's face turned a bit red, but no one could see it in the night.
Telling a newbie Trainer who had been at it for three months to do an Elite battle, and a three-on-three at that, is beyond losing face, it needs double layers of it!
"Ahem, didn't you defeat an Elite before? You even defeated Koga."
"The method I used to defeat Mr. Koga can't be replicated; I don't currently have the strength to defeat an Elite Peak Pokemon." Ash replied in slight irritation.
He could give an Elite three-on-three a try, as he now had that MEGA Evolution Stone, allowing him to barely have three Elite Level Pokemon.
However, even within the Elite Level, a small gap in rank could be significant; he could barely handle an Elite Advanced Level, but couldn't touch an Elite Peak at all.
If Blaine sent out his Magmar, what could he possibly counter it with?