The power known as Aura Fusion, developed by Ash, allows Pokemon to significantly enhance their capabilities in a short time. Although the duration is limited, when faced with seemingly invincible opponents, this is the only way to achieve victory.
Powerful moves often come with risks. For Pokemon, these risks test their ability to endure. To bring Elite Level skills to the Professional Level, or Professional Level skills to the Gym Level, the Pokemon's body must withstand the strain.
All of Ash's Pokemon, even Gardevoir, put great emphasis on physical training. Most of the Pokemon Ash owns are focused on physical attacks...
Still, even if a Pokemon's physical resilience far exceeds its level, the duration of Aura Fusion is not long; at most, it can last five to six minutes in a battle.
Unless a Pokemon reduces the enhancement limit of Aura Fusion, for instance, opting to advance to Gym Intermediate instead of Gym Peak.
However, Ash never holds back against his opponents. Only by unleashing their power to the fullest does he have a slim chance of emerging victorious.
This brings us to the second side effect of Aura Fusion, which directly affects Ash.
The degree of enhancement from Aura Fusion relies on the combination of Ash's and the Pokemon's strength. Since Ash's power is incredibly formidable, the Pokemon gains an exceptional boost.
So far, no Pokemon has been able to handle more than a tenth of Ash's power.
Yet, the side effects of Aura Fusion do not depend on how much stronger Ash is compared to the Pokemon. They depend on either the Pokemon's or Ash's condition.
If the Pokemon is in a bad state, Ash will be in a bad state too. If Ash is in a bad state, the Pokemon will naturally be affected similarly.
However, the latter scenario has never happened. Not to mention Ash's inherent strength, during battles, it's primarily the Pokemon who fight. How could Ash possibly be in a bad state?
Thus, it usually results in the Pokemon affecting Ash. Even though Ash's power far exceeds his Pokemon, due to the correlated effect of Aura Fusion, Ash still feels bouts of exhaustion.
Just like now, despite having plenty of physical strength and power, he feels an intrinsic fatigue, caused by Charizard losing its battle ability.
Even after recalling Charizard and ending Aura Fusion, Ash needs a few minutes to recover. That's why the timing for using Aura Fusion is crucial. If one wishes to use it consecutively, ensure the prior Pokemon doesn't lose its battle ability.
For instance, if there were a second match now, Ash wouldn't be able to use Aura Fusion again within several minutes. Against strong trainers, this could be a fatal flaw.
"Are you alright, Ash?" Lorelei asked, noticing Ash still slumped on the ground with a concerned frown.
While losing a match, it shouldn't be enough to leave Ash so disheartened that he can't even stand up, should it?
"I'm fine, just a bit exhausted. I need to sit here for a while. Don't mind me," Ash said with a wry smile, waving his hand and retrieving Charizard into its Pokeball.
"You did well, Charizard... Next time... Next time we'll surely win, and against Lorelei's main force!" Ash murmured as he returned Charizard to its Pokeball. The defeat in this match was significant for him.
Regardless of the pressure from the big shots in the group, since debuting, he hadn't lost a single match, and a part of him had unknowingly started feeling overconfident.
Inside the group, he's indeed a newcomer, but outside, he's Kanto's most promising rookie, having defeated a reserve Elite Level trainer within just three months of travel.
His internal pride had secretly inflated, only not fully realized due to the help from his parallel universe self.
Even so, Ash had developed a mindset that he wouldn't lose, no matter who he faced!
Aura Fusion, partner forms, MEGA Evolutions—these are methods others can't fully possess.
As a fifteen-year-old with so many unique methods and encounters, it's unnatural if he doesn't feel a bit overconfident.
But after the recent battle, Ash's inflated ego was thoroughly quelled. He still had a long way to go to become a true powerhouse. He is a challenger, not among those at the peak.
He's still young, with endless possibilities. Next time... he will win!
"Let's thank Ash and Master Lorelei for an exciting battle. Where's the applause?!" Misty observed Ash still sitting on the ground but noticed his face lacked any despair and instead appeared eager and enthusiastic. She realized Ash's mindset wasn't adversely affected.
His sitting on the ground was likely due to the battle's significant strain on him. Since the live broadcast hadn't ended, Misty aimed to keep the atmosphere warm, preventing Ash's vulnerability from being exposed.
With Misty's words, the venue erupted with thunderous applause. No one felt Ash's defeat was shameful. Rather, to push Lorelei to such an extent was definitely commendable—a defeat full of honor!