Scorching flames roared, engulfing Venusaur completely.
Erika's emerald eyes widened, disbelief flickering across her refined features. She hadn't expected this.
Within the raging inferno, Venusaur's silhouette struggled, its form swallowed by searing heat. Across from it, Charizard, his wings still trembling from strain, shoved aside Venusaur's forelimbs and staggered back two steps. His chest heaved; his claws trembled.
But his eyes, those fierce, burning eyes, never left his opponent.
If Venusaur still stood, Charizard would have charged again, no matter the cost.
The flames eventually subsided, leaving behind only heat distortion and smoke. When the air cleared, Venusaur remained standing for a moment, silent, motionless.
Its once-lustrous petals were blackened and half-burned away. Char marks covered its blue hide. Even at a Pokémon Center, recovery would take time.
"Venusaur…" Erika whispered.
Then, slowly, the massive Grass-type toppled, the earth shaking beneath its fall.
The referee raised her trembling flag. "V–Venusaur is unable to battle! Charizard wins!"
"ROAAAR!!"
Charizard's triumphant roar shook the air, echoing across the Gym's vaulted ceiling. Yet no flames accompanied the cry this time, his body had nothing left to give.
When the echo faded, Charizard stood tall and still, wings spread, eyes fixed forward. Not a muscle moved.
Across the field, the blue light surrounding Ash flickered out. He staggered a step, nearly falling, but caught himself. His face was pale; sweat streamed down his temple.
Physically, he'd endured worse. But Aura Fusion was a double-edged sword, sharing Charizard's power meant sharing his pain. The feedback didn't break bones; it shredded spirit.
Ash's spiritual energy was depleted, his consciousness swimming on the edge.
Even so, he smiled faintly. "You did it… Charizard."
The field barrier deactivated with a soft hum, and Ash forced his heavy legs forward until he reached his partner's side.
Charizard hadn't moved.
Up close, Ash could see it, Charizard was unconscious, held upright by sheer pride. He'd fallen while standing.
Ash placed a hand on his partner's scorched shoulder, smiling with quiet pride. "You worked hard, Charizard. You did amazing… We won."
The Fire-type didn't respond, but Ash didn't need him to. The result spoke for itself.
Closing his eyes, Ash gathered what little strength of Aura he had left and gently infused it into Charizard's body. A faint green glow from Tokiwa energy washed over the exhausted Pokémon, stabilizing his breath. Then, with a flash of red light, Charizard returned to his Poké Ball.
He'd gone beyond his limits, truly beyond. Evolution had given him power, not stamina. Every move after that had drained him faster than his body could bear.
From the moment he blocked Stomp with Fire Punch, he was fighting on pure will. And it was that unyielding will that carried him through two final moves, Fire Blast and the last push to create distance.
That indomitable will was what turned the tide.
Across the field, Erika sighed softly, retrieving Venusaur's Poké Ball. "Rest well, old friend," she murmured before looking back at Ash.
Truthfully, she knew, if she hadn't given those three free moves at the start, Ash wouldn't have stood a chance. Sunny Day had empowered her Venusaur as much as it had his team.
Still, the dual screens Gardevoir had set up earlier… those had saved Charmeleon's life. Without them, two Solar Beams, especially under Sunny Day, would have finished the match long ago.
And yet, she couldn't quite dismiss her respect for what she'd witnessed.
Erika approached him slowly, her elegant expression softening into something warmer. In her palm lay a gleaming badge, shaped like a delicate rainbow flower.
"Congratulations, Ash," she said gently. "Here is the Celadon City Badge."
Ash accepted it with both hands, his fingers trembling slightly from fatigue. "Thanks… Erika."
His tired smile soon brightened with genuine joy. Not only had he won his fifth badge, he'd done so by defeating a Professional-level Pokémon with his own strength.
This wasn't like Lt. Surge's Raichu, a shallow victory against a poorly trained opponent. Venusaur was different. It was an elite even among Professionals: disciplined, powerful, and perfectly raised.
Defeating such a Pokémon meant only one thing, he had taken a true step forward as a Trainer.
Now, he had three Pokémon who could challenge Professional-level opponents head-on: Charizard, Gardevoir, and Pikachu.
His Three Great Generals.
Holding the shining Rainbow Badge high, Ash grinned.
"I got the Celadon City Badge!"
"Pika Pikachu!" Pikachu leapt onto his shoulder, cheering with a bright spark from his cheeks.
"Congratulations, Ash!" Misty ran up with a smile. "Not only did you win the Celadon Badge, but both Charmeleon and Kirlia evolved! That's huge!"
She wasn't wrong.
The badge was one thing, but evolving two Pokémon into their final forms in one battle? That was the kind of growth no amount of training could replicate.
Before evolving, Charmeleon could already initially contend with Professional Level Venusaur. Now that he had evolved, once he fully recovered and combined with Ash's power, he might easily defeat ordinary Professional Level Pokémon.
Kirlia was even more impressive; after evolving into Gardevoir, she could defeat an Elite Superior Bellossom head-on even without Ash's assistance.
After a period of training, facing Professional Level Pokémon head-on would probably not be an issue.
If someone claimed that all of this, the tactics, the synchronization, the evolution, the victory, belonged to a Trainer who had debuted only two months ago, they'd be laughed out of the room.
No, worse. They'd be spat on.
Who in their first two months could possibly achieve such growth?Not even Leon, the undefeated Champion, had reached this kind of progress in so little time.
Brock was the first to recover from the shock. As soon as Erika approached, he slipped into his favorite mode, "knight of beauty."
"Winning the Celadon Badge is great and all," he said earnestly, stepping up beside her, "but Ash, you really shouldn't upset beautiful ladies like Miss Erika. Look at her, you made her furious! That kind of battle style is fine against Team Rocket or maybe a rival gentleman, but against a lady? Show a little restraint next time."
During the battle, he'd been cheering Ash on with full energy.After the battle, though, well, beauty is justice.
Brotherhood? Sure. But only until a beautiful woman appeared.
Ash's eyebrow twitched. "Seriously, Brock?" He rolled his eyes so hard it was a miracle they didn't get stuck.
What kind of logic is that?
When would men ever get a chance to stand up for themselves at this rate?
"I'm sorry, Erika," Ash said at last, scratching his cheek awkwardly. "The battle just… got intense. I didn't mean to make you angry. I'm actually a very upright person."
Erika couldn't help it, she laughed, her elegant hand covering her mouth.
"Upright? You?"
She thought back to the battle, Hypnosis, Dream Eater, Skill Swap, Teleport… Each move more annoying than the last.
Other people's battles got exciting.
Ash's battles? They just made the opponent want to throw their Poké Balls at his head.
"Alright, alright," Erika said, waving her hand dismissively, the laughter still lingering in her voice. "Anyway, I don't think we'll be battling again anytime soon. And don't worry, I'm not holding a grudge. In battle, as long as you fight within the rules, any method is fair game. I was just… a little irritated earlier."
Her tone softened at the end. For all her frustration, she could still separate the battlefield from real life. Otherwise, she wouldn't be a Gym Leader.
Honestly, though, since becoming Gym Leader, this had been the most aggravating battle she'd ever fought.
If it hadn't been, she wouldn't have broken her own word and pulled out a Professional-Level Venusaur just to vent her emotions.
Erika paused for a moment, then smiled faintly. "Besides, I was partly at fault. I did say I'd give you the Badge even if you lost, that was meant as an apology for the change in difficulty. I didn't expect you to refuse so decisively… and then actually beat me."
Her smile turned wry. "So, I'll give you a different kind of reward."
She glanced at one of her Gym assistants nearby. "Go and bring me the Grassy Glide TM."
The assistant blinked, surprised, but quickly nodded and jogged out of the hall.
Ash, Misty, and Brock all froze for a second, the name of the move clicking in their minds.
"Wait," Ash said slowly, eyes widening. "Erika, isn't that the move Bellossom used just now?"
"That's right." Erika nodded. "Grassy Glide. When Grassy Terrain is active, it drastically increases the move's execution speed, about on par with Quick Attack. You saw it in the battle; it's fast and strong. And since Grassy Terrain also boosts Grass-type attacks by thirty percent, the damage output can be surprisingly high."
Her tone was casual, but there was pride in her voice. She didn't need to hide the move's mechanics now that the battle was over.And since she'd decided to give it to Ash, she wanted him to understand its power.
"Grassy Terrain increases speed, huh…" Ash murmured, realization dawning in his eyes.
No wonder Venusaur hadn't used Grassy Glide earlier, there hadn't been any terrain set up when Charmeleon entered.
If Venusaur had used it under those conditions, with Chlorophyll doubling its speed on top of the terrain boost…
Ash shuddered at the thought.
Venusaur might have been big, but that didn't mean slow. That kind of mass charging at full speed would have been a wrecking ball in motion, one hit could've flattened Charmeleon outright.
Erika noticed the dawning horror on Ash's face and smiled. "This TM isn't sold here. It's a specialty from the Galar region, very rare. Even if you had the money, you couldn't buy it. So consider it a proper compensation, you won't be losing out, right?"
Ash blinked, then rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Uh… losing out? Yeah, sure… not at all."
Inside, though, he was practically jumping for joy.
A move that couldn't be bought with money? That was beyond rare, it was a fortune in itself!
But when all was said and done, the true victim of this battle wasn't Ash, it was Erika.
The psychological damage she'd suffered was probably greater than what any of her Pokémon had endured. Yet here she was, the one offering him compensation.
Ash scratched his cheek awkwardly, realizing that fact. "Then… thank you, Erika. When I become a Pokémon Master one day, you'll have one-third of the credit!" he said with utter seriousness.
"Pfft~~one-third of the credit, huh? You really know how to talk." Erika burst into laughter. "Where do you even learn to say such strange things? And honestly, for someone your age, how do you already know so many disgusting battle tactics?"
Her laughter was genuine now, not the forced calm she wore during battle. For the first time since their match began, she looked at Ash with real curiosity.
Even if Psychic-type Pokémon were known for being unpredictable, his Kirlia, no, now his Gardevoir, was on another level entirely. Not only did she possess a wide range of moves, she had mastered each one to near perfection.
And the most unbelievable part?
Ash knew every move's timing, rhythm, and effect as if he were the one using them himself.
Pokémon didn't become stronger by simply learning more moves. Most Trainers taught their partners a handful of techniques and specialized deeply. But that Gardevoir? She didn't just know many, she excelled at all of them.
And the boy commanding her, someone who had only been a Trainer for two months, was coordinating with her as though they'd trained for years.
If Erika hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she never would've believed it.
Ash, realizing he was being stared at a little too intently, rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Uh, well, this was all taught by Professor Oak! You know, Professor Oak was Kanto's Champion back in the day. He knows tons of battle tactics. I've always been… uh… diligent and eager to learn, so I picked up a lot from him!"
The words "diligent and eager to learn" had barely left his mouth when Brock and Misty, standing right beside him, both froze.
Then they exchanged looks that screamed the same thought:
You? Diligent?
Professor Oak himself had told them stories, how Ash used to skip classes, sneak out to play with wild Pokémon, and bring back single-digit test scores with a proud grin.
Diligent? If that counted as diligent, the world might as well retire the word lazy.
But the two said nothing. Let the boy save face in front of a pretty lady.
And besides, Professor Oak's reputation was strong enough to handle being used as a scapegoat.
Erika nodded thoughtfully, apparently buying the explanation. "So it was Professor Oak who taught you… I see. That makes sense."
Though a faint doubt lingered in her heart. Professor Oak was known to be a refined, upright man in his youth, brilliant, yes, but not one known for deceptive tactics.
Had age changed his teaching style that much?
While the group chatted, light laughter filling the Gym's fragrant air, one of Erika's attendants returned. She was holding a green, disk-shaped item, its surface gleaming faintly under the lights.
"Miss Erika, the Grassy Glide TM," the attendant said respectfully.
"Thank you," Erika replied, taking it with a graceful nod before turning to Ash.
"Here. This is your reward."
Ash carefully accepted the disk, bowing his head slightly. "Thanks, Erika."
As he turned it over in his hands, curiosity sparkled in his eyes. The TM's green casing shimmered faintly, humming with a strange, dormant energy.
So this is a TM…?
Come to think of it, this was the very first one he'd ever seen.
...
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