Battling Pikachu, even winning against him, always left a Trainer feeling utterly defeated inside.
It was just a Pikachu…but it fought like a walking cheat code.
Surf. Flying techniques.
A lightning move that summoned thunder from the skies.
And just when Blaine thought he had a grip on things, Electrostatic suddenly activated at the worst possible moment.
The paralysis wasn't even random luck.
Those repeated Surf attacks had been leaving traces of electricity clinging to Arcanine's body. They didn't trigger immediately… but when Pikachu slammed into him with Volt Tackle, every dormant current activated at once.
Coincidence or inevitability, the setup had already been laid.
Arcanine was down. Pikachu was almost out of stamina.
A one-for-one trade on paper…but humiliating for Blaine, because Pikachu hadn't even taken a real hit. He'd worn himself out from overpowering his own limits.
Blaine inhaled, steadying himself.
No matter how frustrating it was, he still had a battle to finish.
He pulled out Ninetales's Poké Ball.
"Your turn again, Ninetales!"
The golden fox reappeared with a graceful cry.
Ash answered immediately, tossing out Gardevoir, still in her striking Mega-evolved form.
Before the next command came, Blaine raised a question:
"Ash… is that Gardevoir's form permanent?"
Ash blinked. "Why are you asking?"
"I noticed that this evolution isn't like a normal stone evolution." Blaine pushed up his glasses. "Your Gardevoir needed both her own orb and something you held. It looks… temporary. A form that goes beyond limits.
If it were permanent, you wouldn't wait for battle to activate it, right?"
His reasoning was sharp.
Mega Evolution was temporary, but only under two conditions:if the Pokémon ran out of stamina, or if it willingly released the form.Otherwise, it could stay Mega-evolved throughout the entire battle.
Of course, no Trainer would make their Pokémon stay like that all day; the stamina cost was ridiculous.
Ash nodded. "You're right. This form is temporary, think of it like an empowered mode. But Gardevoir can keep it up as long as she has energy.
"Gardevoir, Calm Mind!"
"Gardevoir~."
In a heartbeat, Gardevoir's Aura steadied and sharpened.
"Nasty Plot!" Blaine countered instantly.
He hadn't let the conversation distract him for a moment. As Gardevoir strengthened her mind, Ninetales's eyes gleamed crimson, her own power surging dangerously.
"Inferno!"
Flames erupted around Gardevoir in a blazing trap, but she vanished a second later, reappearing behind Ninetales.
Teleport was usable again now that her previous Disable had been reset.
Gardevoir raised her hand, Psychic energy forming, but Ninetales suddenly released a burst of fire, erupting around herself like a shield.
Gardevoir had to dart backward. Even so, her palm was scorched, flames briefly clinging to her skin, until a wave of frost burst from her hand, extinguishing them instantly.
Ice Punch.
Without pausing, Gardevoir floated upward and wrenched her hands apart, and the ring of flames around Ninetales split open, torn by sheer Psychic force.
Blaine wasn't shocked. That flame shell was only a defensive trap, not a full-power attack.
If it had been infused with everything Ninetales had, Gardevoir wouldn't have torn it apart so easily.
Immediately after, Gardevoir's eyes shimmered with strange light.
When Ninetales met her gaze, the world tilted into an illusion, her senses warped, her body out of sync.
She shook herself hard, breaking free, but the momentary confusion left her rattled.
Ninetales tilted her head.
Something was definitely wrong with her body.
Blaine hadn't noticed anything strange about Ninetales.
He simply shouted, "Flamethrower!"
"Wooh!!"
Ninetales unleashed the attack, but the moment the flames came out, everyone froze.
The fire wasn't just weaker…it was tiny. Two sizes smaller than normal.
Even Blaine stared in disbelief.
A Flamethrower boosted by Nasty Plot shouldn't look like this.
"What…?"
Before he could finish the thought;
"Gardevoir !"
Gardevoir raised her hand, and the flames froze mid-air as if time itself had stopped. Her Psychic force didn't stop there, it wrapped Ninetales entirely, locking her in place.
Psychic binding.
A sharp blue gleam flashed through Gardevoir's eyes, and a radiant illusion of Mega Gardevoir surged forward like a spirit blade.
"Break it, Inferno!"
This time, Blaine didn't have time to play the Poké Ball recall trick. He needed raw firepower to force Gardevoir back.
Ninetales struggled, cutting off Flamethrower and slamming her energy into the ground. Pillars of fire burst upward, surrounding her in a blazing circle.
The flames barely held back the Psychic pressure, but Gardevoir's phantom shot straight through Ninetales.
Ninetales's pupils shrank. Her breath caught. Her legs buckled.
She had taken a direct Psyshock to the mind.
Blaine's heart tightened.
What happened to her firepower? Everything Ninetales released was weaker, far weaker than before.
She had just used Nasty Plot, yet her moves looked like they'd been weakened by several stages.
A normal Inferno should have burned through Psychic and then some.
Right now… she could barely resist it.
Before Blaine could unravel the mystery, Gardevoir vanished again.
"Protect!" Blaine reacted instantly.
BANG!!
A shimmering green shield formed around Ninetales, but only just in time.
Gardevoir reappeared directly in front of her and delivered a blazing punch. The barrier held, blocking the impact.
Extreme Speed, converted into Fairy-type power by Pixilate. If that had landed cleanly, Ninetales would have been done.
Blaine wiped a quick bead of sweat. His reflexes had saved the match from ending right there.
"Flame Charge!"
The moment the barrier dissipated, Ninetales ignited from head to tail, launching herself forward like a burning missile.
Even if Gardevoir tried to Teleport now, she didn't have the timing.
Gardevoir crossed her arms just as the attack connected, and the impact blasted her across the field.
Ash staggered back in the Trainer's box, his heart lurching.
This was the first real hit any of his Pokémon had taken in these two battles.
The flame ring earlier had only burnt Gardevoir's hand for a second.
This one? This one was a full, clean hit
And to make matters worse, Ninetales had struck with a physical attack.
Blaine stared at the flames burning around Ninetales, his mind racing.
Why?
Why were her special flames, Flamethrower and Inferno, so weak earlier?
Those were the moves Ninetales excelled at, yet their power had dropped sharply…even after boosting her strength.
But Flame Charge?
A physical move she wasn't known for?
Perfectly normal.
This contradiction made no sense.
On the field, Gardevoir rolled several times before sliding toward the edge.
Her right hand was already hanging dangerously off the platform, below her was a sea of lava, churning like a hungry monster.
One slip, and Ash would have to intervene or she'd be gone.
But she wasn't defeated yet.
Gardevoir pushed herself up with trembling arms. Her elegant dress, now blackened with soot and dust, clung to her figure. She looked battered and worn, all from one Flame Charge.
And that attack had been far from Ninetales's full power.
If she took another clean hit, this match was over.
That moment earlier, when Ash's Extreme-Speed-style strike almost ended the match, Ninetales had reacted instantly with Protect.
That was the instinct of a veteran.
'Ash, I can continue.'
Gardevoir's gentle telepathy carried unwavering resolve despite her disheveled appearance.
'But the opponent just got faster. And Blaine has already figured out something's wrong with Ninetales. If we don't end this next exchange… we might not get another chance.'
Her eyes hardened with determination.
'I understand.'
She began compressing every drop of power she had left into a single point.
There would only be one chance.
Across the field, Blaine finally made up his mind as well.
He'd pieced together just enough of the strange puzzle affecting Ninetales to take a gamble.
"Ninetales, Flare Blitz!"
"WOOOH!!"
Crimson fire exploded across Ninetales's body, erupting upward like a volcanic eruption.
The flames were so intense that they painted the night sky red, turning darkness into blazing daylight.
Ash wanted a decisive blow.
Blaine wanted a decisive blow.
Both sides understood, this next clash would determine everything.