Flare Blitz was one of Ninetales' strongest physical Fire-type attacks.
The moment Blaine commanded it, Ash understood one thing instantly.
Blaine had already figured out Ninetales' condition.
Ninetales' special attacks earlier, Flamethrower, Fire Spin, Inferno, had all been strangely weak.
After observing long enough, Blaine finally concluded:
Ninetales' special attack hadn't risen, It had actually dropped sharply.
But her physical strength?
Perfectly normal.
That's why Flame Charge earlier hit with full force.
So Blaine now chose Flare Blitz, the strongest physical move Ninetales could use. If it even touched Gardevoir, the match would end.
Gardevoir watched the incoming firestorm with a solemn gaze.
Ninetales had chosen her finisher, but what about her?
Gardevoir knew countless moves, both Psychic and Fairy, but none of her typical attacks were "ultimate-level."
Future Sight was powerful, but it required charging time, impossible in this situation.
Then;
'The ultimate move… Ash, there's a technique I've felt deep inside me ever since I evolved. Something… instinctual.'
Ash didn't hesitate.
'Use it. Whatever it is, I'll support you.'
He trusted her completely.
Gardevoir inhaled softly, lifted her hands, and a dark-purple sphere of chaotic energy formed between them.
The moment Blaine saw it, his face completely changed.
"Psystrike!!"
Ash froze.
Psystrike?
He had never heard of this Psychic-type move. Why did Blaine know it?
Was it a move from another region?
Or,was it Mewtwo's?
The thought barely surfaced before Ash pushed it aside and focused.
As he synchronized Aura with her, he felt it clearly:
This wasn't a normal move.
This was beyond ordinary techniques.
Gardevoir thrust her hands forward.
The battlefield shook violently as cracks spread through the stone.
Space itself vibrated around the sphere.
At the same instant, Ninetales burst forward like a blazing comet, flames erupting high into the sky.
Their two ultimate attacks collided head-on in the center of the arena.
BOOM!!
A flash of white light swallowed everything.
The explosion was so violent it shattered the battleground itself. Ash's pre-placed Aura barrier activated instantly, forming a deep-blue dome that protected Blaine, Gary, Misty, and Brock.
Without it, Blaine, who stood closest, might have been seriously injured.
Shockwaves raged for seconds that felt like minutes. Ninetales fought desperately, pushing forward through the psychic storm.
But her flames began to weaken.
Gardevoir's eyes sharpened.
She poured every remaining drop of power into Psystrike.
The purple orb detonated mid-air.
Ninetales' flames shattered instantly.
The explosion swept her up like a ragdoll, engulfing her in violent light.
A hurricane-like blast blew across the field, contained only by Ash's barrier.
For a long stretch of chaotic noise and blinding radiance, no one could see anything.
Finally, as the smoke thinned, and the thunder of the explosion faded, the battlefield slowly emerged from the settling dust.
Misty and the others slowly lowered the arms they had raised to shield themselves.
What they saw first was not the battlefield, but the fading blue barrier in front of them.
"Ash protected us again…" Misty sighed in relief as she set Togepi down.
Togepi blinked innocently at the smoke-filled arena, completely unaware of the destructive shockwave that had just erupted.
Gary exhaled sharply. "What even is that guy's ability? It's way too ridiculous!"
Brock shook the dust off his hands. "It's Aura… or something close to it. It's hard to define. Combat, defense, detection, reinforcement, Ash can do all of it. Honestly, it's stronger than Psychic."
By this point, Brock had already seen the battlefield clearly.
The arena was ruined, the stone floor torn apart, the supporting chains now dangling uselessly down the side of the volcano.Floating in mid-air was Mega Gardevoir, and in front of her lay Ninetales, unconscious and badly battered.
There was no need for a referee.
Gardevoir had won.
Despite her own exhaustion, Gardevoir gently held Ninetales with Psychic power, keeping him suspended so he wouldn't fall into the lava below.
Even though Ninetales could survive the heat, dropping an unconscious Pokémon into molten rock was still dangerous, and retrieving him would be another nightmare entirely.
With care, Gardevoir floated Ninetales over and set him beside Blaine.
Then she drifted toward Ash.
The moment she touched down, her body shimmered, and her long black dress returned to its usual white.
Mega Evolution faded.
The battle had taken everything out of her.
"Gardevoir…" Ash caught her as she collapsed against him, her breathing shallow. Even standing was too much.
"You did amazing," he whispered, holding her close.
"Garde…voir…"
He returned her to her Poké Ball with a reassuring smile. "Rest for now. I'll get you healed soon."
On the other side, Blaine knelt beside Ninetales before recalling him as well.
He let out a heavy breath.
"The younger generation… truly surpasses the old," he muttered with a dry smile. "Two low-tier Pokémon… pushing two of my high-tier ones this far… Honestly, I'm not sure how to feel."
Any Trainer would've been shaken.
Arcanine and Ninetales were monsters in their own right, far above the strength Ash's team should have been capable of handling.But Ash's Pokémon kept twisting logic inside out with bizarre moves, absurd boosts, and tactics no traditional Trainer could predict.
It wasn't that Blaine was weak.
It was Ash who didn't fight by any rules the world recognized.
If Ash faced opponents equal to his Pokémon, he fought normally.But if someone tried something unreasonable, Ash responded with even more unreasonable methods.
Like being asked, seriously, to fight a full three-on-three match against a high-tier while only three months into his journey.
Anyone would break the rules for that.
Ash shrugged. "So… the field's destroyed. How do we keep battling?"
It was a fair concern.
The battlefield had been constructed from reinforced volcanic stone, designed to withstand normal Gym-level battles. But the clash between Gardevoir and Ninetales had gone far beyond that.
The battlefield had shattered completely, but Blaine only gave a small shake of his head.
"Destroyed? Hardly," he said. "When did you get the idea that the battlefield was just that tiny arena? This entire volcano is the arena. As long as the mountain remains standing, the battle continues."
The moment he finished speaking, the lava below began to churn violently.
Then, a red-and-yellow figure burst straight out of the molten rock.
It landed atop a spire of hardened magma, a narrow pillar surrounded by bubbling lava.
Barely large enough for two people to stand on, yet this Pokémon stood perfectly steady.
Everyone's eyes narrowed.
Magmar.
The same Magmar that had stopped them earlier. Blaine's strongest partner.
Ash blinked. "Magmar… you keep it inside the volcano instead of a Poké Ball?"
Blaine hadn't expected that to be Ash's first question. "That's right. Magmar lives in the lava year-round. It adapts to the heat, strengthens its resistance, and increases the power of its fire. It's the best training a Fire-type can get."
"But wait, Magmar was at your house just now. Did you make him rush here ahead of us and hide in the lava, planning to jump out and scare me?"
Blaine: …
'Why does he always think like this? Who would plant a Fire-type ambush in a volcano like a horror movie?'
Still… yes. He had sent Magmar here early.
Not to scare Ash, but to fully heat its body and raise its strength to maximum.
Right now, Magmar was in peak condition.
Blaine crossed his arms. "Alright, Ash… choose your final fighter. Or are you truly planning to enter the field yourself?"
Ash didn't answer.
Instead, he stepped forward, bent his legs slightly, and leapt.
He landed on a separate magma pillar across from Magmar, standing perfectly balanced above the sea of lava.
"No Pokémon I have right now can stand up to your Magmar," Ash said. "So I'll fight this one myself. And Blaine, remember your promise. If I win, you admit I have the strength to protect Gardevoir. And you'll give me those two Mega stones."
"Mega…?" Blaine repeated. "Is that what you call them? Mega Evolution stones?"
"More or less."
Blaine nodded. "I'll keep my word. But honestly, Ash… after what you did earlier, this battle is no longer necessary."
Ash tilted his head. "What do you mean?"
"You protected all of us, simultaneously, from the shockwave of a peak-tier clash. And you did it without faltering. You've already proven that your special ability is strong enough to defend both yourself and Gardevoir."
Blaine's expression softened.
"In truth, even if you lose this round… I would still count it as your victory."
Because what Ash had shown wasn't simply strength, but control, precision, and the ability to protect others.
...
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