BANG! BANG!
BANG! BANG!
"Blastoise!!"
Daizumi shouted anxiously.
But just as before, once a Pokémon fell into Ash's rhythm, escaping wasn't so easy.
Especially now.
Blastoise had already been struck by Chansey's enhanced Disarming Voice combination and had entered a dazed, entranced state.
The situation instantly deteriorated.
Once again, Blastoise found itself reduced to a helpless target.
Earlier, when it had been forced onto the defensive, it could at least use Rapid Spin to reduce and mitigate incoming damage.
But now?
Now it was sprawled flat on its back.
Completely exposed.
And Gyarados's massive tail kept crashing down again and again.
The difference in damage between the two situations was like night and day.
Furthermore, the move selection on Ash and Gyarados's side was far more calculated than it appeared.
Blastoise's shell possessed extraordinary defensive power.
At first glance, it looked like a Pokémon whose physical defense greatly exceeded its special defense.
In reality, however, Blastoise's Special Defense was actually slightly higher.
That meant Water Tail—a physical attack—was the perfect choice.
Compared to special attacks such as Dragon Rage or Twister, Water Tail targeted the weaker side of Blastoise's defenses.
Of course, there was another reason.
Gyarados was fundamentally a physical attacker.
The benefits it gained from physical moves were always significantly higher than those from special attacks.
Even if Blastoise's physical defense had been slightly stronger than its special defense, as long as the gap wasn't overwhelming, Water Tail would still remain the optimal option.
BANG!!
BANG!!
[Ding! Congratulations, Host! You defeated LV.31 Blastoise and gained 680 EXP.]
The familiar system notification finally sounded.
Only then did Ash raise his hand.
"That's enough, Valor. Stop."
On the battlefield, Gyarados had still been enthusiastically whipping Blastoise with Water Tail after the battle was effectively over.
Only after hearing Ash's command did it finally stop.
"ROOOAR!"
Gyarados responded immediately.
The massive tail it had been holding high in the air slowly lowered.
To Gyarados, Ash's words carried absolute authority.
Not because of blind obedience.
Not because of fear.
But because of years of trust.
Years of companionship.
Years of admiration and respect.
Ash's commands had long since become instinctive to follow.
"Blastoise is unable to battle!"
"With both Pokémon on the Red Team now defeated, I declare the winners of this match to be the Blue Team—Ash and Clarissa!"
The referee's voice rang out across the arena.
After Gyarados stepped back and revealed the unconscious Blastoise, the outcome became undeniable.
The battle was over.
"...Sigh."
"Blastoise, you worked hard. Come back and rest."
Daizumi recalled Blastoise into its Poké Ball.
His expression carried obvious disappointment.
Both his Pokémon and Hideo's Pokémon had possessed higher levels than Ash's team.
Yet despite that advantage, they had still lost.
That was undoubtedly frustrating.
Still—
Neither he nor Hideo had any regrets.
They had done everything they could.
If they lost despite that, then there was only one explanation.
Ash was simply too strong.
People often said that true geniuses could not only dominate opponents of the same level but also challenge those above them.
Daizumi had never fully believed such claims before.
Now?
After personally experiencing this battle—
He finally understood.
Some people truly were different.
"Ash! Ash!"
"Ash! Ash!"
"Clarissa! Clarissa!"
"Clarissa! Clarissa!"
The entire arena erupted into thunderous cheers.
The spectators were completely fired up.
Across the battlefield, Daizumi and Hideo exchanged a glance before approaching Ash and Clarissa.
"Ash."
"Miss Clarissa."
"Your Pokémon are incredibly strong."
"We lost fair and square."
Their words came from the heart.
Neither of them felt bitter about the outcome.
After all, both brothers had performed exceptionally well during the match.
And thanks to the enormous attention surrounding Ash and his shiny Gyarados's debut battle, they would undoubtedly gain popularity and exposure from the match as well.
In that sense, everyone had benefited.
"Haha, not at all."
Ash smiled modestly.
"Both of you raised your Pokémon very well."
"Whether it was Machamp's combination of Charge and Revenge, or Blastoise's creative use of Rapid Spin, I learned a lot from watching you battle."
"I look forward to facing both of you again in the future."
The two sides exchanged a few more polite words.
After thanking the cheering audience and waving to the fans, Ash and Clarissa finally left the battlefield with their Pokémon.
After all, a trip to the city arena wasn't over after a single match.
Many more battles awaited.
The moment they exited the stadium, Ash headed straight for the registration hall again.
This time, instead of using Gyarados, he registered for another doubles match using his shiny Milotic alongside Clarissa's Chansey.
Unlike Gyarados, Milotic wasn't a violent offensive powerhouse.
However—
Before Gyarados mastered a complete set of defensive and counterattack techniques, Milotic was actually the more terrifying Pokémon.
Because Milotic followed an entirely different path.
A recovery-focused magic tank.
Its core strategy revolved around endurance and attrition.
Aqua Ring.
Recover.
Life Dew.
Those three moves formed the foundation of its combat system.
While its collection of special attacks, control moves, and disruptive techniques wasn't yet extensive, it was already more than sufficient.
If a Pokémon with a completely mature skill framework and fully developed combat power could be called an Ultimate Form, then Milotic had already reached the level of a Complete Form.
Meanwhile, Gyarados was still in a stage of growth.
As a result, the second doubles battle turned into an entirely different spectacle.
Milotic dominated the battlefield even more thoroughly than Gyarados had.
Especially with Chansey supporting it from the sidelines.
A recovery tank paired with a dedicated healer.
The combination was simply outrageous.
Practically unbeatable.
After Milotic finished its match, Ash still wasn't done for the night.
Next came Pikachu.
Then Greninja.
Then Pidgeot.
Then Fearow.
One after another, Ash brought his Pokémon onto the battlefield.
This time, however, he didn't team up with Clarissa for doubles.
Instead, he entered a series of one-on-one matches.
Singles battles progressed much faster.
And with Pokémon as powerful as Pikachu and the others, each match lasted only around five minutes.
That included entrance and exit time.
After all—
These weren't ordinary Pokémon.
They were Ash's true aces.
Every one of them had surpassed the Elite Tier.
And their actual combat strength was capable of challenging Gym-Class opponents—or even stronger adversaries.
If Ash further enhanced them using his Viridian Power's Will Empowerment, their power could temporarily rise beyond the Gym-Class threshold.
Some could even challenge opponents at the Champion-level equivalent.
After all—
LV.61 Viridian Power was no joke.
One match.
Then another.
Then another.
Ash took each of his Pokémon through three separate one-on-one battles.
After an entire morning of hard training, they all deserved the chance to enjoy themselves in real combat.
Only after every Pokémon had battled to its heart's content did Ash finally end his trip to the Viridian City Battle Arena that night.
As the arena lights glowed against the night sky, Ash left with his team.
The battles were over.
But for him—
This was only another step toward becoming the strongest trainer in the world.
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