On the battlefield, everyone was stunned.
Who would have thought that the outwardly gentle and cute Wigglytuff possessed such a ferocious side?
"Wow, that was cool," Misty said, unable to resist fierce Pokémon of this type. "Too bad it's not Water-type. I still love Gyarados the most."
Brock crossed his arms and commented, "It timed its move perfectly and knew how to use its species trait to boost the attack damage. It truly is a Pokémon raised by Sabrina-san."
Sabrina raised an eyebrow. This Wigglytuff was a backup to her backup Pokémon. She usually thought its psychic moves were merely average, and she hadn't realized its close combat abilities were strong or that it could combine its moves in this way. Thus, the credit truly belonged to Aomori.
Aomori, who had unintentionally made Sabrina look better, didn't think much of it. He was only concerned with how to utilize the environment, move set, and physical characteristics to win the match.
The unfortunate Charmander took the full force of the punch, rolling on the ground, unable to move for a moment.
"Charmander!" Ash rushed forward a couple of steps and shouted loudly, "Get up! Don't give up! I know you won't lose to it!"
With the help of Ash's rallying cry, Charmander's eyes snapped open, and a light of evolution suddenly enveloped its body.
"Charmander is evolving!" The Gold Medal Commentator, Brock, came online. "The unwillingness to lose and the desire to respond to its Trainer's feelings have become the fuel for its evolution!"
As the light faded, Charmander's body grew taller, its big face stretched and sharpened, a horn-like protrusion appeared on its head, and its claws and tail grew significantly longer.
"What is this?" Ash pulled out his Pokédex: "Charmeleon, the Flame Pokémon. The evolved form of Charmander. It has a fierce and aggressive nature and enjoys shredding its opponents with its sharp claws."
"It's Charmeleon!" Looking at the majestic Charmeleon, Ash felt ecstatic. "Go, Charmeleon! Use Slash on Wigglytuff!"
"Chaa!" Looking at its former opponent, Charmeleon charged without fear, extending its sharp claws.
"Mega Punch!"
The two moves clashed with the same intensity as before, and both Charmeleon and Wigglytuff retreated three steps.
This time, they were evenly matched.
"Great job, Charmeleon! Keep using Slash!"
"We can't lose either! Keep using Mega Punch!"
The two Pokémon seemed determined, continuously engaging in close-quarters combat with physical moves. Their eyes met, and both saw the unwavering resolve of the other.
"This is turning into a battle of attrition. It depends on who can last longer," Brock analyzed.
"Then who has the better chance of winning?" Misty asked curiously.
Brock shook his head. "It's hard to say. Charmeleon was heavily injured before and only recovered slightly by evolving. It's difficult to tell who has the upper hand right now."
After trading several more blows, both Charmeleon and Wigglytuff were panting heavily, looking like they were about to collapse.
Just then, everyone heard Aomori's calm voice: "Wigglytuff, use Rest."
Wigglytuff showed a pleased expression, immediately lay down on the ground, and began to snore loudly.
"Huh?" Ash was dumbfounded. Sleeping during a battle?
Brock, the sideline commentator, provided assistance again: "Ash, quickly have Charmeleon attack! Rest is a move that recovers all of a Pokémon's HP! If you can't finish Wigglytuff before the move ends, you'll be in trouble!"
Ash was alarmed and quickly commanded, "Did you hear that, Charmeleon? Please, attack with all your might! Use Flamethrower!"
"Chaa!" Charmeleon let out a furious roar, the flame on its tail turning into a bright blue-tinged white flame. Sparks flew from its mouth as it lowered its head and blasted scorching fire towards the sleeping Wigglytuff.
"Wigglytuff, use Sleep Talk!" Aomori's voice came again. The loudly snoring Wigglytuff suddenly waved its hand and used a move. Its body instantly disappeared and reappeared far away, successfully dodging Charmeleon's Flamethrower.
"Why is a sleeping Wigglytuff using a move?" Misty asked in confusion.
"That's Sleep Talk! This move allows a sleeping Pokémon to randomly use one of its other moves. Why did it have to use Teleport?"
Brock's face darkened. He stared through his squinted eyes at the calm man across the field, a sense of respect forming in his mind. "Aomori-san had a plan set from the moment Charmander evolved. First, use Mega Punch for attrition, then follow up with Rest combined with Sleep Talk, which gave it a high chance of recovering all its energy. Ash is in danger."
"He only has one chance left."
When Charmeleon's Flamethrower was dodged, Ash was a little confused, sensing that things were taking a turn for the worse.
"Chaa." Charmeleon was breathing heavily. Its full-power attack just now had used up too much of its strength, and it was barely holding on.
"Charmeleon, I know you're tired, but I hope you can hang in there a little longer. If you collapse like this, you'll be frustrated too, right?" Ash said emotionally.
Charmeleon fell silent. It remembered the scene in the cave when Ash firmly protected the flame on its tail, it remembered training and battling together with Ash, and it remembered the heavy punch Wigglytuff landed on its face.
Then, it erupted.
In an earth-shaking roar, the light of evolution once again shone from Charmeleon's body.
"Charmeleon is evolving again..."
This time, even Brock was speechless.
Everyone, including Aomori, watched in shock as Charmander made a double leap, evolving into the legendary Game Freak-favorite, Charizard.
The Charizard resembled a large Western dragon, standing over two meters tall, with a pair of broad wings. A fierce, never-extinguishing torch-like flame burned at the tip of its tail.
"So cool!" Ash was the first to snap out of it. Seeing the tall and mighty Charizard, he shouted in excitement, "Charizard, use your strongest move and end this battle!"
"Roar!" Charizard spread its wings and soared into the sky, then dove vertically toward Wigglytuff, its body engulfed in scorching flames.
Is this what it means for the protagonist to cheat?
Aomori, who had seen it all, took a breath and calmly commanded, "Wigglytuff, use Sleep Talk again!"
"Please, don't be Teleport again," Brock and Misty silently prayed.
Ash clenched his fist, waiting for the final moment to arrive.
Even Sabrina couldn't help but straighten her posture, staring at the field. This battle had finally piqued her interest.
Rumble!
Under everyone's gaze, Charizard collided fiercely with the still-sleeping Wigglytuff, kicking up thick clouds of smoke and dust.
"What's the result?"
After a tense wait, Charizard's upright body and the unconscious Wigglytuff in the crater came into view.
Ash pulled down the brim of his hat, a wide smile spreading across his face: "I won! Charizard, we won!"
He excitedly rushed forward and hugged Charizard's massive neck.
"Pika!" The recovered Pikachu leaped onto Ash's shoulder, patting Charizard's big head in encouragement.
"Roar!" Charizard was also incredibly excited. It kept blasting flames outward, roaring occasionally.
Brock and Misty clapped their hands, applauding the spectacular match.
Aomori shook his head. After giving Wigglytuff a quick treatment, he recalled it to its Poké Ball. Losing to the "cheating" Ash gave him no psychological burden at all.
Turning around, he looked at Sabrina, who had stood up, and winked: "It's your turn next."
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You can read the ahead chapter on Patr-eon if you're interested: p-atre-on.c-om/Overgod [Just remove the hyphen to access normally]