Third POV
In the stands, both Blue and Red were shocked after seeing how the first round had ended, especially Blue.
"When did Ashy-boy get this good?" Blue muttered in disbelief while staring at the battlefield.
Even he had not expected Ash to push Grey that hard. Blue had always known Ash had talent, but for the longest time Ash had lagged behind them because of his recklessness. Yet now, the same kid was battling intelligently in a Top 4 match of the S.S. Anne tournament.
Red stayed silent beside him, but his eyes remained fixed on the battlefield. He was carefully observing both trainers, especially Grey. Red could tell Grey adapted extremely quickly during battles, and that made him dangerous.
On another side of the stands, Misty looked annoyed after seeing Kingler go down.
"Seriously? He just knocked Kingler out like that?" she complained while crossing her arms.
Brock, however, was much calmer compared to her.
"Ash still has options," Brock replied while keeping his eyes on the field. "By taking out Kingler, Grey gave Ash the chance to bring in a Pokémon with a type advantage against Exeggcute."
Misty blinked for a moment before understanding what Brock meant.
Back in the VIP section, the Champions were also completely focused on the battle. Even if the Pokémon involved were still young and inexperienced compared to professional league standards, the battle sense and tactical decisions both trainers were showing were impressive for trainers their age.
Steven watched with interest.
"These kids really know how to adapt mid battle," he commented.
Lance nodded slightly while watching Grey carefully.
Especially Grey.
The boy constantly changed tactics depending on the flow of battle instead of sticking stubbornly to one strategy.
Back on the field, Ash grabbed his next Poké Ball.
"I choose you, Pidgeotto!"
The bird Pokémon emerged onto the battlefield with a loud cry, spreading its wings as it took to the air immediately.
The moment Pidgeotto entered, Grey reacted instantly.
"Exeggcute, Sunny Day!"
The six eggs immediately released a bright golden light into the sky. The sunlight over the battlefield intensified rapidly, the arena becoming much warmer within seconds.
The harsh sunlight activated Exeggcute's Chlorophyll ability.
Ash narrowed his eyes.
He understood immediately what Grey was trying to do.
"Quick Attack into Wing Attack!"
Pidgeotto glowed white and shot forward like a missile. Its wings began glowing as it accelerated at incredible speed toward Exeggcute.
Right before impact, Exeggcute suddenly split apart.
Pidgeotto flew straight through the gap between the eggs.
"Toxic!" Grey shouted immediately.
Purple poison shot out from Exeggcute at point blank range. Pidgeotto barely had time to react before the poison struck its body.
The bird cried out in pain but still continued flying past.
"Air Slash!" Ash countered immediately.
Pidgeotto flapped its wings and launched sharp blades of compressed air toward Exeggcute.
"Confusion and Reflect!" Grey responded.
A psychic barrier formed while Exeggcute's Confusion tried to redirect the attack. The majority of the Air Slashes were blocked, though a few still slipped through and struck Exeggcute directly.
The egg Pokémon rolled backward from the impact.
Pidgeotto flew upward again to create distance, but poison damage had already begun affecting it.
Ash clicked his tongue.
This was bad.
Very bad.
Then Ash suddenly realized something.
Exeggcute under harsh sunlight with Chlorophyll active was much faster than normal.
That explained why Grey had immediately used Sunny Day.
Ash quickly changed his approach.
"Pidgeotto, Wing Attack again!"
Even without Quick Attack boosting it this time, Pidgeotto flew downward at incredible speed.
Grey expected Exeggcute to split apart again.
But Ash had already predicted that.
Right before Pidgeotto reached Exeggcute, Ash shouted,
"Air Slash while using Wing Attack!"
While its wings glowed with Wing Attack energy, Pidgeotto suddenly launched Air Slashes at point blank range.
The glowing wings amplified the attack power.
Grey's eyes widened slightly.
"Reflect! Confusion!"
Exeggcute tried blocking the attack again, but this time the distance was too short and the attack too powerful.
Most of the Air Slashes broke through.
Exeggcute was blasted backward and crashed hard against the battlefield floor.
Ash saw the opening instantly.
"Pidgeotto, Quick Attack into Wing Attack now!"
Pidgeotto accelerated at absurd speed despite the poison hurting it more and more every second.
This time Grey did not stay passive.
"Confusion full power!"
Psychic energy exploded outward from Exeggcute and grabbed hold of the incoming Pidgeotto midair.
The bird struggled violently while still cloaked in Quick Attack and Wing Attack energy.
For a moment, both Pokémon were locked in place.
Exeggcute trying to stop the attack.
Pidgeotto trying to overpower the psychic hold through sheer momentum.
Ash clenched his fist.
Grey narrowed his eyes.
Then Pidgeotto broke through.
The bird smashed directly into Exeggcute and sent it crashing across the field.
Ash smiled.
"That should do it!"
But suddenly his expression changed.
Vines.
Green vines had wrapped around Pidgeotto's body.
Leech Seed.
Ash realized immediately when it must have happened.
During the earlier close range exchange.
Pidgeotto cried out as its energy began getting drained.
At the same time poison damage kicked in again.
From the rubble, Exeggcute slowly rose back up.
It looked heavily injured, but still capable of fighting.
Ash clicked his tongue again.
This was becoming a battle against time.
"Finish it with Air Slash!"
Pidgeotto launched another barrage of sharp wind blades.
"Synthesis!" Grey ordered instantly.
Under the harsh sunlight, Exeggcute began recovering health at an absurd rate.
It did not even bother dodging.
The Air Slash hit directly.
Yet Exeggcute still remained standing because the healing under sunlight restored almost as much damage as it received.
Meanwhile Pidgeotto was continuously taking poison and Leech Seed damage.
Within seconds, what looked like Ash's winning position had completely reversed.
Ash realized he only had one chance left.
One final all out attack.
"Pidgeotto!" Ash shouted loudly. "Wing Attack and Quick Attack together again!"
Even Pidgeotto looked confused for a second.
That combination had already failed once.
But Ash gave it a serious look.
A look that said trust me.
Pidgeotto nodded.
Despite the poison and exhaustion, it flew high into the air one last time before diving down at maximum speed.
Exeggcute prepared itself to split apart and defend again.
But right before impact Ash suddenly shouted,
"Spin and use Air Slash!"
Pidgeotto spun violently while still diving downward and unleashed multiple Air Slashes from its spinning state.
The attacks became even stronger from the rotation.
Exeggcute tried stopping the move with Confusion, but the momentum was too strong.
The attacks slammed into Exeggcute directly.
Then Pidgeotto itself crash landed into Exeggcute immediately afterward.
Using its remaining strength, Exeggcute unleashed one final Confusion directly onto Pidgeotto's wing.
A loud crack echoed.
Pidgeotto cried out in pain.
Then the collision caused a massive explosion.
Smoke covered the battlefield.
Everyone in the stands watched silently.
Finally, Pidgeotto emerged from the smoke.
But one of its wings was hanging badly injured.
It could barely stay airborne.
Exeggcute, meanwhile, was completely unconscious.
"The winner is Pidegeotto as exeggcute is unable to battle!" the referee declared.
Grey sighed softly in relief and recalled Exeggcute.
"You did great."
Then he grabbed his final Poké Ball.
"Persian, let's go!"
The sleek feline Pokémon appeared onto the battlefield gracefully.
Ash looked surprised.
He genuinely expected Axew to be Grey's last Pokémon.
Still, Ash immediately reacted.
"Pidgeotto, Air Slash!"
Pidgeotto tried flapping its injured wing to launch the attack.
But its movement was unstable now.
Persian simply darted away effortlessly.
Then Grey gave the command.
"Thunderbolt."
A massive bolt of electricity erupted from Persian and struck Pidgeotto directly.
The bird Pokémon screamed before collapsing onto the battlefield unconscious.
"The winner is Persian as Pidgeotto is unable to battle!"
Ash recalled Pidgeotto carefully.
Grey then looked toward Ash and said,
"Take it to Nurse Joy after this match. Its wing looked injured."
Ash nodded seriously.
"I will."
Then Ash grabbed his final Poké Ball.
"Pikachu, I choose you!"
The electric mouse landed on the field with determination.
Meanwhile, Grey internally let out a sigh of relief.
He knew now.
He had won.
The final round of the semi finals match 1 began immediately.
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted.
Grey responded just as quickly.
"Persian, Thunderbolt!"
Both Pokémon unleashed massive bursts of electricity at each other. The two Thunderbolts collided at the center of the battlefield in a violent explosion of sparks before cancelling each other out completely.
Grey narrowed his eyes slightly.
He had only ordered Thunderbolt to neutralize Pikachu's attacks. Truthfully, he still did not know whether Ash's Pikachu had Static or Lightning Rod as its ability, and he was not willing to risk Persian getting punished because of uncertainty.
Ash clicked his tongue.
"Pikachu, Quick Attack!"
Pikachu dashed forward in a blur of yellow.
"Persian, Quick Attack and Shadow Claw."
Persian vanished almost instantly.
Pikachu was fast.
Very fast.
But Persian was faster by a noticeable margin.
The feline Pokémon intercepted Pikachu midway and slammed a glowing Shadow Claw directly into Pikachu's body before the mouse Pokémon could even react properly.
Pikachu was sent skidding across the battlefield.
Ash immediately tried changing tactics.
"Pikachu , Thunder Wave!"
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"
He attempted repeatedly to slow Persian down or pin it in place with electric attacks.
But every single time Persian countered with its own Thunderbolt, disrupting the attacks before they could properly land.
The battle slowly devolved into a brutal cat and mouse chase.
Whenever Ash tried fighting at range, Persian cancelled the attacks.
Whenever Pikachu tried to outspeed Persian physically, Persian proved even faster.
And unlike Pikachu, Persian hit extremely hard.
The pressure kept building more and more.
Blue, watching from the stands, folded his arms.
"Grey's Persian is disgusting to fight against," he muttered.
Even Red nodded slightly at that.
Persian's speed combined with its coverage made it extremely difficult to deal with.
Back on the battlefield, Pikachu dashed around the field rapidly trying to create an opening.
But eventually Persian caught up.
The feline suddenly blurred forward and slammed Pikachu into the ground with Shadow Claw, pinning the electric mouse in place beneath its paw.
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted desperately.
"Shadow Ball," Grey answered calmly.
Electricity exploded from Pikachu's cheeks at point blank range.
Persian took the Thunderbolt head on.
The attack hurt, but Persian endured it while a gigantic Shadow Ball formed inside its mouth.
Pikachu struggled desperately to escape the grip, sparks flying wildly around its body, but Persian's hold remained firm.
Then Persian fired the Shadow Ball directly into Pikachu's face.
A massive explosion erupted across the battlefield.
Smoke covered everything.
Ash clenched his fists tightly.
Slowly, Pikachu emerged from the smoke.
Barely standing.
Its body trembled heavily, but it still looked toward Ash with determination.
Ash's heart tightened seeing that expression.
They could still fight.
They still had a chance.
But then Persian disappeared again.
Before Pikachu could react, Persian speed blitzed straight toward it and slammed a Night Slash across Pikachu's body.
The force sent Pikachu flying all the way to the edge of the arena where it crashed hard against the wall.
Silence filled the battlefield for a second.
Then Pikachu collapsed unconscious.
The referee raised his flag immediately.
"Pikachu is unable to battle! The winner of the match is Persain and therfore Grey Mallory!"
The crowd erupted loudly after the announcement.
Grey had officially advanced to the finals.
Ash stared silently at Pikachu for a few moments before slowly recalling it back into its Poké Ball.
He looked disappointed.
Not angry.
Not frustrated.
Just disappointed in himself for losing.
Grey walked toward Ash after the match ended.
"Had it been almost any other Pokémon, Pikachu could've had a chance and you still might have won," Grey admitted honestly. "But Persian was one of the worst matchups possible."
Ash looked up slightly.
Grey continued,
"Persian hates Electric types because of Surge."
Persian immediately let out an arrogant sazzing sound beside him as if proudly agreeing with that statement.
Grey gave Persian a look.
"Quit it."
Persian instantly stopped acting smug.
Ash could not help letting out a small laugh seeing that.
Grey then recalled Persian and began leaving the arena.
Truthfully, Grey knew something else too.
If Ash's final Pokémon had been Bulbasaur instead of Pikachu, things might have been slightly more troublesome. Bulbasaur's stalling tactics combined with Leech Seed could have dragged the fight longer.
But Grey was already used to dealing with stall based Pokémon because of training Exeggcute for so long. Persian still likely would have won eventually.
As for Ash's remaining Pokémon, Persian simply matched up too well against them.
Butterfree, kingler and pidegotto were all weak to electric attacks.
Pikachu was completely countered.
Charmander could be hit by Thunderbolt more than Bulbasaur as the grass mon could tank it , but neutral damage from Persian's attacks would still wear it down quickly.
Honestly, for Ash's current team, Persian was a nightmare matchup.
With that thought in mind, Grey quietly left the battlefield while the crowd continued cheering behind him.
Author's Note: Ok no plot armor here , that said Grey is officially in the finals , on another note this pikachu doesnt know iron tail , volt tackle or electro ball yet so there was literally nothing it could do , next chapter would be red vs blue which I would try to cover a bit quickly in one chapter , try to that is as this arc keeps giving me surprises with its length .