Sensing Red's inner helplessness, Blastoise stepped forward and gently placed a hand on Red's shoulder, soothing his emotions and signaling him to watch what it would do next.
Under Red's slightly curious gaze, Blastoise bent down and raised the massive cannons on its back, gathering its Aura abilities and concentrating them into the cannons before firing an Aura Sphere.
Before everyone's eyes, a massive Aura Sphere shot out from Blastoise's giant cannons, speeding toward the already distant Archer and Crobat.
Seeing the puzzled looks from Ash and the others, Blastoise didn't bother explaining much. Instead, it confidently nodded at Red, indicating that its attack would definitely hit Crobat.
Red trusted it completely. According to various research data, after Mega Evolution, the attack range of Blastoise's massive cannons could reach an astonishing 10 kilometers.
Blastoise naturally had confidence that its Aura Sphere would strike the already distant Crobat.
Sure enough, a violent explosion echoed from afar. Within Red's line of sight, a blurry figure rapidly fell from the sky into the sea, motionless, like discarded debris drifting with the waves.
(This time, I'll just give you a small lesson, Archer! Next time, it won't be so simple!)
Thinking this, Red turned his head unhappily toward Ash, who looked embarrassed.
Just as Red was about to scold Ash for his recklessness, he noticed that the now-clearheaded Ash, like Pikachu, had lowered his head in guilt, silently waiting for Red's criticism.
"Sigh… I really don't know what to say about you…" Red said helplessly. He reached out, ruffled Ash's messy hair, and properly adjusted his cap, signaling him not to feel so tense or guilty.
"From Misty and Brock's brief explanation, I understand your resolve. I have to say, at this very moment, you're the Ash I'm most proud of."
"Even in such adversity, you still held firmly to your belief as a Pokémon trainer. For that, I'm truly proud of you!"
Instead of criticizing him, Red encouraged Ash with praise.
A hot-blooded idealist like Ash could never bring himself to use tactics of overwhelming numbers, even against an evil organization. Yet it was precisely because of this quality that he earned the recognition of many trainers—one of his defining charms.
(Ash, if you are a shield hero who pursues ideals even at the cost of your life, then I am a sword hero who pursues truth and will cut down anything that stands in my way!)
From the very beginning, Red had realized that his philosophy was completely different from Ash's. But so what? Ash was still his proud younger brother, not an enemy like those brothers in legends who opposed each other for their beliefs.
After the incident ended, Ash and his companions realized that Jigglypuff had already fled Turtle Island at the very start of the battle, leaving no trace behind.
But that was fine—it spared everyone the trouble of worrying about where it had gone.
Just as Red and Ash's group were about to leave Turtle Island, Blastoise suddenly let out a loud roar, stopping them in their tracks.
"Could it be that Blastoise thinks it was our arrival that put Turtle Island in danger?!" Misty said in panic, afraid that Blastoise might attack them.
"No, it's not that foolish. It simply understands what it truly seeks now," Red said with a slight smile.
Meanwhile, Venusaur, who had already made up its mind, stepped forward to stand before Blastoise, preparing for a fair battle with the king of the turtles.
The king of the mysterious garden VS the ruler of all turtles on the island!
Coincidentally, both Pokémon had not yet removed their Mega Evolution forms, allowing them to fight in their optimal states.
Although Blastoise repeatedly refused, Red still chose not to command Venusaur. After all, Venusaur already had a type advantage—there was no need for him to interfere.
Moreover, Venusaur wanted to defeat Blastoise with its own strength.
After a brief standoff, Blastoise launched the first attack, firing a freezing Ice Beam from its mouth that struck Venusaur head-on.
Venusaur paid no mind to the frozen parts of its body. Instead, it used Sunny Day, releasing a sphere of light into the sky that quickly transformed Turtle Island's weather into a warm, sunlit state.
The intense sunlight rapidly melted the ice on Venusaur's body. The sunny weather not only boosted Venusaur's speed but also weakened Blastoise's water-type moves.
Sixteen vines extended from Venusaur's back, intertwining into two thick green whips. With a fierce swing, Venusaur unleashed a powerful Vine Whip attack.
Seeing this, Blastoise swung its frost-covered fists, using Ice Punch to directly counter Venusaur's attack.
The cold spread instantly across the vines, turning the two thick green whips into frozen sculptures within moments.
But Venusaur's assault didn't stop. It stomped the ground with force, causing thick thorny vines to burst from the earth and surge toward Blastoise.
Blastoise crossed its arms and used Iron Defense, taking the brunt of the hardened plant attack head-on, though it still suffered considerable damage.
Meanwhile, the previously frozen vines shattered their ice under the intense sunlight as Venusaur exerted force, quickly retracting them back into its body.
Suddenly, a terrifying aura erupted from Blastoise. Dark energy gathered within its three cannons, and then three consecutive black rings shot out, unleashing Dark Pulse toward Venusaur.
Fully aware of the terrifying nature of this ability, Venusaur decisively absorbed the intense sunlight and countered with Solar Beam.
The blazing Solar Beam collided with the combined Dark Pulses at the center of the battlefield, instantly kicking up massive amounts of sand and forming violent sand tornadoes. Even the surrounding rocks and towering trees were shattered and toppled.
"Incredible… is this the power of Mega Evolution?" Ash exclaimed in shock, staring at the battle between the two kingly Pokémon, his eyes filled with longing.
"No. Rather than saying Mega Evolution made Venusaur and Blastoise strong, it's more accurate to say that Venusaur and Blastoise made Mega Evolution what it is. Without their own strength, they wouldn't be able to bring out its full power!" Brock shook his head, explaining his understanding.
His words were also acknowledged by Red. After all, even without Mega Evolution, these two Pokémon were still kings in their own domains.
Enduring the sharp pain coursing through its body, Blastoise, as a turret-like attacker, would not easily give up such a perfect opportunity to strike.
Its three cannons gathered a purple dragon-like aura, faintly forming the shape of a massive dragon.
Before everyone's eyes, Blastoise unleashed Dragon Pulse toward Venusaur.
The three Dragon Pulses converged ahead, merging into a single massive beam.
In Venusaur's view, a giant purple energy dragon opened its enormous jaws, attempting to devour it whole.
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