"Return, Gastly!"
"You too, Noctowl!"
Ash and Morty recalled their Pokémon at the same time.
"Thank you, Gastly, you did a wonderful job!"
Morty looked toward Ash. "Ash, you really are impressive. To be able to utilize the arena's own constraints to force Gastly into the light... remarkable!"
"Then how will you handle this one?"
Morty's next Pokémon was, as expected, a Haunter! Unlike Gastly, Haunter had gained a pair of hands detached from its body through evolution, allowing it to utilize more physical attacks. Its combat style was even more eerie and versatile.
Morty was a specialist in Ghost types, and his Haunter was clearly extraordinary. "Quilava, I choose you!"
Ash released Quilava. Under Houndoom's training, it had nearly reached the stage of evolution. Ash had transferred it back specifically to give it more battle experience, accumulate more Bond Value, and push it toward an early evolution.
As soon as Quilava took the stage, the flames on its head flared high. Meganium's recent evolution had clearly left it feeling restless and eager to grow.
It couldn't afford to fall too far behind! However, Haunter vanished immediately. Quilava lacked any Foresight skills to reveal its hidden form. "Haunter, use Hypnosis!"
Hearing that command, Brock and Misty immediately felt a surge of dread. Attacks coming from an unknown direction were nearly impossible to defend against! However, Ash simply gave a confident smile. "Quilava, use Flame Wheel and Fire Spin!"
A combination move! At his current level, Ash could execute such techniques with effortless ease. Regardless of where Haunter intended to strike from, Quilava curled into a rolling wheel of fire and leapt into the air. The Fire Spin, already a vortex, expanded with the rotation of the wheel, blooming like a massive flower that blanketed the entire field. Ash named it on the spot: Blooming Fireworks!
"It's so beautiful!" Molly's eyes were full of stars. "Ash is the best!"
The move was as powerful as it was aesthetic. Not only was Haunter's Hypnosis repelled, but the ghost itself was flushed out by the blooming flames, with nowhere left to hide. "Haunter!"
Morty was stunned. This was a strategy he had never seen before. The children he was teaching were even more shocked, watching with dropped jaws.
But Ash wasn't done yet. "Flame Charge!"
Wrapped in a mantle of fire, Quilava slammed into Haunter, its speed increasing with every passing second. "Haunter, don't lose! Shadow Punch!"
Haunter's physical structure was unique. Despite its main body taking the hit, its detached hands suddenly clenched into fists. Ghostly energy surged through its knuckles as it threw a punch, hammering into Quilava and forcing the Flame Charge back.
"Impressive!" Ash complimented. "But Morty, the disruptive skills you mentioned have already been sealed by my Blooming Fireworks. What do you plan to do now?"
The way Ash spoke, one might have thought he was the Gym Leader.
Morty looked at Ash with genuine admiration. "Ash, you really are something, but I absolutely will not admit defeat! Haunter, use Shadow Ball!"
"Quilava, Flamethrower!"
Shadow Ball collided with Flamethrower. The resulting explosion sent both Pokémon flying back. Haunter, having already exhausted a great deal of stamina, finally lost its ability to battle.
"Return, Haunter!"
Morty recalled Haunter without surprise. "Ash, for an opponent like you, I must use my full power to show my respect. Come forth, Gengar!"
Morty's ultimate ace appeared on the field. This was his final Pokémon, and it was exceptionally powerful. "Come back, Quilava!"
Ash recalled Quilava and stared at the Gengar. "It's your turn, Pikachu!"
"Pika!"
Pikachu's Bond Value had risen to 250 after the capture of Raikou. He was only five points away from achieving a Bond Evolution. Ash intended to settle it all right here.
"Go for it, Ash! Go, Pikachu!" Molly cheered loudly as Pikachu took the field.
Sensing the battle power emanating from Ash and Pikachu, Morty solemnly pulled a pendant from his pocket. Ash recognized the patterns on it instantly. "An evolution that transcends evolution! A secret technique passed down through my ancestors... Ash, this is my full power!"
Morty pressed his hand against the Key Stone. Morty's clan were descendants of those who served Ho-Oh; it was no wonder they possessed the secrets of Mega Evolution.
Have you ever seen a shimmering, iridescent black? Brilliant dark lines surged from Morty's hand into Gengar's body. The Mega Stone was likely kept inside Gengar's own bodya feat only a Gengar could manage.
"Gengar, Mega Evolve!"
A bizarre and eerie aura permeated the entire arena. the watching children held their breath, and Molly shivered, hugging Misty tightly. They had never witnessed such a scene! That Gengar grew even larger,
its hands and lower body sinking into the floor as if merging with the shadows. Its color shifted to a vivid crimson from the ground up, only returning to its original purple-red at its upper half.
A third golden eye appeared in the center of its forehead, resembling a void or a black hole.
"Pika!"
Hearing Pikachu's call, Ash smiled confidently. "I didn't expect to run into a Mega Evolution so soon! Pikachu, Bond Evolution!"
Pikachu: 251... 252...
Within that eerie purple-red atmosphere, a brilliant light eruptedholy lightning! Pikachu was once again enveloped in gold and blue bolts, transforming into a sphere of lightning that levitated in the air through electromagnetic force.
"Let's fight, Pikachu! Thunderbolt!"
The lightning surged as gold and blue currents thundered toward Mega Gengar.
However, Gengar dove into the ground like a Diglett and vanished! It wasn't actually underground; it was traversing through an alternate dimension, much like Kakashi's Sharingan. It was a formidable ability.
"You can't stay in there forever," Ash murmured. Pikachu's lightning sphere suddenly spat out several serpents of thunder that swept across the entire arena with the majesty of a descending god of thunder.
The arena floor was left with countless scorch marks under the lash of these lightning snakes. Brock and Misty had already ushered the children outside, watching the battle through the cracks in the door and windows.
"Too strong!" Morty could barely keep his eyes open, gritting his teeth as he stared at the chaos.
"Gengar, use Shadow Punch!"
Gengar's silhouette suddenly materialized behind Pikachu. Ghostly energy formed a massive fist that hammered down like a giant mallet toward Pikachu!
Pikachu: 254... Thump-thump!
Ash heard his own heartbeat synchronize with Pikachu's once more. The final point of Bond Value was reached! Without needing a command from Ash, the Bond Evolution combined with the enhancement of the Light Ball triggered a massive serpent of lightning to surge from the sphere, blasting Gengar away! This was the gap between a tool-reliant Mega Evolution and a Bond Evolution forged purely of connection!
Pikachu: 255!
The lightning sphere shattered, and Pikachu's silhouette reappeared. The tail behind him now resembled the long, golden, shimmering tail of a Gigantamax form.
Ash felt a sudden, inexplicable impulse. He took off his hat and placed it on Pikachu's head!
[Name: Ash-Pikachu]
[Attribute: Electric]
[Ability: Static / Lightning Rod]
[Held Item: Light Ball]
"Pikachu... evolved?" Brock and Misty were stunned. Pikachu had refused to evolve into Raichu so many times, and now, Ash and Pikachu had finally found a new way to ascend!
"Morty, this is also my full power. For you, I show my utmost respect!"
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"
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