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To be more precise, even if Squirtle used Water-type moves, it might not be able to defeat Nidoqueen easily. The level gap between them was simply too large—an unchangeable fact.
In comparison, Squirtle's shell now looked covered in scratches. Although the attacks Nidoqueen had used weren't super effective against Squirtle, Nidoqueen's moves were naturally more powerful due to her significantly higher level.
Now that the critical attack had barely been countered, Squirtle's shell trembled slightly, and its labored breathing could be heard more clearly from inside.
"Hmph!" Giovanni sneered at the sight, knowing that Squirtle was already struggling.
Boom!
But at that moment, something unexpected happened. Although Squirtle's body remained inside its shell, it suddenly began emitting a blue light.
The light flowed around Squirtle's body like water. Seeing this phenomenon, everyone's expressions changed.
"That's it!" Misty was the first to speak.
"Torrent?!"
As Professor Oak's grandson, Gary understood this situation all too well. Since he had also chosen Squirtle as his starter, he naturally recognized what was happening.
Torrent was Squirtle's Ability. This Ability would increase the power of Squirtle's Water-type moves when its stamina was nearly depleted.
"So you've been waiting for this moment?"
Giovanni narrowed his eyes and looked at Ash's calm expression. He seemed to finally understand why Ash had made such unusual decisions since the battle began.
Ash watched the battlefield calmly, still offering no response.
"You want to make a last stand? I won't give you that chance! Rock Smash!"
Having guessed Ash's strategy, Giovanni struck first with an aggressive attack. Upon hearing the command, Nidoqueen immediately charged forward, lunging like a ferocious beast with her fist clenched, unleashing an astonishing glow.
"Now's the time! Shell Smash!"
Ash's eyes sharpened. Squirtle had unexpectedly learned Hydro Pump back in Cerulean City. However, in Ash's mind, it wasn't actually Hydro Pump that he wanted Squirtle to master most.
It was this move—Shell Smash. The move had no direct offensive power, but it worked wonders for Squirtle's strategy.
Shell Smash was a move that sacrificed the user's defensive capabilities while greatly enhancing both attack power and speed.
Ash had continuously used Withdraw to raise Squirtle's Defense in preparation for Shell Smash. At the same time, he had triggered Torrent to further amplify the power of Squirtle's finishing move.
This was the technique Ash had asked Squirtle to practice secretly in Viridian Forest.
Since Squirtle had already learned Withdraw, mastering Shell Smash wasn't actually too difficult.
"Squirtle!"
Squirtle called out from inside its shell, and then the shell on its back emitted a blue light, forming a protective film that resembled a second shell. The next moment, a shattering sound rang out.
The blue shell-like aura shattered. Although Squirtle's actual shell wasn't broken, Squirtle's defensive power dropped significantly at that moment, while its offensive power increased dramatically.
"What?!" Everyone present showed surprised expressions upon witnessing this.
Even Giovanni hadn't expected Ash to have such a strategy prepared, though he had now figured out Ash's true purpose.
Understanding the level disadvantage, Ash knew that normal continuous battling would only be detrimental to Squirtle. So he wanted to make a decisive gamble—to give Squirtle enough power to defeat Nidoqueen in one devastating strike.
However, Giovanni wasn't worried. While gaining attack power, Squirtle's defense had also decreased. At that moment, Nidoqueen's fist was already swinging toward its target.
"Squirtle, dodge!"
"Squirtle!"
The instant Ash's voice rang out, Nidoqueen's fist swung through empty air. All that could be heard was the sound of wind being cut, as Squirtle had vanished from sight.
Shell Smash not only increased attack power but also boosted speed simultaneously. This was truly a high-risk, high-reward move.
If it weren't for the continuous use of Withdraw beforehand, Squirtle would be as defenseless as paper after using Shell Smash.
Giovanni looked up into the air with a sharp gleam in his eyes. Squirtle wasn't on the battlefield, which meant it could only be airborne.
"Aqua Jet with Ice Beam!"
Ash's command rang out at the same moment. Squirtle, now soaring through the air, became wrapped in flowing water that formed a spiraling column as it flew.
Then, as it dove downward, Ice Beam was released from within the water stream, directly freezing the flowing water to form a massive icicle spear. Like a lance descending from above, it plummeted toward Nidoqueen.
"Nidoqueen, Rock Smash!"
Rock Smash could shatter even solid rock, let alone ice. Faced with this situation, Giovanni didn't back down.
"Nidoqueen!"
Nidoqueen spun around and threw her punch. The icicle spear collided directly with Nidoqueen's fist.
Crash!
Incredible forces clashed, and the massive ice structure began to crumble under the impact of the shattering blow. Nidoqueen endured the tremendous force, gritting her teeth as the ground beneath her feet suddenly sank.
But the ice was breaking faster and faster. If this continued, the next one to be struck would be Squirtle trapped inside the ice.
"Is it still not enough?" Watching this scene unfold, Misty behind Ash grew nervous.
At that moment, Nidoqueen's fist was gradually approaching Squirtle. When the last layer of ice shattered, that would be when Squirtle faced total defeat.
"Now! Squirtle, Hydro Pump!"
But just as Nidoqueen drew closer, Ash suddenly called out. Inside the ice, Squirtle abruptly retreated into its shell, and then its body began spinning rapidly.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Powerful streams of water erupted from the shell in all directions, like razor-sharp blades, directly shattering the final layer of ice.
But the spinning water column also struck Nidoqueen like a whip. Shell Smash combined with Torrent had doubled the power of the already formidable Hydro Pump.
"Nidoqueen!"
Nidoqueen roared as she was sent flying backward. Nidoqueen was a Ground-type Pokémon and was weak to Water-type moves.
In the past, even if she had been hit by a Water-type attack, her level advantage might have prevented serious injury. But now, everything was completely different.
A force that even Nidoqueen's powerful body couldn't withstand sent her flying clear out of the battlefield. The entire arena was drenched by the water from Hydro Pump.