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"Let's meet our old friends first!" Giovanni looked ahead and sneered, calmly throwing a Great Ball.
Boom!
Nidoqueen!
A tall figure materialized before him and let out a low, rumbling roar, radiating a domineering presence. Ash took a closer look and recognized her immediately. "It's the same Nidoqueen that fought at Silph Company before."
Nidoqueen squinted slightly when she spotted Ash, clearly remembering their previous battle with his Pokémon.
Looking directly at Ash, she raised her claws in a taunting gesture. Seeing this challenge, Ash smiled and reached for his Poké Ball.
"Please, Squirtle!"
For the first match, Ash sent out Squirtle, who held the type advantage. However, facing the man standing before him, Ash remained completely focused despite having the upper hand in types.
"Using the Water-type Squirtle? It seems you came well prepared! But it would be far too naive to think you can defeat me just by relying on type advantage alone!"
The match was about to begin, and Giovanni, as the Gym Leader, chose not to attack first.
At that moment, the large screen on the side of the battlefield suddenly lit up, displaying portraits of Ash and Giovanni, along with images of the two Pokémon currently on the field—Squirtle and Nidoqueen.
"Squirtle, use Water Gun!"
Ash wasted no time and launched the first attack. Upon hearing the command, Squirtle leaped into the air and fired a blue column of water from its mouth, blasting it directly toward Nidoqueen.
"Nidoqueen, Double Kick!"
Facing Squirtle's offensive, Giovanni immediately countered. After hearing the order, Nidoqueen stomped both feet heavily on the ground.
The ground roared in response, and cracks spread outward from where Nidoqueen had kicked. Stones flew into the air as Nidoqueen launched herself upward.
Swinging both legs through the air, she generated a powerful gust as she descended toward Squirtle from above, ready to strike with both feet simultaneously.
"Use Withdraw!"
Ash's eyes narrowed at the sight. With a quick command, Squirtle immediately retreated into its shell mid-air. The entire shell emitted a burst of blue light before the glow faded a moment later.
Boom!
At that instant, Nidoqueen's massive foot came crashing down and struck Squirtle's shell directly.
Squirtle's body plummeted toward the ground like a cannonball. With a thunderous crash, it slammed into the battlefield, sending up a cloud of dust that filled the air.
Withdraw was a defensive move that raised Defense, but against Nidoqueen's fierce assault, the force was absolutely overwhelming. Even with enhanced defense, the situation looked worrying.
The dust gradually cleared, revealing the cracked and broken ground. Squirtle remained in its withdrawn state, but from the impact just now, its shell had become embedded in the fissures in the ground.
"Rock Smash!"
Giovanni remained unmoved by the scene. Regardless of whether Squirtle had lost its ability to battle or not, he launched another fierce attack.
Upon hearing the command, Nidoqueen clenched her fist while still falling from the air.
A pale golden light radiated from her fist, and as she descended, she swung it forcefully toward Squirtle's position.
"Withdraw!"
Ash's expression grew stern, but he didn't counter-attack. He continued using the same defensive move, and Squirtle's shell glowed with light once more.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Nidoqueen's fist connected, and the power of Rock Smash struck Squirtle's shell directly. The force that could shatter rock spread outward, and the cracks throughout the entire rocky battlefield expanded instantly.
"Boy, is this all you're capable of?" Watching Ash's continuous defensive strategy, Giovanni seemed somewhat disappointed.
This was completely different from their encounter at Silph Company. Looking at the young trainer before him, Giovanni felt a strange unease stirring in his heart. He didn't understand why he felt this anxiety. Perhaps it was...
Anticipation?
He had originally thought he could find answers in this young man, but now his performance was disappointing.
"What is Ash doing?" Misty couldn't figure out what Ash's strategy was. It didn't look like his usual fighting style at all.
"Even if Withdraw can enhance defense, the level difference is so significant. At this rate, it's only a matter of time before..." Brock unconsciously wiped the cold sweat forming on his forehead.
Gary didn't speak, simply staring intently at the match on the battlefield.
Gary could clearly see that the Nidoqueen Giovanni was currently using was astonishing in both strength and level.
Moreover, Giovanni's fighting spirit was high now, completely different from when he had battled Gary himself.
Gary unconsciously looked at Ash and thought to himself, "How will you handle a rival like this, Ash?"
"You've got to hold on, Squirtle. Even with a large level gap, there's still a way to overcome it. Just use that technique you learned in Viridian Forest to turn this around. I believe you can do it."
Ash watched the battlefield without saying a word, but his mind was far from calm.
The dust on the field gradually settled, revealing Nidoqueen standing on the cracked ground as she slowly raised her fist. Squirtle's body had been driven even deeper into the ground, and its shell was covered with dust, clear evidence that Squirtle had endured a considerable beating.
"If that's all you have, let's end this here and now!"
Snap!
Giovanni's expression turned serious, and he snapped his fingers. Upon hearing the signal, Nidoqueen suddenly opened her mouth, and destructive energy began to concentrate there. Golden light flickered ominously.
"It's Hyper Beam! That's dangerous!" Gary blurted out when he recognized the move.
"Rapid Spin!"
Ash, who had been silent until this moment, finally spoke. Squirtle, still embedded in the ground, began rotating its shell violently, directly deflecting the surrounding stones.
Then it launched itself from the ground, and just as Nidoqueen's Hyper Beam was condensing, Squirtle shot directly toward her.
Boom!
Rapid Spin struck rapidly, connecting with Nidoqueen's chin. She had been opening her mouth to gather energy, but after being hit by Rapid Spin, Nidoqueen's mouth snapped shut.
This completely neutralized the Hyper Beam attack before it could be fired. Gary, watching from outside the battlefield, couldn't help but silently think, "That was brilliant."
Giovanni's eyes flickered with interest when he saw this, but he didn't look worried at all. Instead, he spoke with a leisurely tone.
"So you're finally starting to counter-attack? An attack of that magnitude is useless against my Nidoqueen!"
Indeed, this kind of attack couldn't cause any real damage to Nidoqueen. Although it prevented the Hyper Beam, it couldn't deliver effective damage.