During Ash's battles, Anabel often stood by Dawn's side, explaining the reasoning and strategies behind each move. This had quickly strengthened the bond between them.
"Mhm! Ash even defeated Elite Four Lucian—this Gym battle shouldn't be a problem for him."
"Pika, Pika, Pikachu!"
Since Pikachu wasn't participating in this match, it sat beside Anabel and Dawn, watching attentively.
"See? Pikachu just said that you don't need to worry about Ash. A normal Gym battle is nothing to him—it's only a matter of how long it takes for him to win."
Pikachu cutely nodded in agreement.
"Cherubi, Solar Beam—now, fire!"
"Gariii!"
The leaves atop Cherubi's head gathered intense sunlight, firing a blazing Solar Beam!
"Turtwig, climb the trees and dodge it! Then use Magical Leaf!"
"Tcha-woo!"
Turtwig leaped onto a tall tree in the battlefield.
Eterna Gym had a forest-style battlefield, filled with large trees. Using the terrain to dodge attacks was a classic strategy of Ash's.
Solar Beam was strong, but it missed as Turtwig jumped from tree to tree.
And each time it moved, it fired Magical Leaf!
"Cherubi, sweep with Solar Beam!"
Gardenia had no choice but to counter, but some of the Magical Leaf attacks still got through, landing two solid hits on Cherubi.
"Good! Turtwig, Quick Attack!"
BAM!
Cherubi, with its small body, was launched into the air by Turtwig's swift charge.
It crashed to the ground, completely unable to battle.
"Cherubi is unable to battle! The victory goes to Turtwig!"
Ash had secured the first win, and the experience-sharing system kicked in once again.
"Impressive, Ash! Well then, my second Pokémon—Turtwig, come on out!"
Gardenia sent out her second Pokémon—another Turtwig!
"Turtwig, come back and rest. Now it's your turn—Electabuzz!"
"Hey-nee-hoh!"
Electabuzz!
"Huh? Ash, you know I'm using Turtwig, and yet you sent out an Electric-type? That's bold!"
Gardenia was intrigued.
"Electabuzz, Discharge!"
"Hey-nee-hoh!"
Electabuzz unleashed a massive electric burst at Turtwig!
"Ash, let me show you Turtwig's speed! Turtwig, dodge and use Leaf Storm!"
"Electabuzz, keep using Discharge!"
Turtwig spun in place, summoning a swirling storm of sharp leaves—Leaf Storm! The razor-sharp leaves surged toward Electabuzz.
Electabuzz's electric attack wasn't strong enough to completely counter the Leaf Storm.
However, Turtwig also didn't want to get hit by Discharge, so it kept moving rapidly, dodging the attacks.
Gardenia suddenly noticed that Electabuzz was subtly forcing her Turtwig toward a narrow tree fork. Then she realized—Ash was trying to trap her Turtwig!
By getting stuck in the tree fork, Turtwig would lose its greatest advantage—its speed!
"But do you plan on tanking my Leaf Storm? You're underestimating us! Turtwig!"
"Tcha-woo!"
Gardenia watched as her Leaf Storm seemingly engulfed Electabuzz.
"No… something's wrong. Turtwig, don't retreat anymore!"
She suddenly sensed a problem.
If the Leaf Storm had truly hit Electabuzz, its electric attack should have stopped. But the Discharge was still going on—meaning the Leaf Storm had missed!
Gardenia quickly looked toward Electabuzz—sure enough, in the last possible moment before impact, Electabuzz had used Protect!
It had blocked Leaf Storm completely.
At the same time, one last Discharge attack forced Turtwig backward—right into the tree fork!
"This is bad!"
Gardenia realized she had fallen into Ash's trap.
"Turtwig, break free! Use Leaf Storm again!"
"Hey-nee-hoh!"
Electabuzz had already dashed forward!
"Tcha-woo?"
Turtwig hesitated for a second—just as Electabuzz raised its arm high.
"Now—Brick Break!"
BAM!
CRACK!
Electabuzz's powerful karate chop smashed into Turtwig's head!
The impact was so strong that it snapped the tree branch that had trapped Turtwig.
Electabuzz didn't stop—its body moved forward, staying close to Turtwig.
"Once more—Brick Break!"
"Tcha… woo…"
Turtwig collapsed after the second strike. It was over.
"Turtwig is unable to battle! The victory goes to Electabuzz!"
The referee sighed. What was going on with the Gym Leader these days? Why did she keep losing?
"Gardenia, I didn't underestimate you. That's why I had to fight seriously and finish the battle as quickly as possible."
Ash smirked as he activated a six-times experience boost card.
The system's notification rang in his mind:
Ding! [Six-times experience boost activated!]
Ding! [Turtwig has defeated Cherubi, gaining 5,500 EXP. Electabuzz has defeated Turtwig, gaining 7,200 EXP. Experience-sharing activated. Six-times multiplier applied—Turtwig and Electabuzz each gain 76,200 EXP!]
Electabuzz leveled up to Level 38.
Turtwig leveled up to Level 39.
"Straight to the point—that's how I like it! Well then, here's my final Pokémon—go, Roserade!"
"Roooseraaade~~"
Roserade!
"Electabuzz, take a rest. Turtwig, come back out!"
"Tcha-woo!"
Turtwig stepped back onto the battlefield.
This little guy had reached Level 39 already, yet it still hadn't evolved.
Ash really wanted it to evolve into Grotle, so he could start training it in a more specialized way.
"Roserade, use Sunny Day!"
"Roserade!"
Roserade raised its arms and released energy into the sky—Sunny Day!
The sunlight in the area immediately became more intense and scorching hot.
"Turtwig, charge forward—Quick Attack!"
"Tcha-woo!"
Turtwig let out a sharp cry and rushed forward toward Roserade!
At the same time—its body began to glow!
This was…
It was finally happening!
Turtwig was about to evolve into Grotle!
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T/N:
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