"Lucha! Lucha! Lucha!"
As always, whenever Hawlucha made its entrance, it just had to strut its stuff—striking flashy poses like it was showing off in front of a mirror, flapping its wings like it was at the gym. That bird never missed a chance to show off.
It loved attention.
"Hawlucha, I know the type matchup isn't in your favor, but I'm counting on you in this one. Show them your true strength!" Ash called out with determination.
"Pika-pi!"
Pikachu joined in, cheering enthusiastically for its partner.
Hawlucha glanced back at Ash, gave a confident nod, and even stuck out a clawed thumb—assuring its Trainer that it had this covered.
"My, what an interesting Pokémon you have there," Valerie said with a smile. "Alright then, Ash—let's see how you handle using a Pokémon with a disadvantage against my Spritzee!"
Valerie's Spritzee had a secret weapon—a signature move known as Trick Room.
Ash remembered it well. Back in the Sinnoh League, during his match against Conway, he had run into this very same strategy. Trick Room flips the battlefield for five turns—making the slowest Pokémon move first every round. Unless your Pokémon was even slower than your opponent's, you had no choice but to take the hits.
Most Trainers who taught their Pokémon Trick Room specifically picked very slow Pokémon to maximize its effect—like Conway's Dusknoir.
Valerie's Spritzee was no exception.
"Hawlucha, strike a pose and use Bulk Up!"
"Lucha!"
Ash knew there was no stopping Trick Room once it was cast. His only choice was to power Hawlucha up in preparation.
"It looks like you know what my Spritzee is capable of," Valerie said, smirking. "But let's see how you plan to break through it. Spritzee, Trick Room!"
"Spritz!"
Spritzee spun gracefully, summoning a grid of glowing blue energy panels that boxed in the entire battlefield.
For five turns, no one could escape this altered space.
"Now—Moonblast!"
"Spritz!"
Fairy power gathered in front of Spritzee's beak, pulling down shimmering energy from the moon. If it were night, the move would be even stronger, but even in daylight, its destructive force was terrifying.
The beam of lunar energy shot out like lightning, smashing into Hawlucha and hurling it against the glowing walls of the Trick Room.
"Hawlucha, hang in there! This space is your stage now—Bulk Up again!"
"Fletch!"
Shaking off the hit, Hawlucha puffed out its chest, flexing with a determined cry.
"That's it," Ash grinned. "Trick Room makes Spritzee strong—but we'll win this, no matter what."
"Lucha!"
Hawlucha nodded fiercely.
"Oh? Ash… you can understand your Pokémon's words too?" Valerie's eyes widened with surprise.
Ash nodded. "Yeah. I can sense their Aura—and talk with them directly. So come on, Valerie. Whatever attacks you throw at us, we'll take them all!"
He raised his hand dramatically.
Valerie smiled softly. "Incredible… Alright then, Spritzee, don't hold back. You're unstoppable in Trick Room!"
Even Clemont couldn't tell what Ash was planning this time.
"Spritzee, Rapid Spin!"
Here it came. This was exactly what Ash had been waiting for.
"Now, grab onto that Rapid Spin!" Ash shouted.
"Lucha!"
Hawlucha spread its wings and clamped down on Spritzee as the Fairy Pokémon spun into it, clutching it tight as they both whirled like a spinning top. The momentum slammed them both against the glowing walls of Trick Room.
But instead of being thrown off, Hawlucha kicked off the grid wall with both feet, rocketing back toward the airborne Spritzee at even greater speed!
"Spinning X-Scissor!"
The rotation added force to the attack.
"Dazzling Gleam!" Valerie commanded, her voice sharp.
"Spritz!"
Fairy light burst forth first—but Hawlucha's spinning X-Scissor slashed straight through the gleaming energy, cutting it apart before slamming into Spritzee with devastating force.
The impact hurled Spritzee against the Trick Room's walls, the bug-type energy shredding through the psychic grid.
"Ka-ka-ka!"
The glowing panels fractured and burst into fragments, shattering Trick Room itself!
"Now, Hawlucha—finish it! Steel Wing!"
"Cha!"
Its wings gleamed silver, striking Spritzee with a heavy blow. The steel-type energy hit its mark—super effective against the Fairy Pokémon.
"Spritz…!"
Spritzee fluttered weakly before falling to the ground, unable to continue.
"Spritzee is unable to battle! Hawlucha wins! The victor of this Gym battle is—Challenger Ash!" the referee announced, almost stumbling over her words.
The whole gym was stunned. No one had defeated Valerie's Trick Room strategy in a long, long time.
"Spritzee, you did wonderfully. You and Sylveon are both my pride. Rest well."
Valerie smiled gently, recalling her partner. Even with her ace move, she'd been outplayed. Ash really was something else.
"That was amazing, Ash!"
"I was so nervous watching! That Spritzee was unbelievably fast under Trick Room."
"And Ash has handled this kind of tactic before," Clemont explained. "I looked it up—back in the Sinnoh League, he faced it head-on. As the one who proposed Mega Evolution's keystones, Ash's battles were fascinating to study."
Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie all chimed in excitedly.
Sawyer, who had been listening, finally realized just how much Ash had accomplished in the past.
Valerie walked over gracefully, holding out a shimmering badge shaped like a fairy wing. She looked Ash in the eye as she handed it to him.
"You truly are remarkable, Ash. To discover Mega Evolution itself… your Pokémon are lucky to have such a Trainer."
Ash clenched the badge in his fist, grinning. "Yes! The Fairy Badge—my sixth Gym Badge is mine!"
"Pika-pi!"
"Fletch!"
"Cha!"
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T/N:
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