On the field, the battle between Noctowl and Jolteon continued.
Jolteon ran behind a large rock, came to a sudden stop, turned to face Noctowl, and unleashed a dazzling Zap Cannon from its body, aiming to envelop Noctowl.
However, Ash's Noctowl was very intelligent. It had anticipated Jolteon's move even before it turned. With a simple bank aided by its wings, it moved out of the Zap Cannon's range.
The electric net grazed past Noctowl and dissipated in the air.
In his trainer area, seeing Noctowl's performance, Natsui couldn't help but nod in approval.
Ash's shiny Noctowl, though slightly smaller than others of its kind, was exceptionally intelligent. Not only did it possess a keen mind, but it could also effectively command other Pokémon in battle.
Ash had gone through great lengths to catch it back then. Compared to ordinary Pokémon, it had its own judgment on the battlefield, could assess the situation, and seize fleeting opportunities!
Just like now. After dodging Jolteon's Zap Cannon, seizing the brief pause in Jolteon's movement, without waiting for Ash's command, it flapped its wings and counterattacked with two Air Slash waves.
"Jolteon, dodge!"
Jolteon leaped aside. Although it dodged one wave, it was struck by the other Air Slash.
Natsui raised an eyebrow. Despite being prepared, he had to admit, this Noctowl was indeed very clever.
If it were another Pokémon, receiving the trainer's command and then executing the attack would involve a delay, causing it to miss the opportunity. But a Pokémon like Noctowl could rely on its own experience and intelligence to seize such chances instantly.
Able to fight and command, and most importantly, it's shiny... Natsui couldn't be more envious!
Shaking off his thoughts, he commanded loudly, "Jolteon, let's get serious too! Use Agility!"
A faint glow enveloped Jolteon's body, which seemed to become even lighter. Its speed increased dramatically. It pushed off another rock, using its height to leap towards Noctowl!
"Thunder Fang!"
At Natsui's command, Jolteon opened its mouth, revealing sharp teeth crackling with electricity, and bit down towards Noctowl.
Boosted by Agility, its attack speed was incredibly fast this time. Although Noctowl started dodging the moment Jolteon leaped, it was still bitten on its left wing!
Crackle!
A jolt of electricity surged through it. Noctowl cried out in pain, enduring the damage from the current as it shook Jolteon off.
However, this attack unluckily triggered the paralysis status. Its wing became numb and difficult to flap. Its body wobbled unsteadily in the air, making it almost impossible to maintain flight.
"Damn it..."
Seeing this, Ash gritted his teeth, took out a Poké Ball, and recalled Noctowl proactively.
"Rest well in there. I'll send you out again after the paralysis wears off..." Ash muttered to the Poké Ball in his hand, then took out his third Poké Ball from his pouch and threw it onto the field. "Then, it's your turn! Go, Charizard!"
With a flash of blue light, Charizard appeared in mid-air. The crowd had barely registered its appearance when it let out a fierce roar.
This wasn't Charizard's usual temperament. The roar was a manifestation of the wildness it had absorbed from spending time with the wild Charizard in the Charicific Valley, a sign of its readiness for a major battle!
"Here it comes, finally!" the announcer's excited voice filled the stadium. "Competitor Ash's Charizard displayed astonishing power in the Top 16 match, helping him defeat competitor Gary and winning the hearts of many spectators! Facing the tournament favorite, competitor Natsui, today, will it deliver another amazing performance!?"
Charizard, huh...
So he's bringing it out against me now?
Natsui had initially thought Charizard would be Ash's final trump card, saved for last. He didn't expect Ash to bring it out in just the third round.
Actually, the day before yesterday, seeing Ash use Charizard and not send it back to the Charicific Valley afterward, Natsui knew Ash would definitely use it in today's match. It seemed his prediction was correct.
Recalling Jolteon, Natsui took out his third Pokémon.
"Come out, Dragonite!"
Although Charizard wasn't a Dragon-type, its appearance strongly matched the popular image of a dragon. Knowing Charizard would likely appear, Natsui had already planned for a duel between dragons.
Surely, such a hyped battle would be exactly what the Pokémon League wanted to see.
Indeed, seeing the two dragon-like Pokémon soaring in the air, the audience erupted in excitement and loud cheers!
In the sky, the two Pokémon locked eyes, their gazes burning with the desire to battle. As the referee waved the flag, without waiting for commands from their trainers, they charged at each other.
Ash's Charizard, despite its poor performance in the Charicific Valley initially, was still incredibly strong on the competitive stage, especially skilled with Seismic Toss, which needed to be watched out for.
The two Pokémon tangled in the air. Charizard first attacked with Dragon Tail, whipping its tail at Dragonite, which naturally retaliated with its own Dragon Tail.
CRACK!
The two tails slammed together with the sound of a whip, the impact creating palpable shockwaves in the air. After the attack failed, the tails separated. Both Pokémon spread their wings and collided again.
"Same move, same power!" the announcer shouted. "Incredible! The two Pokémon seem to be perfectly in sync, using the same approach in their initial clash! Is this coincidence, or mutual understanding!?"
However, this type of exchange was brief. As the trainers intervened, the two Pokémon began showcasing different styles.
"Charizard, use Flamethrower!"
"Dragonite, use Dragon Rage!"
Red and cyan energy beams erupted from their mouths, colliding mid-air in a violent explosion. The resulting shockwave pushed both Pokémon back to their respective sides of the aerial battlefield, creating a temporary standoff.
This battle was undoubtedly the highest-level Natsui had faced since the start of the Silver Conference.
Charizard's abilities and experience were top-notch, and combined with Ash's unpredictable training style, even Natsui found it quite troublesome.
Under their trainers' commands, the battle raged from the sky to the ground, destroying numerous rocks and nearly flattening the area, then back into the air as they clashed again.
The audience watched, stunned and thrilled. Although it looked like an even match, anyone with a discerning eye could see a slight difference in the two Pokémon's conditions.
Though covered in scratches, Charizard's spirit remained high, seemingly growing stronger as the battle progressed. Natsui's Dragonite, equally covered in wounds, was panting heavily, clearly running out of stamina.
Under the watchful eyes of Ash, Brock, Delia, Professor Oak, and everyone else cheering for Ash, Charizard ultimately lived up to expectations, defeating Dragonite with a final Flamethrower!
"He won!!!"
With the announcer's roar, the entire stadium erupted in the most fervent cheers again, as if Ash had just won the entire tournament!
"Absolutely unbelievable!" the announcer exclaimed rapidly, not even waiting for the cheers to die down. "This long and arduous battle finally concludes with Charizard's victory! And this means that competitor Natsui's undefeated streak, stretching from the Indigo Conference all the way to this Silver Conference, has finally been broken!"
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