Before Ash could make a decision, Crystal Steelix burst out from the ground beneath Snorlax, launching it into the air.
Amidst scattering rocks and dirt, Snorlax's huge body tilted backward. No longer on solid ground, its dopey expression vanished, replaced by clear panic.
"Crystal Steelix, use Iron Tail!"
At Natsui's command, Steelix coiled its sharp tail and whipped it towards Snorlax with immense force. Airborne, Snorlax had no way to dodge and could only watch as the translucent tail swept towards its belly.
Fortunately, Ash yelled just in time, "Use Protect!"
Snorlax quickly crossed its arms in front of its chest. Instantly, a faint barrier enveloped it. Just then, Crystal Steelix's tail struck.
WHAM!
Protected by the barrier, Snorlax took no damage. However, Crystal Steelix's sheer power was undeniable. Despite being unharmed, Snorlax's body was still sent flying to the center of the field, crashing through a large rock before stopping.
After these few clashes, the Rock Field could only be described as devastated. Barely any intact rocks remained; it had practically turned into a field of rubble.
Knowing this wasn't working, Ash waited for the Protect effect to wear off and quickly shouted, "Don't let it go underground again! Use Headbutt!"
Snorlax took a running start and charged towards Crystal Steelix. Its massive body caused the surrounding rubble to vibrate. As it neared Steelix, it accelerated sharply, lowered its head, and slammed hard into Crystal Steelix.
This time, Snorlax's strength prevailed.
The impact caused Crystal Steelix's body to sway. But before Ash could celebrate, Steelix's tail had already wrapped around Snorlax, binding it tightly!
"Break free, quick!"
Snorlax used all its might, trying to escape Crystal Steelix's Bind. But as fellow power-type Pokémon, with Steelix being several times larger, escape was impossible.
After struggling for a long time, Snorlax couldn't break free from Crystal Steelix's grip. In fact, the more it struggled, the tighter Steelix coiled. Snorlax's face turned red, clearly about to suffocate. Ash took out its Poké Ball, intending to recall it, but the red beam was blocked by Steelix's body and couldn't reach Snorlax!
"How can this be?"
Ash looked on anxiously. No matter which angle he tried from, he couldn't recall Snorlax.
Caught in the crushing grip, Snorlax found it increasingly difficult to breathe, its consciousness fading. Just as it completely lost awareness, Crystal Steelix flung it out of the arena.
"This contest of strength is ultimately won by competitor Natsui!" the announcer declared loudly. "With Snorlax defeated, competitor Ash now has three Pokémon down! We will now take a 5-minute break before commencing the second half of the match!"
"Well done."
Praising Crystal Steelix, Natsui recalled it and walked back to his rest area.
He sat down, took a sip of water, then closed his eyes, leaning back in the chair to wait patiently.
On the other side, Ash returned to his rest area looking dejected. As soon as he sat down, Brock handed him some water.
"Don't lose heart. We prepared for this before the match, didn't we? We knew there was a high chance of losing to him. As long as you perform at your best level, you've already succeeded!"
Even Misty couldn't bear to see Ash like this and shook her head. "Didn't you always want to defeat Natsui? And your Charizard just beat his Dragonite. Keep it up! This is the closest you've ever been to that goal in your entire journey. You have to seize this chance!"
Comforted by his two friends, Ash felt much lighter. He suppressed his impatience, and after the five-minute break, he walked back onto the battlefield with renewed determination in his eyes.
"After a short break, the competitors resume the match! What exciting battles will they show us next? Let's wait and see!"
Amidst the announcer's voice, Natsui and Ash stood again in their respective trainer areas.
This time, Ash started by sending out his shiny Noctowl.
It seemed he chose not to send out a new Pokémon yet, wanting to keep his trump card hidden until the very end.
After the long rest, Noctowl, previously paralyzed, had recovered its mobility. However, Natsui didn't use Jolteon against it this time. Instead, he took out his fifth Poké Ball.
"Go, Blastoise!"
Hearing it was Natsui's Blastoise, Ash was greatly surprised. He knew this Pokémon wasn't usually kept with Natsui. He never expected it to be brought out now!
It was truly unexpected.
Seeing his surprise, Natsui couldn't help but smile.
Just like Ash using Squirtle, Natsui calling Blastoise for the competition wasn't specifically targeting Ash; it was purely part of the rotation. It just happened to be Blastoise's turn.
However, this gave Brock, in the friends-and-family section, quite a headache. They had spent all yesterday studying Natsui's current lineup. No one expected him to use Blastoise instead of the Pokémon he had with him!
Fortunately for Ash, although surprising, he remained fearless regardless of the opponent.
When the battle began, Noctowl flew directly into the air. But to Ash's surprise, Natsui opted for the same tactic Gary had used: using Blastoise's back cannons to continuously fire Water Gun, creating a dense anti-air barrage!
Same Rock Field, same Blastoise versus a Flying-type Pokémon. The only difference was that Noctowl lacked Charizard's ability to break through the predicament.
Although Noctowl was smaller and harder to hit, and wasn't weak to Water-type moves like Charizard, its situation was still grim.
Swish! Swish swish!
Water jets drew blue arcs across the sky, narrowly missing Noctowl.
Noctowl dodged left and right, trying its best to evade the attacks. But having fought earlier, its stamina was somewhat depleted, and the lingering effects of paralysis from Jolteon remained despite the rest. After just a few dodges, it was hit head-on by a Water Gun and fell from the sky.
"Noctowl!"
Ash cried out anxiously. But to his slight relief, the Water Gun hadn't caused major damage. However, Noctowl was now soaked, like a drowned chicken, and after several attempts, it couldn't take flight!
And a bird that couldn't fly was less useful than a chicken on the ground.
By the time Blastoise approached, it first used Tackle, then followed up with Bite, knocking Noctowl down for good.
"Noctowl is unable to battle! The winner is Blastoise!"
As the referee announced the result, Ash's expression remained unchanged. He quickly recalled Noctowl and immediately took out his fifth Poké Ball.
This time, his Bayleef took the field. Unlike the usually gentle Bayleef, Ash's was known for its unyielding spirit. Even against strong opponents, it would keep fighting, regardless of injuries, showing great character.
This was indeed a good choice.
Whether facing Blastoise, Crystal Steelix, or Jolteon, Bayleef held a slight type advantage against all of them.
However, Natsui obviously had more than just these Pokémon. Without hesitation, he decided on his final Pokémon for the match.
Taking out his last Poké Ball, he threw it onto the field. After the blue light faded, his Scizor appeared before Bayleef!
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