"The official battle between Gym Leader Brawly and challenger Ash from Pallet Town will now begin! Both Trainers will use two Pokémon!" the referee announced, and the battle officially started.
"Go, Machoke!" Brawly sent out his first Pokémon.
[Machoke]
[Ability: No Guard (All moves used by or against this Pokémon will land with perfect accuracy.)]
[Strength: Elite-Level Peak]
Ash's mouth twitched. If he remembered correctly, the original anime had Brawly use a Machop. It seemed his performance had made Brawly take him very seriously!
"Alright, Taillow, you're up!" "Siba~"
"Taillow, use Wing Attack!"
"Machoke, take it! Then use Thunder Punch!" Brawly said with a smile, looking at the charging Taillow.
To Ash's surprise, Machoke used a surfing technique to absorb some of the damage.
"What's going on? Why was the Wing Attack so weak? That's not right!" (???.???)???? Max asked, confused.
"Is he using a surfing technique to reduce the impact?! I see!" Ash understood the secret behind the move.
"That's right, Ash. How will you break through it?" Brawly asked Ash with a smile.
No Guard combined with the damage-reduction technique was troublesome. Taillow's advantage was gone, and it couldn't win a battle of attrition.
"The simplest way! Use overwhelming force to break through everything! Quick Attack followed by Brave Bird!"
"What?! Machoke, use Thunder Punch!"
Bang! Machoke fell with a thud. "Siba~" Taillow was also heavily injured and fell to the ground.
"Thank you, Taillow, I saw your determination! Return!"
"Machoke, you were great too!"
"Both Taillow and Machoke are unable to battle!"
"Ash, your Taillow's spirit is amazing. You're strong, for sure!" Brawly praised him. He then sent out his next Pokémon. "Go, Hariyama!"
It was the same Hariyama that Brawly was surfing with yesterday.
"In that case, my Pokémon will be Primeape!"
"Har-cha~"
"Primeape, this is your first Gym battle! Let's start with a victory!"
"Har-cha~"
"Fighting-Type versus Fighting-Type? I like it! Hariyama, use Bullet Punch!"
"Primeape, meet it with a Mega Punch!"
And just like that, the two Pokémon exchanged powerful blows, their punches hitting with a satisfying thud. Brock and the others in the stands were thrilled.
"Haha! It's been a long time since I've had this much fun! Ash, it looks like your Primeape has been specially trained! Hariyama, Zen Headbutt!"
"Primeape, we'll give it our all, too! The twentieth Rage Fist!"
"Har-cha~" Primeape unleashed its pent-up anger in a single punch, sending the charging Hariyama flying!
A blue-white light surrounded Primeape, and its body began to change. It was evolving!
"What is that...?" Brawly looked at Primeape in surprise.
"How is that possible? Primeape can still evolve?" Max's brain felt like it was short-circuiting.
"Har-cha~" The light of evolution shattered around Primeape. Its fur was disheveled, its skin turned black, and its crimson eyes looked wild.
[Annihilape]
[Type: Fighting, Ghost]
[Ability: Defiant]
[Strength: Late Gym-Level]
[Moves: Shadow Punch, Rage Fist, Tera Blast...]
[Tera Type: Ghost]
That's right, the secret weapon Ash prepared for Primeape was Rage Fist. Originally, Primeape couldn't learn it, but the system's specialized TM for Primeape allowed it to break the limitation.
"Congratulations, Annihilape!" "Har-cha~" Annihilape gave Ash a thumbs-up.
May pulled out her Pokédex, but it just showed "No Data."
"Annihilape? Ash, what is that?" Brawly asked the question on everyone's mind.
"Annihilape is a Ghost and Fighting-Type Pokémon. It's Primeape's evolved form. Primeape can only evolve after using Rage Fist twenty times. I think only Primeape from the Paldea region can learn Rage Fist, so I'm not sure why my Primeape could," Ash explained.
"I see! I think one of your Primeape's ancestors must have been from the Paldea region, and its genes awakened! You're very lucky!" Brawly perfectly covered for Ash's lie. Ash really wanted to hug Brawly and thank him for his help.
"So, shall we continue our battle, Mr. Brawly?" Ash said, smiling at Brawly.
"Hariyama, a full-power Zen Headbutt!" Now that Brawly knew it was a Ghost-Type, he wouldn't use any more Fighting-Type moves. The Psychic-Type move would also be a perfect two-times supereffective hit on Annihilape.
"Annihilape, a full-power Shadow Punch!" "Har-cha~"
Bang! Hariyama was knocked out!
"Hariyama is unable to battle! Primea— I mean, Annihilape wins! The winner is Ash from Pallet Town!"
"That's awesome, Annihilape!" "Har-cha~"
"Ash, thank you for letting me witness Primeape's evolution! This is the Knuckle Badge. You've earned it!" Brawly said, handing the Knuckle Badge to Ash.
"Yeah! I got the Knuckle Badge!" Ash took the badge and held it up high. "Pika" "Har-cha"
[Ding~ You have received the Knuckle Badge. Reward: 1000 points.]
At the Pokémon Center
"Ash, can we see Annihilape again?" ?((???))? Max and May asked Ash.
"Alright, but Annihilape gets angry even more easily than Primeape, so you have to be careful!"
Max and May nodded like little chicks pecking at grain.
"Come on out, everyone!" Ash sent out all of his Pokémon so they could meet Annihilape.
Everyone and their Pokémon looked at Annihilape curiously, but Annihilape couldn't stand it and returned to its Poké Ball.
"Aw, that's too bad. I wanted to see it more!" May said, lowering her head in disappointment.
"You'll have plenty of chances later. I'm going to the Pokémon Center to swap out some Pokémon and let Professor Oak check on Annihilape," Ash said, comforting May. He then ran to the Pokémon Center.
"Alright! I understand! Don't you worry! I'll check on Annihilape. Hehehe! Ash, if you ever need anything in the future, just let me know, and I'll do my best to take care of it for you," Professor Oak said, thumping his chest to promise.
"Thanks, Professor Oak," Ash said. Seeing the look on Professor Oak's face, Ash knew what he was thinking and silently apologized to Annihilape.
Ash's updated team: Pikachu, Quilava, Bayleef, Noctowl, Croconaw, Charizard, and a Pokémon Egg.
Ash had Noctowl sent over because he planned to use it in the next Pokémon Contest.
Ash then rejoined Brock and May.
"Ash, Nurse Joy told us that Mr. Steven is really on the island!" Max said excitedly.
"President Stone is Mr. Steven's father; of course, he wouldn't make a mistake," Ash said, twitching his mouth.
"No, that's not it! It's that Mr. Steven is apparently in the Granite Cave!" Max quickly explained.
"Alright, let's go check it out!" Ash decided. He once again entrusted the Pokémon Egg to Nurse Joy, as who knew what dangers lay within the Granite Cave.
The group then headed toward the Granite Cave.
Meanwhile, at Professor Oak's lab, "Hehehe! I've never researched a Pokémon from Paldea before, an Annihilape! And my research on Beautifly is complete! You've just walked right into my lab!"
"Come on out, Annihilape!" "Har-cha~" Annihilape looked at Professor Oak, furious, and wanted to throw a punch. Suddenly, it felt a powerful presence lock onto it.
"Hehe, my old friend, keep an eye on it. Here I come, Annihilape!"
Annihilape: Help me! I knew I shouldn't have evolved. (╥﹏╥)
On their way to the Granite Cave, Ash's group was attacked by Team Rocket. May and Jessie had a Wurmple vs. Wurmple battle. After a close call, they sent Team Rocket flying and successfully arrived at the Granite Cave.
To be continued...