"Zitch~"
Watching Aipom stand still, the Chimchar in the fiery wheel let out an excited cry. If this attack landed, it was sure to take out its opponent and earn praise from its trainer. With that thought, the Flame Wheel sped up.
"Now, Aipom, do a backflip to dodge the Flame Wheel!"
"Aipom~"
Though Aipom's tail was currently charging up its Focus Punch, it hadn't lost its ability to move. Aipom put its hands on the ground, flipped its body into the air, and expertly dodged Chimchar's powerful Flame Wheel.
Boom!
Taking advantage of the opening, it was Aipom's turn to counter. The fully charged Focus Punch came down, landing squarely on the face of the now targetless Chimchar, sending it flying.
"Get up! Use Fury Swipes on Aipom!" Paul shouted coldly. For him, this was also an opportunity. Though it had taken a Focus Punch, Chimchar and Aipom were now very close, and a close-range attack was sure to be effective.
"Zitch~"
Chimchar ignored the pain, gathering energy in its sharp claws, and with a fierce attack, aimed for Aipom's face.
"Aipom~"
The Aipom, which had been looking smug just a moment ago, was caught off guard by the sudden attack and stood frozen. Fortunately, Ash was paying attention and immediately gave a command.
"Use Double Team!"
"Aipom~"
Hearing its trainer's command, the panic on Aipom's face instantly vanished. Four duplicates of Aipom appeared, and the five of them surrounded Chimchar from different directions. This sudden move startled Chimchar, leaving it unsure of what to do.
"Good! Now use Swift!"
In that instant, Ash commanded Aipom to attack.
"Aipom~"
All five Aipom used Swift at once. A barrage of golden stars shot out from five directions, striking Chimchar. Unable to distinguish the real attacks, Chimchar was hit without a way to dodge.
"Char~"
After taking the damage, Chimchar fell to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"Get up! You can't give up so easily!"
Seeing Chimchar in such a sorry state, Paul wasn't flustered at all. A slight smirk appeared on his cold face, as if he was waiting for something.
"I knew it. He's trying to use these methods to trigger Chimchar's Blaze ability, isn't he?"
Seeing the smirk on Paul's face, Ash knew exactly what he was thinking, but he didn't say anything. After all, it was Paul's choice to make. He didn't have the right to intervene.
"Chir~"
At Paul's command, Chimchar shakily tried to stand up.
"Tackle!"
But Ash wouldn't give it the chance. He commanded Aipom to finish it off, not giving Chimchar a chance to activate its Blaze ability.
"Chimchar is unable to battle. Aipom wins!"
Brock, seeing the result, quietly declared the winner.
"Ash has gotten so strong. It looks like his travels through the previous regions have made him grow a lot."
Ash's back-to-back victories and impressive performance made Brock sigh in admiration. Ash had finally grown up, transforming from the boy who challenged the Pewter City Gym into the trainer he was today. He was a witness to it all.
"He won again! He's amazing!"
Seeing Ash's incredible performance, Dawn, a new trainer, couldn't help but look on with admiration in her eyes. It was a complete surprise to her that the trainer she had met by chance had such incredible strength.
"Tch! You'll need more training!"
Paul coldly returned Chimchar to its Poké Ball. Its performance was a complete disappointment. He then grabbed the first Poké Ball on the right side of his belt and threw it out. A turtle-like Pokémon with a large plant on its back appeared on the field.
"Torterra, prepare to battle!"
This Torterra was his starter Pokémon. He had originally planned to send out his promising Electabuzz to deal with the seemingly strong Pikachu and gain some experience, but the consecutive losses had soured his mood. He had no choice but to send out his most trusted Torterra.
"That big one is..."
Seeing the familiar-looking giant, Dawn quickly took out her pink Pokédex to scan it.
"Torterra, the Continent Pokémon, the final evolution of Turtwig. Sometimes, small Pokémon will gather and build nests on the back of a motionless Torterra."
It really was the final evolution of that little turtle from before. Dawn couldn't help but feel a sense of surprise. It made sense that the Pokémon looked so familiar.
"Come back, Aipom. You did great."
Ash took his hat back from the mischievous Aipom, praised it for a job well done, and returned it to its Poké Ball. Just by looking at Torterra, he knew it was a powerful Pokémon. Its defense seemed incredibly high, and Aipom was no match for it. By level, it was likely over level 50, at least the level of a typical Gym Leader's ace, if not close to Elite Four. After all, Paul had been a traveling trainer for several regions, and Torterra, being his starter, was sure to be exceptionally strong.
"This guy is ruthless. He's using Torterra!" Ash muttered to himself.
He then began to analyze which Pokémon to send out. At the start of his journey, he only carried Pikachu, the recently captured Scyther, the newly-returned Pidgeot, and an open slot for the mischievous Aipom. This left him with two slots for new Pokémon.
"In that case, I choose you, Pidgeot!"
Analyzing his team, he realized that besides his strongest Pokémon, Pikachu, only his newly-returned Pidgeot could stand up to Torterra. With that, he had no hesitation in taking out Pidgeot's Poké Ball. A majestic Pidgeot appeared, its morale high as it flew in the air, its sharp eyes focused on the Torterra below.
"A Kanto Pidgeot!"
Seeing this Pokémon, Paul frowned. Was his opponent trying to use a type advantage? But he didn't dwell on it. His Torterra had been with him for many regions, and its strength could not be simply judged by a type advantage.