In terms of actual level alone, Pidgeot is much stronger than Monferno. If it also had Monferno's ability to battle beyond its level, then Giselle's ace Pokemon, Arcanine, wouldn't even count as a side dish.
"Pidgeot, Air Slash!" Giselle did not initiate the attack, but Ash couldn't wait any longer. With Pidgeot having the advantage in the air, initiating the attack wouldn't put it at a disadvantage, so Ash straightforwardly commanded Pidgeot to launch an attack.
"Pidg!" Pidgeot swung its wing, and countless pure white energy blades rained down like raindrops, covering almost half the field!
"Dodge!" Arcanine sprinted swiftly, like the wind, to the other half of the field in the blink of an eye, and it was then that Air Slash landed at the spot where Arcanine just was.
A series of dull sounds erupted, kicking up plumes of smoke from the ground. Although Arcanine was lower in level compared to Pidgeot, its speed was indeed fast enough that Pidgeot's initial attack was dodged.
"Time to counterattack, Arcanine, Flamethrower!" Arcanine twisted its head, opened its mouth wide, and shot out scorching flames straight towards the Pidgeot in the sky!
Pidgeot remained calm, turned its body, and its large figure spiraled around the Flamethrower, descending vertically.
"Just like that, use Aerial Ace!" Ash's voice chimed in at the perfect timing as Pidgeot spiraled around the flames, bright light gleaming on its wings.
"Not good, Arcanine, use Protect!" Seeing Pidgeot spiraling down with the flames towards Arcanine, Giselle quickly commanded Arcanine, but it was already too late.
"Bang!!" Pidgeot's massive wing slammed heavily onto Arcanine's body, the Flamethrower was interrupted, and its entire body flew out like a kite with a broken string, eventually crashing on the ground dozens of meters away.
Aerial Ace hit!
This move is inherently hard to dodge: it's fast, difficult to anticipate, and it locks onto the target. Without using moves like Teleport, dodging is virtually impossible.
Giselle was aware of this, which is why she ordered Arcanine to use Protect, which has a high priority - as long as Arcanine had a moment, it could pull it off.
But Arcanine was in the middle of using Flamethrower, and it needed to interrupt Flamethrower before it could use Protect, and for Pidgeot, that time was as long as forever.
Arcanine simply didn't have time to use Protect.
"Press the attack, Pidgeot, Brave Bird!!" After Arcanine was knocked away, Ash didn't hesitate and immediately commanded Pidgeot to use the Flying Type's ultimate move, Brave Bird!!
Brave Bird, like Flare Blitz, is a move that harms the enemy a thousand while harming oneself three hundred, but it can decisively end the battle!
Given the level difference between Pidgeot and Arcanine, as long as this hits, it would be over.
"Arcanine, Protect!!" Seeing Pidgeot covered in deep blue lights, Giselle hurriedly commanded Arcanine to use Protect again.
The Protect skill wasn't used earlier, so this time it wasn't considered back-to-back, thus the probability of using Protect was—one hundred percent.
"Roar!!" Arcanine climbed from the ground, lifted its head, and roared. A green barrier appeared around it, securely protecting it.
"Aerial Ace!" Watching the green barrier light up in front of Arcanine, a flash of brilliance passed through Ash's eyes, then he issued another command.
Using Aerial Ace during Brave Bird is akin to throwing caution to the wind.
Brave Bird emphasizes a fierce straightforward attack: it's a straight line, charging forward without retreat, where momentum is key alongside the move itself.
Whereas Aerial Ace is about a maneuvered attack, emphasizing unpredictability - completely opposite to Brave Bird.
Integrating a curve into a straight line attack, aside from its difficulty, combining the two skills is already tough.
Thus, when Giselle heard Ash's command, she momentarily thought she misheard it. Such speed with Aerial Ace? Are you mad?
Yet, during the linear charge, the shimmer of blue on Pidgeot flashed, and it suddenly vanished from the spot; the attack about to hit the Protect barrier disappeared without a trace.
Arcanine was left bewildered, wondering where such a big bird went.
The protective barrier around it also started to fade due to time; Protect isn't endlessly usable and automatically disappears after a while without an attack, though it doesn't affect subsequent uses but requires a reapplication.
This is why timing Protect is vital; if it could endlessly defend against sporadic attacks, the skill would be invincible.
At the moment when Protect was about to disappear, a foreboding of danger bristled Arcanine's fur from behind. Even before it turned its head, it felt a heavy strike on its body!!
"Booming!!"
A thunderous roar resonated in the arena, and the whole battlefield trembled momentarily, a shockwave scattered outward, blowing Giselle's hair.
However, at this moment, Giselle didn't pay attention, but stared blankly at the scene on the field.
Pidgeot emerged from the smoke, bearing numerous scratches, marks of recoil damage from using Brave Bird, while the other Pokemon in the smoke made no sound.
"How… is it possible?" Giselle murmured softly, full of disbelief, due to Pidgeot actually using Aerial Ace concurrently with Brave Bird.
Aerial Ace forced Pidgeot to change its attack direction, allowing it to circle and seize the moment Arcanine's Protect weakened, reappearing behind Arcanine for a direct hit!
For such an improbable combine to be executed, what kind of monster is this Pidgeot?
Can its body withstand the diverse recoil from these two combined moves?
The reality is, Pidgeot appears to only have slight recoil damage, whereas Arcanine... As the smoke cleared, everyone saw the previously obscured scene; Arcanine lay sideways on the ground, eyes shut, unable to battle.
Giselle's ace Pokemon was defeated without even touching Pidgeot.
Now, all of Giselle's three Pokemon have completely lost their battle capability. This victory belongs to Ash!
"The outcome is decided! Ash wins this battle's final victory; Monferno's astonishing evolution and extraordinary Fierce Fire strength, Pidgeot's shocking speed, and its marvelous combined skill provided an exceptionally brilliant match for us. Let's give applause to Ash and his Pokemon!"
With the host's remarks, thunderous applause arose in the arena, Ash retrieved Pidgeot and bowed toward the audience seats, then moved to the field's center to shake hands with the complicated-faced Giselle.
"A fantastic battle."
"Fantastic? What was fantastic? Being crushed by you is fantastic?" Giselle chuckled self-deprecatingly, responding weakly.
"Not at all, your Pokemon are strong. I remember when I first met you at the academy, you didn't have a single Pokemon, or rather couldn't even battle with them. Now, you are a mature trainer; this is significant progress." Ash, uncharacteristically empathetic, replied kindly.
In reality, this was his genuine thought; Giselle managing to become free from the academy's constraints to stand on the Quartz Conference stage and possess strength far beyond average trainers is indeed praiseworthy.