"Strike while the iron is hot, use Sludge Wave!" Ash knew neither mercy nor tenderness in battle; he aimed to win as swiftly as possible!
"Muuuk~~" Muk turned its upper body back and then twisted again, launching countless globs of sludge across the entire field!
The grass on the ground withered instantly upon contact with the sludge, and Scyther, just getting up under Xunzi's command, hurriedly tried to dodge.
However, the range of the Sludge Wave was too vast. With Scyther still recovering from a heavy strike, its hasty evasion was very limited. Ultimately, it couldn't escape the Sludge Wave's range and got hit by the splattering sludge.
A thundering roar exploded on the field, and unsurprisingly, Scyther lost the ability to battle.
"Scyther is unable to battle, Muk wins!" The victory of the second match also belonged to Ash, with a process slightly more involved than the first, but the result no different.
In the first match, Butterfree knocked out its opponent instantly, while in the second, Muk toyed with its opponent before finishing them off effortlessly.
While speed types are supposed to counter Muk, if Scyther performed well, Muk would be the one in trouble. But due to the Trainer's mediocre command, the speedy Scyther was instead countered by Muk.
Once a speed-type Pokemon is caught, their weak defense becomes their greatest vulnerability.
Couple that with Muk's notable attack power, taking down the opponent in two moves is very normal.
At this point, Xunzi truly found herself cornered, left with only one Pokemon. If this Pokemon failed, she would have to say goodbye to the Quartz Conference.
"Come back, Scyther... You've done well." Xunzi gently consoled Scyther within the Pokeball before retrieving it and pulling out her last Pokeball.
"This is the last one. Go, my trump card! Bellsprout!!"
With a flash of light, a petite and exquisite Pokemon appeared on the field.
Bellsprout, the initial form of Grass Type Pokemon, looked incredibly weak from appearance alone and was in its first stage. Logically, its strength shouldn't be significant.
But Ash's Eye of Insight revealed that this Bellsprout's Level was unbelievably at the Professional Junior Level!
Reaching the Professional Level without evolving, how difficult is that? Even Bulbasaur evolved at the Elite Level, yet this Bellsprout remained unevolved at the Professional Level. Is it holding an Everstone?
What's the purpose?
Professional Level Pokemon aren't rare in the Quartz Conference, but a Professional Level Pokemon in its initial form is something Ash had never seen before!
Not even Bulbasaur had such endurance, right!
Bulbasaur initially wanted to remain in its original form, but after Ash listed the pros and cons, it chose evolution for strength, to support Ash, achieving the most perfect evolution.
It's not that a Pokemon can only become stronger through evolution, but most need to evolve to enhance ability values, potential, and speed of growth... These gains are typically obtained through evolution.
Without evolving and remaining in an initial form, not only will ability values suffer, but leveling up will also be significantly slow.
What unique trait does this Bellsprout have to remain unevolved at a Professional Level?
"Come back, Muk." Ash first retrieved Muk and then grabbed his third Pokeball: "It's decided, Chimchar!!"
A flash of light revealed a spirited Chimchar, who excitedly swung its fists before noticing its opponent, a thin and frail Bellsprout. Disappointment crossed its face.
It looks so weak—can it withstand a single Flamethrower from him?
"Don't underestimate it, Chimchar! It's stronger than you think!" Ash warned while his Aura Power slowly surged within him.
The Chimchar now was even more advanced than a few days ago, reaching the Elite Junior Level. Its rapid leveling up and unchanged ability values were all thanks to the foundation Paul laid, and of course, Chimchar's talent played an essential role.
Yet even as an Elite Level Chimchar, it fell greatly behind Bellsprout in Level. Don't be deceived by Bellsprout's fragile appearance, seemingly harmless—it could overpower Chimchar before it even activated its Fierce Fire.
Without the support of Aura Power, Chimchar remains just an Elite Junior, making even attribute advantages challenging to close such a massive Level gap, hence Ash's immediate decision to imbue Aura Power at the start of the battle.
Whatever oddities the opponent might have, let's first balance the Level.
"It's this Chimchar again. Ash, you use him in every battle." After capturing Chimchar, Ash deployed him in three consecutive battles, which Xunzi had noted, but she didn't expect to face him herself.
"Since Chimchar is newly joined, he needs to grow in battles as skills and experience still lack. I'll attack first; Chimchar, Flame Wheel!"
Still opening with Flame Wheel, it's the Fire Type Move Chimchar excels at. While engulfed in flames, it can move swiftly, a very convenient skill.
"Chaaa!" Chimchar curled into a ball, transforming into a blazing Flame Wheel charging at Bellsprout.
"Sweep him away." Xunzi's command was peculiar—neither evading nor skill usage, instead sweeping away.
What does sweep away mean?
Before Ash could respond, Chimchar, rushing ahead, was intercepted by the tip of Bellsprout's leaf. With minimal contact with Chimchar's flames, Bellsprout effortlessly redirected Chimchar over—using 'four ounces to move a thousand pounds'!
Chimchar tumbled several times across the ground before returning to normal state. Confused, it turned towards Bellsprout, still not understanding how it was suddenly swept aside.
"What just happened? Chimchar, try again, Flame Wheel!" Even Ash couldn't comprehend it. It looked like Bellsprout evaded Chimchar's Flame Wheel, but realistically, Bellsprout's speed shouldn't allow that.
Bellsprout's two short legs struggle even to run unless assisted, but Chimchar's Flame Wheel still missed Bellsprout... What happened?
Chimchar once again curled up into a fire wheel charging at Bellsprout, which once again gently shifted its body and, using double leaf hands, deftly swept the Flame Wheel to the ground!
"Boom!!" The Flame Wheel crashed into the ground at an odd angle, while Chimchar emerged from the Flame Wheel form, slightly dizzy from the impact.
"Use consecutive slams!" Xunzi's voice rang, showing a stark contrast in her command style with Bellsprout than with previous Pokemon—it seemed Bellsprout was her true partner.
Under Xunzi's command, Bellsprout grabbed Chimchar and swung left and right: "Bam bam bam!!"
Chimchar was slammed left and right, dazed and dizzy. Ash could feel his own body being tossed around.
"Chimchar, Flame Wheel!!" Ash shouted despite his own discomfort, while on the field, Chimchar was engulfed in fierce flames!
The flames forced Bellsprout to release Chimchar, who swiftly distanced itself.
The past clash made it clear—this opponent was far from looking weak; its abilities were astoundingly strange!