Two for one, and the Trick Room is gone too. No matter how you look at it, Conway is at a disadvantage, but in order to put psychological pressure on Ash, Conway forcibly explained the situation as if it wasn't a loss for him.
Ash didn't care about this. He took out a Pokeball and withdrew Blastoise: "You did well, Blastoise. Take a good rest, and leave the rest to your teammates."
After saying that, Ash put Blastoise back at his waist. Theoretically, this was not the best time to withdraw Blastoise. Although Blastoise had almost no fighting power left, it could still use a couple of moves to harass the opponent, and if it hit, it would be a big advantage.
But if Ash withdrew Blastoise now, it wouldn't have another chance to appear. Normally, it could recover a bit of strength inside the Pokeball, but with Stealth Rock on the field, Blastoise would surely faint upon entering with its current health!
So withdrawing Blastoise now seemed like a very unwise decision, but for Ash, the little bit of damage wasn't important, and he wasn't bothered.
If Blastoise lost its ability to fight because of that little damage, then what would be the point?
In battles that can continue, Ash wouldn't stop his Pokemon from fighting. If that last bit of strength is needed to win, the Pokemon itself would also choose to continue fighting.
However, Blastoise knew it had reliable teammates, and even without exhausting its last bit of strength, its teammates would still achieve victory for it, so it could comfortably be withdrawn into the Pokeball by Ash.
"Withdrew Blastoise, huh? That's not a rational decision. With Stealth Rock present, your Blastoise can't continue fighting after a second entry. You might as well have it use up its remaining strength," Conway analyzed seriously. From his words, it seemed like any choice was a loss.
Conway was trying to undermine the Trainer's confidence in a roundabout way, making Ash doubt his judgment. But for Ash, this decision was undoubtedly the right one.
"It doesn't matter. The upcoming battles won't need Blastoise to take action. My teammates will defeat you. I choose you, Gardevoir!" Originally, Ash could have waited until the opponent sent out their Pokemon to choose his own, but he had long since decided on his next Pokemon, so it didn't matter.
As the light flickered, a blue-haired Gardevoir appeared on the battlefield. Sharp, invisible rocks emerged around Gardevoir, scratching its delicate skin.
Gardevoir took damage from the Stealth Rock upon entering the field, but since it wasn't a Rock Type weakness, the damage wasn't significant.
The appearance of Gardevoir caused a commotion among the audience. Gardevoir is already a rare Pokemon, but a Shiny Gardevoir is even rarer!
"What did I just see? A Shiny Gardevoir? Could a Trainer who debuted half a year ago encounter one of these?! What kind of luck is that!"
"A Shiny waifu!"
"I have to say, even if you can make Pokemon evolve beyond their limits, owning a Shiny Gardevoir is something that makes me genuinely envious!"
"..."
The appearance of Shiny Gardevoir stirred another wave of excitement. Before this, Ash's Shiny Gardevoir had hardly been officially showcased on a grand stage—the only time it faced a strong opponent was against Blaine, and that battle wasn't public.
So, this was the first time the Shiny Gardevoir was revealed to the public, and it was naturally expected to cause such a level of shock.
Conway, on the opposite side of Ash, was momentarily stunned upon seeing the Shiny Gardevoir, and his eyes behind his glasses almost turned red. What kind of luck is this? First, Blastoise with beyond-limits evolution, and now a Shiny Gardevoir. Not to mention the Trainer's level, Ash's luck is definitely maxed out!
"Gardevoir, huh? In that case, I'll send him out, go, Dusknoir!" Conway once again sent out Dusknoir. As a Ghost-type Pokemon, Dusknoir had an advantage over Gardevoir.
Additionally, Conway needed to set up Trick Room again. Otherwise, even though Ash lost a major player in Blastoise, he was still at a disadvantage.
"Blastoise should be one of your strongest Pokemon, right? The ability to evolve beyond its species is truly remarkable, but I've taken it down with the sacrifice of two of my Pokemon, which aren't even the top in my team. Overall, the advantage is still with me."
Conway was trying to further crush Ash's confidence with another analysis, but these words only brought about a strange expression on Ash's face.
Blastoise is one of his top Pokemon? That much is true, but it ranks about fifth, which means there are four more that are stronger than Blastoise!
Additionally, the capacity for beyond-limits evolution isn't exclusive to Blastoise.
Ash glanced at the Key Stone in his hand, which was once again shining brightly.
Normally, the life force within the Key Stone can only enable one Pokemon to undergo a MEGA Evolution before it needs a period to recharge. Once fully charged, a Pokemon can undergo MEGA Evolution again.
But Ash was different; he had the Power of Viridian!
The power within the Key Stone is essentially life force, and the Power of Viridian also carries this function. Although different from pure life force, the Power of Viridian can slowly recharge the Key Stone.
After a battle with Blastoise, the Key Stone's life force was fully recharged. This also meant... he could MEGA Evolve again!
"Show your true form, Gardevoir, MEGA Evolve!!" Ash shouted loudly, raising the Key Stone in his hand.
The Key Stone emitted brilliant radiance, and the MEGA Evolution Stone within Gardevoir appeared in response.
As Gardevoir was enveloped in colorful light, Conway's face turned a shade even darker than liver, thinking, not this again. A Shiny Gardevoir is one thing, but why the hell can it still evolve?! Isn't that MEGA Evolution thing supposed to have a limit?!
Dynamax lets you do it only once per battle, but now you've done it twice—isn't that a bit much?
As the light dispersed from Gardevoir, the Gardevoir once clad in a pure white gown transformed into the Night Queen, draped in a deep black, fluffy gown!
Its hair remained blue, but its body, including its arms, turned black. Compared to its original sacred image, the black-clad Gardevoir radiated an enhanced beauty and allure.
"A black… Gardevoir?"
"Dude, I'm calling it out—someone is cheating! How can a Pokemon evolve twice in one battle? Isn't this more extreme than Dynamax?"
"MEGA Evolved Gardevoir looks way too good, going straight from princess to queen!"
"What exactly is MEGA Evolution, is it something all Pokemon can achieve? And is there no limit to the number of times it can be done in a match? The difference in strength between those who can MEGA Evolve and those who can't is too vast!"
"Let's wait and see if there's any information about MEGA Evolution online after the match. I can't imagine there's no limit; otherwise, wouldn't Dynamax be utterly outclassed?"
"..."
The surrounding discussions varied from Gardevoir's transformation to the limits of MEGA Evolution.
Dynamax is only possible once per match, with regional restrictions, while MEGA Evolution, regardless of whether there are regional restrictions or not, based on what Ash showcased, isn't simply a one-time evolution per match.
If MEGA Evolution truly had no limits, then Dynamax might only become a relic of history.
After all, Dynamax can only be used in the Galar Region, but MEGA Evolution might not be so constrained.