Ash didn't hesitate.
"Blastoise, Hydro Pump!" he responded instantly.
The two attacks collided in the center of the field, generating an explosion of steam that covered a large portion of the terrain. For a few seconds, visibility dropped sharply.
Ash narrowed his eyes, but Gary smiled. This had been his strategy from the start. He wasn't trying to hit Blastoise directly — he was creating an opening.
"Arcanine, use Extreme Speed!" Gary ordered without missing a beat.
From within the cloud of steam, Arcanine emerged like a blur, using the low visibility to its advantage to close the distance without being seen.
"Dodge it, Blastoise!" Ash exclaimed.
But it was too late. Blastoise was pushed back several meters after the heavy impact, its feet slipping slightly on loose stones before regaining stability.
Gary didn't want to give Ash time to counter.
"Now, Thunder Fang!" he ordered with precision.
Arcanine opened its jaws, crackling with electricity, and charged toward Blastoise once again.
Ash finally saw it — the opportunity to counter, the way to hit Gary's Arcanine that was taking advantage of its great speed to confuse Blastoise and avoid any of its attacks.
"Blastoise, use Withdraw!" Ash shouted.
The shell closed at the last instant before Arcanine could land its attack. Sparks ran across the surface of the shell when it struck, but the damage was much less than it would have been in open combat.
Ash smiled and didn't waste time.
"Now, Rapid Spin!" he ordered firmly.
Blastoise spun out from its shell with force, striking Arcanine directly and pushing it back. The impact lifted small rocks from the ground, some flying several meters away.
Arcanine landed on an uneven section of the terrain, quickly bracing itself to avoid losing balance.
Gary narrowed his eyes. It seemed Ash had just been pretending, trying to create an opening just like he had. It looked like Ash wasn't going to be an easy opponent, as he had initially thought.
"Arcanine, keep your distance!" Gary said calmly.
Arcanine retreated several meters, completely changing its stance. It was no longer charging head-on like before, fearing another hit. Seeing this, Ash thought Gary was preparing a new strategy, just like before, so he decided to take action immediately.
"Blastoise, use Hydro Pump!" Ash ordered, aiming to disrupt any attempt.
The jet shot forward, but Arcanine was no longer there.
"Extreme Speed!" Gary ordered at the exact moment.
Arcanine reappeared from a completely different angle, dodging the attack and striking Blastoise from the side, using a small uneven section of the terrain to propel itself with even greater force. Blastoise tried to dodge, but it was too late. Arcanine's speed far surpassed its reaction time, and the impact pushed it back several meters.
"THIS IS PURE PRESSURE FROM PARTICIPANT GARY!" Carl exclaimed.
"HE'S FORCING BLASTOISE TO REACT CONSTANTLY! HE'S NOT GIVING IT A CHANCE TO TAKE THE INITIATIVE!" Bob added.
Ash took a deep breath. If he dragged this battle out any longer, Arcanine would weaken Blastoise without it being able to do anything. He needed to find an opportunity to reach Arcanine and defeat it in one blow. Ash kept his eyes fixed on Arcanine, thinking about how to stop it. After thinking for a few seconds… he had a revelation! He realized something. He hadn't taken advantage of the field they were on! This time Ash looked closely at the battlefield, searching for something useful that could help him. The irregular terrain of the Rock Field was still marked by previous impacts. Small cracks, loose rock fragments, and slightly elevated areas turned every movement into something that had to be measured with precision. Blastoise, heavy and stable, adapted well. Arcanine, fast and agile, used every uneven spot to move with advantage.
"I've got it!" Ash smiled in his mind.
He then put a confident smile on his face — something Gary noticed immediately. He knew right away that Ash was about to do something and went on maximum alert.
"Blastoise, use Rapid Spin and don't stop!" Ash ordered firmly.
Blastoise began spinning with force, kicking up dust, small stones, and rock fragments around it. This time it wasn't a direct attack, but a way to alter the field, to break the stability Gary had been using to his advantage.
The terrain began to become more unstable, less predictable. Seeing this, Gary narrowed his eyes. Ash was deliberately changing the battlefield! But he still didn't know why.
"PARTICIPANT ASH COMPLETELY CHANGES HIS APPROACH!" Bob exclaimed.
"HE'S NO LONGER JUST RESPONDING! NOW HE'S ALTERING THE FIELD TO CUT OFF PARTICIPANT GARY'S MOBILITY!" Carl added.
At that moment, Gary also realized it, but it was already too late…
"Now, finish it!" Ash thought.
Then he ordered Blastoise.
"Now, use Hydro Cannon!" he shouted powerfully.
Blastoise's cannon glowed intensely.
A moment later, the attack shot out with brutal power.
Gary's eyes widened slightly. It was simply too fast!
"Arcanine, dodge!" he ordered.
Arcanine tried to move, but the terrain didn't respond the same way as before. The footing failed slightly, and that was enough.
The Hydro Cannon hit directly.
The explosion was violent.
The sound echoed throughout the entire stadium as a cloud of water and dust covered the field. Rock fragments flew everywhere, some striking other formations before falling.
When the smoke began to clear, Arcanine was still standing.
But this time the damage was evident. Its breathing was much heavier and its posture less firm. Gary sighed in relief — his Arcanine had endured the hit. That was enough to end this battle.
"DIRECT HIT FROM PARTICIPANT ASH!" Carl exclaimed.
"AND WHAT A MOMENT TO DO IT! HE TOOK PERFECT ADVANTAGE OF THE TERRAIN CHANGE!" Bob added.
Gary closed his eyes for a moment before smiling slightly.
"You did well…" he murmured.
Arcanine tried to take one last step, but its legs failed and it fell with a heavy thud to the ground. There was no doubt this time.
The referee raised his hand.
"Arcanine is unable to continue! Victory for Blastoise!" he declared firmly.
The stadium erupted in applause. Ash remained in place, not celebrating. Neither did Gary. The battle wasn't over. Not even close.
Gary reached for his next Poké Ball and his smile returned. This was just getting started!
Gary reached for his next Poké Ball while the stadium continued reacting to Arcanine's fall. His expression hadn't changed much. There was no frustration, no doubt. Only concentration. For him, the battle had barely begun.
Ash stood firm, observing every small gesture. Blastoise remained on the field, breathing heavily but stable. It had fulfilled its role perfectly.
Gary threw the Poké Ball with determination.
"Electivire, go!" he ordered firmly.
The Electric-type Pokémon appeared with visible electricity running across its body, its two tails moving with energy as it fixed its gaze on Blastoise. The difference was immediate. The field had changed again, and this time dangerously for Ash.
"PARTICIPANT GARY RESPONDS WITH ELECTIVIRE!" Carl exclaimed.
"AND THIS MATCHUP IS VERY DELICATE FOR PARTICIPANT ASH! BLASTOISE DOESN'T WANT TO STAY OUT THERE TOO LONG!" Bob added.
"Blastoise, return! You did a great job!" Ash said firmly.
The red beam enveloped it and it disappeared from the field. After all, Blastoise was at a disadvantage and had taken numerous hits. It wasn't smart to let it keep fighting.
In one of the stands, several eyes followed the battle closely. Delia had her hands clasped, clearly nervous, while Spencer beside her maintained a calmer expression, though he never took his eyes off the field.
"He's fighting really well…" Delia murmured quietly.
"Yes… but this has only just begun," Spencer replied serenely.
The girls, Professor Oak, Talia, Aurora, Naria's grandfather, and Molly said nothing. They simply continued watching the battle before their eyes.
Professor Oak wasn't rooting for anyone in this battle. Naturally he felt partial toward his grandson, but Ash… had been with him since childhood. He simply couldn't wish for him to lose, so he didn't cheer for anyone. He simply continued watching the battle with a solemn expression.
The scene returned immediately to the field.
Ash already had the next Poké Ball in his hand.
"Pikachu, go!" he threw it decisively.
Pikachu jumped down from Ash's shoulder at high speed, landing with agility on the irregular terrain of the Rock Field. Its cheeks crackled slightly as it fixed its gaze on Electivire.
Gary smiled. His Pikachu? It looked like this battle was going to be easy. His Electivire had an ability that allowed it to absorb any Electric-type move. Not even a Zapdos could hurt his Electivire with an Electric attack, much less a Pikachu! But his smile didn't last long. Ash wasn't stupid and it wasn't possible that he didn't know about Electivire's ability. But if that was the case… why use his Pikachu? Gary simply couldn't understand what the hell Ash was thinking, but…
"This is getting interesting!" he murmured to himself.
The battle was about to get even more fun and difficult.
Gary didn't waste any more time and began to take action.
"Electivire, use Thunder Punch!" he ordered firmly.
"Pikachu, use Double Team!" Ash responded with complete calm.
Pikachu's body multiplied into several images that scattered across the Rock Field, taking advantage of the terrain's irregularities to quickly change height and direction. Electivire advanced with power, destroying one of the copies with a single blow, but the others had already repositioned themselves, forcing it to readjust its footing on a less stable area.
Ash observed Electivire's movements carefully. This move wasn't really meant to deal damage but to test Electivire's strength. Yes, he could have withdrawn Pikachu and sent out another Pokémon, but when Gary brought out Electivire, the battle from the anime between Ash and Gary in the Sinnoh region came to Ash's mind — when Gary used his Electivire and Ash used his Pikachu. So he wanted to try if he could defeat Gary's Electivire using Pikachu. However, he wasn't stupid and knew that Electivire probably had the Motor Drive ability, which made it immune to any Electric-type attacks and would even strengthen Electivire's Electric moves. He would have to fight this battle without using Electric attacks. It was going to be complicated, yes, but he wasn't going to give up.
"Use Quick Attack!" Ash ordered.
Pikachu appeared from a side angle, propelling itself with a small uneven section of the terrain to gain speed. The impact was clean and more solid than it seemed. Electivire took half a step back, planting its feet to maintain balance. It wasn't decisive damage, but it was enough to make a difference in the exchange.
Gary noticed.
"Interesting…" he murmured.
"Electivire, catch it with Thunder Punch!" he ordered again.
Electivire spun quickly, anticipating Pikachu's trajectory and throwing the punch with electricity charged in its fist. Pikachu adjusted its movement at the last instant, using a rock as support to rise slightly and avoid the direct hit. Ash took advantage of that moment.
"Use Iron Tail!" he shouted.
Pikachu's tail glowed with a metallic tone before striking Electivire's arm with a sharp, precise blow. This time the reaction was clear. Electivire took two steps back, the second more forced as it stepped on an uneven area of the terrain that didn't provide the necessary support. The rhythm of the battle was tilting again.