Gary narrowed his eyes. That Pikachu was much stronger than it looked.
"PARTICIPANT ASH IS AVOIDING DIRECT EXCHANGES!" Bob exclaimed.
"AND HE'S CONTROLLING THE TIMING PERFECTLY! HE'S NOT GIVING PARTICIPANT GARY ANY CLEAR OPENINGS!" Carl added.
Ash remained calm. He didn't need to take risks. Pikachu moved with fluidity, using every irregularity in the terrain to change direction with precision. He wasn't playing for power. He was playing for control, and Gary understood that. But somehow, he had to take that advantage away.
"Electivire, use Low Kick!" Gary ordered.
Electivire lowered its center of gravity and charged forward with power, attacking the base directly. Pikachu tried to reposition, but the move was fast and precise. The impact connected, lifting it slightly off the ground before pushing it back. Pikachu rolled across the rocky terrain but didn't lose control, using the momentum to get back on its feet with a small jump.
Ash didn't get flustered, and neither did Pikachu. That blow hadn't been enough to hurt it, so it got up quickly, its gaze fixed on Electivire, completely focused. There was no doubt in its stance. No hesitation.
Gary watched carefully. Ash's Pikachu didn't seem to have taken any damage from such a direct attack. How could it be so resilient? While he didn't expect to weaken it, he at least expected some damage, but contrary to his expectations, that Pikachu got up as if nothing had happened. What kind of training has that Pikachu been through?!
Ash took a small step forward, calm and focused. He was no longer testing. It was time to raise the level of this battle and stop playing around.
Gary looked closely at Ash's Pikachu. He needed to find an opening to hit it, otherwise, with its great speed, it was only a matter of time before his Electivire fell. And since there was no opening right now, he would have to create one.
"Electivire, use Thunder Punch!" Gary ordered firmly.
Electivire charged forward with power, this time without hesitation, looking to force a direct exchange. Pikachu reacted instantly.
"Use Double Team!" Ash responded calmly.
The copies scattered again, but this time Electivire wasn't fooled so easily. Its movement wasn't directed at a single image, but wide, spinning around and sweeping several possible positions, destroying two copies in the process. Ash saw it immediately. Gary was reducing the margin.
"Use Quick Attack, change the angle!" Ash ordered.
Pikachu appeared from behind, using the momentum from a small elevation in the Rock Field to gain extra speed. The impact was clean, but this time Electivire was prepared. Its body absorbed the blow better than before, spinning in the same motion.
"Now!" Gary said.
"Use Thunder Punch!" he finished.
The charged fist hit squarely. Pikachu was sent flying several meters, bouncing across the rocky terrain before stopping. The blow had been clear, powerful, much more serious than the previous ones. The stadium reacted instantly. Gary smiled. He had finally managed to read its movements and predict them. Now he wasn't at such a disadvantage.
"DIRECT HIT FROM PARTICIPANT GARY!" Bob exclaimed.
"THIS TIME PARTICIPANT ASH COULDN'T AVOID IT!" Carl added.
Ash didn't change his expression. Pikachu got up slowly, breathing with a bit more effort, but without losing its fixed gaze on its rival. It had taken real damage, but it was still in the fight.
"Are you okay, Pikachu?" Ash murmured.
Pikachu responded with a slight nod, saying it was nothing.
"Electivire, don't let it rest! Use Thunder Punch at point-blank range!" Gary ordered.
Electivire advanced again, this time without looking for tricks, simply imposing its strength. Ash didn't back down.
"Use Iron Tail!" Ash ordered.
Pikachu advanced head-on, its tail glowing intensely. This time it didn't try to dodge or circle around. It went straight for the clash. The two attacks collided almost at the same time, producing a dry, brutal sound that echoed throughout the stadium.
Pikachu was pushed back, but it didn't fly like before. Its feet slid across the irregular terrain, kicking up small stones, but it managed to stay on its feet, braking with effort. Electivire also stepped back. One step. Then another, more forced, as it stepped on an unstable area of the field. Gary was somewhat nervous. That Pikachu was not normal at all.
Ash said nothing, simply focusing on the battle just like Pikachu.
"PARTICIPANT ASH HAS CHANGED HIS APPROACH!" Carl exclaimed.
"HE'S NO LONGER AVOIDING CONTACT! NOW HE'S RESPONDING DIRECTLY!" Bob added.
Ash kept his gaze fixed. He wasn't going to win by dodging forever, but he wasn't going to lose by rushing in without thinking either.
The battle had just entered its most dangerous phase so far. Pikachu and Electivire stared at each other from a short distance, both showing clear signs of fatigue but refusing to yield even an inch. The Rock Field, increasingly altered by previous impacts, offered unstable footing that turned any mistake into an opportunity.
Gary took a slight step forward. Ash didn't move. Both had reached the same point: the next exchange could break the battle.
"Electivire, use Thunder Punch!" Gary ordered decisively.
Electivire advanced with power, looking to close the distance and force the clash. Ash didn't back down.
"Double Team, dodge it!" Ash responded calmly.
Pikachu's copies scattered again, this time not to surround but to force Electivire to choose an angle. The Electric Pokémon spun with force, destroying one image and advancing toward another, but the real Pikachu had already repositioned itself on an elevated section of the terrain. At that moment, at that precise instant, Ash saw it clearly.
"Use Quick Attack, from above!" he ordered.
Pikachu propelled itself from the elevation, diving down with speed. The impact was clean and stronger than expected, forcing Electivire to tilt its body to absorb it. It wasn't enough to knock it down, but it was enough to break its balance for a moment.
Gary reacted immediately.
"Use Low Kick!" he ordered.
Electivire responded with a quick, direct movement to the base. Pikachu tried to retreat, but the distance was minimal. The blow connected, lifting it slightly off the ground before dragging it back several meters across the irregular surface.
"Pikachu!" Ash called.
That blow had been hard.
"Pika pi!" Pikachu replied.
Pikachu got up almost without difficulty but somewhat hurt by the impact. That attack had hit it squarely and had been painful.
Ash looked at it and nodded. No words were needed. He knew it could still keep going.
"Electivire, use Thunder Punch again!" Gary ordered forcefully.
Electivire charged forward, this time with no margin for error. Pikachu reacted at the last instant.
"Iron Tail!" Ash responded.
The two attacks clashed head-on. The impact was brutal. A dry, metallic sound echoed throughout the stadium as the shockwave lifted small rocks and dust around them. For a moment, neither gave ground.
"Pikachu, give it everything! Show them who's the best!" Ash exclaimed.
Hearing the encouragement from its beloved trainer was like receiving an adrenaline shot. Suddenly, for a moment, the brown stripes on Pikachu's back turned yellow. Its strength increased exponentially, pushing Electivire back.
"Impossible!" Gary exclaimed in shock.
Just a few words and its Pikachu's strength suddenly increased? What kind of magic is that?! Gary didn't know what to do, but he didn't have time to create a strategy either, because Pikachu won the exchange and struck Electivire with a brutal blow that sent it flying. Electivire was launched backward, slamming hard into the terrain and kicking up rock fragments around it. It tried to get up, but its body didn't respond. Its arms gave out first, then the rest.
The stadium fell silent for a moment. Gary looked closely at his Electivire, hoping it would get up, but unfortunately that didn't happen. Pikachu's blow had been too much.
"Electivire is unable to continue! Victory for Pikachu!" the referee declared firmly.
The stadium erupted in applause. Gary's Electivire had fallen. Two of his Pokémon had already succumbed to Ash's Pokémon, leaving him with only 4 while Ash still had 6. But this wasn't over.
Gary recalled Electivire to its Poké Ball and after saying a few comforting words to it, he took out his next Poké Ball.
Ash remained in place, observing in silence. Pikachu stayed on the field, somewhat hurt but fine, ready for the next matchup.
Gary didn't delay and threw his next Poké Ball with determination.
"Scizor, go!" he ordered.
The Bug/Steel-type Pokémon appeared with a metallic flash, its pincers gleaming under the light as it spread its wings with a constant buzzing sound. Its presence was completely different from Electivire's: more contained, more controlled, but also more dangerous at close range. Its body, covered in natural resistant armor, contrasted with the speed of its movements, creating a difficult combination to handle if not responded to correctly.
"PARTICIPANT GARY COMPLETELY CHANGES THE STYLE OF COMBAT!" Bob exclaimed.
"SCIZOR IS PRECISE, FAST, AND VERY DANGEROUS AT CLOSE RANGE!" Carl added.
Ash assessed the situation in an instant. So did Pikachu. That matchup wasn't favorable. Not because it couldn't keep fighting, but because there were better options that could end this battle quickly.
"Good work, return," Ash said naturally.
Pikachu looked at him for a moment before nodding slightly and jumping back onto his shoulder, settling in as always.
Gary observed the scene and gave a slight smile. It seemed Ash had better plans for his Scizor. What would he bring out now? His Charizard? It was possible. It was the most obvious option.
{Note: Gary has already seen most of Ash's battles and knows he has a Charizard}
Ash already had the next Poké Ball in his hand. His gaze remained firm, completely focused on the battle to come.
"Charizard, go!" he threw it decisively.
The roar echoed throughout the stadium. Charizard appeared with an overwhelming presence, spreading its wings as the air around it stirred powerfully. The contrast with Scizor was immediate.
Fire against Steel. Scizor, although strong, was at a complete disadvantage.
The rocky terrain vibrated slightly as Charizard planted its feet, quickly adapting to the irregular field.
Gary narrowed his eyes.
This was what he liked.
"PARTICIPANT ASH RESPONDS WITH CHARIZARD!" Carl exclaimed.
"AND THIS MATCHUP IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS FOR PARTICIPANT GARY!" Bob added.
Gary wasn't stupid and knew what his next move should be.
"Scizor, return," he said calmly.
The red beam enveloped it instantly, withdrawing it from the field without a single exchange of blows.
"PARTICIPANT GARY DECIDES TO WITHDRAW SCIZOR!" Bob exclaimed.
"AND IT'S A COMPLETELY LOGICAL DECISION! THE MATCHUP WAS TOO UNFAVORABLE!" Carl added.
Gary already had another Poké Ball in his hand and threw it with force.