"Wow! What a beautiful Beautifly… its color's different!" Caroline gasped, eyes wide.
"Mom, that's a Shiny Pokémon!" Max exclaimed. "They're even rarer than normal ones!"
Norman nodded in approval. "Impressive. I didn't expect you to be lucky enough to catch a Shiny Pokémon."
Last night, everyone had been too focused on the fireworks to notice—but now Beautifly's unique shimmering color stood out clearly in the sunlight.
"Beautifly, use Quiver Dance!"
Beautifly fluttered gracefully into the air, its wings radiating a dazzling shimmer. While the elegant performance would've earned top marks in a Contest, it wasn't just for show—its Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed all rose sharply!
May's jaw dropped. "What?! He taught it that move? Ash, you have to teach my Beautifly that too!"[1]
"Slakoth, use Shadow Ball!"
Slakoth slowly raised its stubby arms and hurled a dark sphere of energy. But—
"Beautifly, Double Team!"
Beautifly multiplied into countless copies mid-air. The Shadow Ball dispersed one of the illusions harmlessly.
Then, Slakoth slumped to the ground—its Truant ability activating, forcing it to rest every other turn.
"Beautifly, Stun Spore!"
Beautifly scattered shimmering golden powder, and Slakoth inhaled it, becoming paralyzed.
Norman twitched. Seriously? It already moves every other turn, and now it might not even move at all?
"Ash, go for it! SolarBeam!"
Without hesitation, Beautifly's wings began charging up radiant solar energy before releasing a searing white beam. The blast struck Slakoth directly. Norman didn't even bother to call a counterattack—Slakoth was done.
"Slakoth is unable to battle! Beautifly wins!"
"Return, Slakoth!" Norman recalled his Pokémon and tossed another Poké Ball. "Let's turn this around—Vigoroth, go!"
Vigoroth charged onto the battlefield, full of wild energy.
[Vigoroth – Advanced Tier, Late Stage]
Unlike Slakoth, Vigoroth had the Vital Spirit ability, meaning it couldn't fall asleep—making it far more reliable.
"Beautifly, return! I choose you—Eevee!""Eevee~!"
Norman narrowed his eyes. That Eevee… Last time I saw it, it was only at the top of the Basic tier. Now it's already Gym-level?
"Eevee, open with Quick Attack!"
Eevee blurred across the battlefield and struck first.
"Vigoroth, Slash!"
Eevee was knocked back, skidding across the field but recovering quickly.
"Vigoroth, Flamethrower!"
"Eevee, Nasty Plot!"
Eevee's eyes gleamed with dark energy as it intensified its resolve. The incoming fire clashed with the aura, but Eevee held firm.
"Now, Hidden Power!"
Vigoroth generated six glowing orbs that surrounded Eevee and began to converge.
"Eevee, Dig!"
Ash reacted quickly. Eevee burrowed underground, narrowly escaping the orbs.
Norman smirked. "Not bad… but watch your footing. Earthquake!"
Vigoroth slammed the ground hard. The arena trembled violently.
"Eevee!!"
The shockwave erupted underground, and Eevee burst from the dirt, clearly hurt—but still standing, growling with fierce determination.
"Huh… the Earthquake didn't do as much damage as expected," Norman muttered. Is that because of that strange move from before?
"Vigoroth, Focus Punch!"
"Eevee, Protect, then Mimic!"
A green barrier shielded Eevee from the blow. Then, energy gathered in its paw as it mirrored the attack and struck Vigoroth in return!
Norman blinked. "I got baited again?!"
"Vigoroth, Flamethrower!""Eevee, Psychic!"
Eevee's pink aura shattered the fire and sent a telekinetic wave crashing into Vigoroth, lowering its Special Attack.
"Now, Tera Blast!"[2]
A sharp beam of white light fired from Eevee toward Vigoroth.
"Substitute!"
Vigoroth created a decoy that absorbed the hit just in time.
"Focus Punch!"
Vigoroth charged once more.
"Zippy Zap!"
Electric sparks exploded around Eevee as it zipped forward with blinding speed. The two Pokémon collided—both badly injured but still standing.
"Vigoroth, Reversal!""Eevee, Last Resort!"
Eevee struck first. A full-power Last Resort smashed into Vigoroth before it could react.
"Vigoroth is unable to battle! Eevee wins!"
"Eevee~!" Eevee stood proud, panting but victorious.
"No way! Dad hasn't even taken down one of Ash's Pokémon yet?" Max said, shocked.
Caroline smiled softly. "Ash really is something else."
Norman exhaled and gave Ash a serious look. "Alright… time for my ace. Slaking—let's finish this!"
Slaking emerged on the field, already lounging. But its sharp, focused eyes told a different story.
[Slaking – Early Stage, Pseudo-Champion Tier]
"Eevee, Nasty Plot!" Ash called. I've got to lower Slaking's offensive pressure before Eevee goes down.
"Slaking, Focus Punch!"
Slaking charged through, unfazed, and struck with massive force.
"Eevee is unable to battle! Slaking wins!"
But Norman's brow furrowed. "Hmm… Slaking's attack power was reduced again. That was a weird move…"
Ash silently recalled Eevee. For the first time since becoming his partner, Eevee returned to its Poké Ball.
"Time to finish this. Let's go—Annihilape!"
"Ha-cha~!"
Norman narrowed his eyes at the ghostly, savage form.
"What is that Pokémon?" he asked.
Max jumped up, excited. "That's Annihilape, Dad! It's a Fighting/Ghost type evolution of Primeape!"
Norman's face paled. "Fighting… and Ghost? That completely walls Slaking's Normal and Fighting-type moves, and Fighting is super effective in return… That's brutal."
"Slaking, Earthquake!"
Slaking pounded the ground—then promptly collapsed to rest from Truant.
"Annihilape, jump and use High Jump Kick!"
"Ha-cha!" Annihilape leapt into the air and delivered a brutal dropkick, knocking Slaking back.
"Rrraahhh!" Slaking roared and pounded its chest. The real fight had begun.
"Zen Headbutt!"
"Close Combat!"
The two collided violently. Annihilape staggered back, but Slaking had taken just as much damage—perhaps more. Its Truant trait triggered again, but it resisted, trying to fight through it.
"Annihilape, Mega Punch!"
"Slaking, Grab it!"
Slaking reached out and caught Annihilape's punch mid-air.
"Now—throw it!"
With a roar, Slaking hurled Annihilape across the battlefield. It crashed hard but stood back up, trembling with exhaustion.
"Fire Punch!"
Flames gathered around Slaking's fist as it charged.
"Annihilape, Reversal—FULL POWER!!"
The ghost-fighting Pokémon surged forward, rage burning through its injuries. The two clashed—blow after blow after blow.
BOOM!!
At the climax of the exchange, Annihilape's aura suddenly flared—it had broken through to the Gym Leader Peak Tier in that instant!
"RRAAAHH!!" Slaking let out one final roar… and then collapsed.
"Slaking is unable to battle! Annihilape wins! The victory goes to the challenger—Ash!"
"Ha-cha…" Annihilape dropped to one knee, breathing hard. If it hadn't evolved mid-battle, the result might've been very different.
To be continued...
[1] Ash the move tutor!
[2] Crystallize Outbreak was Tera Blast Finally got it!