"Nidoking, ignore it! Destroy the remaining Double Team clones!"
Yashaku gritted his teeth and continued issuing commands.
A smile appeared on Ash's face.
"Double Team isn't a move that can only be used once."
"Fearow, use Double Team again."
"And then continue attacking with Drill Run!"
"SKREEE—!"
Dozens of Fearow cried out in unison.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Just as Nidoking finally finished clearing away the previous wave of clones with Poison Sting, Fearow immediately created another flock of Double Team copies.
Then, without giving Nidoking a single moment to breathe, the attacks resumed.
Drill Run after Drill Run came crashing down from every direction.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
"ROOOAAAR!!"
Nidoking roared in frustration.
The battlefield had become a nightmare.
Everywhere it looked were Fearow.
Every direction felt dangerous.
Every shadow seemed capable of transforming into a deadly armor-piercing drill.
Faced with Fearow's combination of Double Team + Drill Run, both Yashaku and Nidoking were gradually being pushed to their limits.
Eventually...
They simply ran out of answers.
Another Drill Run smashed into Nidoking's body.
Then another.
And another.
Finally, the giant Pokémon could no longer endure the punishment.
Its massive body swayed.
Its vision darkened.
Then it fell backward heavily onto the battlefield.
BOOM!
Nidoking lost its ability to battle.
Compared to the previous match between Greninja and Machamp, this battle was even more one-sided in terms of matchup.
Fearow's entire combat style naturally countered a large, heavy, and relatively slow Pokémon like Nidoking.
Its victory had been entirely within Ash's expectations.
In fact, Nidoking's naturally high Defense and sturdy armor were the only reasons it had lasted this long.
Against a normal flesh-and-blood Pokémon lacking such defenses, Fearow probably wouldn't need three attacks.
One or two Drill Runs would be enough to end the battle.
After all, Fearow's training path had always been extreme.
Its physical attack power had been pushed to the absolute limit.
That wasn't a joke.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations, Host.]
[Defeated LV.34 Nidoking.]
[Experience gained: 480]
[Fearow has met the requirements for leveling up.]
[Fearow has leveled up.]
[Current Level: LV.41]
As Nidoking collapsed, two system notifications rang out beside Ash's ear.
One informed him of the experience earned from defeating Nidoking.
The other announced Fearow's successful level-up.
LV.41.
Fearow had advanced another step forward.
"Not bad."
Ash nodded in satisfaction.
Even though it was only a single level, he was still quite pleased with the result.
"Fearow, well done."
"You've worked hard."
"Return."
A beam of red light recalled Fearow into its Poké Ball.
Afterward, just as he had done for Machamp earlier, Ash walked onto the battlefield and treated Nidoking's injuries.
The soft green glow of Healing Grace quickly restored the battered Pokémon.
"Thank you, Mr. Ash."
Yashaku expressed his gratitude once more.
Then he couldn't help but sigh.
"Your Fearow has been trained incredibly well."
"It's hard to imagine that a Pokémon as unpopular as Fearow could become this powerful."
Ash smiled.
"Most Flying-type Pokémon are trained as special attackers."
"Fearow, however, is naturally suited for physical attacks."
"The problem is that Flying-types generally have relatively fragile bodies."
"And their wings are an obvious weakness."
"For a Flying-type Pokémon to engage in close-range combat, the risks are naturally much higher."
"So it isn't surprising that Fearow isn't popular among professional trainers."
"However..."
Ash's eyes flashed slightly.
"Being unpopular doesn't mean a Pokémon can't become strong."
"In the end, everything depends on the trainer."
"It depends on whether the trainer can discover and develop the Pokémon's potential."
Yashaku nodded repeatedly.
"That makes perfect sense."
"I've learned a lot today."
However, there were still some things Ash didn't say aloud.
Yes.
Even obscure Pokémon could become powerful if trained correctly.
But there was a reason most people preferred strong, popular Pokémon.
Training niche Pokémon required far more effort.
More resources.
More specialized knowledge.
And even after the Pokémon matured, extracting its full combat potential demanded much higher levels of battlefield command from the trainer.
In comparison, training a popular Pokémon was often far more efficient.
The path was already established.
Countless predecessors had left behind successful examples.
There were strategies to learn from.
Methods to imitate.
And most importantly—
Popular Pokémon were popular for a reason.
They were strong.
Still, obscure Pokémon possessed one unique advantage.
Because they were so uncommon, opponents often had no idea how to counter them.
Even if a niche Pokémon wasn't necessarily stronger than a mainstream powerhouse, facing one could be extremely troublesome.
After all, nobody prepared for what they never expected to encounter.
Yet obscure Pokémon also suffered from a major flaw.
Most of them had lower growth ceilings.
There were many reasons a Pokémon might become unpopular.
Perhaps fewer people trained it.
Perhaps its appearance wasn't attractive enough.
But one of the biggest reasons was always the same—
Base stats.
Stat distribution.
Natural talent.
Compared to humans, every Pokémon possessed limitless potential.
Even the weakest Pokémon could theoretically become incredibly powerful.
But that comparison was made against humans.
Within the Pokémon world itself, differences absolutely existed.
Some species were born with superior talent.
Some species were easier to train.
Some possessed greater growth potential.
If a trainer had the option to choose between a naturally gifted Pokémon and a difficult-to-raise niche species that required enormous investment just to achieve comparable results...
Most trainers would choose the gifted Pokémon.
Fearow itself was a perfect example.
Ash knew exactly how to train Fearow correctly.
He knew it could become extraordinarily powerful.
A mature Fearow could instantly eliminate fragile opponents.
Yet under normal circumstances...
Ash probably never would have chosen to train one.
The only reason Fearow stood beside him now was because of special circumstances.
Fearow's mother had entrusted her child to him before her death.
And Fearow was also Pidgeot's younger brother.
Otherwise, even knowing Fearow's potential, Ash would most likely have chosen Pidgeot instead.
After all, Pidgeot possessed a higher ceiling.
It had two evolutionary stages.
It possessed Mega Evolution potential.
And unlike Fearow's highly specialized physical-attacker path, Pidgeot's combat style was much safer and more versatile.
Regardless of the opponent—
Fast or slow.
Bulky or fragile.
Type advantage or type disadvantage.
Pidgeot could always find a way to contribute.
With proper tactics and strong battlefield command, victory was almost always possible.
Fearow, on the other hand, walked a far narrower path.
If it encountered opponents with powerful crowd-control abilities...
Or Pokémon capable of reducing its Speed and Attack...
Or opponents possessing numerous defensive and physical-resistance techniques...
Its room to operate would become significantly smaller.
Among Ash's current six Pokémon, only three truly qualified as future absolute ace Pokémon in his eyes.
Greninja.
Pidgeot.
Milotic.
As for Pikachu...
If Pikachu weren't the Child of Destiny.
If it weren't that Pikachu.
Then even if Ash had caught it because of nostalgia and sentimental reasons, he probably wouldn't have invested so heavily in it as a primary ace.
The same logic applied to Fearow.
If not for the special circumstances surrounding its capture, Ash would almost certainly have chosen Pidgeot over Fearow every time.
Then there were the members of his second echelon—
Magikarp and Milotic.
Milotic possessed excellent HP.
Excellent Special Defense.
Solid Defense.
Outstanding Special Attack.
It could learn numerous healing and status-recovery moves.
As a pure Water-type, it also had relatively few weaknesses.
It could function as a tank.
A recovery specialist.
A sustained fighter.
Or even a powerful special attacker.
Overall, it was an exceptionally powerful Pokémon.
Gyarados, on the other hand...
While undeniably strong, it possessed obvious flaws.
Its enormous body made dodging attacks difficult.
Its Speed wasn't particularly outstanding.
It was primarily a physical attacker.
And perhaps most importantly—
Its Water/Flying typing left it four times weak to Electric-type attacks.
Compared to Milotic, Gyarados was less suitable as an all-purpose ace.
Ash couldn't simply send it out against any opponent.
He had to consider matchups.
He had to consider team composition.
He had to consider the enemy.
Unlike Greninja, Pidgeot, or Milotic, Gyarados couldn't truly stand alone as an all-purpose main ace.
Of course...
Gyarados did possess one significant advantage over Milotic.
A very important one.
Mega Evolution potential.
And that alone was enough to make Ash look forward to its future.
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