Gary must have been lost in this forest for a while too.
Ash and his group had trained for two days in Donphan Valley, yet they still caught up with him here.
Gary had arrived in the Johto region before them, but the guy was still stubborn, claiming he had caught several Pokémon in this forest and had become engrossed in it without realizing.
Ash pouted, 'Who are you trying to fool?'
Led by Gary's Hoothoot, and with Ash able to detect the locations of Ghost-type Pokémon, the group of four quickly exited the Bewildering Forest and arrived at Ecruteak City.
Since it was getting late, Ash and Gary decided to rest at the Pokémon Center for the night and have their battle the next morning.
So, the next morning...
"The battle between Ash and Gary will now begin. Each person is limited to using one Pokémon. Begin!"
"Go, my darling, Blastoise!"
"I choose you, Charizard!"
Blastoise looked very powerful. This was Gary's starter Pokémon, and he had raised it exceptionally well.
It must be said that although Gary was arrogant and liked to show off, he did have real skill.
But Charizard's aura was not weak at all now!
"Your Charizard seems to have gotten stronger! But the type disadvantage is insurmountable!" Gary rarely complimented anyone, "Blastoise, use Hydro Pump!"
Two massive jets of water erupted from the cannons on Blastoise's shoulders.
"Charizard, dodge and get closer!"
Water-type moves were super effective against Charizard. If it hit, it would be disastrous.
However, Ash remained calm. As their bond continued to grow, the synergy between him and Charizard deepened.
With the Macho Brace removed, Charizard had a new understanding of its speed.
The moment Hydro Pump was fired, it ducked and flew low, avoiding the attack and getting closer to Blastoise.
"Dragon Claw!"
A teal Dragon Claw swung upwards from below at Blastoise, sending its large, heavy body flying.
"How can this be!"
Gary watched the scene in disbelief, but he reacted very quickly.
"Blastoise, use Rapid Spin!"
Blastoise landed steadily by spinning at high speed.
"That's quite a move!" * 2
Ash and Gary complimented each other almost in unison.
"Charizard, use Flamethrower!"
This time, Ash and Charizard launched the first attack. Fire-type moves might not be very effective against Blastoise, but they still had some effect.
"Use Rapid Spin again!"
Gary had indeed raised Blastoise extremely well. The whirlwind generated by its rapid movement blew away Charizard's flames.
But in that very instant, Ash and Charizard's attack came again!
Seeing this, Gary immediately reacted, "Damn it, Ash, this guy really has a lot of little tricks!"
That ineffective Flamethrower was clearly meant to mislead him and Blastoise!
"Use Dragon Claw!"
However, this time, Charizard's Dragon Claw failed to activate! This meant that Ash had lost this attack opportunity.
"What a shame!" Misty, who was watching, sighed, then stood up and shouted, "Ash, Charizard, you can do it!"
Seeing Charizard looking at its claws with a bewildered expression, Ash chuckled, "Charizard, better luck next time!"
"Roar!"
Gary and Blastoise had already regrouped, "Damn it, Ash, are you treating me as a sparring partner?"
Charizard's Dragon Claw move had indeed surprised Gary, but he didn't expect that this move had just been learned. Gary immediately understood Ash's intention and couldn't help but get angry.
"Haha, Gary, don't be angry!" Since the other party had guessed it, Ash openly admitted it.
His friendship with Gary wouldn't mind this little bit.
This was the best sparring partner. Since they met, Ash certainly wouldn't let go of the opportunity!
"Charizard, you need to work harder! Use Flamethrower again!"
"Hmph, don't think the same trick will work on me again, Blastoise, use Hydro Pump to counter!"
The pillar of fire and the jet of water met in the center of the field, creating a large amount of steam that filled the entire area.
"Blastoise, use Skull Bash!"
"Charizard, use Dragon Claw!"
In the midst of this steam, Ash and Gary both, by chance, had their Pokémon launch close-range attacks.
"Roar!"
From within the steam, Charizard's cry of pain could be heard!
"Ash, the flame on Charizard's tail is like a guiding light! Blastoise, use Hydro Pump!" Gary laughed triumphantly, seemingly confident of victory.
But after he gave the command, no Hydro Pump skill emerged from the shroud of steam.
"What on earth happened?"
Gary didn't see it, but Ash's lips curled into a smile. Gary thought Ash couldn't see what was happening in the steam either.
However, he didn't know that Ash's Aura allowed him to control everything, and Gary's decision to counter Flamethrower with Hydro Pump was also within Ash's expectations.
This young master was too proud to willingly become Ash's sparring partner.
Sure enough, after the steam dissipated, Charizard clutched its stomach, panting, clearly injured.
But Blastoise had already lost its ability to battle and lay on the ground.
"Blastoise!" Gary exclaimed, but he quickly reacted, "Return! You did great!"
"Blastoise is unable to battle, Charizard wins, therefore the victor is Ash!"
Brock made the judgment, and this rivalry battle temporarily came to an end.
"Ash, you've really gotten stronger!" Gary stood in front of Ash, extending his hand, "Let's save our final battle for the Johto League Conference! I still need to keep getting stronger, I can't let a guy like you catch up!"
Like Ash, Gary was able to accept the results of the battle gracefully.
"I won this time, and I'll definitely win next time too!" Ash smiled, shaking Gary's hand.
Charizard 195 / 255