Third POV
Both trainers entered the arena, Ash and Stefan. In the stands, Grey, Red, and Blue were watching the match. Grey watched more seriously because whoever won this battle would become his next opponent, while Red and Blue watched to judge the skill of their fellow Pallet Town trainer.
Honestly, Blue used to think Ash would be an embarrassment for Pallet Town and would never amount to much as a trainer, especially when he kept getting updates from Professor Oak whenever he asked how the others were doing and Ash was always lagging behind. But things had changed. Both he and Red had stayed back in Vermilion for the tournament, and to Blue's surprise, Ash had improved enough to reach the Top 8. Internally, Blue did want him to win and wanted to see just how far his old friend could go.
Brock and Misty were also cheering for Ash from the stands.
On the field, both trainers got ready, and on the referee's instructions released their respective Pokémon.
Ash released Bulbasaur, while Stefan released Ursaring.
Stefan started the battle by ordering Hammer Arm, and Ursaring rushed forward with its hulking body to slam the attack down. But with quick thinking, Ash ordered Bulbasaur to dodge using Vine Whip. Bulbasaur swung itself out of the way and at the same time landed a Leech Seed on Ursaring.
Stefan was surprised by that and was about to order a Slash attack, but Bulbasaur fired Razor Leaves laced with Poison Powder point blank. The leaves hit Ursaring directly, but the giant bear simply tanked the attack and became poisoned.
Stefan ordered Slash again, but Bulbasaur used Vine Whip on the ground to leap into the air and continued firing Razor Leaves from above.
From the stands, Grey realised what Ash was trying to do.
He was stalling the match.
It was similar to how Exeggcute fought sometimes, slowly wearing the opponent down. Internally, Grey wondered when Ash had gotten this good, but he also realised this strategy was a double-edged sword in this situation.
Misty cheered loudly and said to Brock, "He seems to be doing well! That Ursaring can't even hit Bulbasaur yet. He might actually win this. He seems to be relying on the poison and Leech Seed to slowly wear it down."
Brock shook his head slightly.
"Ash has improved a lot, but in this case that strategy might backfire."
Misty looked confused. "What do you mean?"
Brock replied, "Ursaring's ability is Guts. When it has a status condition, its Attack increases by a lot."
On the field, Bulbasaur kept dodging Ursaring's attacks for a while while the giant bear grew angrier and more dangerous by the minute.
Then Stefan noticed something.
Every single time Bulbasaur dodged, it used Vine Whip to reposition itself.
The moment Stefan saw the pattern, he acted.
"Ursaring, use Slash! And grab those vines the moment it jumps!"
Bulbasaur used Vine Whip to leap away again, but this time Ursaring caught the vines midair with one massive paw.
Ash's eyes widened.
"Now pummel it!"
Ursaring slammed Bulbasaur into the ground.
Then again.
And again.
It kept smashing the Grass-type brutally while Bulbasaur struggled to escape.
"Ash told Bulbasaur to use Razor Leaf on Ursaring!"
Bulbasaur tried, but Ursaring simply tanked the attack.
Then Ash quickly shouted, "Use Razor Leaf on your vines!"
Bulbasaur cut through its own vines to free itself, but Ursaring had already flung it away at that point. The momentum sent Bulbasaur flying across the battlefield before it crashed onto the ground heavily injured from the beating.
Right at that moment Stefan ordered, "Finish it with Slash!"
Ursaring rushed in.
Bulbasaur tried to get up, but it was too injured to properly move.
Ash ordered one final Razor Leaf, and Bulbasaur fired it desperately, but Ursaring tanked the move completely before slamming a powerful Slash directly into Bulbasaur.
Boosted by Guts and Ursaring's monstrous physical strength, the attack smashed the Bulb Pokémon into the ground and knocked it out instantly.
The referee raised his flag.
"Bulbasaur is unable to battle! Ursaring wins!"
Ash withdrew Bulbasaur quietly.
Normally in situations like this he would immediately call Pikachu, but this time he hesitated. Stefan had already shown Ground-type coverage before by using Earthquake in earlier matches, and Ash realised there was a chance Stefan had prepared specifically for Pikachu as well.
So instead, Ash threw another Poké Ball.
"Go, Pidgeotto!"
The match continued quickly.
Stefan wanted Ursaring to finish the battle while it was still boosted by Guts, but Pidgeotto was simply too fast. None of Ursaring's attacks were landing properly. The giant bear kept trying to swat the bird out of the sky with Slash attacks and jumping grabs, but every time Pidgeotto slipped away at the last second.
At one point Ursaring even tried leaping high into the air to catch it, but Pidgeotto sharply changed direction and avoided it completely.
Then Ash suddenly called out, "Quick Attack into Wing Attack!"
Pidgeotto shot forward at incredible speed, its body cloaked in white energy before its wings began glowing. The bird tore across the battlefield like a blur.
Stefan immediately realised this was probably his only chance to hit it.
"Ursaring, Slash now!"
Ursaring swung its claws right when Pidgeotto came into range, but at the last second Pidgeotto suddenly ducked mid-flight and slammed the glowing Wing Attack directly into Ursaring's stomach before immediately flying away again.
The hit landed hard.
Ursaring staggered backwards from the damage and tried to retaliate, but right then the poison and Leech Seed damage triggered together once more.
The giant bear finally collapsed.
The referee raised his flag.
"Ursaring is unable to battle!"
On the stands, Grey narrowed his eyes while observing Pidgeotto carefully.
That bird might actually be troublesome.
It was probably one of the fastest Pokémon he had seen in the tournament so far. Only Blue's Scyther and his own Persian might be able to consistently keep up with it in speed.
Back on the field, Stefan withdrew Ursaring and released his final Pokémon.
"Kangaskhan!"
The large Normal-type landed heavily onto the battlefield while Pidgeotto circled above it cautiously.
The match continued, and Pidgeotto kept abusing hit-and-run tactics. It would dive down at high speed using Quick Attack to boost its momentum before chaining into Wing Attacks, striking Kangaskhan at almost absurd speeds before immediately retreating back into the air.
Meanwhile Kangaskhan kept trying to counter with Mega Punches, swinging its massive arms every time the bird came close.
Eventually, after taking several hits, Kangaskhan began recognising Pidgeotto's flight patterns.
Stefan noticed it too.
The next time Pidgeotto came rushing in with another Quick Attack boosted Wing Attack, Kangaskhan prepared itself.
Pidgeotto ducked mid-flight again to avoid the incoming Mega Punch and aimed for Kangaskhan's torso just like before.
But this time Kangaskhan had predicted it.
Instead of using the same arm again, Kangaskhan swung its other fist forward and slammed a Mega Punch directly into Pidgeotto mid-flight.
The bird cried out as the punch connected.
Before Pidgeotto could escape, Kangaskhan grabbed it out of the air and pinned it against the ground with sheer strength.
"Now keep hitting it!" Stefan shouted.
Kangaskhan started hammering Pidgeotto repeatedly with Mega Punches while Ash yelled desperately, "Pidgeotto, Air Slash!"
Pidgeotto beat its wings furiously, trying to generate Air Slashes at point blank range, but Kangaskhan's grip was too strong.
Right when it looked like Pidgeotto was about to lose, Ash suddenly noticed something.
Pidgeotto's wings had started glowing silver.
The bird desperately slammed its glowing wings against Kangaskhan's arm again and again. Kangaskhan tried to hold on through brute strength alone, but eventually the repeated strikes forced its grip open and Pidgeotto finally escaped.
Ash quickly pulled out his Pokédex and scanned the move.
"Steel Wing!"
Ash grinned immediately after hearing the result.
"Awesome! Pidgeotto, use Air Slash!"
Pidgeotto fired several Air Slashes from above. Kangaskhan tanked the attacks and prepared another Mega Punch, expecting Pidgeotto to duck underneath it again for another close-range strike.
"A full speed Quick Attack boosted Steel Wing!" Ash shouted.
Pidgeotto shot downward like a silver missile.
Kangaskhan swung its Mega Punch again, waiting for the same dodge pattern as before so it could pin the bird once more.
But this time there was no dodge.
Pidgeotto flew directly into the attack itself.
In classic anime fashion, both attacks collided head-on.
For a moment the battlefield shook from the clash between Kangaskhan's Mega Punch and Pidgeotto's Steel Wing.
Then Pidgeotto pushed through.
The silver wings overpowered the punch and slammed directly into Kangaskhan, sending the massive Pokémon crashing backwards onto the battlefield.
After a few seconds, Kangaskhan fainted.
The referee immediately announced the result.
"Kangaskhan is unable to battle! The winner is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town!"
The crowd erupted into cheers while Ash celebrated happily with Pidgeotto.
Meanwhile, in the stands, Grey quietly watched the scene and realised something.
His next opponent would be Ash.
Author's Note: Busy this week lot of work so this maybe the only chapter this week maybe will try one on Saturday as well lets hope , also plot armor does come into picture here but lets see for how long and I have tried to make Ash more competent early on , more like he is forced to adapt as his competition is more tough in Kanto itself , its kind of like the Paul scenario where stronger rivals speed up growth that said I always believe Tobias was cheap writing , as aside from Paul there wasnt much of a challenge for Ash in sinnoh heck he is the only trainer who beat 2 pokemon with a badly formed team(Except Sceptile and Pikachu and maybe heracross) of tobias rest got washed by just darkrai .