Confrontation Before Parting - Part 2

"Snorlax, are you okay?" Ash asked anxiously after seeing Snorlax knocked back by Shiny Metagross.

"Snorlax!" Snorlax shook its chubby head and patted its large belly, indicating that it was fine.

After noticing the minor injuries on Snorlax, Gary could not help marveling at how tough its flesh was.

"Alright, then let's keep attacking!"

Seeing that Snorlax was unharmed, Ash immediately launched a counterattack.

"Use Heavy Slam!"

Meeting attacks head-on had always been Ash's style, and this time was no exception.

At Ash's command, Snorlax charged toward Shiny Metagross with its massive body.

"Agility!"

Naturally, Gary would not choose to confront it head-on. Instead, he opted for a roundabout attack.

So, Shiny Metagross once again used its extreme speed to evade the attack from the relatively clumsy Snorlax.

"Now then, it's time for Future Sight!"

As soon as Gary finished speaking, a deep passage appeared above Shiny Metagross's head. Metagross then released several purple Energy Balls into the tunnel.

The tunnel immediately sealed itself shut.

"What was that?" It was Ash's first time seeing this move, so he immediately looked at Gary across from him in confusion.

"You'll find out soon enough." Gary merely smiled at Ash's gaze without explaining much.

"What, keeping me in suspense?" Ash grumbled unhappily at Gary's evasiveness.

"Forget that. Snorlax, use Fire Punch!"

Facing the Steel-type Shiny Metagross, Ash still chose to attack with Fire Punch.

Upon hearing Ash's command, Snorlax swung its fist and rushed toward Shiny Metagross.

"Psyshock!"

As the X-shaped mark on Shiny Metagross's forehead glowed, an azure wave burst forth from it and quickly reached Snorlax.

A tremendous impact instantly stopped the charging Snorlax. It not only shattered its offensive momentum, but also forced it back several steps.

"Excellent. Press the Advantage! Use Iron Defense first, then Focus Punch!"

After Snorlax was forced back, Gary began his counterattack as well.

After receiving Gary's command, Metagross used Iron Defense once more before immediately launching a Focus Punch at Snorlax.

"We won't lose either! Use Focus Punch too!"

Likewise, Ash had Snorlax fight back against Shiny Metagross's attack. The two Pokémon clashed fiercely in the arena.

They traded blows back and forth, and for a time, it was impossible to tell who held the advantage.

"What a powerful Snorlax!" Although Gary had expected Snorlax to be strong, he was still shocked when he witnessed it firsthand.

"Still, it's about time that attack arrived." As Gary watched Shiny Metagross trade blows with Snorlax, the corners of his mouth curled upward.

As Shiny Metagross and Snorlax continued their clash, a deep passage suddenly appeared above Snorlax. Without a doubt, it was the Future Sight Shiny Metagross had used earlier.

"This is..."

Before Ash could react, Shiny Metagross abruptly withdrew from the battlefield and moved far away from Snorlax.

At the same time, several purple Energy Balls emerged one after another from the tunnel and bombarded Snorlax below.

"Could this be?" Upon seeing this, Ash immediately recalled Shiny Metagross's earlier Future Sight and quickly understood.

Seeing that Ash had figured it out, Gary smiled lightly and explained, "Future Sight launches an attack in advance, but it doesn't strike at that moment. It hits at some point in the future instead."

After Gary's explanation, Ash finally understood completely.

"How could this happen?!" Seeing Snorlax being bombarded, Ash could only call out worriedly, "Snorlax!"

"Alright, it's time to finish Snorlax. Metagross, use Hyper Beam!" After Future Sight's attack ended, Gary organized his final wave of offense.

After gathering a massive amount of energy, Shiny Metagross fired an orange Hyper Beam at Snorlax, which had yet to get back on its feet.

Snorlax had only just stood up when it saw a beam of light rushing straight at it. With no time to dodge, it was struck head-on.

Under Hyper Beam's overwhelming power, Snorlax finally collapsed completely.

"Snorlax is unable to battle. Metagross wins!" Tracey promptly announced the result of the Second Round.

"You did well, Snorlax!" Seeing Snorlax unconscious, Ash could only recall it.

Likewise, Shiny Metagross had gone through two battles and had little stamina left, so Gary immediately recalled it as well.

"Gary has grown quite a bit during this time!" Professor Oak, who had been watching from the side, revealed a gratified expression after seeing Gary decisively defeat two of Ash's Pokémon.

"Ash, given the situation, do we still need to have another battle?"

After recalling Shiny Metagross, Gary did not rush to send out his next Pokémon. Instead, he turned his gaze toward Ash.

"Of course! Our battle has only just begun. Until the very last moment, who can know the outcome? I will never give up!" Ash clenched his fists and declared with high spirits.

"Alright, it seems you won't give up until you hit the wall. Then I can only accompany you through this final battle."

Although Gary's words were arrogant, his eyes held admiration for Ash.

It had to be said that Gary truly acknowledged Ash's never-give-up spirit.

"For this final battle, I'm counting on you, Charizard!"

Sure enough, Ash's final Pokémon was his old Charizard.

Pokémon: Charizard

Type: Fire, Flying

Ability: Blaze

Gender: Male

Level: Level 63

Aptitude: Champion (Aptitude damaged; originally Champion aptitude)

Moves: Flamethrower, Ember, Fire Spin, Blast Burn, Wing Attack, Seismic Toss, Dragon Breath, Heat Wave, Fire Fang...

"So it was Charizard after all? But what does this damaged aptitude mean?" Seeing the damaged aptitude on Charizard's panel, Gary recalled its experiences as a Charmander and made a guess. It must have suffered severe trauma back when it was still a Charmander, compounded by evolving too early.

Although Charizard's strength had been further enhanced in Charicific Valley, the damage to its aptitude had yet to recover.

(Sometimes, that guy named Daisuke truly deserved to die!)

"Since it's Charizard, then its opponent will be this one!"