The Battle Before Parting — Part Two

"Blastoise, let's wipe away our past humiliation!"

Facing Ash's Charizard, Gary once again sent out the Blastoise that had previously lost to Charizard.

"Gary, I beat your Blastoise last time, and I can do it again." Seeing Gary's Blastoise, Ash immediately regained his confidence. After all, he had beaten Blastoise at the Silver Conference.

"Things are different now. I won't lose again this time." Gary's words brimmed with confidence.

"The battle begins!" Once both sides had sent out their Pokémon, Tracey officially announced the start of the battle.

"Let's go, Blastoise! Use Hydro Pump!"

The moment Tracey finished speaking, Gary took the initiative and launched the first attack.

The cannons on Blastoise's shell swiftly aimed at Charizard, then a blue torrent surged toward the opposing Charizard.

"Fly up, Charizard!"

Charizard spread its wings and took to the air, evading Blastoise's Hydro Pump.

"Next, Flamethrower."

Hovering in midair, Charizard opened its mouth. Raging flames poured forth, forming a blazing pillar of fire that swept down upon Blastoise below.

"Withdraw, then use Rapid Spin!"

Upon receiving Gary's command, Blastoise immediately pulled its limbs and head into its shell. Since Fire-type attacks did not deal much damage to the Water-type Blastoise, it easily endured Charizard's Flamethrower without suffering much harm.

Then, Blastoise, still tucked inside its shell, immediately used Rapid Spin. It endured Charizard's Flamethrower as it tore through the flames and charged toward Charizard.

"Not good! Dodge it!"

At Ash's shout, Charizard stopped using Flamethrower and hurriedly beat its wings, preparing to move away.

Unfortunately, it was already too late. Blastoise was now only inches away from Charizard.

Moments later, Blastoise, spinning at high speed, slammed into Charizard's abdomen and smashed it from the sky to the ground.

"Next, Body Slam!"

After knocking Charizard down, Gary continued his combo.

At Gary's command, Blastoise immediately targeted Charizard on the ground and used Body Slam, crashing down with its shell.

"Not good! Get out of the way!"

At the critical moment, the fallen Charizard rolled over and narrowly dodged the Body Slam. Had it been hit, it would have taken considerable damage.

Just as Ash let out a sigh of relief, Gary's next command followed close behind.

"You're celebrating too soon. My attack isn't over yet." Gary waved his hand and issued his next order.

"Blastoise, keep using Rapid Spin, and add Hydro Pump!"

Did that move seem familiar? That's right—it was the Counter Shield combination Ash developed in the original story while challenging the Battle Frontier, except Gary had brought it out ahead of time.

Following Gary's order, Blastoise began spinning again, but this time it used Hydro Pump at the same time.

Just as Charizard had regained its footing, a Hydro Pump struck it directly. The powerful torrent blasted Charizard away and inflicted heavy damage.

"That move is..." Ash found the Counter Shield incredibly familiar, yet no matter how hard he thought, he could not remember where he had seen it.

Noticing Ash's thoughtful expression, Gary smiled faintly. He could never have imagined that this was a combination move Ash himself would invent in the future.

Using a combination move Ash would invent in the future against him was truly amusing. Even Aha would call it an expert move.

"Next, Hydro Pump!"

After driving Charizard back, Blastoise immediately returned to normal. Under Gary's command, it aimed its cannons at Charizard and used Hydro Pump once more.

"Watch out, Charizard! Use Fire Spin!"

As the Hydro Pump was about to arrive, Charizard hastily retaliated with Fire Spin.

But how could a rushed attack compare with Blastoise's charged attack? On top of the type advantage, Hydro Pump directly overwhelmed Charizard's Fire Spin and struck Charizard.

After Blastoise's successive attacks, Charizard could no longer hold on. Following this Hydro Pump, it finally fainted.

"Charizard!" Seeing Charizard collapse, Ash anxiously ran forward to check on it.

Only after confirming that Charizard was unharmed did he finally relax.

"Charizard has lost its Combat Ability. Blastoise wins, so Gary is the victor of this battle!" Tracey, acting as referee, announced the final result.

"You did well, Blastoise. Come back and rest." Gary smiled at the excited Blastoise, which had finally redeemed itself, and recalled it.

After recalling Blastoise, Gary turned his gaze toward Ash, who had just recalled Charizard as well.

"Ash, you really haven't improved at all!" Gary shook his head helplessly as he looked at the defeated Ash.

Compared to their battle at the Silver Conference, Ash truly had not improved at all. It seemed he had let himself slack off during this period.

"What? You were just lucky," Ash argued over this loss. "I'll be the one who wins next time."

"You really haven't changed at all." Gary felt rather helpless as he looked at Ash's stubborn, unyielding expression.

After sighing helplessly for a moment, Gary composed himself. He looked deeply at Ash and said, "Ash, what is your dream?"

"Of course, it's to become a Pokémon Master!" Ash answered without even thinking.

"My dream is also to become the strongest Pokémon Trainer." After looking at Ash, Gary continued, "After experiencing my previous defeat, I thought about many things."

"If you want to become the strongest Pokémon Trainer, it's useless to merely say it. You have to earn it through the efforts of yourself and your Pokémon."

"So during this time, not only me, but my Pokémon—my partners—have also been training hard, all so that we can keep moving toward our shared dream."

"And if you, Ash, keep standing still, I won't wait for you."

Gary spoke earnestly to Ash.

Even though he had awakened the memories of his previous life, he still shared an unbreakable friendship with Ash, his childhood friend and rival. That was why Gary had encouraged Ash so strongly this time.

After hearing Gary's words, Ash lowered his head and thought for a while. Then he looked up at Gary, his expression solemn and serious. "I understand, Gary. I absolutely won't lose the battles ahead!"

"I'll be waiting." A smile appeared on Gary's face at those words.

Likewise, Professor Oak, who had been quietly observing from the side, wore a gratified expression.