Primeape's body was blindingly fast.
Back when it trained with the martial artist Anthony, it had undergone rigorous physical and speed training.
Ursaring's Hammer Arm came crashing down, but Primeape dodged it effortlessly.
Then, Primeape's Karate Chop struck hard—right on Ursaring's chest.
Once it landed a hit, the rest was inevitable.
A flurry of unrelenting Karate Chops rained down on Ursaring's body.
"Ursaring, fight back! Come on, fight back!" Himee panicked.
How could this be? Her strongest Pokémon, Ursaring, couldn't land a single hit against Primeape?
"Ash, end it—Seismic Toss."
As Ash's voice dropped, Primeape hoisted the exhausted Ursaring high into the air, leaped up, spun midair, and came crashing down with a brutal impact.
Boom!
The rocks beneath cracked open. Ursaring lost its ability to battle.
"Ursaring is unable to battle! Primeape wins!"
Ash heard the familiar system chime in his mind.
He didn't bother activating the experience-sharing function this time.
Since he had already activated a Tenfold EXP Multiplier Card, it was more than enough.
Leveling too fast would only make mastering power harder down the line.
Himee, disheartened, stared at the field. With Ursaring down, she was left with her last Pokémon.
"Go, Venomoth!"
Ash smiled. "Your turn, Donphan!"
Venomoth vs. Donphan.
"Venomoth, use Gust!"
"Veno!" Venomoth flapped its wings frantically, summoning a strong wind.
Donphan didn't budge an inch.
The gust simply wasn't powerful enough to do real damage.
"Donphan, Rollout!"
Donphan curled into a ball, using its huge ears to stabilize its spin.
It leapt using a stone as a springboard and slammed straight into Venomoth midair.
It was a super-effective hit. Venomoth wobbled in the air.
"Don't give up, Venomoth! I don't wanna lose! Use Psybeam!"
"Donphan, end this—Hyper Beam!"
Boom!
The two moves collided. A shockwave erupted on the battlefield.
Venomoth floated down slowly, like a falling leaf.
"Venomoth is unable to battle. Donphan wins! Ash is the winner!"
Despite Ash's seemingly easy victory, Himee wasn't weak by any means.
That Ursaring of hers was already Level 50, stronger than most trainers' lead Pokémon.
Had she not run into Ash in the first round, she might've easily made the Top 64.
Delia, watching from the stands, was thrilled.
Even though this wasn't her first time watching Ash battle, she couldn't help but smile with pride seeing him win.
Misty, May, Anabel, and Dawn all cheered too, but their focus was already shifting: Can Ash win the whole thing?
They all believed he had what it took, but until the trophy was in his hands, nothing was certain.
In the stands…
"This kid's grown fast. Back in Hoenn, he helped me shut down both Team Magma and Team Aqua," said Lance, Carmine-haired Champion of Kanto, draped in his signature crimson and black cloak.
He had met Ash a few times and held great respect for him—especially since Ash was from Kanto.
This time, Lance had come to support Ash as the official representative of the Kanto Pokémon League.
"True. Back in the Hoenn Grand Festival, he wasn't anywhere near this strong," added Wallace, who supported Steven and had every reason to root for Ash.
"Hah, so this is the kid named Ash?" said Alder from Unova. "His match was good, sure, but I didn't see anything particularly special. Let's see what else he's got."
He then glanced sideways. "Also, all of you… You do realize this Mega Evolution research—such an important development and potential revenue stream—has never before been handed over to a private party…"
"Mr. Alder, let's just watch the match," interrupted Cynthia coolly.
Alder's face froze awkwardly. He chuckled and didn't say another word.
The reason he brought that up? Because Unova had received the smallest cut in the Mega Evolution partnership.
Of the total distribution rights, Devon Corp and Ash had already taken half for themselves.
If Unova could somehow work things out with Ash, they could increase their share…
On the other hand, Diantha from Kalos remained silent.
After all, the Mega Evolution concept had been co-developed by Devon Corp and the Kalos region.
Kalos had already been researching it for years. Devon simply offered the breakthrough theory, methods, and protocols—earning them the larger share.
Ash left the battlefield. The following matches proceeded one after another.
By the end of the afternoon, Ash had defeated four more trainers using Pokémon like Bayleef, Feraligatr, Cyndaquil, Tauros, and Heracross.
Cyndaquil even evolved into Quilava during the battle!
Later, Ash personally watched Darkrai-user Tobias in action.
As expected—same as in the original timeline—Tobias led with just one Pokémon: Darkrai.
No one had forced him to send out a second.
That Darkrai was already at Champion-level—Level 72.
No wonder Ash had such a hard time against it back then.
It wasn't even fully matured yet. At full power, it would probably be over Level 80.
Just you wait, Tobias. Soon you'll learn why the setting sun glows so red.
The announcer's voice boomed:
"Next up—Paul from Veilstone City versus Barry from Twinleaf Town!"
Paul vs. Barry!
Paul had undergone a real transformation ever since his battles with Ash and Brandon.
At the very least, he could now hold a proper conversation without lashing out at others.
Barry, meanwhile, was the son of Palmer, the Battle Tower's strongest trainer in Sinnoh.
He had solid potential, but…
Paul's talent—and his early, harsh training methods—still gave him the upper hand.
Barry put up a good fight, but ultimately, Paul came out on top.
Especially the final showdown: Empoleon vs. Electivire.
Even after Empoleon lost its ability to fight, it refused to fall, standing tall until the very end.
"What a breathtaking match after another! The passion, the energy—it's electric! Up next—Ash versus Conway!"
--------------
T/N:
Access Advance Chapters on my
P@treon: p@treon.com/PokePals