WebNovels

Chapter 382 - Chapter 382: (Part 2) Evolution of Chimchar and the Appearance of Sceptile

"Yah?"

Seeing Cyndaquil evolve, aside from Ash and the others, the one most surprised was the little Chimchar. Having never seen a Pokémon evolve before, a spark of longing flashed in its eyes.

"Wa-cha~!"

After evolving, Quilava bravely met Chimchar's gaze. Flames erupted from its head and back, becoming even fiercer and hotter.

"Great job, Quilava, use Flamethrower!"

Ash shouted excitedly. However, Quilava didn't use Flamethrower right away. Instead, it adjusted its energy and unleashed a new move it had just mastered—a powerful column of fire aimed at Chimchar.

Flame Wheel!

As a move that grows stronger the more energy it has, the Flame Wheel from Quilava which had less energy than before, was now even more powerful than the previous Flame Wheel.

Eager to test its opponent's new strength, Chimchar immediately countered with Flamethrower.

When the two moves collided, Quilava started to falter, its fire column getting suppressed.

Ash quickly realized the limitations of Flamethrower and yelled, "Don't use Flamethrower, switch to Flame Wheel!"

Following Ash's command, Quilava quickly regained its footing and fiercely clashed with Chimchar's flame once more.

After a few seconds of continued fire exchange, Quilava's body suddenly gleamed with a red fiery glow. The flames on its back and head grew even fiercer.

Blaze, activate!

In an instant, Quilava's power overwhelmed Chimchar, and its Flame Wheel pushed forward, overwhelming its opponent.

"Dig!"

Knowing it couldn't hold off the attack, Chimchar quickly abandoned its defense, bent down, and burrowed into the ground.

Ash's mind raced. "Use Flamethrower at the hole!"

"Wa-cha~"

Hearing this, Quilava darted toward the hole and fired a stream of flame directly into it.

Before the flame could hit, however, the ground suddenly cracked open as Chimchar popped out and punched Quilava in the stomach, sending it flying.

Super Effective!

"Flamethrower!"

Seeing its opportunity, Chimchar followed up by unleashing a continuous stream of fire, enveloping the severely injured Quilava.

"Aaaahh~"

Quilava let out a pained scream, unable to withstand the barrage of attacks.

"Quilava!"

Ash couldn't help but shout.

But this time, Quilava couldn't respond. After crashing to the ground, Quilava as expected, lost the ability to continue the battle.

Four consecutive losses—meaning Chimchar had achieved four consecutive wins!

"Good job, keep it up."

Paul evaluated calmly.

"Yah!"

Chimchar leapt up in celebration, cheering loudly.

At this moment, Chimchar didn't know if Ash's mindset had changed, but it certainly felt a shift in its own attitude and mood.

Excited and filled with energy, it glowed with a white light, exactly like the one that enveloped Cyndaquil earlier.

Evolution!

"It's happening."

Paul instinctively clenched his fist.

"Yah! Yah... Wah-cha!"

As the light faded, Chimchar's once frail body grew stronger and more muscular. A red and blue facial pattern, resembling a mask, appeared on its face. A ring of white fur surrounded its neck, and a swirl pattern appeared on its abdomen.

But most notably, its previously short tail had elongated and now burned with fierce flames.

Monferno quickly struck the air in front of it with both hands. A powerful gust of air rushed toward Ash, blowing his hair back and bringing him back to focus.

"Has it mastered Mach Punch? It looks stronger than the typical Mach Punch used by other Pokémon!"

Brock instantly recognized the move.

"Does this mean Ash will have a harder time battling this Monferno?" Dawn asked, looking worriedly at Ash.

If Paul had defeated Ash using his other Pokémon, that would have been one thing. But if Ash were defeated by Monferno in a six-streak, she feared it might affect his confidence.

"Yeah, let's just hope Pikachu or the Pokémon Ash sends out next will be strong enough." Brock added, concerned for his friend.

"Pikachu, I leave it to you."

Taking a deep breath, Ash looked down at Pikachu.

"Pikachu!"

Pikachu proudly stood up, pounding its chest confidently before running toward Monferno, ready for the battle.

"I wonder if Pikachu's level has been refreshed." Paul thought to himself as he observed Pikachu.

If Pikachu hadn't leveled up and was still at the same level it had when battling Regice, Monferno might only have a slim chance of winning if it fully unleashed all its power.

However, If it had, Pikachu might not be a match for Monferno at this point.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

"Pika~chuu!"

Right when it entered the battlefield, Pikachu launched its most powerful move—Thunderbolt—sending a blast of lightning toward Monferno.

"Flamethrower!"

Paul had no intention of having Monferno avoid the attack and decided to see how strong Pikachu really was.

"Wah-cha!"

Monferno, undaunted, opened its mouth and unleashed Flamethrower to collide with Pikachu's Thunderbolt.

The two forces met, causing an explosion in the center of the battlefield, with neither move seeming to overpower the other.

Work Up!

As the smoke clouded the center, Monferno immediately began powering up with Work Up, strengthening itself.

"Quick Attack!"

Just as the smoke obscured the area, a flash of white shot out, with Pikachu dashing forward like a blur of light, crashing into Monferno before it had time to react.

Despite its preparation, Monferno, having just finished powering up, was unable to dodge in time and had to cross its arms to shield itself from the oncoming attack.

"Iron Tail!"

Having landed a successful hit, Pikachu jumped into the air, spinning, and used its metallic tail like a sword, aiming for Monferno.

"Fire Punch!"

Stepping back to steady itself, Monferno swung a Fire Punch to meet Pikachu's Iron Tail.

Monkey vs. Mouse, both wounded!

Pikachu, who had previously looked confident, now struggled to keep its balance, trying its best to match Monferno's strength.

"Wah-cha~"

But the next moment, Monferno smirked, its other hand glowing with white light as it unleashed a powerful Mach Punch, sending Pikachu flying with a direct hit to the stomach.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

"Pika~!"

Struggling in the air, Pikachu heard Ash's call and forced its eyes open, adjusting its position before aiming another Thunderbolt at Monferno who had just used Flamethrower.

Another fierce collision, but Pikachu was still at a disadvantage.

Seeing that Pikachu was about to be hit by Monferno's Flamethrower, Ash quickly shouted:

"Pikachu, use Volt Tackle!"

"Pika!"

As if Ash's words ignited its power, Pikachu leapt into the air and with a burst of speed, charged at Monferno, heading straight for the flames.

The entire battlefield lit up with electricity as Pikachu, in a flash of lightning, broke through Monferno's fire and charged directly at it.

Seeing this, Monferno was momentarily stunned, desperately increasing the intensity of its flames.

However, no matter how hard it tried, Pikachu continued charging forward, unstoppable.

Just as Pikachu was about to finish the attack with Volt Tackle, Paul's voice rang out:

"Dig!"

"Wa-cha!"

Upon hearing this, Monferno decisively ceased its previous aggressive actions, bending down and digging a hole, vanishing into the ground.

"Iron Tail!"

Seeing that the target area now only consisted of a dark gaping hole, Pikachu had no choice but to change tactics. It spun around and slammed its electric tail into the ground like a sword.

Instantly, the earth cracked open, shaking violently.

But Monferno was faster!

Before Iron Tail could hit the ground, Monferno transformed into a fiery wheel and charged at Pikachu, crashing into it with a powerful collision.

"Pika~"

Pikachu, unable to land its attack, was thrown back with a pained cry, but in the same moment, a massive explosion of fire blasted from Monferno's mouth.

"BOOM!"

Another explosion rang out as Pikachu was sent flying back toward Ash, scorched and unable to continue battling.

"Pikachu!"

Ash rushed over, quickly lifting Pikachu into his arms.

"Pika…"

Pikachu weakly opened its eyes, trembling as it responded in a soft, exhausted voice.

"It's alright, take a good rest now…"

While comforting Pikachu, Ash headed off the battlefield, passing Pikachu to Brock and saying, "Brock, please take care of Pikachu for now."

"Got it."

Brock took Pikachu from Ash.

Returning to the battlefield, Ash looked at Monferno, who was bouncing around happily, and at the calm Paul. Ash clenched his teeth and with a twist of his hat, threw his final Poké Ball onto the field.

"Here's the last one, Sceptile!"

"Sceeh~"

In a flash of white light, Sceptile appeared on the battlefield, holding a branch in its mouth and crossing its arms. It looked relaxed, but as soon as it scanned the surroundings, its gaze hardened upon seeing the eager Monferno and Pikachu in Brock's arms.

"Sceptile, it's up to you."

"Sceeh~"

Though proud, Sceptile couldn't ignore the fact that Pikachu had been badly beaten, indicating that Monferno was no ordinary opponent.

"Sceptile, use Agility, Leaf Blade!"

"Sceeh~"

With a swift cry, Sceptile exploded into motion, its arm blades flashing with green light as it lunged toward Monferno.

"Flame Wheel!"

Monferno, bolstered by previous victories, charged forward in a rolling flame, colliding with Sceptile's Leaf Blade head-on.

In an instant, the two collided with immense force. Sceptile's twin Leaf Blades cut through the flames, pushing Monferno back and sending it flying.

"Seed Bomb!"

Seizing the moment, Sceptile chased after the retreating Monferno, opening its mouth to fire a barrage of seed-like projectiles that shot out like bullets.

As Monferno landed, it performed a series of backflips to steady itself, then shot a Fire Blast to block the incoming seed projectiles. It quickly followed up with a Fire Punch aimed directly at the oncoming Sceptile.

"BOOM!"

Sceptile's sharp Leaf Blades cleaved through the Fire Punch, landing directly on Monferno's chest and sending it flying once again.

"Quick Attack!"

Taking advantage of the opening, Sceptile rushed forward with lightning speed, striking Monferno and sending it tumbling back.

"Seed Bomb!"

Before Monferno could recover, another Seed Bomb shot forth, landing squarely and knocking Monferno to the ground.

"Wa-cha~"

Lying on the ground, Monferno slowly struggled to rise, its heart burning with frustration, wanting to unleash its anger and defeat Sceptile.

"That's enough, come back and rest."

Seeing Monferno's intentions, Paul decisively returned it to its Poké Ball.

If it was just the anger boost, it wouldn't have been too problematic, but Paul was wary of Monferno going berserk and tapping into its fiery reserves once again. Overextending its power would only end badly.

"Nice job, Sceptile!"

Ash breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Monferno recalled. At least he hadn't been wiped out by a full sweep.

"Sceeh~"

Sceptile proudly raised its head.

Pikachu couldn't beat the monkey, but the monkey couldn't beat Sceptile, which meant Sceptile was far superior to Pikachu!

"Sceptile, good work."

As one of Ash's most dependable Pokémon, Sceptile truly lived up to its reputation.

After a quick evaluation, Paul didn't give Ash time to savor his victory. He threw another Poké Ball into the arena.

"Ursaluna, prepare for battle!"

"Ursah~"

A terrifying roar erupted as the massive form of Ursaluna appeared on the battlefield. The intense aura emanating from it immediately caused Sceptile to stiffen, and its confident demeanor faded.

This bear's power was even stronger than that of the legendary guardian of the Sinnoh region!

Ursaluna slowly stood, its friendly, and lumbering appearance vanished as it adopted an intimidating "tyrant" glare.

"What kind of Pokémon is this? Its power is overwhelming! It feels stronger than both Ninetales and Froslass!" Dawn gasped in shock.

"Ash is in trouble."

Brock observed with concern.

"Could it be…"

"Paul", who had remained calm until now, suddenly tensed. Having previously caught Ursaring, he had a strong hunch that this was Ursaring's evolved form!

"Sceptile, use Solar Beam!"

Realizing the formidable power of his opponent, Ash decided to engage from a distance and began issuing orders.

"Sceeh~"

Sceptile's back lit up with yellow bubbles absorbing sunlight, before a powerful Solar Beam launched towards Ursaluna.

Ursaluna stood calmly, then raised one paw and gently swatted at the Solar Beam.

In an effortless gesture, it dissipated the powerful Solar Beam, leaving Ash and Sceptile stunned.

"What… What kind of power is that?!"

Ash barely contained his shock before issuing another command.

"Leaf Storm!"

"Sceeh~"

Sceptile swung its arms, causing leaves to swirl around it. A powerful storm of leaves whirled forward, ready to strike.

"Rock Slide!"

Suddenly, huge boulders began to fall from the sky, crashing down like a torrential rainstorm. The windstorm blew away some of the rocks, but couldn't destroy all of them.

More boulders came crashing down toward Sceptile from above.

"Dodge!"

Though the rocks were large and dense, Sceptile's agility allowed it to effortlessly leap and dodge, avoiding the majority of the falling boulders.

"Ursah~"

Then, a terrifying roar shook the ground, causing Sceptile to freeze for a moment. It turned to see countless boulders shattering as Ursaluna charged forward like a fiery sun.

Sceptile, realizing it had no escape route, braced itself as Ursaluna closed in.

"Sceeh!"

With a determined look in its eyes, Sceptile raised both arms and unleashed a powerful Leaf Blade toward Ursaluna.

"BOOM!"

With a massive explosion, Ursaluna grabbed Sceptile's body mid-air, slamming it into the ground with tremendous force.

The impact shook the entire arena, and Sceptile was buried in the ground, defeated.

After Ursaluna stopped, Sceptile was left embedded in the ground, and unable to continue battling.

(End of Chapter)

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