"Ash's other Pokémon are also very strong. They should still be able to put up a good fight," Dawn said confidently.
She clearly disagreed with Gary's earlier comment. Dawn had traveled with Ash for a long time and had watched his Pokémon grow stronger battle by battle. To her, every one of Ash's partners had potential. She didn't believe they were incapable of competing with someone like Palmer.
Barry, however, immediately shook his head.
"That's impossible! My dad is unbeatable!" he declared loudly, folding his arms with pride. "Even if Ash managed to defeat me earlier, there's no way he can beat my father."
Barry's confidence in Palmer was absolute.
Dawn frowned at him. "Hey! You lost to Ash too, didn't you? So why are you so sure Ash can't beat Mr. Palmer?"
Barry smirked mischievously.
"If you're so confident, why don't we make a bet?" he said. "Let's say… one million Poké Dollars."
Dawn instantly froze.
"…!"
Her confident expression collapsed into awkward silence.
Unlike Barry, whose father was the Tower Tycoon of the Battle Tower, Dawn certainly didn't have the luxury of casually betting a million Poké Dollars.
And truthfully… she knew Gary's analysis earlier hadn't been completely wrong. Ash's chances against Palmer were probably quite low.
Gary and Brock watched the exchange with faint smiles.
To them, the argument felt more like children squabbling than a serious debate.
At that moment, the crowd's attention shifted back to the battlefield.
The time had come for the tournament champion's reward battle.
Johanna stepped forward with a microphone, her voice carrying clearly across the festival grounds.
"Ladies and gentlemen! The winner of today's Twinleaf Festival Battle Conference is… Ash from Pallet Town in the Kanto region!"
Applause erupted from the crowd.
Ash walked into the challenger's area of the battlefield, Pikachu perched proudly on his shoulder.
"Pika-Pika!"
The small Electric-type Pokémon raised its paw enthusiastically, acknowledging the cheers.
Johanna continued speaking.
"And now, before the battle begins, let us hear a few words from our special guest—Tower Tycoon Palmer!"
Palmer stepped forward confidently, his presence commanding attention.
He looked across the battlefield toward Ash and gave a broad, encouraging grin.
"Ash," he said firmly, "battle me with everything you've got."
Ash clenched his fist.
"I will! I'll show you my full strength!"
"That's the spirit!" Palmer laughed.
Without further delay, he reached for a Poké Ball.
"Go—Rhyperior!"
The Poké Ball burst open in a flash of light.
BOOM!
The moment the massive Pokémon landed on the battlefield, the ground shook under its immense weight.
A towering Rhyperior appeared, its heavy armor plates glinting in the sunlight.
"RHY—PERIOR!"
The powerful Pokémon roared, stomping its foot and sending small cracks through the ground.
[Rhyperior – Level 72 | Champion Rank]
Gary immediately recognized the problem.
At this level difference, Ash was already at a serious disadvantage.
Ash's strongest Pokémon at the moment was Pikachu, which was around Level 66. And Pikachu had already fought through multiple matches earlier in the tournament.
Even if Pikachu remained Ash's ace, the accumulated fatigue would make a prolonged battle difficult.
Still, Ash showed no hesitation.
He stared up at Rhyperior, visibly startled by its sheer size.
"Whoa… it's huge!"
"Pika…!" Pikachu squeaked nervously, staring up at the towering Pokémon.
Ash had encountered Rhyperior before, but Palmer's Rhyperior was noticeably larger and more imposing.
Barry jumped excitedly from the sidelines.
"There it is! My dad's Rhyperior!"
He pumped his fist proudly.
"To any Trainer who challenges the Battle Tower… that Rhyperior is like an iron wall!"
Palmer chuckled and nodded.
"That's right. Let's see how you handle it."
Ash fell silent for a moment, studying his opponent carefully.
Then he made his decision.
"If that's the case… I'm sending out this partner!"
He tossed his Poké Ball.
"Grotle! I choose you!"
The Poké Ball opened with a flash of light.
"Grooo—tle!"
A sturdy Grotle appeared on the battlefield, planting its feet firmly on the ground.
[Grotle – Level 40 | Elite Rank]
Gary sighed quietly when he saw this.
Ash had followed the same decision as before.
Grotle possessed impressive potential and natural resilience. However, its current level was far below Rhyperior's.
The only advantage Grotle had was its Grass typing, which dealt quadruple damage to Rhyperior's Rock/Ground typing.
But the difference in raw power remained enormous.
"Then the one-on-one match between Ash and Palmer will begin!" the referee announced.
"The challenger will make the first move!"
Ash wasted no time.
"Grotle—use Energy Ball!"
"Groootle!"
Green energy gathered in Grotle's mouth, forming a glowing sphere of Grass-type power.
With a powerful launch, the Energy Ball shot toward Rhyperior.
Surprisingly—
Rhyperior didn't even move.
The attack struck it directly.
BOOM!
A burst of green light exploded across its body.
Yet when the smoke cleared, Rhyperior remained standing calmly, barely reacting.
Gary frowned slightly.
Palmer was being careless.
Even though Grotle was weaker, Grass-type moves were extremely dangerous for Rhyperior.
Instead of attacking, Palmer gave a relaxed command.
"Rhyperior—Rock Polish."
"RHY!"
Rhyperior's body shimmered as it polished its rocky armor, sharply increasing its speed.
Ash immediately followed up.
"Grotle, use Razor Leaf!"
Dozens of glowing leaves shot forward.
But thanks to Rock Polish, Rhyperior moved much faster now.
It easily sidestepped the attack.
"Now—Sandstorm!" Palmer ordered.
Rhyperior slammed its fists into the ground.
A violent sandstorm erupted across the battlefield, swirling around Grotle and battering it with sharp fragments of rock and sand.
"Groo—!"
Grotle struggled against the storm as the constant damage wore it down.
"Finish this—Rock Wrecker!"
Rhyperior gathered enormous rock energy and launched a massive projectile attack.
BOOM!
The impact sent Grotle skidding across the ground.
Its stamina dropped dangerously low.
Ash gritted his teeth.
"Grotle, use Synthesis!"
Green energy surrounded Grotle as it absorbed sunlight and recovered some of its strength.
Then Ash immediately countered.
"Razor Leaf!"
The storm of leaves sliced through the sandstorm, disrupting the swirling winds.
Palmer nodded slightly, finally acknowledging Grotle's resilience.
"Not bad. You've held on longer than most challengers."
Then his tone shifted.
"But it's time to finish this."
"Rhyperior—Megahorn!"
Rhyperior charged forward, its massive horn glowing with white energy.
Ash reacted instantly.
"Grotle, Energy Ball!"
Grotle began charging another Energy Ball.
But the attack took time to form.
Before it could fire—
Rhyperior arrived.
The glowing horn smashed into the forming Energy Ball.
The force reversed the attack's direction, pushing the sphere backward.
To everyone's shock—
The Energy Ball was forced straight into Grotle's mouth.
"Gro—?!"
Grotle swallowed the attack unintentionally.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then something extraordinary occurred.
The small trees on Grotle's back began glowing with vibrant green energy.
The energy pulsed like a living heartbeat, spreading across Grotle's entire body.
Gary's eyes widened slightly.
"…Oh?"
He had almost forgotten about this scene.
The energy from the Energy Ball had been absorbed into Grotle's body, creating a unique resonance with its Grass-type power.
Johanna looked astonished.
"Incredible! Could it be that Grotle absorbed the Energy Ball when it exploded in its mouth?"
Dawn leaned forward eagerly.
"So you can actually eat Energy Balls?"
Barry scratched his head in confusion.
"That's… weird."
Gary sighed quietly.
"This isn't something Pokémon can normally do."
It was a rare accident.
And more importantly—it was extremely dangerous.
If the energy had destabilized inside Grotle's body, the consequences could have been severe.
Palmer's eyes lit up with genuine interest.
"I've been a Frontier Brain for many years… but your determination is impressive."
Then he raised his hand again.
"But battles can't end with miracles alone."
"Rhyperior—Rock Wrecker!"
"RHY—PERIOR!"
Rock energy gathered between Rhyperior's arms as it prepared to unleash another devastating attack.