"Woooarr!!"
Kyle's Torkoal roared and lunged forward, its heavy body crashing down on Ash's Arcanine. Standing on its hind legs, it swung its forelegs downward like a mountain about to collapse — sheer force and mass bearing down like Mount Coronet itself.
"Boom!"
"Boom!!"
But just before Torkoal could slam down, Arcanine vanished in a blur — its paws kicked up fragments of stone as it blurred out of sight. The ground beneath Torkoal shattered again and again from the aftershock of Arcanine's speed.
"So fast…!" Kyle's pupils contracted sharply as his gaze followed the fiery blur.
"That speed — it's almost like his Pikachu's! Don't tell me… that's a move he developed himself?"
Flames suddenly flared from the gloves around Kyle's hands, glowing an intense crimson. A burning sigil shimmered across his forehead as the heat around him surged.
The flames spread — not toward Ash, but toward Torkoal. The vents on Torkoal's shell erupted in bright vermilion fire, and the entire stadium's temperature spiked as the air began to shimmer like molten glass.
Commentator: "Viewers, it looks like Trainer Kyle Verenza is now using his Fire-type psychic power to support Torkoal! This is perfectly within the League's rules — and a common technique among advanced trainers."
The crowd murmured in awe. While it wasn't unheard of for psychics to amplify their Pokémon's elemental control, few had ever seen it done live on such a scale.
"Oh, so that's his plan," Ash muttered, narrowing his eyes as the flames danced across Kyle's hands.
"Instead of relying on Torkoal's own Fire-type power, he's boosting it with psychic channeling. Clever."
Ash's eyes glimmered faintly as he activated his own aura perception — tracing the heat currents and elemental flow surrounding the battlefield. He could clearly see how the fire energy swirled toward Torkoal but didn't merge with it directly.
Instead, it hovered close to the shell, like molten air waiting to ignite. The moment Torkoal uses a Fire-type move, all that energy will surge in at once to amplify it, Ash realized.
Narrator: "As Kyle Verenza channels his Fire-type psychic energy, Ash Ketchum activates his own aura power! According to information from Professor Oak, Ash's aura abilities are a rare form of ocular perception — details of which remain largely a mystery."
Kyle smirked. "Heh. So you've got special eyes too, huh? Figures. With your Draconis bloodline and raw talent, there's no way you wouldn't have awakened psychic abilities."
"Now, Torkoal — use Eruption!"
At Kyle's command, the fire swirling around Torkoal condensed and exploded outward. The vents on its back erupted like volcanoes, sending waves of molten heat crashing through the battlefield. The shockwave cracked the ground beneath it.
Within seconds, the entire arena was transformed — deep fissures split across the floor, and chunks of rock jutted out like volcanic terrain.
"Excellent!" Kyle grinned. "Now let's see how fast your Arcanine really is when the field itself turns against it!"
"Now, Torkoal! Flame Vortex! Target the rocks!"
Torkoal unleashed a spiraling inferno that consumed the jagged rocks around the arena. This time, the flames glowed brighter and burned hotter — easily reaching B+ power levels. The scorched battlefield looked like a sea of molten red, the air shimmering from the heat.
"So that's your plan," Ash thought, watching the battlefield shift. "You're using the terrain and temperature to cut down Arcanine's speed. Smart move… but that's not enough."
Although Arcanine was a Fire-type, its resistance wasn't limitless. Unlike Pokémon that lived deep within magma, Arcanine's secondary Normal typing meant it couldn't simply shrug off extreme heat.
Narrator: "Kyle Verenza's relentless offense has completely reshaped the battlefield! The current situation looks unfavorable for Ash Ketchum — can he turn this around?"
In the Observation Room
Kazuya Verenza: "Not bad. He's showing growth. Looks like learning under Cynthia was the right call. I appreciate your help this time, Masaki."
Masao Yoto: "It's fine. My grandson needed the training anyway. Cynthia was bound to put him through his paces — and adding Ash into the mix didn't hurt."
Skye Draconis: "Ash is in trouble this round. Even a Champion-tier Arcanine can't endure this kind of heat for long. Torkoal's resistance is far superior."
The elders of the great families watched in silence — not just evaluating the battle, but measuring the potential of both heirs.
Sometimes, level isn't everything. For example, Blaine's Magmar can survive in molten magma — something even other Pokémon of Champion-tier might not endure.
In the audience seats, a girl watched the match between Ash Ketchum and Kyle Verenza, her eyes fixed unwaveringly on Ash.
"So that's him," she murmured softly.
"The one Father mentioned... His strength really is that remarkable."
In the spectator seats, Kazuko Giovanni watched the match between Ash and Garan, her gaze fixed completely on Ash.
She was the daughter of Giovanni, the powerful Viridian Gym Leader — a man who held both influence and mystery in equal measure.
Despite her father's fearsome reputation, Kazuko had been raised mostly by her mother. Because of that, her personality was far gentler and more thoughtful than Giovanni's. Yet, deep within, she carried a spark of his defiance — a refusal to bow to anyone.
Her decision to enter the Indigo League had been a secret one. Giovanni would never have approved of her joining such a public competition, especially given the danger and attention it might draw. But Kazuko had always wanted to see the world for herself — not as the daughter of a rich and feared man, but as her own person.
When Giovanni discovered her secret entry, he had been furious. But with his attention focused on another pressing matter — the search for the escaped Mewtwo — he had no choice but to let it go for now.
For the moment, Kazuko's rebellion would go unpunished.
Down in the arena, the battle raged on. Ash's determination burned with every command he gave, every movement of his Pokémon.
And from the stands, Kazuko couldn't look away.
...
TN:
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