"It's… unbelievable. I didn't expect things to turn out like this."
The crowd erupted in confusion, unsure what had just happened — but Ash's sharp gaze had already pieced it together.
After Infernape unleashed its full-power Flare Blitz, Kyle had reinforced the move with his psychic abilities, amplifying the flames' temperature to an extreme level. The intense heat instantly evaporated the sand that had covered Infernape's eyes, clearing his vision at the last possible moment.
Because of that, Infernape managed to see and dodge Pidgeot's Air Cannons, something not even Ash had anticipated.
"Pidgeot!" Ash called out as his Pokémon recovered from the impact. The majestic bird steadied itself midair, wings beating strongly, but even a Champion-level Pokémon couldn't emerge unscathed from such a strike.
Ash smirked faintly. "That's what makes battle fun — the unpredictability. I love it."
His excitement flared. The thrill of an unexpected counter had rekindled his fighting spirit.
Ash ran a hand through his hair, covering his left eye as a faint red glow flickered in his right — the mark of his awakened Aura Vision, his personal equivalent of a sixth sense in battle. His presence shifted entirely — calm, intense, and terrifyingly focused.
Observation Room
Samuel Oak: "This isn't good… Kyle's managed to ignite Ash's fighting spirit. I hope he doesn't take it too far."
Masaki Oak: "Don't worry. Kyle's a strong Trainer, but Ash won't go overboard."
Skye Draconis: "Hmm… hard to say. Ash takes a while to get serious, but once he does, even I'd rather not face him head-on."
Masao Yoto: "I heard Cynthia mention something like this — something about his Aura flaring to full strength when he's truly excited. It's remarkable."
Back on the field, Kyle tightened his grip on the railing. "What… what's with this pressure?"
The air around Ash shimmered faintly. Behind him, an enormous crimson silhouette seemed to take form — a phantom shaped like a fiery warrior, its predatory gaze locking onto Kyle.
"Crush him," Ash said quietly. His tone was cold, steady, and absolute.
Pidgeot responded instantly. The air warped around its wings as it conjured a massive sphere of compressed wind — a Gale Burst, Ash's own custom-made A-rank technique that could tear through even solid rock.
"Pidgeot!"
The blue-white wind sphere roared across the battlefield, slamming toward the battered Infernape.
Kyle's face twisted. "Damn it! Not now… Infernape's Blaze ability didn't activate!"
He had taken a risk earlier, overexerting Infernape with a full-power Flare Blitz. Usually, the strain would trigger Blaze — the fiery state that amplifies a Fire-type's power when near collapse — but luck wasn't on his side this time.
Ash seemed to read his thoughts. "Wondering why Blaze didn't activate?" he asked coolly. "Feel the air around you, Kyle."
"What…?"
Kyle focused, his mind brushing against the lingering heat in the arena — only to sense something strange. The entire battlefield's fire energy had been drawn toward Ash, circling faintly around him like an unseen current.
His eyes widened. "You… you absorbed it?"
Ash's eyes gleamed with red light. "That's right. From the moment our battle began, everything has been within my calculations. Your Pokémon are powerful — but relying only on Fire-types was your mistake."
Kyle's expression darkened, realization sinking in as Pidgeot's next attack gathered strength.
Boom!
"Kyaaa!"
The sound of impact echoed across the stadium. In the blink of an eye, Infernape was struck squarely by Pidgeot's high-pressure wind sphere, blasted backward with incredible force. It crashed into the wall of the arena, cracking the surface and leaving a deep crater where it was lodged — like a meteor embedded in stone.
Referee: "Infernape is unable to battle! Trainer Kyle Verenza, please send out your next Pokémon!"
Ash exhaled slowly, his eyes narrowing as the dust settled.
From the very first round, he had been fully prepared. Although Kyle's strength wasn't on the same level as his own, Ash wanted to make this fight interesting — to test something new, something strategic.
He had recalled a principle he developed long ago: the concept of data flow — using observation and prediction to calculate not just moves, but the energy patterns that governed the battlefield itself.
In their earlier match, Ash had used Arcanine, while Kyle had sent out Torkoal. Pokémon that rely on elemental energy — Fire-types especially — are capable of not only storing elemental particles within their bodies but also drawing on the surrounding elemental energy during battle to amplify their techniques.
That, Ash realized, was one of the defining traits separating Champions from the Elite Four.
Of course, Kyle's psychic reinforcement—an ability unique to him—was another factor entirely. Without his telekinetic support, his Fire-type Pokémon wouldn't be able to pull additional energy from the air in the first place.
And that was exactly the weakness Ash had exploited.
When Ash noticed Kyle channeling extra Fire energy into the field, he ordered Arcanine to quietly store that excess energy within the battlefield's environment. Over the course of their exchanges, Ash's Aura—his spiritual perception—absorbed and redistributed the ambient Fire energy around them, balancing it in a way only he could perceive.
The elemental energy of the battlefield was vast, almost infinite in theory. But the reckless absorption of a single element in one localized area caused depletion — a temporary elemental drought. Once an element was drained from the air, it could take hours for nature to restore equilibrium.
In a live match, however, there's no such luxury.
Kyle never noticed. Ash's manipulation was subtle — gradual, invisible. And Kyle, focused intensely on the flow of combat, never realized that the Fire energy density around his Infernape had been steadily declining.
Normally, the Blaze ability activates when a Fire-type Pokémon is on the verge of exhaustion, boosting the power of its Fire-type moves drastically.
But Blaze required something specific — Fire energy in the surrounding field.
When that energy vanished, even Infernape's body, pushed to its physical limit, couldn't ignite its Blaze state.
Ash's eyes glinted. His expression was calm, but his words carried a quiet edge.
"The reason your Infernape's Blaze didn't activate… is because the Fire around you no longer belongs to it."
Kyle froze. His psychic senses expanded instinctively — and then he felt it. The Fire element that should've saturated the field was gone. Instead, it was swirling faintly around Ash, like unseen embers drawn to a hidden flame.
"You absorbed it…?" he muttered in disbelief.
Ash tilted his head slightly, voice steady.
"From the very beginning, everything was within calculation. You relied too much on your Fire-types, Kyle."
"You gave me control of your own battlefield."
...
TN:
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