The reason was actually very simple.
The purpose of Ashtwo's existence was to surpass Ash, the original body. On top of that, he had spent the past six months undergoing Giovanni's hellish training, and his progress had been astonishingly fast.
After being praised by Giovanni again and again, Ashtwo had inevitably become somewhat overconfident.
Combined with the fact that his hostility toward Ash—the original body—had been steadily growing, Ashtwo now felt that, on the eve of their separation, he finally had enough confidence and qualifications to truly test himself against Ash.
"You want to have a Pokémon battle with your senior brother Ash?"
Hearing Ashtwo's request, Giovanni fell into thought. After pondering for a moment, a meaningful look flashed through his eyes.
Ashtwo's progress over the past six months had been extraordinarily fast.
Giovanni himself was actually curious about how large the gap between the two of them was.
Even if Ashtwo couldn't defeat Ash, allowing him to experience a crushing defeat and temper his arrogance would still serve as a useful lesson.
At the same time, it would deepen Ashtwo's hostility toward Ash and make him into an even more useful weapon for Giovanni in the future.
"You two senior and junior brothers have been studying together for so long, yet you've indeed never actually battled each other. I would also like to see a battle between the two of you."
"Ash, what do you think?"
Giovanni tossed the question toward Ash.
"If Teacher wants to see it, then naturally I have no problem."
When Giovanni asked for his opinion, Ash nodded and readily agreed.
His junior brother Steyn was about to leave.
Ash had a feeling that the next time they met, the two of them would inevitably be enemies.
At this moment, even though he didn't want to become too deeply entangled with Steyn, he couldn't help wanting to learn a little more about him.
He didn't need much.
Simply using a Pokémon battle to get a rough understanding of Steyn's strength was already worthwhile.
After all, knowing yourself and knowing your enemy was the key to winning every battle.
"Very well. Since Ash agrees, then you two senior and junior brothers can have a battle. Just remember to stop before things go too far and don't damage your relationship."
Giovanni gave his instructions.
"Yes."
"Yes."
Ash and Steyn both answered.
However, judging by their expressions, neither of them seemed to have taken Giovanni's words about "stopping before things go too far" particularly seriously.
...
Steyn had requested the battle, and Giovanni—who had always forbidden Ashtwo from battling Ash—had actually agreed.
Ash, having been challenged, had also accepted.
With the conditions settled, the three of them left the Pokémon battle arena inside the Viridian Gym.
Ash and Ashtwo walked to opposite ends of the battlefield and took their positions at the command stations.
Giovanni moved to the centerline along the edge of the field, temporarily acting as the referee.
"Steyn, how do you want to battle?"
Ash looked toward the junior brother who had taken the initiative to challenge him.
"Let's make it a one-on-one battle."
"Aside from the Persian Egg that hasn't hatched yet, I only have one Pokémon at the moment."
"And later, Senior Brother Ash, you still have to go to the Pokémon Center to conduct your live online clinic session for the Skill Shop, so I don't want to take up too much of your time."
Ashtwo calmly explained.
"Haha... I didn't expect my junior brother to be so considerate."
"All right, then. We'll have a one-on-one battle. We'll just stop before things get too serious."
Ash nodded.
Although he wanted to use this battle to roughly determine his junior brother's strength, Ash genuinely didn't intend to waste too much time on such a small matter.
A one-on-one battle suited him perfectly.
However, unlike Ash, who nodded in satisfaction, Steyn shook his head.
"Senior Brother, forget about stopping before things get too serious."
"I want you to give it everything you've got."
"I want to fight you at your full strength."
Steyn's voice was firm and decisive.
Although he wore a hooded sweatshirt with the hood pulled over his head and a mask covering his face, leaving almost his entire body concealed, the pair of eyes exposed outside burned with undisguised fighting spirit.
"Oh? Are you sure?"
Ash raised an eyebrow.
"Although saying this might sound a little boastful, your senior brother's strength really isn't weak."
"And you've only had your first Pokémon for about half a year, right?"
Ash couldn't help showing a trace of surprise at the boy's request that he fight at full strength.
"I really haven't had my first Pokémon for very long."
"But Senior Brother Ash, you haven't had your first Pokémon for much longer than I have either."
"It's only about four months more."
"And through my hard training, the strength of my Pokémon has already reached the Gym Leader level. They aren't necessarily weaker than your senior brother's main aces."
"So, Senior Brother Ash, don't underestimate me."
"I ask that you fight me with everything you've got."
Ashtwo's eyes burned with fighting spirit.
"Haha... That's true."
"Your senior brother hasn't had his Pokémon for all that long either."
"Since my junior brother Steyn has put it that way, if I continue refusing, I'd just be underestimating you."
Ash smiled.
"But no matter who wins or loses this battle, we're not allowed to hold a grudge afterward, okay?"
Looking at Steyn's arrogant and unwilling-to-lose gaze, the corners of Ash's mouth curled upward into a smile.
But inwardly, he had already made up his mind.
Before they parted ways, he was going to use this one-on-one battle to leave his junior brother Steyn with an unforgettable memory.
After all...
The kid looked like someone who was sorely lacking a little "real-world education."
And since he'd voluntarily come knocking on Ash's door asking for it, Ash naturally intended to fulfill his request.
The two stood at opposite ends of the battlefield.
Seeing that both Trainers were ready, Giovanni, standing at the centerline, raised his hand and announced the start of the match.
"Next is a battle between Ash of Pallet Town and Steyn of Viridian City!"
"The battle format is one-on-one. The match ends when either Pokémon loses the ability to battle, or when one of the Trainers forfeits."
"Now, both Trainers may send out the Pokémon they have prepared for battle!"
Giovanni's voice rang clearly across the battlefield.
"Steyn, I have quite a few Pokémon with me. Which one would you like to challenge?"
Ash asked with a smile.
"Come out, Tyranitar."
"Make sure you win this battle beautifully for me today."
Steyn spoke with unmistakable arrogance as he threw out his Poké Ball, releasing the Pokémon he had chosen for the battle.
Ash raised an eyebrow.
"You want me to use my strongest Pokémon?"
"Very well. As you wish."
"Pikachu, I choose you!"
With that, Ash tossed Pikachu's Poké Ball.
His smile became even brighter.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
Two Poké Balls flew through the air one after another.
With two crisp opening sounds, the Pokémon chosen by both sides appeared simultaneously on the battlefield.
The moment they saw each other's Pokémon, both Ash and Steyn showed a trace of surprise.
Ash was surprised that his junior brother Steyn's first Pokémon was actually a pseudo-Legendary Pokémon from the Johto region—
The Desert Tyrant, Tyranitar!
As a pseudo-Legendary Pokémon boasting a massive base stat total of 600, Tyranitar carried considerable weight in the professional Trainer world.
And the moment Tyranitar appeared on the battlefield, Ash's eyes narrowed slightly.
So...
This was the Pokémon his junior brother had been relying on for the past six months.
The battle was about to become much more interesting.
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T/N:
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