The Ability Truant is an extremely disgusting Ability!
After using a move, it must wait a turn before it can use the next move!
And to this day, no one has ever been able to train a Slaking to overcome this Ability's effects!
Slaking is the greatest victim of this Ability!
It has extremely high Attack! High HP! Even decent Speed!
But because of Truant, half its offensive power is essentially crippled!
Although the Ability Skill Swap or Neutralizing Gas can temporarily remove the side effects,
That applies only in Double Battles.
In Singles… unless you cheat and replace its Ability beforehand, there is no way around it.
Norman was not someone who would do such a thing!
Therefore, Slaking's Ability Truant would be the key to whether Ash could win this battle!
Under the attention of all, the final match finally began!
Grovyle took the first attack.
But all its attacks were blocked by Slaking's huge, fan-like hands!
Whether it was Bullet Seed or Pound, neither had much effect!
Aside from Slaking's naturally high Defense,
This Slaking's level absolutely crushed Grovyle!!
The gap between the two sides was simply too big!
"Man, what a pity. Ash should go train some more. Or bring back Charizard! Maybe he could win!"
"Sceptile might be able to go even with Slaking, but Grovyle… this is too hard!"
"If Pikachu could unleash the same power he used against Regice… forget it, Pikachu already fainted."
"…"
Most of the world's viewers didn't think Ash had much chance this time.
Since there was no betting, most people simply hoped Ash could win…
But that hope… was extremely faint, or rather, nonexistent!
After several more exchanges, Slaking finally revealed its true strength!
Truant wasn't just an Ability — it was Slaking's natural temperament!
Against weak opponents, it wouldn't even lift an eyelid!
But Grovyle's endless attacks, along with its nimble jumping and harassment,
Successfully activated Slaking's temper!
Now, Slaking was finally fighting at full power!
A single Earthquake forced Grovyle to leap into the air.
Having suffered before, Grovyle no longer dared to fight Slaking in close range.
It could only use Bullet Seed from a distance!
It was its only ranged move!
Almost all its other moves were melee…
However, Bullet Seed on Slaking's body was completely ineffective!
In return, Slaking unleashed a Hyper Beam!
Grovyle hurriedly fired Bullet Seed to block it—
But their power wasn't on the same level at all!
Hyper Beam suppressed Bullet Seed completely, striking Grovyle head-on!
Thankfully, Bullet Seed had weakened the blow enough that Grovyle did not faint outright.
Even so, Grovyle was already covered in wounds!
Norman saw that Grovyle's injuries were serious, and tried to persuade Ash:
"Why not battle again next time?"
But Grovyle had no intention of giving up!
After receiving Ash's trust and support, a deep green light burst from Grovyle's body!
Ability: Overgrow activated!
If Overgrow was activated, that meant Grovyle's HP had reached the critical zone!
The determination and bond between Ash and Grovyle shook Norman,
So he resumed the battle with a serious expression.
After Overgrow activated, Grovyle was completely different from before!
Whether it was speed, attack power, or reaction speed — all of it increased drastically!
The viewers were stunned—
"THIS is called Overgrow? Looks more like a cheat mode!!"
Turns out Grovyle actually started showing signs of "cheat power" here!
With Overgrow amplified, Grovyle used its nimble movements to attack from all directions!
Even though Slaking's level was much higher and its Defense extremely sturdy,
It could not endure Grovyle's chip damage under Overgrow!
Slaking's attacks could not land effectively,
While Grovyle's strikes landed every time!
Soon, Slaking's HP reached its limit as well.
In the end, both sides used their finishing moves — Focus Punch and Leaf Blade — to settle the match!
The agile Grovyle did not completely dodge Focus Punch,
But reduced the damage as much as possible!
Meanwhile, its Leaf Blade — aimed directly at Slaking's weak point — struck true!
The two Pokémon crossed paths—
Grovyle showed a pained expression, wobbling but managing to remain standing!
Slaking curved its mouth into a faint smile…
Before collapsing heavily onto the ground!
Woah!!!
Ash and Grovyle had once again turned the impossible into the possible!
Facing an Elite-level Slaking, and doing nearly no damage early on—
Even beaten to the brink of defeat…
They still pulled off an unbelievable comeback!
The level difference wasn't "big"—
It was MASSIVE!
This was almost on the same level as Greninja challenging Cynthia's Garchomp!!
"Insane! Grovyle defeated Slaking in that state! No wonder future Sceptile is so strong!"
"Heh, Sceptile is on the same level as Charizard! This is just the beginning! Once it evolves, it'll be even crazier!"
"I just realized… Lance accidentally cursed the wrong side AGAIN!"
"Poison-Mouth Lance— cough, cough, you didn't hear that! No one heard that!"
"So this is the rise of the B-King?"
"Why B-King?"
"He always has that stick in his mouth. Looks all smug."
"…True, the name fits."
"…"
Ash, turning the impossible into reality once again, triggered worldwide discussion!
Grovyle was already this strong now—
Once it evolved into Sceptile, how powerful would it become?!
[Cynthia: I didn't expect Grovyle, even before evolving into Sceptile, to defeat an Elite-tier Pokémon!]
[Lance: …This is cheating! Straight-up cheating! What Overgrow works like THIS!?]
[Cynthia: Just admit it — the problem is you, Lance!]
[Norman: This Grovyle… is indeed unusual. But… this should be Ash and Grovyle's first awakening. The bond between them created incredible power, and together with Overgrow, that's how Grovyle became so strong!]
[Alder: Bond power… really that miraculous? I get along great with my Volcarona! Why has he never gone berserk for me in battle…]
Alder began doubting whether his Volcarona had another "trainer" outside.
Why had he never awakened any bond power before!?
(Ash's special moves: "Brace yourself!", "Dodge it!", "Come on!" "Don't give up!"… If those cheat-like lines worked consistently, he wouldn't have to wait until Alola to become champion…)
"Dad… lost… Dad at full strength… lost to a Grovyle that hasn't even trained for a few months… how… how is this possible?"
Even though Norman prepared him, Max still couldn't believe it.
His invincible father… lost to a Pokémon that hadn't even fully evolved!
"That's because Ash and Grovyle have a strong bond!"
May quickly defended Ash.
She had already thought it through—whether her dad won or Ash won,
She would sincerely bless them both.
After all, this wasn't a life-or-death battle — just an ordinary Gym battle!
May didn't have Max's father-worship level!
"But doesn't Dad and Slaking have a bond too?!"
"Slaking is Dad's main Pokémon!"
May was rendered speechless—
After all… she hadn't traveled much herself!
How was she supposed to answer that?
Norman spoke:
"Slaking and I… are different from Ash and Grovyle."
"Ash treats his Pokémon as his own life. No—more than that."
"Though I don't want to admit it… my love for Pokémon is nowhere near Ash's."
"That bond… is not something anyone can use."
After seeing so many recaps, Norman already realized—
Ash's love and devotion to Pokémon were probably number one in the world.
So that was why he could repeatedly create miracles.
Max fell silent. He was still a child. He needed time to digest everything.
After defeating the powerful Petalburg Gym Leader Norman,
Ash continued his journey.
He encountered many opponents afterward, though the footage flashed quickly without much detail.
However, it was clear from the clips that Grovyle faced many strong foes afterward!
Some battles were victories; others were defeats.
But the ridiculous part was—
"Why are almost all of Grovyle's opponents bad matchups?!"
"Unfair! They're dragging down Hoenn's ace's win rate!!"
"Stop spreading nonsense. He's not the regional ace yet. He's still far behind Charizard."
"He's not even Sceptile yet. What are you arguing about?"
"…"
Hard to imagine people fighting over this…
In later footage, Ash acquired eight badges and entered the Ever Grande Conference.
But because he stubbornly used only his Hoenn Pokémon,
He ended up finishing at the Top 8 again.
Grovyle tried its best, but—
"So THAT's why Ash is always stuck at Top 8! He didn't use his older Pokémon!?"
"Why?? Just bring Charizard! This tournament would be free! Even Pikachu wasn't at peak power! He had no true ace!"
"Sigh. If Sceptile were already evolved, Ash never would've stopped at Top 8…"
"In the Lily of the Valley Conference, he used his Hoenn Pokémon but not here… why??"
"…"
Now everyone understood why Ash's League results always looked bad!
A formal tournament—
Yet he insisted on using newly-caught regional Pokémon!
You barely trained them for half a year! And you're aiming for a champion!?
Unrealistic!
No wonder Ash only became champion in Alola…
After losing at the Conference, Ash returned to Kanto.
Recommended by Scott, Ash decided to challenge the Battle Frontier!
From here… was the part familiar to everyone.
First stop: the Battle Factory!
Since Grovyle wasn't involved here, the recap skipped ahead.
On the journey afterward, Grovyle still had wins and losses.
This made viewers think… maybe Grovyle wasn't actually that strong?
Beating Norman's Slaking was just Overgrow + bond awakening.
With its normal strength, Grovyle wasn't even in Ash's first-tier lineup.
Perhaps… evolving into Sceptile would change everything?
Everyone thought so.
Then, the important turning point arrived!
Ash's group headed toward Ametto Island, where the next Contest was held.
To transfer ships, they had to stop at Camomile Island.
Because the weather was nice and the grassland was peaceful,
Ash decided to let the Pokémon relax and play before leaving.
During this time, Ash's Gligar caused a series of silly incidents,
Forcing Nurse Joy, who managed the area, to step in.
Just then, Ash noticed his Grovyle was missing!
They quickly searched and discovered Grovyle confronting a Tropius!
Nurse Joy explained that the area was Tropius's territory.
Any Pokémon entering that zone would be treated as an enemy!
Ash rushed over to stop them—
But before they arrived, Tropius had already defeated Grovyle with overwhelming force…
[Bruno: Uh… the Hoenn ace fell that fast?]
[Cynthia: Four-times resistance to Grass. You want to fight it yourself?]
[Bruno: …My apologies.]
Just like Cynthia said—
A Tropius with ×4 Grass resistance… Fighting Grovyle was like fighting with one's feet and still winning.
No one blamed Grovyle's loss.
First, Ash wasn't directing the battle.
Second, Tropius had a ×4 defensive advantage—
It was the worst possible matchup.
Who could win that?
What? In a previous recap, there was a ×4 Fire resistance getting beaten?
Cough cough—don't mention that. Reshiram was being controlled.
Otherwise, Charizard would've gotten destroyed.
After Grovyle was defeated, Tropius still wanted to continue attacking.
Luckily, Nurse Joy's Meganium stepped in and stopped Tropius!
"For some reason, only when my Meganium walks into Tropius's territory does Tropius not attack."
Nurse Joy said while helping Ash lift Grovyle.
Soon, Grovyle was taken to the Pokémon Center.
The video then shifted to Tropius—
Team Rocket saw Tropius's powerful strength and had wicked thoughts again.
Meowth went to persuade Tropius to join Team Rocket.
Tropius, simple-minded, blushed and said something unclear—
Meowth translated:
"He said he'll join Team Rocket… if Meganium joins too!"
Everyone instantly understood!
No wonder Tropius didn't attack Meganium!
The truth was—
Tropius liked Meganium.
Just then, the footage returned to Grovyle.
The severely injured Grovyle lay inside the Pokémon Center.
"I checked earlier—Grovyle's injuries aren't serious. My Meganium can heal it quickly using Heal Pulse!"
After Nurse Joy spoke, Meganium stepped forward, and a soft, beautiful light shone from her petals!
Grovyle's wounds visibly began healing!
(I checked… Meganium learns Synthesis and Aromatherapy—one heals itself, the other removes status. I didn't find a move that heals others…)
Before long, Grovyle fully recovered!
When it opened its eyes, the first thing it saw—
Was Meganium's sweet smile!
In an instant, Grovyle felt an arrow pierce his heart!
Even the flower twig in his mouth suddenly bloomed!
Seeing Grovyle's abnormal state, Ash asked in confusion:
"Grovyle, why did your twig bloom?! Huh? Your body is really hot! What's going on?"
"...Ash, you really don't see it?"
Brock asked helplessly. Ash shook his head.
Brock, May, and Max all covered their faces.
Grovyle's expression—
It was obviously the look of someone who has fallen in love!
And the object of affection was Nurse Joy's Meganium!
Even seven-year-old Max could tell Grovyle had fallen in love.
Only Ash looked totally clueless!
What else could one say…
Ash Ketchum —
The ultimate blockhead!
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