[Lance: Hahaha! I never thought that icy cool Grovyle could actually fall in love!]
[Diantha: Love makes the brain tremble. Even Grovyle can't keep his cool anymore
[Caitlin: Ahh, the power of love. Even the coolest guy becomes a silly goose~]
[Malva: I get it now! Grovyle must have become strong in the future because of love!~]
[Wallace: Oh? Becoming stronger for the sake of your beloved—how elegant, how inspiring~]
[Cynthia: But Ash… pfft. I never expected him to be this dense. He really didn't notice?]
[Gary: Ash noticing? Yeah right. That guy's been missing a wire in his head since he was a kid!]
[Ash: Hey! Who are you calling missing a wire?! It's just love! I obviously understand it!]
[Gary: Oh? Then how many girlfriends do you have right now?]
[Ash: …]
A critical strike. Ash fails his saving throw.
Compared to Gary—who practically has "a collection,"—Ash truly has nothing.
But the moment Gary's words roll out…
Misty's eyes sharpen to a razor point.
Yes, Ash is a dense wooden block.
But even a block of wood is better than another, Gary!
Absolutely NOT allowed—Ash and Gary can't get too close.
If Ash starts learning Gary's "multiple girlfriends" nonsense…
That would be a disaster.
Cynthia rubbed her chin, puzzled.
"So you young people nowadays… count girlfriends by how many you have?"
"No way! I've only ever seen Gary have a bunch!"
Cynthia's eyes gleamed, clearly amused.
"Oh? Then you're definitely not planning to learn from Gary, right?~."
"I would NEVER! When he's dating girls, I'll be TRAINING! And in battle, I'll crush him! Love… only slows down the speed at which I throw my Poké Balls!"
Steven: …
Cynthia: …
Misty: …
Brock: 6.
As expected of Ash.
Only this kid could come up with such a revolutionary worldview.
Misty sighed helplessly.
'This blockhead… probably won't understand love until he becomes a Pokémon Master.'
On-screen —
Thanks to May and the others' explanation,
Ash somewhat understood why Grovyle was acting strangely.
Part of it was that he liked Meganium.
Another part… was the humiliation of being beaten so badly right in front of someone he liked.
Ash scratched his cheek. He could help in battle, but feelings…
That was out of his expertise.
So they decided to let Grovyle rest for now.
As the group left the room, Grovyle's eyes snapped open.
Fierce determination burned within them.
"He's not… going to fight Tropius again, is he?"
"Probably! Getting beaten like that in front of your crush? Grovyle's gotta reclaim his pride!"
"But… isn't Tropius quadruple resistant to Grass? How is he gonna win??"
"Love buff! With love power, type advantage means nothing!"
"…"
While the audience murmured, Grovyle leapt straight out the window, returning to the battlefield of his earlier defeat.
Meanwhile, Team Rocket had already built a machine—
They blasted open a hole in the Pokémon Center
and captured Meganium!
Ash and the others gave chase.
[Lance: Team Rocket! Again!]
[Cynthia: Hmmm~ I feel like they're actually doing a good thing this time… just… with massive property damage.]
[Nurse Joy (Cianwood): Doing good or not doesn't matter—you may not damage Pokémon Centers! Otherwise, you'll be repaying the costs for life!]
"Meowth: S-Scary! I felt a chilling aura from that line!"
"W-why did that sound like a demon smiling at us…?"
"W-we're not scared! We're Team Rocket—! Ahem, but maybe we should avoid damaging buildings… It's expensive…"
Even Jessie, normally fearless, shrank back.
For Team Rocket… money is life itself.
Jail is fine.
Debt is not.
Meanwhile —
Grovyle confronted Tropius once again.
Tropius was enraged—how dare this little lizard return?!
It soared into the air, unleashing a violent Hurricane,
winds slicing across Grovyle's skin.
Grovyle shielded himself with crossed arms, struggling to endure.
The assault didn't stop.
Air Slash.
Steel Wing.
Magical Leaf.
Some are super effective.
Some neutral.
But they were all one-sided hits landing on Grovyle's body.
By now, Grovyle was covered in wounds.
If this continued… the result would be exactly like before.
Grovyle gritted his teeth, battered by the storm of blades.
He glanced at the flower blooming at the corner of his mouth—
The flower Meganium had gifted him.
He remembered her smile.
And roared.
Emerald light burst from his body—
Overgrow, igniting to its limits!
He vanished.
In a flash of white light—
Agility combined with Overgrow!
Tropius stopped its attack, scanning the battlefield in confusion—
Then—
From the trees behind—
Grovyle appeared.
A rapid-fire Seed Machine Gun struck Tropius squarely,
forcing a cry of pain from the towering dinosaur.
Then Grovyle crouched low—
and launched upward.
Twin green tallies—sharp as blades—flashed into existence.
With a single sweeping arc—
A green flash carved through the air.
Grovyle landed lightly, dismissing the tallies.
Behind him, the quadruple Grass-resistant Tropius—
fell from the sky, crashing to the ground, completely defeated.
Just like in the Lily of the Valley Conference.
So he'd always had that stance—even back in Hoenn.
[Lance: The power of love… is this strong?!]
[Cynthia: Incredible. Against a quadruple-resistant opponent… Grovyle used two Grass moves and still won!]
[Diantha: Overgrow + love buff~ A terrifying combination, no?]
[Professor Oak: Ah, love… what a wonderful thing~]
[Agatha: Heh. You old fool, you don't deserve to talk about love. Manage your grandson—he's even worse than you ever were!]
Professor Oak shut up instantly.
She was right.
He had wronged her back then.
And his grandson…
A 10-year-old with six girlfriends…
Even he didn't dare imagine Gary's future.
But the Oak family could afford it.
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