"PARTICIPANT ASH SENDS OUT FLOETTE!" Bob exclaimed.
"AND THIS IS A POKÉMON THAT HAS ALREADY PROVEN TO BE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS DESPITE ITS SMALL SIZE!" Carl added.
"THAT'S RIGHT! EVEN THOUGH IT'S A PRE-EVOLVED FORM, THE STRENGTH OF THAT LITTLE FLOETTE IS TERRIFYING! IF PARTICIPANT GARY ISN'T CAREFUL… HE COULD HAVE BIG PROBLEMS IN THE NEXT MATCHUP!" Bob said.
On the battlefield, Gary didn't react with surprise. His gaze sharpened instantly, focusing completely on Floette. He already knew her. He had seen her battles during the League, he had analyzed her power, and long before that he had witnessed how she took down his Umbreon with a single blow. She wasn't an unknown factor. She was a threat he had taken into account from the moment he knew he might face Ash. Although previously, as already mentioned, she had taken down his Umbreon with one hit, that was only because he had acted with extreme arrogance and had been overconfident. In other words, he had completely underestimated Ash. But this time he wasn't going to make the same mistake.
"Last time I was too overconfident. I acted arrogantly, but I've learned from my mistakes. I acknowledge her strength, but I won't lose this time," he murmured seriously.
Gary knew that even though he had lost to that Floette before due to his arrogance, the strength of that Floette was not something to take lightly. After all, she had taken down his Umbreon in one hit… and that was months ago! Who knows how much stronger she had become since then. But still, Gary didn't get discouraged because he had a strategy designed specifically for this moment.
"Blastoise, use Rapid Spin! Keep up the pressure and don't give her any space!" he ordered firmly.
Blastoise reacted immediately, advancing while spinning with force and generating constant pressure around it. It wasn't looking for a direct hit. It was looking to prevent any action, to cut off any attempt at positioning, to eliminate any opportunity for a clean attack.
"PARTICIPANT GARY IS APPLYING PRESSURE FROM THE VERY FIRST SECOND!" Bob shouted.
"HE DOESN'T WANT TO GIVE PARTICIPANT ASH OR HIS FLOETTE EVEN A SINGLE MOMENT TO ACT!" Carl added.
Floette moved smoothly, shifting through the air without apparent effort, avoiding every trajectory by minimal margins. It didn't seem like she was reacting to the attacks. It seemed like she was anticipating them. Every movement was exact, without waste, as if she already knew the complete pattern of the attack before it was executed.
Gary didn't reduce the pressure for a single moment.
"Blastoise, use Ice Beam! Close off her routes!" he ordered.
The freezing beam fired in several trajectories, not seeking direct damage but limiting the available space in the air. It was a clear attempt to trap Floette, to force her into an error or an unfavorable position.
Floette ascended slightly, moving between the attacks with almost perfect precision, always maintaining the exact distance to avoid being trapped. There was no rush in her movements, no tension in her behavior. Only control.
Ash observed everything in silence, without changing his expression. He had understood Gary's strategy a moment ago. He was attacking her relentlessly to corner her and wear her down. It seemed he had learned from his previous battle against him.
"Drop to the ground!" Ash said.
Floette descended at the exact moment Ash ordered it. Gary saw it instantly and reacted without hesitation, taking advantage of the opportunity.
"Blastoise, use Hydro Pump! Now!" he ordered quickly.
Blastoise spun and fired the attack with power, but the movement had been forced. The angle wasn't clean, and the reaction time wasn't ideal. Floette shifted just enough, avoiding the attack by centimeters, making it clear that the margin for error was minimal.
The stadium held its breath.
Ash spoke without raising his voice.
"Use Light of Ruin and end this!" Ash exclaimed.
Floette stopped for the first time since she had entered the battle. She raised her flower, and the energy began to concentrate at one point. It was dense, heavy, completely different from any other attack that had been seen until that moment.
"SHE'S CHARGING AN ATTACK!" Bob shouted.
"IF IT'S THE SAME ONE SHOWN IN PREVIOUS BATTLES, THIS COULD DECIDE THE MATCH!" Carl added.
"THAT'S RIGHT! IF PARTICIPANT GARY DOESN'T STOP HER, THIS COULD BE THE END FOR HIS BLASTOISE!" Bob nodded.
Gary took a step forward, fully aware of what was happening.
"Interrupt her! Don't give her time!" he ordered firmly.
Blastoise tried to advance, forcing its body to close the distance before the attack was completed, but the moment had already passed. Floette had found the only possible window.
Ash gave the final order.
"End this. Use Light of Ruin at full power!" Ash declared.
The energy exploded with brutal intensity, crossing the field without leaving any margin for evasion or response. There was no clash, no exchange. Only an impact that sent Blastoise flying several meters.
"DIRECT HIT!" Bob shouted.
"THAT ONE HURT EVEN ME!" Carl added.
When Floette's attack ceased, Blastoise's figure was lying on the ground, unable to get up.
The referee raised his hand.
"Blastoise is unable to continue! Victory for Floette!" he declared firmly.
The stadium exploded with reactions.
Gary didn't take his eyes off his Pokémon, processing what had happened. He had prepared the right strategy, he had executed it correctly, and yet it hadn't been enough.
Ash looked at Floette, wondering if he had made a mistake by using Onix to wear down Blastoise. It seemed he had made an error.
Gary sighed. He had given his best and yet his Blastoise had fallen, but he couldn't reproach it for anything because thanks to Blastoise, two of Ash's Pokémon had fallen, thus closing the gap between them. He simply couldn't ask for more.
"Good work… rest," he said firmly as he recalled Blastoise to its Poké Ball.
Gary stored Blastoise's Poké Ball in his belt and took out another one. He had already decided which Pokémon to use.
"Scizor, go!" he ordered.
The Bug/Steel-type Pokémon appeared with a metallic flash, its wings vibrating with a constant buzzing sound as it fixed its gaze on Floette from the very first second.
"PARTICIPANT GARY SENDS OUT SCIZOR!" Bob shouted.
"AND THIS IS AN EXCELLENT SWITCH! SCIZOR'S TYPE COMBINATION GIVES IT AN OVERWHELMING ADVANTAGE AGAINST PARTICIPANT ASH'S FLOETTE!" Carl added.
"ALTHOUGH I WOULDN'T UNDERESTIMATE IT TOO MUCH! THAT FLOETTE IS TERRIFYING!" Bob said.
Indeed, Gary had included this Scizor in his team not only for Floette, but to deal with all the Fairy-type Pokémon he had encountered throughout the Pokémon League.
On the other hand, Floette floated in front of him, calm… but the situation was no longer the same.
Gary attacked without wasting time.
"Scizor, use Bullet Punch!" he ordered.
Scizor launched forward with brutal acceleration, entering direct combat range and landing an immediate hit against the barrier Ash had anticipated.
"Quick, use Protect!" Ash ordered quickly.
The greenish barrier appeared just in time. The impact collided with it forcefully, stopping the blow cold and generating a visible wave in the air. But although it had stopped the attack, that had given Scizor the opportunity to position itself close to Floette.
"Keep using Bullet Punch, don't stop!" Gary said.
He maintained the pressure at close range, chaining quick and precise movements, forcing Floette to focus solely on defense.
"SCIZOR IS ALL OVER FLOETTE!" Bob shouted.
"HE'S NOT GIVING HER EVEN A SINGLE BREATH!" Carl added.
Ash didn't know what to do. Gary wasn't giving Floette any time and instead was overwhelming her with blows she could barely dodge. If this continued, Scizor would end up hitting Floette without a doubt.
"Try to get away from him!" Ash said.
Floette nodded and shifted slightly in the air, trying to gain a minimum of space, but Scizor adjusted its position instantly, staying in range and forcing her to react constantly.
The next blow came quickly.
Too quickly to dodge completely.
Floette took it partially, being pushed back in the air and breaking her total stability for the first time since she had entered the battle — no, since the Pokémon League had begun.
"IT LOOKS LIKE PARTICIPANT GARY IS STARTING TO TAKE THE LEAD!" Bob shouted.
"HE'S TAKING ADVANTAGE OF HIS SPEED AND TYPE ADVANTAGE AGAINST FLOETTE, FORCING HER TO RETREAT CONSTANTLY!" Carl added.
Floette stabilized again, but her movement was now more measured, more careful. She no longer had absolute control of the rhythm.
Gary saw it and smiled slightly. He had managed to hit her! And even though it had only been partial, it wasn't entirely bad because it meant it was possible to hit her if one had patience. But that didn't mean this was over or that he had the victory secured, so…
"Don't give her time to recover and keep attacking with Bullet Punch!" Gary said.
Immediately, Scizor continued its barrage of attacks, leaving Ash with no idea what to do. Gary simply wasn't giving Floette time to counterattack until she was finally hit, but this time the attack landed squarely.
"IMPRESSIVE! PARTICIPANT GARY MANAGED TO HIT PARTICIPANT ASH'S FLOETTE!" Bob said.
"IT SEEMS PARTICIPANT GARY HAS DISCOVERED THE WEAKNESS OF PARTICIPANT ASH'S FLOETTE! WHAT WILL PARTICIPANT ASH DO NOW?" Carl said.
The blow sent Floette flying several meters until she managed to stabilize herself again in the air.
Ash saw this and understood. Floette was at a disadvantage in this matchup, and although she could endure it, keeping her there long-term wasn't the most efficient decision.
The decision was made.
"Floette, return…" Ash said calmly.
But at that instant—
[Alert: Floette is trying to learn the move "Mystical Fire".]
Ash was surprised. He simply hadn't expected something so convenient to happen right when he needed it most.
[Alert: Floette already knows five moves. Do you wish to forget one to learn "Mystical Fire"?]
The battle continued. Scizor didn't stop for a second. Floette remained in the air, maintaining the exact distance, but the pressure didn't disappear.
"Yes," Ash responded without hesitation.
[Select the move to forget.]
He didn't need to think about it for even a second.
"Synthesis," he said firmly.
[Move forgotten. Floette has learned "Mystical Fire".]
Although Synthesis was a very important move, right now it wasn't very useful, so he decided to replace it with this one. Maybe it wasn't the best decision, but Floette wasn't having an easy time and getting distracted now wasn't a good idea. Perhaps the pressure influenced his decision, but… did that matter now?
Gary saw how Ash remained silent for a few seconds and assumed he didn't know what to do, so he took advantage and decided to end this.
"Scizor, finish her with Bullet Punch!" he ordered.
Scizor advanced again, executing the attack with the same precision, closing the distance in an instant.
"Floette, use Mystical Fire!" Ash ordered.
The attack came out at the exact moment Scizor was already committed to its offense. There was no margin to react. The flame hit squarely, enveloping its metallic body and completely breaking its rhythm for the first time since it had entered the battle.
The stadium reacted instantly.
"A FIRE-TYPE ATTACK!" Bob shouted.
"PARTICIPANT ASH HAS CHANGED THE BATTLE IN AN INSTANT!" Carl added.
"AND SHE LEARNED IT RIGHT WHEN SHE WAS AGAINST THE ROPES! CAN THERE BE A BETTER TIMING?" Bob said.
Gary's eyes widened slightly, not because of the damage, but because of the moment it had happened. He had prepared the right strategy, he had controlled the rhythm of the battle, and yet it hadn't been enough. But it wasn't his fault. Who could have predicted that Floette would learn a Fire-type move at the last moment?