"Ivyyy!!"
Letting out a deep growl, Ivysaur suddenly stamped its forelegs against the ground. In an instant, lush green grass began spreading rapidly across the open battlefield, transforming the entire clearing into a verdant field perfectly suited for Grass-type Pokémon.
Within the Grassy Terrain, Ivysaur would continuously recover a portion of its stamina every turn, while the power of its Grass-type moves would also be significantly enhanced. It greatly compensated for Grass-types being resisted by Bug-types and for their relatively poor offensive performance against them.
Both Trainers had chosen to strengthen their Pokémon using support moves, but compared to Pinsir's Harden, Ivysaur's Grassy Terrain was undoubtedly the more sophisticated and effective enhancement.
"Since you can counter Ivysaur's Sleep Powder," Ash said with a raised eyebrow as Grassy Terrain took effect, "why don't you try attacking next?"
"Try? Fine! Then I'll show you!" Samurai showed no intention of backing down and immediately issued his command.
"Pinsir! Use Focus Energy while charging forward!"
"Pinsiiir~!"
Responding loudly, Pinsir held onto the shrub it had uprooted earlier while tightening its core muscles and gathering its fighting spirit. Waving its makeshift fan wildly, it charged fiercely toward Ivysaur.
Naturally, Ash had no intention of sitting back and watching.
Pinsir's type advantage over Ivysaur was undeniably real. However, as a physically-oriented close-combat Pokémon, Pinsir could barely learn any long-range special attacks under normal circumstances.
Its greatest weakness was its short attack range.
As long as Ash prevented it from closing the distance, dealing with Pinsir would be relatively easy. On the other hand, if Pinsir managed to get into melee range, Ivysaur's inferior speed would immediately place it at a disadvantage.
Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of both Pokémon, Ash naturally wouldn't issue reckless commands that would put himself at a disadvantage.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Pinsir's charging speed steadily increased as it rapidly crossed the battlefield. Just as it reached its maximum momentum, Ash finally gave his next command.
"Ivysaur, use Grass Knot!"
Ivysaur had always been trained as a magical tank specializing in attrition warfare, battlefield control, and recovery. As it evolved, its speed would naturally continue to decrease, so long ago Ash had deliberately taught it Grass Knot to prevent opponents from switching in freely or rushing into melee range.
The faster an opponent moved and the heavier it was, the greater the damage caused by Grass Knot when they tripped over it.
At this moment, Pinsir was charging forward at full speed.
Waving its shrub wildly while baring its massive pincers, it was paying almost no attention to the ground before it. Suddenly, a sturdy knot of grass wrapped itself around one of its legs.
Its center of gravity immediately shifted forward.
BOOM!!
Caught completely off guard, Pinsir crashed heavily onto the ground, instantly becoming dizzy from the tremendous fall as stars practically appeared before its eyes.
"Pinsir!!"
Seeing his Pokémon suddenly trip and fall, Samurai cried out anxiously.
Ash, however, had no intention of showing mercy. Pinsir had been knocked to the ground and was completely disoriented—this was the perfect opportunity for Ivysaur to attack.
"Ivysaur, now's your chance! Use Solar Beam!"
Ash's voice rang loudly across the battlefield.
The energy required to use Pokémon moves came partly from the Pokémon themselves, but a far greater portion was often borrowed from the natural energy of their surroundings.
Solar Beam was precisely such a move.
Although officially classified as a Grass-type move, Solar Beam absorbed an enormous amount of scorching solar energy from its surroundings. Therefore, treating it solely as a Grass-type attack wasn't entirely accurate.
Similarly, another ultimate Grass-type move—Frenzy Plant—contained not only Grass-type energy but also traces of Water-, Ground-, and Rock-type powers.
Because certain moves contained such complex and diverse energies, determining type advantages and resistances in real combat wasn't always as straightforward as the games made them appear.
Take the current situation as an example.
Pinsir possessed considerable resistance against Grass-type attacks. Logically speaking, even if it was struck by Solar Beam, the damage shouldn't have been particularly devastating.
However—
"PINNNSIIIR!!!"
After being struck by Solar Beam, Pinsir let out a heart-wrenching scream. It sounded less like it had been hit by a highly resisted Grass-type move and more as though it had been struck directly by a Fire-type attack that completely overwhelmed it.
The Harden Pinsir had used earlier provided absolutely no protection against Solar Beam's scorching heat.
"Pinsir!!"
Samurai shouted anxiously once more.
"Ivysaur, use Sunny Day."
Ash paid no attention to Samurai's frantic cries.
Once he entered battle mode, Ash rarely held back unless there was a special reason to do so.
"Ivyyy~!"
After firing a devastating Solar Beam from the crimson flower bud upon its back, Ivysaur proudly raised its head and spat a brilliant golden sphere of energy into the sky.
The sphere exploded high overhead.
Instantly, the sun shone even more brilliantly than before, bathing the battlefield in intense heat and dazzling sunlight.
However, under the effects of Sunny Day, Ivysaur received yet another comprehensive enhancement.
The Grassy Terrain beneath its feet grew increasingly lush and vibrant, further increasing both the stamina recovery and the boost granted to its Grass-type moves.
Moreover, despite not actively using Synthesis, Grass-type Pokémon were plant-based lifeforms that naturally possessed the innate ability of photosynthesis.
Under the intense sunlight, Ivysaur's recovery abilities greatly increased. Its body became warm as its blood circulated more rapidly, further enhancing its mobility and speed.
Not only could it absorb solar energy at a significantly faster rate, but Solar Beam itself practically no longer required charging time while simultaneously receiving an enormous increase in power.
These enhancements came from two different sources—the strengthened Grassy Terrain's amplification of Grass-type moves and Sunny Day's amplification of Fire-type energy.
Because Solar Beam possessed characteristics of both Grass-type and Fire-attributed solar energy, it could perfectly benefit from both enhancements simultaneously.
Now, with Sunny Day and Grassy Terrain providing dual amplification, combined with disruptive moves like Grass Knot to prevent Pinsir from ever closing the distance, all that remained was to continuously bombard it with Solar Beam.
In other words...
The battlefield had already been completely prepared for Ivysaur.
"So then..." Ash snapped his fingers and smiled faintly. Before anyone had realized it, all of his preparations had already been completed. Looking at Samurai now, Ash's gaze resembled that of a hunter staring at prey that had unknowingly fallen into his carefully woven trap.
"...it's showtime."