"Pinsir, get up! Charge in and use Seismic Toss!" Seeing Pinsir blasted to the ground by Ivysaur's Solar Beam, Samurai shouted anxiously.
"Pinsiiir~!" Pinsir cried in response as it pushed itself off the ground with its lean but powerful arms, struggling to stand once more.
Unfortunately for it, Ash had no intention of giving his opponent any opportunity to recover. Under the effects of Sunny Day, Solar Beam required virtually no charging time and could be unleashed almost instantaneously.
"Ivysaur, use Solar Beam!"
Without giving Pinsir the slightest chance to retaliate, Ash decisively ordered another attack.
Silently, in less than a second, Solar Beam completed its charge. The stamen within the brilliant crimson flower bud on Ivysaur's back shone with blinding radiance, locking onto Pinsir like the barrel of a cannon.
"BOOOOM—!"
Lowering its body, Ivysaur fired a golden-green pillar of energy imbued with the scorching power of the sun straight at Pinsir.
BOOM!
"PINNSIIIR!!!"
Pinsir had barely managed to get back onto its feet before it was struck once more by Solar Beam and blasted violently back onto the ground. A shrill and agonized insect-like cry escaped from its mouth.
"Pinsir!!"
"Ivysaur, don't stop! Continue using Solar Beam!"
Ignoring Samurai's anxious cries, Ash calmly continued issuing attack commands.
Under Sunny Day's effects, Solar Beam required practically no charging time. Although Solar Beam was one of Grass-types' ultimate techniques and consumed a considerable amount of energy, Ivysaur had absolutely no need to worry about running out of stamina.
The enhanced Grassy Terrain was continuously restoring its vitality, while Sunny Day had naturally awakened the innate photosynthetic abilities possessed by all Grass-type Pokémon.
Moreover, this pseudo-Fire-type aspect of Solar Beam dealt nearly double effective damage against Pinsir.
At the same time, Ivysaur had already reached Level 35 and stood only a single step away from evolving into its final form, Venusaur. Its level alone was nearly twice that of Samurai's Pinsir.
Whether it was raw power, move compatibility, or overwhelming level suppression, Samurai's Pinsir simply possessed no ability whatsoever to resist an Ivysaur whose battle framework and combat strength had already matured.
Pinsir was repeatedly intercepted by Grass Knot and Razor Leaf, preventing it from approaching its opponent no matter how desperately it tried. Every time it managed to advance a short distance, another Solar Beam would immediately send it flying even farther back than before.
Thus, after enduring five or six consecutive Solar Beams, this proud Pinsir—which had stubbornly risen to its feet time and time again in response to Samurai's encouragement—finally collapsed onto the battlefield and completely lost its ability to fight.
"Pinsir is unable to battle! The winner of this match is Ash's Ivysaur!"
The moment Pinsir fell, Gary immediately announced the battle's result.
However, Ash paid no attention whatsoever to Gary's announcement. At this moment, his entire attention had been captured by the familiar system notifications ringing in his ears.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host! You have defeated Lv.18 Pinsir and obtained 360 experience points.]
[Ding! Ivysaur has accumulated sufficient experience to level up. Current Level: Lv.36.]
[Ding! Ivysaur has met the requirements for evolution. Ivysaur is evolving...]
Ivysaur had been on Ash's team for over half a year now. In fact, when Ash had formally begun his Aura combat training six months ago, Bulbasaur had evolved into Ivysaur.
After another six months of growth and training, Ivysaur had long since become capable of standing proudly on its own. Its strength had already reached the threshold of evolution.
Ash had always maintained a relaxed attitude toward his Pokémon's evolutions. Although certain prerequisite conditions had to be fulfilled, he was never as impatient as other Trainers when it came to evolution.
What he desired was for everything to happen naturally—for his Pokémon to evolve only after all conditions had been perfectly met.
Ivysaur had actually reached Level 35 nearly a week ago and had already displayed signs of evolution several times during that period. Yet, despite standing at evolution's doorstep, it had never taken that final step.
Neither Ash nor Ivysaur had been anxious about it. Who could have imagined that the final piece of the puzzle would come after today's battle with Samurai?
Shiiiiiing—!
Amidst a crisp and melodious sound effect, an immense surge of evolutionary energy suddenly erupted from within Ivysaur's body before enveloping it entirely within a dazzling pillar of brilliant white light.
"Ivysaur is—?!" Samurai stared with his eyes wide open in disbelief.
"Ivysaur is evolving?!" Gary and Green exclaimed simultaneously.
Although both of them had a general understanding of the strength levels of Ash's Pokémon, the sight of Ivysaur suddenly evolving still shocked them no less than it did Samurai.
After all, Gary's own starter Pokémon, Wartortle, had only recently evolved into its final form, Blastoise.
As for his other Pokémon, Fletchling—the one he had remotely obtained from the Kalos region—had only reached its second evolutionary stage as Fletchinder.
Likewise, Green's Flabébé from the Kalos region had only evolved into Floette. Who knew how much longer it would take before it finally became Florges?
Yet Ash's Bulbasaur, which had joined his team later than some of theirs, had quietly caught up and surpassed them, evolving into its final form, Venusaur, after only half a year of training.
Most importantly, Ivysaur belonged merely to Ash's third-tier Pokémon lineup.
Thinking about that, both Gary and Green couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
They now possessed an even clearer understanding of the immense gap between themselves and Ash when it came to talent as Pokémon Trainers.
At the same time, both secretly felt fortunate.
Thankfully, neither of them had devoted themselves entirely to becoming Pokémon Trainers.
Green's primary profession was that of a Pokémon Breeder, with Pokémon Stylist and Makeup Artist as her specialized field.
Meanwhile, besides being a Pokémon Trainer, Gary also pursued the path of a Pokémon Scholar and Researcher.
Had they thrown themselves wholeheartedly into the profession of Pokémon Training alone, facing a monster of talent like Ash would probably have left their confidence utterly shattered.
Ivysaur's evolution progressed remarkably quickly. After only a few minutes, the process was finally complete.
As the brilliant evolutionary light gradually dissipated, it revealed a dramatically transformed Pokémon. Its body had increased severalfold in both size and weight, while the enormous flower blooming upon its back radiated majestic vitality.
Venusaur—the final evolved form of Bulbasaur—had finally been born.
"System, display Venusaur's data." Looking at the newly evolved Venusaur before him, Ash silently issued another command.
[Ding! Scanning target. Please wait...]
[Pokémon: Venusaur]
Level: Lv.38
Ability: Overgrow
HP: 90
Attack: 90
Defense: 90
Special Attack: 120
Special Defense: 120
Speed: 75
Total: 585
Potential: Blue (Perfect) – 61.21%
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