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"Is that… a Pokémon from Kanto?"
Dawn stood mesmerized, her fingers trembling slightly as she pulled out her Pokédex to scan the majestic avian hovering above the battlefield.
Pidgeot: The Bird Pokémon. Final evolution of Pidgey. It hunts at a speed of Mach 2, and its massive claws are a fearsome weapon.
"Mach 2…?" Dawn whispered the words, the technicality lost on her, but the sheer aura of the creature was undeniable. She watched, heart hammering against her ribs, as the veteran raptor stared down the continental tortoise.
"Pidgeot, use Air Slash!"
Ash didn't hesitate. He knew the weight behind a Torterra's hide; a direct physical confrontation was a gamble he wasn't ready to take until the giant was softened up.
Pidgeot shrieked, its wings beating with a rhythmic, heavy thrum. Atmospheric pressure began to warp around its feathers, condensing into translucent, razor-sharp blades of air. With a powerful snap of its wings, the blades hissed through the air, tearing toward the ground.
"Seed Machine Gun," Paul countered, his voice like ice.
Torterra didn't move its massive body. It simply opened its maw, unleashing a green-tinted barrage of kinetic seeds. The collision in mid-air was a cacophony of shattering energy. Air met wood, explosions of green and white light illuminating the clearing. While most of the slashes were neutralized, a few grazed Torterra's rocky shell, leaving shallow white marks. The giant didn't even flinch.
"Ash has the momentum again!" Dawn cheered, her blue eyes wide. Beside her, Piplup mimicked her stance, its tiny flippers clenched in excitement.
Brock, however, remained silent, his squinted eyes tracing the subtle shifts in Torterra's weight. "Not yet," he muttered. "Paul is waiting."
"Now—Frenzy Plant!" Paul's voice cracked like a whip.
As Pidgeot dived slightly lower to bank for another pass, Torterra roared, a sound like grinding tectonic plates. It slammed its forelegs into the earth. Massive, thorn-covered roots erupted from the soil, lashing upward with unnatural speed to ensnare the bird.
"Steel Wing!" Ash shouted.
Pidgeot's three-meter wingspan took on a cold, metallic sheen. The bird became a silver blur, its wings acting as industrial saws that sheared through the rising vines. It managed to carve a path to safety, but the sheer density of the Grass-type ultimate move left Pidgeot breathing heavily, its feathers ruffled by the crushing force of the near-miss.
"Finish it—Quick Attack into Steel Wing!"
Ash decided to end the war of attrition. Pidgeot accelerated, the white light of the Quick Attack trailing behind it like a comet's tail. It closed the distance in a heartbeat, silver wings aimed directly at Torterra's neck.
Paul's lips curled into a cold, predatory smile. "You fell for it. Frenzy Plant, second stage."
Instead of attacking Pidgeot, Torterra summoned the vines to wrap around its own body, creating a dense, protective sphere of thorns. Pidgeot's Steel Wing struck the barrier, the sound of metal hitting reinforced wood ringing through the forest. Pidgeot was stuck, its wings momentarily wedged in the thick vegetation.
"Giga Drain," Paul commanded.
Glowing green tendrils snaked out from the sphere, coiling around Pidgeot's neck and wings. Ash watched as the bird's vibrant energy was visibly siphoned away, flowing back into Torterra. The tortoise's wounds began to knit shut, its stamina replenishing as Pidgeot let out a pained cry.
"As expected of Paul," Ash said, a strange, calm smile appearing on his face. "The hits were an invitation. But I know Pidgeot better than you know your own data. Brave Bird!"
The air around Pidgeot didn't just glow—it ignited. A blue-white aura of suicidal intensity erupted from the bird, the sheer pressure of the move causing the Giga Drain vines to shatter like dry glass.
"Pii-geot!"
With a cry that shook the trees, Pidgeot dived. It didn't aim for the shell; it aimed for the soft point beneath Torterra's chin. The impact was tectonic. The 700-pound tortoise was actually lifted off the ground, its massive frame flipping backward into the dirt. A massive explosion of dust and shockwaves flattened the surrounding grass.
When the dust settled, Torterra lay on its back, its eyes swirling in unconsciousness.
"Torterra is unable to battle," Brock announced. "The winner is Ash!"
Paul stood in silence. His perfect record, his calculated data—all of it had been dismantled by a bird from Kanto and a trainer who refused to follow his script. He didn't speak. He recalled Torterra with a cold click of the ball. Then, he took out the Starly he had used in the first round.
He pressed the release button. The bird flew into a nearby tree, confused. "Go. You're useless to me," Paul said, turning his back on the Pokémon.
"What?! How can you just throw it away like that?" Dawn screamed, her face flushed with anger. She had been ready to celebrate, but the sight of Paul discarding a living creature like trash turned her joy into pure disgust.
Paul didn't even look back. He glanced once at Ash—a look of lingering, bitter resentment—and walked away into the shadows of the forest.
"What a hateful guy!" Dawn muttered, her hands balled into fists. "Ash, how can you be so calm about that?"
Ash looked at the released Starly, then at Paul's retreating figure. "He's playing a game, Dawn. He hasn't realized yet that in this world, the 'data' has a heart. He'll learn—or he'll lose."
Brock placed a hand on Ash's shoulder. "He's a different kind of trainer. Not everyone sees the bond the way we do."
Dawn huffed, still visibly upset. "Well, I hate him. Anyway, Ash, that was an amazing win! We're still going to Jubilife, right?"
"Right," Ash said, reclaiming his hat from Aipom. "The first badge is waiting."
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