Seeing the unfamiliar Pokémon in front of him, Ash didn't hesitate at all and immediately sent out his strongest Pokémon.
"Go, Pikachu!"
"Pika—Chu!"
Pikachu leapt from Ash's shoulder onto the battlefield.
Crackling sparks burst from its Red cheek pouches—just like Ash, it was fired up and ready to fight.
However—
In stark contrast to their high spirits—
The entire Gym fell into a deathly silence.
Xiaowen and Qiao Yixue stood frozen, identical looks of confusion on their faces.
Gary couldn't help but twitch his lips.
As for Misty and Brock—
They lowered their heads in embarrassment.
Even Red paused for a second before slowly saying:
"As expected of the master of reverse type matchups…"
Meanwhile, the oblivious Ash didn't notice anything strange at all and immediately launched an attack.
"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"
A bolt of golden lightning struck Larvitar directly.
And from start to finish—
Red didn't even bother giving a command.
Electricity crackled—
But Larvitar stood completely unharmed.
"Huh? Why isn't it taking any damage?"
Seeing Ash's confusion, Misty finally snapped:
"Ash, are you an idiot?! When you don't recognize a Pokémon, use your Pokédex to check its type!"
Only then did Ash remember.
"Oh right, I have a Pokédex!"
{Larvitar — Rock/Ground-type Pokémon. It feeds on soil and rock, a true "earth-eater." It is said that only after consuming an entire mountain's worth of material will it evolve into its final form.}
"Oh! It's a Ground-type Pokémon—no wonder Pikachu's attacks didn't work."
"But Gym Leader Red , why is your Larvitar a different color from the one in the Pokédex?"
Red smiled.
"Because mine is a Shiny Pokémon."
"But that's not important—let's continue the battle."
Ash recalled Pikachu without hesitation.
"Come back, Pikachu!"
But the moment Pikachu turned to retreat—
Red gave his first command.
Larvitar opened its mouth—
A dark, sinister energy shot forward and struck Pikachu mid-retreat.
Pursuit!
Against a withdrawing Pokémon, its power doubled.
With a single hit, Pikachu was heavily injured .
On the sidelines, Brock stared at Larvitar in shock.
"My god… I didn't notice earlier—that's a Shiny Larvitar! A Shiny Larvitar!"
"It's worth half my life!"
"If Pewter Gym had one, I'd be smiling in my sleep every night!"
While Brock drooled in envy—
On the battlefield, Ash looked at Pikachu with concern.
"Are you okay, Pikachu?"
Pikachu shook its head, indicating it could still fight.
Ash hesitated briefly, then made his decision.
"Go—Squirtle!"
A Squirtle wearing sunglasses appeared on the battlefield.
"Squirtle, use Water Gun!"
A stream of water shot forward—
But Larvitar didn't even need much direction.
Its short legs moved swiftly, easily dodging the attack.
Facing this "water turtle," Larvitar found it somewhat troublesome.
Red immediately adjusted his strategy.
"Larvitar—Sandstorm."
Larvitar narrowed its eyes.
Grains of sand began to rise, swirling across the battlefield.
Soon, a sandstorm formed.
"What kind of move is this?!"
It had to be said—
Ash at this stage lacked even basic battle knowledge.
Squirtle was blinded by the sand.
Even Ash himself couldn't see Larvitar anymore.
It was as if it had vanished.
Seeing Squirtle frozen without orders, Red commanded:
"Larvitar—Dragon Dance!"
Within the sandstorm, Larvitar began a mysterious dance.
As the dance ended—
A powerful aura surged from its body.
Attack +1. Speed +1.
"Not good! Ash, attack now! Don't let it keep using Dragon Dance!"
Brock stood up and shouted, ignoring battle etiquette.
He knew exactly what would happen if Larvitar stacked it again.
But—
"Larvitar—Dragon Dance."
Red remained unwavering.
Larvitar took a deep breath—
And danced again.
For a Larvitar barely a week old, only level 10—
Even with pseudo-legendary potential—
Stacking two Dragon Dances was an enormous burden.
Even without Brock's warning—
Ash instinctively knew what to do.
"Squirtle, use Water Gun! Don't let it finish!"
The attack hit—
A 4× super-effective strike!
Larvitar was heavily injured instantly.
"Did we stop it?"
Just as Ash and Squirtle relaxed—
Within the sandstorm—
Larvitar, despite its injuries, completed the dance.
Its aura surged again!
Two Dragon Dances stacked—
Its Attack and Speed doubled!
But at the cost of—
Nearly depleted stamina and critically low HP.
Yet Red remained completely calm.
Victory was already in his grasp.
"Larvitar—Rock Slide!"
Larvitar plunged its claws into the rocky field—
With a roar, it lifted a massive boulder twice its size.
With all its strength—
It hurled the rock at Squirtle!
The air shrieked as it tore through.
"Harden! Then retreat into your shell!"
Ash could only brace for impact.
BOOM!!!
The massive rock slammed into Squirtle's shell—
A cracking sound echoed.
Dust and debris exploded everywhere.
"Squirtle!"
Ash shouted in panic.
Squirtle trembled as it crawled out of the rubble—
Only to see—
A small yellow figure standing before it.
Larvitar.
It raised its tiny arm—
And lightly tapped Squirtle's head.
That final blow—
Was the last straw.
"Squirtle is unable to battle! Challenger Ash, send out your next Pokémon."
Gary announced calmly.
Ash lowered his head, hesitated—
Then sent out Bulbasaur.
But against a double-boosted Larvitar—
And Red 's command—
There was only one outcome.
Moments later—
The smoke cleared .
Bulbasaur had also collapsed among the rocks.
Even Brock and Misty couldn't bear to watch anymore.
Ash stood silently, head lowered .
Pikachu stood by his side, equally dejected.
But just when even Pikachu thought it was over—
Ash crouched down and gently patted its head.
A sincere smile appeared on his face.
"Don't look so down, Pikachu."
"We haven't lost yet."
"Don't forget—we're the best team!"
Hearing this—
Pikachu slowly lifted its head.
Its aura surged instantly.
[Ding~ Ash and Pikachu have synchronized their hearts]
[Battle Bond activated]
[Reverse Attribute Master activated]
[Pikachu: Move Power +30%, Stamina +30%]
Hearing the system notification—
Red was momentarily stunned.
Wait… who has the system here? Me or him?!
"Pikachu—Quick Attack!"
As Pikachu dashed forward at high speed—
Red quickly steadied himself and thought:
You're not the only one with cheats…
Viridian Power—activate!
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