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"A frontal charge? Your momentum is good, but it won't work against my Venomoth. Use Stun Spore!"
Koga smiled slightly at Ash's opening attack. It was clear that Ash was merely testing his opponent, but Koga was eager to see the young trainer fight with his full strength.
Despite Pidgeotto's impressive Quick Attack speed, Venomoth expertly shifted its body at the last moment, causing Pidgeotto to miss completely. While evading, Venomoth soared upward, spun around, and flapped its wings vigorously. A cloud of orange-yellow powder dispersed from its wings, spreading downward toward Pidgeotto like a falling net.
Pidgeotto, now flying at low altitude after its missed attack, looked up to see the Stun Spore descending upon it.
"Pidgeotto, use Gust!" Ash commanded quickly.
Responding immediately, Pidgeotto flapped its wings powerfully, creating a strong hurricane that surged upward, attempting to blow away the paralyzing powder.
"It's useless!" Koga declared calmly, maintaining his composed stance with arms crossed over his chest.
Though Pidgeotto's Gust attack managed to disrupt much of the Stun Spore, Venomoth continued flapping its wings, releasing increasingly thick clouds of paralyzing powder. The spores overflowed from both sides of the windstream, continuing their descent toward Pidgeotto.
Ash frowned slightly at this development, while Misty and Brock watched with worried expressions.
"What will you do now, Ash?" Though Koga remained silent, his eyes were fixed on Ash, eager to see what creative strategy the boy would employ.
"Pidgeotto, use Sand-Attack on the ground!" Ash called out, maintaining his composure despite the challenging situation.
With a shrill cry, Pidgeotto quickly pivoted and directed its wings toward the battlefield floor. The powerful wingbeats struck the ground, instantly kicking up a massive cloud of dust that rushed upward into the air.
The swirling dust collided with the descending Stun Spore, effectively merging with and neutralizing the paralyzing powder.
"Excellent defense!" Koga remarked, his excitement growing. "But how will you attack?"
"Now, Aerial Ace!" Ash commanded.
The battlefield was now obscured by the swirling sand and dust, with Pidgeotto concealed within it. Though the dust affected visibility, Pidgeotto's naturally sharp eyesight allowed it to see clearly despite the conditions.
With a powerful cry, Pidgeotto shot through the dust cloud, its body surrounded by streaks of silver light as it circled around before darting precisely toward Venomoth's position. Aerial Ace was a move that never missed its target, regardless of visibility conditions.
"Using Sand-Attack to block the Stun Spore while simultaneously creating cover for a counterattack? What brilliant coordination, Ash!"
"But Venomoth has more tricks! Venomoth, use Confusion!" Koga ordered, his eyes gleaming with admiration before turning serious.
Venomoth's eyes flashed brilliantly as a wave of blue psychic energy spread outward, enveloping Pidgeotto mid-flight. Despite the speed of Aerial Ace, Pidgeotto's momentum slowed dramatically as the psychic force took hold.
Pidgeotto struggled against the psychic grip, but even with its aerial prowess, it couldn't overcome Venomoth's Confusion attack.
BOOM!
With a loud crash, the energy of Aerial Ace dissipated, and Pidgeotto's movements froze in midair. As Venomoth intensified its psychic assault, Pidgeotto plummeted from the sky, slamming hard into the ground and raising another cloud of dust.
Pidgeotto let out a pained cry as it struggled to recover. Ash's frown deepened, but Koga was already pressing his advantage.
"Venomoth, Mega Drain now!"
Venomoth's body emitted a vibrant green light that shot toward the grounded Pidgeotto, connecting the two Pokémon with a glowing energy stream. Venomoth's eyes flashed green as particles of energy began flowing from Pidgeotto's body into Venomoth's, steadily draining Pidgeotto's strength and replenishing Venomoth's.
"This doesn't look good," Brock muttered, wiping nervous sweat from his forehead. "After evolving, Venomoth's power and abilities have increased significantly."
"I didn't expect it to know Psychic-type moves too," Misty added worriedly. "What can Ash do now?"
The situation had become precarious. Despite Pidgeotto having a type advantage over the Bug/Poison-type Venomoth, the moth Pokémon's ability to fly neutralized much of that advantage. Combined with its unexpected psychic abilities, Venomoth was proving to be a formidable opponent.
"Even with the type advantage, Pidgeotto might be outmatched here!" Brock observed.
"What will you do now, Ash?" Koga thought to himself, watching the scene intently.
"Pidgeotto, hit the ground with Steel Wing!" Ash called out.
Though continuously weakened by Mega Drain, Pidgeotto could still move and recognized the danger it faced. Responding to Ash's command, Pidgeotto's wings took on a metallic sheen before slamming powerfully into the ground.
BOOM!
The impact sent vibrations through the battlefield as another explosion of dust erupted. The forceful wingbeat created a powerful shockwave that disrupted the energy connection of Mega Drain, freeing Pidgeotto from its effects.
"As I expected from you, Ash," Koga acknowledged. "But what's your next move? The same strategy won't work twice."
Koga remained unfazed by this development. The situation mirrored their earlier exchange—Pidgeotto was once again shrouded in dust for protection. But Koga knew that approaching Venomoth directly would be futile now that they'd seen Venomoth's Confusion attack could stop Pidgeotto in its tracks.