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"Hurricane!" Ash shouted.
Ash wouldn't make the same mistake twice. By now, Pidgeotto had consumed a lot of energy and was injured. Venomoth, on the other hand, remained virtually unharmed and had absorbed considerable energy through Mega Drain. Ash knew he needed to end this battle quickly.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
From within the dust cloud, a powerful air current suddenly whirled upward. Koga's expression changed as he realized Ash hadn't called for a defensive move but had instead switched tactics. The moment the air flow intensified, the Hurricane picked up the surrounding dust and shot skyward.
Wooosh!
A powerful storm carrying smoke and debris struck Venomoth directly. The Bug Pokémon's compound eyes squinted against the sandstorm-like conditions as the strong air current blew it higher into the air. Seeing his opportunity, Ash seized the moment.
"Pidgeotto, use Aerial Ace!"
Pidgeotto moved with incredible speed, quickly ascending before circling at high velocity and turning back. Silver light streamed from its body as it struck Venomoth head-on.
BOOM!
Venomoth let out a pained cry as its body was thrown backward uncontrollably. The attack was super effective against the Bug/Poison-type. After being pushed back several feet, Venomoth finally stabilized itself.
It shook its head to clear its vision, then looked forward. Ash, determined to secure victory, immediately pressed his advantage.
"Use Steel Wing!"
Pidgeotto spread its wings wide, which began gleaming with metallic luster, then charged directly at Venomoth. Just as Venomoth regained stability, it saw Pidgeotto rushing toward it fiercely.
"Mega Drain!" Koga commanded, his eyes flashing. He knew Pidgeotto had expended significant energy and couldn't hold out much longer.
As Pidgeotto flew straight at his Pokémon, Venomoth activated Mega Drain once more. Ash didn't react to this, keeping his eyes fixed firmly on the battlefield. Undeterred, Pidgeotto continued its forward sprint, even as the energy-draining move enveloped its body.
Tssssss!
Pidgeotto felt its energy being continuously sapped away, but gritted its beak and pushed onward toward Venomoth. This was a desperate, all-or-nothing attack.
BOOM!
Despite the draining effects of Mega Drain, Pidgeotto collided head-on with Venomoth. The impact created an explosion of force, instantly spreading smoke throughout the air. Everyone watched nervously as the cloud obscured the battlers.
"What?!" Koga exclaimed, surprised that even while affected by Mega Drain, Pidgeotto had still charged forward fearlessly. This desperate fighting style genuinely impressed him.
As a Ninja, Koga understood commitment. Though ninjas had gradually declined in this era, a true ninja would only accept death if they failed their mission. Ash and Pidgeotto's fighting spirit resonated with this ninja creed, though in a different way.
From within the smoke, two figures fell simultaneously—Pidgeotto and Venomoth both dropped to the ground at the same time.
Both Pokémon lay with their eyes closed, seemingly in identical conditions, both apparently having lost the ability to battle. Aya, serving as referee, observed the situation carefully. Just as she was about to announce the result...
Venomoth suddenly opened its eyes. It struggled to support its body and stood up, then flapped its wings with difficulty, gradually ascending. Flying appeared challenging, but at least it could still move.
On the other side, Pidgeotto remained motionless. Misty and Brock watched in surprise.
"Pidgeotto is unable to battle! Venomoth wins!" Aya immediately announced.
"How is that possible? I thought Pidgeotto's Steel Wing connected!" Misty said incredulously. "Venomoth took a Steel Wing head-on but didn't faint, while Pidgeotto went down?"
"No, the Steel Wing did connect, but... Koga had a countermeasure ready," Ash said, shaking his head slightly. The explosion that occurred upon impact had created smoke that made it difficult to see what happened, but Ash had caught it.
"What?" Misty and Brock looked surprised at Ash's words.
"Impressive, Ash. Your insight is quite remarkable!" Koga said appreciatively, further confusing Misty and Brock.
"The Steel Wing was effective, but just before contact, Venomoth also made its move," Ash explained, having seen clearly what happened despite the smoke. "When Steel Wing was about to hit, Koga's Venomoth used Struggle Bug, which blocked most of Steel Wing's damage."
Ash described what he had witnessed. Just before impact, Venomoth had emitted a dark green light that wasn't obvious because it was partially concealed by the glow of Mega Drain. Those dark green lights formed energy particles that bounced around as Venomoth fluttered its wings. While the Steel Wing appeared to hit Venomoth directly, it actually collided with the energy field created by Struggle Bug.
That explained the explosion. At such close range, the collision of both Pokémon's moves had caused damage to both sides. However, Venomoth, having absorbed energy twice through Mega Drain, was in much better condition than Pidgeotto, allowing it to withstand the explosive impact of the final exchange.
"That you were able to notice that, Ash... you truly are extraordinary," Koga said. He had already praised Ash multiple times today, acknowledging that ordinary Trainers would never have perceived what happened.
"Not at all. The fact that you could measure the situation and launch a timely counterattack shows how powerful you are, Koga," Ash responded. The Gym Leader before him was definitely among the strongest opponents he had ever faced—certainly the most formidable Gym Leader he had challenged so far.
"So what will you do next, Ash?" Koga asked with a smile, not bothering with further pleasantries.
Without saying much, Ash took out Pidgeotto's Poké Ball and recalled his fallen Pokémon.
"Thank you for your hard work, Pidgeotto. I'll leave the rest to the others!"
"If I remember correctly, this seems to be the first time I've seen Ash lose in the first round of a Gym challenge," Misty said worriedly. Until now, Ash had never lost the opening battle in any of his Gym challenges.
Koga's strength was not to be underestimated. For the first time, Ash had suffered a defeat at the start of a Gym battle.