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After comforting Pidgeotto, Ash put away the Poké Ball and took out another one.
"It's all up to you now! Let's go!" Ash looked at the Poké Ball, placing all his hopes in it, then threw it without hesitation.
ROAR!!!
As the Poké Ball opened, a flash of light emerged, but before it even dissipated, a powerful roar echoed throughout the arena, sending waves of air in all directions.
Koga squinted his eyes, watching as the light gradually faded to reveal a fiery red figure before him. The Pokémon had sharp, penetrating eyes and slightly raised claws. Its long tail swung back and forth, the flame at its tip burning brightly.
"A Fire-type against Venomoth?" Koga's eyes narrowed slightly. Venomoth was at a type disadvantage against Charmeleon. However, while Charmeleon had the type advantage, Venomoth had the advantage of flight.
Charmeleon's disadvantage was that it couldn't fly—unless it could somehow evolve right now, like Koga's Venonat had.
"The second battle begins!" Aya announced.
"Venomoth, use Confusion!" This time, Koga decided to take the initiative.
His plan was to use Confusion to disorient Charmeleon first, then follow up with a powerful attack. After all, even though Venomoth had just defeated Pidgeotto, it had expended considerable energy.
If Confusion worked, Koga could exploit the opening and then use Mega Drain to restore Venomoth's health. This was the battle plan he'd quickly formulated.
Upon hearing its Trainer's command, Venomoth's eyes glowed blue, and an invisible psychic force spread outward, heading directly toward Charmeleon. Ash didn't react at all, and Charmeleon remained motionless.
BOOM!!!
Soon, Charmeleon's body was enveloped in a blue energy field.
"Perfect, just as planned!" Koga thought to himself.
"Venomoth, throw Charmeleon away!"
As Confusion gripped Charmeleon, Koga issued his next command. Venomoth responded with a strained cry as it attempted to execute the move. However, what happened next was astonishing...
Venomoth continued making sounds of exertion, but Charmeleon simply stood there on the battlefield. Although caught in the grip of Confusion, its body remained as immovable as a mountain—like a heavy Rock-type Pokémon.
"How is that possible?" Even Koga was shocked. Charmeleon was caught by Confusion yet remained unmoved.
"My Charmeleon's willpower is stronger than anyone else's!" Ash declared calmly.
Since experiencing a certain incident, Charmeleon had developed iron-clad determination. Its physical strength had also been honed to the point where it could withstand many external forces.
Confusion relied on psychic power to suppress an opponent's mind, gradually causing them to lose bodily control. But Charmeleon had been well-trained in both mental and physical strength.
Moreover, Venomoth, despite being able to use psychic techniques, wasn't actually a Psychic-type Pokémon. Additionally, the previous battle had consumed most of its energy. As physical stamina diminished, mental strength would naturally decrease as well.
With its psychic power weakened, Venomoth had lost the potency it possessed at the beginning of the battle and couldn't control Charmeleon.
"Charmeleon, use Thunder Punch!" Ash, not wasting any more time, issued his command.
"Quick, Venomoth, ascend!" Koga abandoned his previous plan, focusing now on avoiding Charmeleon's attack. Seeing this, Venomoth released its Confusion and prepared to rise into the air, however...
WHOOSH!!!
Venomoth's eyes widened in shock as a figure suddenly appeared before it. Somehow, Charmeleon had leaped right in front of Venomoth.
Venomoth had been injured in its previous battle with Pidgeotto, slowing its movements considerably. Charmeleon, however, displayed astonishing speed. While its jumping ability wasn't as impressive as Pokémon like Blaziken, it was still more than enough to reach Venomoth at its current height.
"So fast!!" Koga hadn't expected such speed from Charmeleon.
At that moment, it was too late to react. A dazzling light emanated from Charmeleon's fist, crackling with violent electricity.
POW!!!
Charmeleon's fist connected with Venomoth mid-air. The Bug Pokémon let out a cry of pain as electricity coursed through its body, and the impact sent it flying backward.
CRASH!!!
Venomoth slammed into the ground, electricity still sparking all over its body. The impact created an explosion of dust and debris. Meanwhile, Charmeleon also dropped to the ground from its jump, but remained completely alert.
Koga frowned as he surveyed the battlefield.
As the smoke gradually cleared, a deep crater became visible in the ground. Venomoth lay motionless at the bottom, unconscious, with electrical currents still occasionally flowing across its body.
"Venomoth is unable to battle! Charmeleon wins!" Aya exclaimed in shock before quickly announcing the result.
As Koga's sister, she naturally knew that her brother's Venomoth had been weakened in the previous battle, but she hadn't expected it to be defeated so easily. She looked at Ash's Charmeleon with amazement.
"Return, Venomoth! Thank you for your hard work!"
Koga took out Venomoth's Poké Ball and recalled his fallen Pokémon, whispering something to the ball before putting it away.
Then, he raised his head and studied the Charmeleon before him. The Fire-type's resolute eyes showed no hesitation or fear, which gave Koga pause. No wonder it had been able to resist Confusion.
"I see now. This Charmeleon is quite powerful! I notice something special in its eyes. Something significant must have happened between you and this Charmeleon. Your bond is remarkably strong!"
Koga's perception was keen. Looking into Charmeleon's eyes, he could sense that this was a Pokémon with a history, and he could feel the profound connection between it and Ash.
"That's right," Ash replied. "Charmeleon and I have been through a lot together. That's why we've been able to keep getting stronger until now!"