9. First Battle

"Ah!! What is he going to do?" one of the staff members asked in surprise upon seeing this.

"I... I think he's trying to use the jungle terrain to his advantage! Although Fearow is fast in the air, it's also quite large, and flying through the jungle will be much harder," another staff member mused, rubbing his chin as he tried to guess what Ash was planning.

"It's too risky! I'll follow him. You take this girl back to the camp!" one staff member said worriedly.

"No... no, I'm coming with you too!" Serena shouted firmly after hearing this. Though she was scared, her concern for Ash was even greater.

The two staff members frowned slightly, looked at each other, and then nodded. The reinforcements would arrive soon. One squatted down and carried Serena on his back, and then they both followed into the forest.

Ash ran into the forest with the two Growlithes. They dashed forward, and Ash glanced behind them. Fearow led the chase with the flock of Spearows following, but their speed was reduced due to the dense forest.

However, they were still fast. This was their home turf, and it was only a matter of time before they caught up. Spearows, being smaller and more agile, were more adept at navigating the forest than Fearow.

"It's good, they're catching up. I can continue my plan.!"

From the beginning, the Ember wasn't meant to defeat Fearow; it was just to draw attention, and Fearow wouldn't let their taunts go unanswered.

Fire types don't have an advantage over Flying and Normal types, so using the low-level Growlithe to defeat Fearow was unrealistic. They had to use other methods.

Hum! ! !

While chasing, Fearow seemed to realize the terrain was a disadvantage and opened its beak to gather energy again. Ash heard the sound and turned around; the Hyper Beam was aimed right at them.

Boom! ! ! !

"Separate!!" Ash shouted immediately.

The two Growlithes, well-coordinated with Ash, instantly understood and split to the left and right. Ash himself slowed down and dropped to the ground. The Hyper Beam blasted over his head.

The immense force caused the trees ahead to fall, and a terrifying path was carved into the ground. Seeing this, Ash quickly got up and continued running forward.

"Now, Growlithe, use Flame Wheel!"

As Ash got up and continued running, he gave instructions to the two Growlithes. They charged forward, opening their mouths as flames burst out. Lowering their heads, the flames enveloped their bodies, forming two fire wheels.

"Let's go!!"

Bang bang bang! ! ! !

Following Ash's order, the Growlithe didn't need explicit directions. It seemed they could understand Ash's intentions through some mental connection.

The two Growlithe used Flame Wheel, acting according to Ash's inner thoughts, and tackled the trees on both sides with great force and the power of flames. The trees collapsed continuously, creating a path. Ash followed closely, running swiftly between the falling trees. Fearow continued to chase them.

The two Growlithes, acting on Ash's inner thoughts, used Flame Wheel and tackled the trees on both sides. The combination of their strength and the power of the flames caused the trees to fall continuously. Ash ran swiftly in the middle of the falling trees, with Fearow still chasing after him.

However, Fearow was inflexible in such terrain. Additionally, after using Hyper Beam, its movements were slower due to the attack's recoil. Therefore, the trees fell on top of the Fearow who was after Ash.

Bang bang bang! ! !

Five or six trees fell on the Fearow simultaneously. Fearow rushed forward just as the trees crashed down, slamming it hard to the ground. A heavy sound echoed, and dust filled the surroundings. The flock of Spearows following behind was startled and stopped chasing, lost without their leader, and hovered in the air, confused.

"Good job!" Ash exclaimed, getting up quickly. The two Growlithes also came to his side, looking at the ruins ahead. Ash was feeling extremely excited. He had played many Pokémon games, but this was the first time he had actually commanded a Pokémon in a real battle. His heart raced with excitement.

Woof! !

The two Growlithes barked excitedly, and Ash added, "Don't get careless yet. The Fearow might not be defeated. Stay alert and seize the opportunity to defeat him." He gestured toward the ruins.

The two Growlithes turned seriously toward the direction of the ruins. Suddenly, a loud noise came from the pile of fallen trees.

Boom! ! !

An astonishing force was released, and a purple ray shot into the sky, piercing through the forest canopy.

"Here it comes!" Ash clenched his fists.

. . . . .

"That... that is!!" At this moment, Serena and the two staff members noticed the Hyper Beam piercing the sky.

Not only them, but also the other staff searching for Ash in the camp and the forest noticed it and rushed toward the source.

Ga! ! ! !

The surrounding areas were blasted apart by the energy of the Hyper Beam, and Fearow flew out of the debris, its wings flapping. Visible injuries marked its body, but this only enraged it further.

"It's now, use Fire spin!!" Ash commanded, knowing Fearow couldn't attack right after using Hyper Beam. This was their chance.

Wang! !

Boom! ! !

The two Growlithes launched their attack simultaneously, releasing whirlpools of flames from their mouths. The flames collided and fused together, creating a powerful fire tornado.

The fire spin attack, though individually not as powerful as Flamethrower, when combined turns into a force comparable to it. The fire tornado attack surged toward Fearow.