Chapter 242: Paul VS Ash (Part 4) – Easy to Enter, Hard to Escape

"Pikachu, pull yourself together! Use Thunderbolt and wipe out every one of Froslass' illusions!"

Ash knew well just how dangerous Froslass' tactics could be.

If they didn't counter her soon, Pikachu might lose the strength to fight back altogether.

Against a strategy like Froslass', Ash figured that as long as Pikachu's attack had a wide enough range to engulf all of the phantoms, they'd be able to hit the real Froslass. Once her Illusion Veil broke, a follow-up move would be enough to secure the win.

"Pika—chuuuu!"

"Pika—chuuuu!"

With each fierce cry, Pikachu unleashed terrifying bolts of lightning that shot out in every direction.

The entire battlefield was engulfed in a web of thunder. All the ghostly apparitions were instantly wiped out—but the real Froslass remained nowhere to be found.

Unseen by anyone, Froslass had cloaked her true body using a powerful illusion, blending seamlessly into the environment. Wisps of Will-O-Wisp circled protectively around her, neutralizing every surge of electricity that came her way.

Ash and Pikachu remained unaware of this.

Ash was focused, scanning the battlefield in an attempt to locate Froslass' hiding place, while Pikachu—already strained—had to fend off attacks and launch his own at the same time, trying to force her out of hiding.

It wasn't long before Pikachu, breathing heavily, had to stop discharging electricity. He panted, eyes alert, and fully on guard.

But the next moment, the ghostly phantoms that had just been scattered suddenly reappeared from out of nowhere, wailing and howling, tormenting Pikachu once again.

"Now—got it!"

As Pikachu tried to zap the ghosts again in frustration, Froslass' form suddenly materialized right in front of him. With a flick of her hand, the rotating rings of ghostly fire around her spiraled forward, locking around Pikachu in a single fluid motion.

"Pika—chu!"

Startled, Pikachu instinctively launched another Thunderbolt.

But the moment the electricity surged forth, the ghostly rings encasing his body absorbed the energy completely, blocking it out entirely. Not a single spark touched Froslass.

Pikachu's eyes widened in alarm. He tried to retreat, but before he could react—

Froslass' cold and delicate, almost boneless hands gently pressed against his face.

"Charm."

On Paul's command, pink hearts shimmered from Froslass' eyes, drifting toward Pikachu and landing squarely on him.

His expression went blank for a beat—then two massive hearts gleamed in his eyes.

In that moment, Froslass became the most dazzling being Pikachu had ever seen. The more he stared, the more entranced he became.

"Pikachu, snap out of it! Use Iron Tail, quick!"

From outside the field, Ash shouted desperately, hoping to stun Pikachu into action.

But Pikachu, caught in the height of infatuation from the move Charm, was completely love-struck—unable to hear his Trainer's voice at all.

As a result, Iron Tail failed to execute.

"Psychic!"

Paul, alerted by Ash's frantic yell, instinctively sensed something was off. Not wanting to drag things out, he gave the order at once.

Froslass' eyes flashed with a cold blue light as her psychic energy surged. With precise control, she shattered the ghostly halo of Will-O-Wisp into its raw spectral flames, which landed directly on Pikachu—inflicting a burn.

At the same time, she used Psychic to lift Pikachu into the air, binding it while dealing continuous damage.

Under normal circumstances, Pikachu's strength would have been enough to break free easily. But now, entranced and burned, he had neither the will nor the desire to attack Froslass—much less the strength to resist.

All it could do was take the full brunt of the Psychic assault.

"Double Team." Paul commanded coldly.

While still holding Pikachu in place, Froslass summoned a dozen ghostly orbs, each radiating a deep violet shade, and hurled them all at her opponent.

"Pikachu! Snap out of it—use Volt Tackle!"

Amid the haze of confusion, Pikachu faintly heard Ash's voice. In the next instant, clarity returned to its eyes. Electricity burst forth from its body in a torrent of golden lightning. The ghostly orbs hadn't yet landed when they were completely dissolved by the surging electric energy.

With a sudden leap midair, Pikachu launched itself directly at Froslass like a living thunderbolt.

"Aurora Veil!"

Paul issued the next command without hesitation.

In real-world battles, Charm was far more potent than it appeared in the games, but it wasn't unbreakable.

Even under infatuation, a Pokémon wasn't necessarily left totally defenseless.

So despite having charmed and burned her opponent, Froslass remained vigilant. The moment Pikachu lunged, she conjured a shimmering Aurora Veil before her.

Weakened by Charm and its lingering burn, Pikachu's tackle—though dramatic in appearance—had lost most of its force. The Aurora Veil absorbed the brunt of the attack, leaving Froslass virtually unscathed.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

Catching on quickly, Ash called out.

As soon as Pikachu landed, it unleashed a second attack—this time a direct Thunderbolt aimed at Froslass.

"Will-o-Wisp Halo."

But Froslass, unfazed, conjured a ghostly dual halo—one from Will-O-Wisp and the other from Psychic energy. The glowing rings spun protectively around her, intercepting and neutralizing the incoming electric current.

Realizing Thunderbolt had no effect, Pikachu found the momentum shifting. Now it was Froslass' turn to strike.

"Double Team!"

With a graceful motion, Froslass summoned multiple spheres of cursed flame twisted Will-O-Wisps that floated ominously before surging straight for Pikachu.

"Pikachu, Agility!"

Pikachu darted into motion, his form becoming a blur as he weaved between the ghostly embers. Every dodge was precise, the opening for a counterattack nearly in reach.

But Paul was relentless.

"Blizzard!"

Under snowy battlefield conditions, Blizzard gained enhanced power and accuracy—once unleashed, it covered the entire arena in a relentless storm of ice and wind. There was no escaping it.

As if on instinct, Froslass vanished into the snowdrifts, soaring skyward to widen the gap between her and Pikachu. She made no move to approach—only to dominate from afar.

Then came the storm.

A savage Blizzard crashed down from the heavens, swallowing the field in a whiteout of howling winds and freezing cold.

Ash's Pikachu was undeniably strong—on par, perhaps even stronger than Red's round-cheeked partner under equal conditions.

But strength wasn't the issue.

Pikachu was, to put it bluntly… a little too straightforward. In this match, that was a problem.

Sure, he had mastered a variety of powerful Electric-type techniques. His Iron Tail in particular was devastating, almost like a dragon-slaying blade. But beyond that, his move pool was limited.

In terms of utility, Pikachu only knew Agility and Double Team—two speed-based techniques with little versatility. He hadn't learned Magnet Rise, nor did he possess guaranteed-hit moves like Swift or Shock Wave.

Given that, unless Froslass made a mistake, all she had to do was maintain distance, chip away, and disrupt. The longer the battle dragged on, the slimmer Pikachu's chances became.

And indeed, that's exactly what happened.

Pikachu, caught in the raging Blizzard, seemed like a candle flickering in the wind—gradually weakening with each passing second.

Even with Ash's desperate encouragement urging him into a surge of determination, Pikachu couldn't land any meaningful damage on a Froslass fortified by the triad of Will-o-Wisp Halo, Aurora Veil, and Protect.

"Pikachu, return!"

Ash tried to recall Pikachu, hoping to switch out.

But at this time, the downside of Pikachu's usual preference for staying out of his Poké Ball and Ash's accommodation of that finally showed.

It was easy to enter the field… but difficult to leave.

"Pika…"

Pikachu cried out in distress. It was just about to dash back through the blizzard toward the sidelines when a surge of powerful psychic energy gripped its body and flung it back into the battlefield, completely immobilized.

"When it rains, it pours!"

At once, eerie orbs of energy emerged from the snowstorm, swarming toward Pikachu like a plague.

"Thunderbolt, now!" Ash shouted.

"Pika—chuuu!"

Pikachu unleashed a blast of electricity to disperse the ominous attack, but in the very instant it managed to repel the onslaught, a second psychic wave slammed into its body with brutal force.

Psychic!

"Pikaaa!!"

Pikachu let out a sharp, agonized cry as its entire body contorted in pain. Its Special Defense had dropped to critically low levels.

It had held on in this blizzard for as long as it could—its efforts had been nothing short of heroic. But this final Psychic was just too much. Pikachu no longer had the strength to fight back.

And so, the moment Froslass ended the attack, Pikachu collapsed onto the snow-covered battlefield, unable to continue.

"Pikachu is unable to battle. Froslass wins."

"Pikachu!"

Ash ran onto the field and picked up his partner into his arms.

"Pi…ka…"

Pikachu barely managed to open its eyes, letting out a weak strained call.

"You did your best. Get some rest."

Ash's face showed no trace of disappointment. Instead, his voice was gentle as he comforted Pikachu. He slowly walked to the edge of the arena and handed his partner off to Dragonite.

"I'm counting on you to take care of Pikachu, Dragonite."

"Fwooo~"

With a soft response, Dragonite immediately hugged Pikachu tightly, wrapping it in the warmth of its dragon embrace—reassuring and kind, like a hug from a gentle giant.

"Eeno~"

Froslass then calmed the snowy weather and silently floated back to Paul's side.

It understood. Its role in this battle was complete.

From the beginning, Paul had no intention of using the same Pokémon throughout his battle with Ash.

In a real match, you don't get to come and go from the field whenever you like.

(End of Chapter)

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