Chapter 371 · Ash vs. Flannery

"What?! Ash, you don't want to battle me?" Flannery blinked, stunned. She had been looking forward to this match for days.

Ash's request to battle her grandfather instead made her feel as though something precious had been snatched away.

"I do want to battle you, Miss Flannery," Ash said quickly, "but I'd like to test myself against Mr. Moore even more."

Flannery fumed. Ash could be such a jerk sometimes.

"Ash, you should face Flannery first," Mr. Moore advised. "She's no novice—and you can battle me afterward in private, if you wish."

"All right, that's fair," Ash agreed. A chance to battle a former Elite Four member was rare—he wasn't going to waste it.

"Very well," Moore declared. "Flannery, Ash—take your positions!"

Ash and Flannery stepped into their respective trainer boxes while Moore climbed onto the referee's platform.

"The official Gym battle between Acting Gym Leader Flannery and challenger Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town will now begin!" Moore announced.

"Grandpa, the word 'acting' isn't necessary," Flannery muttered under her breath.

"Referees are to be addressed properly," Moore scolded. "During this battle, I am not your grandfather."

"Understood," Flannery replied, swallowing her annoyance.

"Each side will use three Pokémon. Only the challenger may make substitutions. Do both trainers understand the rules?"

"We understand," the two answered in unison.

"Then—begin!"

Flannery threw her first Poké Ball. "Go, Mag!"

FWIP!

[Lv. 38 Slugma ♂ / Elite]

Her Slugma, Mag, was not only a high-level Pokémon but had strong potential. It was at the cusp of evolution—likely to become a Magcargo at any time.

"Corphish, you take the lead!" Ash called, tossing his Poké Ball.

FWIP!

[Lv. 34 Corphish ♂ / Quasi-Elite]

This time Ash didn't make a rookie mistake—he sent out a Water-type.

The battle opened with Mag unleashing a Flamethrower. Corphish braced itself with Harden, then countered with Bubble Beam.

Slugma, far too slow to dodge, took the attack head-on and suffered heavy damage.

Before Ash could press the advantage, Slugma's body glowed white.

"It's evolving?!" Brock gasped.

May and Max watched in awe as the molten slug transformed. When the light faded, a Magcargo stood there, its fiery, rock-like shell gleaming.

"Great timing!" Flannery grinned. She had been expecting this but didn't know it would happen during the match.

[Lv. 38 Magcargo ♂ / Elite]

Moore, however, frowned slightly. Against Corphish, this was a risky evolution.

As Slugma, it was pure Fire-type—Water-type moves were doubly effective.

But as Magcargo, now Fire/Rock, Water attacks would deal four times the damage.

"Interesting timing," Moore murmured. "Water moves are four times effective now."

Ash didn't hesitate. "Corphish, Crabhammer!"

Magcargo hastily tried to raise Reflect and summoned a Sandstorm for cover, but Corphish leapt above the swirling grit and slammed its glowing claw down hard. Magcargo collapsed, defeated.

"Magcargo is unable to battle! Corphish wins!" Moore declared.

Flannery recalled her Pokémon. "Meg, it's your turn!"

FWIP!

[Lv. 35 Slugma ♀ / Quasi-Elite]

Flannery sent out another Slugma. She had bred two Lava Pokémon.

Gary, observing from the sidelines, was puzzled. With all the Hoenn Fire-types available, why had she raised two Kanto-region Slugma instead?

Ash decided to switch. "Treecko, I choose you!"

FWIP!

[Lv. 26 Treecko ♂ / Elite]

May and Max were surprised. Brock smiled knowingly.

"Ha, typical Ash," Brock chuckled.

The battle began. Treecko darted forward with Quick Attack, but Meg threw up a Smoke Screen, then followed with Yawn. Treecko's eyelids began to droop.

Ash quickly recalled him before he could fall asleep and sent Corphish back out.

The lingering smoke made it hard for Corphish to aim, and Meg pelted it with Flamethrower. Corphish endured the flames but was visibly worn down.

"That Corphish would taste great with thirteen spices," Gary muttered dryly, earning a sharp glare from May.

Ash, seeing Corphish struggling, returned it to its Poké Ball. "Pikachu, your turn!"

FWIP!

[Lv. 59 Pikachu ♂ / Champion]

A fierce Thunderbolt tore through the haze and struck Meg squarely, knocking her out cold.

"Slugma is unable to battle! Pikachu wins!" Moore announced.

Flannery sent out her final Pokémon. "Torkoal, I'm counting on you!"

FWIP!

[Lv. 40 Torkoal ♂ / Elite]

The coal tortoise stomped the ground, absorbing static electricity into its tough shell. Pikachu, already fatigued from previous battles, struggled against Torkoal's defense and was eventually brought down by a combination of Mud Bomb and Overheat.

Gary shook his head, unsure how to evaluate Pikachu's performance.

Objectively, a Level 59 Pikachu could have steamrolled Flannery's entire team. But watching Pikachu lose made Gary suspicious.

He observed closely and realized: Pikachu was acting.

Sure enough, when Ash scooped Pikachu up afterward, the Electric-type quickly regained consciousness. No truly fainted Pokémon would recover that fast.

Pikachu: "You know nothing. I'm helping Ash train his other Pokémon. Didn't you see what I did at the Gym? If I got serious, I'd wipe out ten Pokémon in ten moves."

Ash recalled Pikachu and sent Treecko back in. But one Overheat from Torkoal overwhelmed the exhausted Grass-type.

Now only Corphish remained.

Ash clenched his fist. "Buddy, it's all up to you!"

Corphish reentered the field—shell scorched, but spirit unbroken. It dodged another Overheat, braced with Harden, and struck with a point-blank Crabhammer.

The super-effective blow cracked Torkoal's shell and sent the Fire-type crashing to the ground.

"Torkoal is unable to battle! Corphish wins! Victory goes to Ash Ketchum!" Moore announced.