"The rules of the match are as follows: Three-on-three! The Gym Leader may not switch Pokémon during the battle, while the challenger is allowed to change after each round!"
Standing between Ash and Mizuharu on the Cerulean Gym battlefield, Peony clearly explained the rules.
The Cerulean Gym truly lived up to its name as a Water-type Gym. Even the battlefield was a massive swimming pool—far larger than the one where the Sensational Sisters performed their water shows. The facilities were pristine, well-maintained. Mizuharu clearly took good care of the place. Not bad at all.
"Ash, show me just how strong you've become!" Mizuharu called out after confirming the rules. He then tossed out a standard Poké Ball. With a flash of white light, a heavily armored Pokémon wrapped in purple plating appeared in front of Ash.
"System, pull up the data for me."
Ash spoke inwardly, activating his system. His red eyes flickered with data overlays, and in moments, detailed information about the opponent's Pokémon surfaced in his mind.
Ding~!
Name: Cloyster
Level: Late Champion Stage
Ability: Shell Armor
Type: Water/Ice
Potential: 100% (58% unlocked)
"A Cloyster, huh? Arcanine, you're up!"
After analyzing the data, Ash made his choice. That morning, after a full rest, he'd put Growlithe through intense training using his Tsukuyomi space. The effort had paid off. His loyal Growlithe had evolved into a majestic Arcanine.
Ding~!
Name: Arcanine
Level: Mid Quasi-Elite tier
Abilities: Intimidate / Flash Fire
Type: Fire
Potential: 100% (47% unlocked)
"This could be a real battle…"
Ash grinned. The skills Arcanine had learned through Tsukuyomi might just give him the edge.
He had originally intended to use Pidgeotto, but its current strength wasn't sufficient for this match. After this Gym challenge, Ash planned to send it into the Tsukuyomi space for specialized training.
Right now, his use of the Sharingan was rapidly draining his stamina. But with abilities like Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu, it was hard to resist. Luckily, those techniques didn't completely drain his vision—yet.
"So that's Arcanine… It really is the Growlithe Garan mentioned. And it's already reached mid Quasi-Elite level!"
Mizuharu's eyes shone with a flicker of admiration. As a Gym Leader himself, he knew how difficult it was to raise a Pokémon to that level.
"Arcanine, Flamethrower—Big Fireball version!" Ash commanded.
Arcanine opened its jaws and launched a blazing fireball nearly five meters wide straight at Cloyster.
"A custom technique. It's slower than a standard Flamethrower, but clearly far more destructive."
Mizuharu analyzed the move immediately, weighing its strengths and weaknesses like a seasoned battler.
"Cloyster, dive!"
Mizuharu gave his command without hesitation. Although Cloyster wasn't built purely for defense, its Water/Ice typing gave it some clear advantages.
"Just as I thought. Cloyster's movement is limited on land. It'll either hide underwater or rely on Protect. Arcanine, use Ash Cloud! Trap it!"
Ash's lips curled slightly as he watched Cloyster disappear into the water.
The pool battlefield definitely put Arcanine at a disadvantage in terms of mobility. It could only leap across floating platforms to move.
But it had its own strategies.
Upon hearing the command, Arcanine exhaled a thick gray smoke that quickly shrouded the surface of the pool. Once Cloyster emerged again, Ash planned to trigger the smoke to ignite—turning it into a blazing trap.
"Ash Cloud? Is that the custom move Garan mentioned? So, Ash anticipated my earlier command… Very clever tactics!"
Mizuharu smiled slightly as he observed the smoke spreading across the water's surface.
"He's blocked the water! Ash is using Ash Cloud to trap Cloyster underwater!"
Watching from the sidelines, Brock analyzed the situation. Though he wasn't as strong as the current competitors, he knew that watching high-level battles was a valuable learning experience. That's why he never missed any of Ash's matches.
Brock's dream was to become a top-tier Pokémon Breeder. However, as the future leader of Pewter Gym, he also needed the strength of a Gym Leader—at least at the Elite level. If he couldn't meet that standard, the Pokémon League might revoke his badge rights.
"Cloyster, use Poison Sting!"
Realizing Cloyster couldn't emerge without exposing itself, Mizuharu switched tactics to a long-range strike.
Three sharp poison-tipped projectiles suddenly shot up from the water, aiming directly at Arcanine, who stood on one of the floating platforms.
"Arcanine, dodge it—now!"
Ash quickly ordered. Arcanine stopped its smokescreen and leapt gracefully to another platform, evading the poisonous attack.
"Cloyster, now! Surface and use Ice Beam!"
Seeing an opening, Mizuharu's eyes gleamed. Cloyster burst from the water, and the large spike on its head began to glow with a chilling, snow-white light as it prepared to fire.
"I was waiting for this! Arcanine—Ember! Ignite it!"
Ash grinned. He had baited Cloyster into surfacing.
Small flames shot from Arcanine's mouth. As they touched the residual smokescreen hovering above the water…
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A series of thunderous explosions erupted across the battlefield. Fire and smoke billowed outward, engulfing the shocked Cloyster.
"W-what…? That move—!"
Mizuharu's eyes widened in disbelief as he watched his Pokémon vanish inside the flames.
"It's my original move—Ash Cloud," Ash declared confidently. "As long as the smoke and dust haven't dispersed, even the smallest spark will cause an explosion. Ember creates just enough flame to trigger it. From the outside, it looks like Arcanine caused a massive attack, but it's the trap that does the real damage."
Ash couldn't help feeling proud as he explained. Techniques like this were common in the world of Naruto, but here—in the Pokémon world—they were virtually unheard of. It made him deeply appreciate the greatest advantage of being a transmigrator: perspective.
The anime, the tactics, the combat philosophies he had learned in his past life—they were now the stepping stones that would elevate him to the peak of the Pokémon world.
The smoke finally cleared. Cloyster was still conscious but visibly shaken, its shell cracked in several places. It gasped, straining to stay afloat.
"Ash Cloud's real strength lies in how concentrated the smog is," Ash thought. "If it were any denser, even a Champion-level Pokémon would've felt the heat. But this is Arcanine's current limit."
Still, the results were impressive.
Ash was reminded of other unconventional moves he had created. For example, his Steelix had a custom move called Weight Rock, which mimicked the gravity effects normally restricted to Psychic-types. But thanks to its Rock typing and manipulation of ground-based elements, Steelix could emulate the ability using its own energy signature.
"In this world, even unconventional energies have their place. Everything has potential—if you know how to use it."
…
TN:
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