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Now that they thought about it, this explanation made perfect sense. When they had first encountered Electivire in that dark alley, it must have already been defeated by Team Rocket members.
After sustaining injuries during that battle, Electivire had fled from the sewers and that's when the three trainers had discovered it in the alley, wounded and exhausted.
Looking back at everything that had happened afterward, when Electivire had led them to discover the Honda Group's secret factory, it was clear that the Electric-type Pokémon had been investigating the illegal operations for quite some time. However, it had been defeated by Team Rocket before it could reveal the truth to anyone else.
Electivire was still the same Pokémon with a strong sense of justice that they had first met at the power plant all those months ago. Its character hadn't changed despite everything it had been through.
"Hm?" Ash listened to Brock and Misty's conversation without saying a word, choosing not to join in their discussion about Electivire's motivations.
But while walking along the path, he suddenly noticed something unusual ahead of them. He looked up and saw a familiar figure standing motionless on a large boulder that blocked part of the route.
The figure had its eyes closed and appeared to be in a deep meditative state. When it sensed Ash's gaze upon it, the Pokémon slowly opened its eyes and looked directly at the approaching trainers.
"Electivire!" Misty and Brock exclaimed in unison when they also noticed the figure ahead of them. It was indeed the same Electivire who had mysteriously disappeared early that morning.
"Elec-ti-vire!" At that moment, when Electivire spotted Ash approaching, it jumped down gracefully from the stone boulder and walked confidently toward the group of three trainers. The Electric-type Pokémon called out to them with determined, unwavering eyes, then took a few steps backward to create some distance.
The corners of Electivire's mouth curved upward in what could only be described as a fierce, challenging smile. Its eyes radiated an intense fighting spirit that was impossible to ignore.
"Ash, I think... I think it wants to battle you!" Misty observed, watching Electivire's deliberate movements and aggressive posture.
Looking at Electivire's behavior, it wasn't difficult to guess what the Pokémon was thinking. However, this didn't feel like just a simple challenge between Pokémon. There seemed to be something deeper behind its intentions.
"You want to have a battle? Perfect! Let me see just how much stronger you've become since your evolution!" Ash said, looking at the Electivire standing before him.
His previous feelings of regret about leaving the city completely disappeared, replaced instead by genuine excitement and anticipation. Electivire was giving him the impression that this wasn't merely about proving strength in battle.
The bond they had formed through two separate encounters and the shared hardships they had endured together made Ash truly understand what Electivire wanted. It wanted to join his team and travel with them, but before that could happen, it needed to prove its worth and strength to him.
Some Pokémon were willing to follow Ash directly after meeting him, like Squirtle had done in the past. However, other Pokémon with more competitive and prideful personalities, even after acknowledging a trainer's abilities, still needed to settle things through an honest battle first.
After all, humans weren't the only ones who could have pride and dignity. Pokémon had their own sense of honor that needed to be respected.
"Elec-ti-vire!" After listening to Ash's words, Electivire smiled in an almost human-like way. Then it raised one of its powerful arms, stretched out its palm, and made a beckoning gesture toward Ash, its fighting spirit burning brighter than ever.
"I can feel your determination! Alright then, let's do this!" Ash responded enthusiastically to Electivire's challenge.
"Charizard, I choose you!" Faced with Electivire's obvious excitement for battle, Ash immediately threw one of his Poké Balls into the air.
"Char-i-zard!" Along with a mighty roar that echoed across the landscape, Charizard materialized in front of the group in a flash of white light.
Two impressively tall and powerful figures now stood facing each other on the makeshift battlefield. Feeling the strength radiating from Charizard's intimidating roar, Electivire's expression became more serious and focused.
Charizard also studied the Electivire standing before it, and its eyes seemed to ignite with internal flames of anticipation. This was a recognition between two strong Pokémon, and both sides could clearly sense the considerable power that the other possessed.
"No holding back! Charizard, use Flamethrower!" Ash decided to take the initiative and launch the first attack of their battle.
Charizard's eyes sharpened with concentration after hearing its trainer's command. The Fire-type Pokémon suddenly opened its mouth wide and released a powerful stream of flames. The brilliant orange-red pillar of fire formed a devastating offensive attack as it blasted directly toward Electivire.
"Elec-ti-vire!" Electivire felt the intense heat approaching from the incoming flames. Without hesitation, it pushed both palms forward and spread them wide, instantly releasing green energy that surrounded its entire body to form a protective barrier.
The green protective shield materialized just in time, successfully blocking the incoming flames from Charizard's attack. When the fire struck the energy barrier, the flames exploded instantly upon impact, filling the immediate area with thick, choking smoke.
BOOM! The moment the smoke began to clear, a burst of crackling electricity exploded outward from Electivire's position, blasting directly toward Charizard's location. The powerful Thunderbolt attack moved with incredible speed.
"Charizard, take to the air!" Seeing the electric attack approaching rapidly, Ash reacted with quick reflexes.
After hearing its trainer's command, Charizard immediately leaped upward, powerfully beating its wings and soaring high into the air above the battlefield.
Electivire's Thunderbolt changed direction to follow Charizard's movement, blasting upward toward the sky. However, Charizard moved through the air with the freedom and grace of a dragon entering the ocean. Although Electivire's Thunderbolt was remarkably fast, it was unable to successfully hit the airborne Charizard as it maneuvered through the sky.
"After its evolution, Electivire's power has definitely become much stronger than before. But Charizard has a significant advantage while it's in the air," Brock commented thoughtfully while watching the intense battle unfold before them.
The ability to fly was indeed a natural advantage in Pokémon battles. Once Charizard was airborne, Electivire would have very few effective methods to bring it down or land a solid hit.
"Elec-ti-vire!" But at that crucial moment, Electivire let out a powerful roar of determination. The two cable-like tails on its back, which resembled electrical cords, suddenly began to swing with purpose.
The tails gradually extended to their full length, then stretched forward and plunged deep into the ground beneath Electivire's feet.
A tremendous force burst forth from Electivire's body as violent lightning enveloped its entire form. The electricity then poured into the ground through its two extended tails, and in an instant, a massive explosion occurred beneath the battlefield.
The ground cracked and split under the tremendous impact of the underground lightning strike. The broken stones and chunks of earth were unable to withstand the explosive power of the Thunderbolt that had detonated beneath the surface, and they were blasted high into the air.
After the Thunderbolt followed Electivire's tails and entered the ground, it was as if the electricity had been contained within a closed, pressurized space.
When pressure built up underground, the resulting explosion wasn't just powered by thunder and lightning—it also created a massive air cannon effect. After blowing up the broken rocks and minerals buried in the ground, these projectiles carried power that was not inferior to a Rock Slide attack.
A wide range of stones and clods of earth flew high into the air, creating a large-scale area attack that covered much of the sky. Although Charizard was flying above the battlefield, it was now too late for it to climb higher or dodge the incoming barrage.
"What an incredible technique! I never knew Thunderbolt could be used in such a creative way," Brock said with genuine surprise and admiration for Electivire's tactical thinking.
"Thunder Punch!" Ash looked at the scene unfolding before him with excitement rather than worry. He genuinely appreciated Pokémon with high battle intelligence because it perfectly matched his own preferred fighting style.
It would be extremely difficult to avoid the head-on attack completely. After listening to Ash's strategic command, Charizard let out a determined roar and clenched both hands into tight fists that began crackling with dazzling electrical energy.
While flying through the air, Charizard waved its electrified fists continuously, striking at the incoming projectiles.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! Rocks and chunks of earth flying through the air were constantly pulverized by Charizard's Thunder Punch attacks. However, at the same time, the force of destroying so many projectiles caused Charizard's altitude to gradually decrease.
Upon seeing this opportunity, Electivire quickly withdrew its tails from the ground and leaped powerfully into the air. Simultaneously, it clenched one of its massive fists and channeled violent lightning energy along its thick, muscular arm, preparing for a decisive close-range attack.