"Then let me serve as the referee for this match."
Professor Oak said, coming to the center of the battlefieldand volunteering to serve as the referee for this match.
Brock, who had originally wanted to serve as referee, tactfully stepped back after seeing Professor Oak volunteer, joining Misty as a spectator for this battle.
"Now we have Red from Pallet Town facing off against Gary, Ash, and Leaf, also from Pallet Town. Each side can use a total of three Pokémon. The battle officially begins!"
Professor Oak waved the flag in his hand, announcing the start of the battle.
"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Ash immediately ordered, planning to take the early advantage in the match.
High-voltage electricity released from Pikachu's body instantly transformed into a lightning snake that continuously approached Kabutops. But Kabutops showed no panic, as it already knew the effect of Zapdos's ability.
"Success!"
Seeing that Kabutops had no intention of dodging, Ash mistakenly thought the electric current was too fast, causing Kabutops to be unable to react in time.
"How is this possible?!"
Suddenly, something unexpected happened. The Thunderbolt that had been aimed at Kabutops mysteriously changed direction and was easily absorbed by Zapdos in the sky, instantly becoming part of Zapdos's own power and boosting its Special Attack.
"It's the Lightning Rod ability. As expected, Red's team composition isn't as flawed as it appears on the surface!" Gary said cautiously, showing an expression of "just as I thought."
Leaf had also guessed Red's strategy, so she wasn't as surprised as Ash.
"Huh? What's the Lightning Rod ability?"
Only Ash looked around in confusion, hoping someone could answer his doubts.
"The Lightning Rod ability can absorb Electric-type moves, which means as long as Zapdos is on the field, Pikachu's role in battle is almost zero..."
Leaf explained to Ash, but Ash's expression gradually became depressed.
"How can this be..."
Both Ash and Pikachu hung their heads dejectedly.
But everyone else ignored Ash's dejection and immediately launched their offensive.
"Nidoking, use Stone Edge!"
"Venusaur, use Vine Whip!"
Sharp stone blades floated around Nidoking, then shot toward Kabutops.
Venusaur also immediately extended the eight vines from its body, rapidly approaching Omastar.
"Kabutops, use Razor Shell."
"Omastar, use Pin Missile."
"Zapdos, use Steel Wing."
Kabutops calmly assumed a sword-drawing stance, water power covering its scythes and releasing azure light. Upon sensing the approaching Stone Edge, it immediately swept forward with a horizontal slash, instantly cutting through the incoming stone blades.
"What a sharp slash!" Gary exclaimed.
Omastar's multiple tentacles released countless sharp needles like missiles, hitting the approaching Vine Whip head-on. But due to the thickness of the vines, Venusaur's Vine Whip still managed to control Omastar's body.
After all, Venusaur was Leaf's starter Pokémon, so its strength was definitely worth acknowledging.
Seeing this scene, Zapdos in the sky changed its attack target from Pikachu to Venusaur, its fierce Steel Wing heavily striking Venusaur's body and knocking Venusaur's entire body backward.
Taking this opportunity, Omastar immediately used Rollout, breaking free from the Vine Whip's restraint.
"Ash, at least do something useful!" Gary complained helplessly. Even though Ash had sent out his own starter Pokémon, he couldn't contribute anything at all. It was simply ridiculous.
"I don't want this either! Unless your Nidoking can quickly defeat Zapdos," Ash immediately retorted frantically, engaging in their familiar bickering routine with Gary.
"You two really are..." Leaf said speechlessly, covering her face and muttering.
"Kabutops, use Aqua Jet!"
Red didn't care about their bickering and immediately launched an offensive against Nidoking.
Kabutops, covered in water, moved swiftly and struck Nidoking hard with lightning speed.
"Roar!"
Nidoking, doubly weak to Water-type moves, inevitably showed a pained expression.
"Let's focus fire and defeat Kabutops first! Venusaur, use Bullet Seed!"
Leaf decisively ordered, while reminding the two who were still bickering to be more conscious.
In Leaf's view, Zapdos was the strongest and would need to be defeated through teamwork, while Omastar in the back was less likely to actively engage in close combat due to its mobility limitations.
Only the agile Kabutops would use its proud scythes to actively approach opponents for close combat, and this was the only opportunity to defeat Kabutops.
"You've grown quite a bit..." Red murmured.
Venusaur rapidly shot countless seeds from its mouth. Although they couldn't match the cannonball-sized seeds of Red's Venusaur, they were still quite impressive, roughly the size of tennis balls.
"Nidoking, use Earth Power!"
"Pikachu, charge in and use Iron Tail!"
After hearing Leaf's reminder, the two who had been bickering immediately launched their offensive while looking at Leaf with admiration. They hadn't expected the girl to be so calm and composed and felt embarrassed about their childish behavior.
'How dare you try to harm my companions right in front of me. That's far too arrogant!'
Zapdos, dominating the sky, let out a cry that echoed throughout the garden, then covered its body with blue flames and immediately dove down from above. It had used Brave Bird.
Omastar in the back wasn't idle either. Following Red's command, it immediately used Rock Blast, releasing countless hard rocks forward.
The ground beneath Kabutops suddenly began to tremble, affecting Kabutops's ability to stand steady, and the scattered dust struck Kabutops's body.
But the offensive wasn't over yet. Kabutops was then hit by Pikachu's Iron Tail, causing the armor on Kabutops's body to crack and triggering its Weak Armor ability.
With its speed increased, Kabutops displeasedly used X-Scissor to repel Pikachu, then calmly used Slash to block the incoming Bullet Seed from behind, though it inevitably showed a strained expression.
Just as Nidoking was about to advance and attack, it quickly turned around at Gary's urgent warning and used Horn Drill to strike the approaching Zapdos. However, Zapdos using Brave Bird directly knocked Nidoking back and smoothly crashed into the nearby Venusaur.
The hard rocks released by Omastar also hit Pikachu's body, dealing considerable damage.
In an instant, the trio's battle advantage was completely nullified, being unilaterally suppressed by Red's team composition.
"Your coordination is still too slow, but that's normal since you're following commands from different trainers. So I do have a bit of an advantage here," Red said modestly, not verbally attacking the three but instead encouraging them to cooperate with each other and try to defeat him.
"Red, perhaps Pallet Town will truly flourish in your generation, restoring the former glory of being the 'Champion's Land'..." Professor Oak murmured, looking at the spirited Red and recalling the past.
That was the glory that once belonged to Pallet Town, but it only belonged to the past.
But at this moment, Professor Oak saw hope in Red, because Red's generation was one of the rare occasions where everyone had made it this far. In previous years, rookie trainers had been unable to participate in the subsequent Indigo Conference due to their lack of strength.