As Venusaur's forest rose, the stadium exploded into a roar — not just surprise, but a collective release of old grievances. Kanto's so-called weakest had become today's spectacle: Ash's Venusaur had utterly overturned every expectation.
Creating a forest mid-battle was unheard-of outside a few legends. Only in the Eastern regions had a Venusaur like Miki Yechi's been rumored to do it — and now Ash's Venusaur had matched that feat. The crowd's cheers swelled with genuine awe.
Makoto Ito's face tightened. "Blaziken — use Fire Spin!" he barked, desperate to smash through the wood before Venusaur could fully capitalize on the terrain.
Blaziken's chest flared and a whirling vortex of flame shot from its mouth, spiraling toward the tree platform where Venusaur perched.
"No worries," Ash said calmly. "Venusaur — Wooden Barrier!"
Green light pulsed across Venusaur's hide. The newly risen trunks bent and braided together at Venusaur's command, forming a living wooden wall that absorbed the brunt of the fiery vortex.
BOOM.
When the blaze struck, only a scattering of char and a smoldering leaf remained on the barrier's outer layer — not a single petal of Venusaur's flower burned through.
Ito ground his teeth. "Damn it — that Venusaur is harder to crack than I thought. And it's perched so high… it's infuriating."
"Vine Assault!" Ash ordered next.
The wooden wall unfurled like a blooming tide. Hundreds of thin roots and vine-whips erupted, whipping outward in a coordinated storm. They struck at Blaziken from all directions, dozens of tendrils latching on, constricting and piercing.
Blaziken twisted and darted, avoiding many strikes with blistering speed, but a root found its mark — plunging into its forearm. Blaziken howled as the root sank deep, then burst outward into a spray of smaller tendrils that laced through muscle and ignited with Venusaur's plant energy, pinning the limb.
"Whoa — that's brutal," muttered Nate Mugino from the reception box.
"Those aren't just entangling vines. Once they penetrate, they can be lethal. Blaziken's lucky it only lost one arm."
"Is that the Wood Escape Ash mentioned?" Samuel Oak asked, eyes bright.
"It's far stronger than we expected. No wonder Ash hadn't shown Venusaur like this before — it's a high-risk, high-reward technique."
Skye Draconis, laughing with delight, clapped once and called out over the stadium noise "Excellent! Truly worthy of the Draconis line!" Professor Oak simply smiled, pride and curiosity warring in his expression.
Ito's face had gone pale. He had relied on family Pokémon — his father's team — to carry his prestige. If his Blaziken fell here, the consequences would be more than a lost match; the stigma would follow him. He was already starting to feel that shadow.
The commentators were on fire.
"Incredible — Ash's Venusaur has turned the tide with a defensive barrier and then a full-root barrage! Blaziken has lost use of its left arm. How will Ito recover from this?"
Ito gritted his teeth and shouted orders, but even he seemed shaken. From beginning to end, Ash had contained and countered every aggressive push. The forest had not only protected Venusaur — it had weaponized the entire arena.
While the audience was still reeling from the overwhelming power of Ash's Venusaur, Sawakoshi Ito stood pale and rigid — a man completely unlike the confident figure from before.
"Damn it… I miscalculated," he muttered under his breath, fury twisting his expression.
"That fool Makoto shouldn't have ever gotten involved with this brat. I warned him! Women always cloud judgment... If this keeps up, this entire match could become a disaster. I need to find a way to end this—fast."
His eyes flickered nervously toward the screen, where Blaziken — his prized Pokémon — was struggling under the weight of its wounds. The once-fiery champion now trembled within a battlefield that had transformed into a living forest.
Sawakoshi Ito's anxiety deepened.
He possessed five Champion-level Pokémon, true — but those were his limit. The rest of the clan's Pokémon were of far lower caliber. Losing this match before the eyes of the world wasn't something he could afford.
This wasn't just a battle.
It was a spectacle broadcast across the Kanto and Sinnoh regions — and for the Ito family, the consequences of defeat would be devastating.
Their influence had already waned ever since Makoto Ito had dragged their family name through the mud years ago. Back then, no one dared to oppose them because their strength kept the critics silent. But now… things were different.
If they lost to Ash Ketchum — a mere sixteen-year-old — public resentment would boil over. The Pokémon League itself might even seize the chance to humble them.
And when that happened, no amount of connections would help. Sawakoshi Ito knew all too well that his so-called allies were bound only by mutual benefit. Once he fell, they'd abandon him in an instant.
"...Tch." His lips tightened.
At the arena, Ash exhaled slowly and pulled out a cigarette, his expression calm and unreadable. He lit it, took a long drag, and released a thin stream of smoke before extending his right hand — making a respectful, almost mocking gesture toward Makoto Ito.
"It's over," he said quietly.
The words had barely left his lips when the ground beneath Blaziken began to writhe.
Thick roots burst upward from the soil — twisting, coiling, and binding around the Fire-type's legs and arms in an instant. The mighty Pokémon roared in pain as the vines constricted, their grip tightening with terrifying force.
"What the—?!" Makoto Ito froze, panic flashing across his face.
He hadn't even understood what just happened. The pressure radiating from Ash's Venusaur — the living forest itself — was suffocating.
...
TN:
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