"Heracross, use Horn Attack!"
Miwako seized the initiative the moment both sides took their positions.
"Hera!"
Heracross burst forward in a crackle of speed, electricity-like momentum trailing behind it. The beetle Pokémon drove its massive horn upward, hooking the Sylveon and launching her into the air.
"Ash reacted instantly. "Maintain your position—use Body Slam!"
"Wooo~!"
Sylveon twisted gracefully mid-air, bracing herself before slamming down onto Heracross with full force.
"Hera!"
The impact knocked Heracross backward, claws digging grooves in the battlefield to maintain balance.
"Use Baby-Doll Eyes!"
Sylveon gazed at Heracross with shimmering, watery eyes. A soft light sparkled—irresistibly adorable, disarming.
Heracross froze, blush rising, completely enthralled.
"Quick Attack, then Full-Body Tackle!" Ash commanded.
Sylveon's cuteness vanished in an instant; her entire body flashed white. With blinding speed, she crashed directly into the stunned Heracross.
"Heracross, snap out of it! Don't be fooled!" Miwako shouted desperately.
But Heracross didn't hear a word. Enchanted by Sylveon's charm, it couldn't respond at all. Sylveon smashed into him with a resounding thud.
"Hera?!"
The hit finally jolted Heracross awake. It shook its head sharply and glared at Sylveon, but Sylveon also staggered slightly—recoil from her own force.
Normal-type attacks barely dent Heracross's tough exoskeleton, so Ash was forced to rely on stronger techniques, even if Sylveon also took some feedback damage.
"Heracross, use Scary Face!"
Heracross's eyes glowed a vicious red, freezing Sylveon in place with sudden stiffness and fear.
"Now—Fury Attack!"
Miwako followed up immediately. Heracross lunged, twin claws stabbing and jabbing in a rapid, irregular flurry.
"Protect!"
A shimmering pink barrier enveloped Sylveon—the unique Psychic-Fairy defensive technique.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Heracross's furious strikes hammered the barrier. Cracks formed, but Sylveon's Protect held firm.
Bug-type restrains Psychic, but Fury Attack is a Normal-type move—it cannot break through a proper Psychic-Fairy defense.
"Damn it… what kind of Pokémon is this?" Miwako whispered, panic creeping in.
Fairy-types existed everywhere, but this Sylveon—Ash's Sylveon—was one of a kind.
"Heracross, don't give up! Use Bullet Seed!"
"Da-da-da—!"
Orange seed bullets sprayed from Heracross's mouth, slamming into Sylveon. Protect flickered—its duration was ending.
"Wooo!"
Sylveon cried out as multiple seeds struck her, bruises forming rapidly across her pale fur.
Miwako felt victory coming—
Until something impossible happened.
The bruises began to glow faintly.
Then they disappeared.
Every wound healed completely.
As if Sylveon had never been hit at all.
Ash had discovered this strange trait only after Eevee evolved into Sylveon.
Perhaps due to absorbing an extraordinary amount of life energy, Ash's Sylveon possessed astonishing regenerative ability—but that power drained her internal life essence each time she pulled it off.
And Sylveon knew it.
Her ribbons fluttered, eyes sharpening again.
The real battle was only beginning.
"Impossible… that level of recovery… Even a Legendary Pokémon wouldn't necessarily heal this fast."
Miwako stared, wide-eyed, unable to hide the shock tightening her voice. Sylveon—completely restored as if untouched—stood calmly, ribbons fluttering.
"A Sylveon, the Fairy-type evolution of Eevee," Ash explained steadily. "When the bond between Trainer and Eevee reaches a certain depth, it can evolve in a special environment. Fairy-types naturally restrain Dragon Pokémon."
"What—Dragon-type restraint?!"
For Miwako, it was like the world flipped upside down. Dragon-types were universally recognized as overwhelmingly powerful. The reason Fairy-types were still unknown was simple—most Fairy-type Pokémon discovered so far were too weak for the world to recognize their true advantage.
Ash continued, keeping his voice low.
"Even though Sylveon absorbed a huge amount of life energy thanks to her connection to Mokuton, the life elements inside her are still limited. She can't fight endlessly. If she burns through all the life energy in her body, she'll need a long time to recover."
Life energy floating in the air couldn't simply be absorbed at will. The concentration and conditions needed had to be just right—just like Ash's own pseudo-immortality training under life-force principles.
He exhaled slowly.
A quick victory was necessary.
"Sylveon—use Mist!"
"Wooo~"
Sylveon opened her mouth, releasing a billowing cloud of soft pink mist that quickly spread across the entire grassy battlefield.
"So beautiful…"
Miwako murmured involuntarily. She wasn't wrong—the mist was enchanting.
But admiration came at a cost.
Inside that pink haze, Heracross's vision was completely compromised.
And Ash had planned exactly for that.