Along the way, Ash had surprised and shocked Xiao Xia so many times that she almost forgot he was just a Rookie Trainer.
Rookie Trainers, let alone performing like Ash, mostly don't know about type matchups, don't know about switching Pokémon, and certainly don't know about applying status conditions during Gym battles; they just attack relentlessly, hoping for enough damage to win, or they lose.
Ash, on the other hand, seemed more like a seasoned, mature Trainer; Xiao Xia even saw glimpses of a top Trainer in him.
But now, Ash's performance again showed his rookie side, which made Xiao Xia unable to tell whether he could battle or not.
On the field—
Ash watched as Butterfree narrowly dodged the Rock Slide, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
Brock also said with surprise, "To be able to dodge Rock Slide in such a situation, it seems your Butterfree has pretty good speed and reaction ability. However, the battle situation still hasn't changed. What can Butterfree do with Sleep Powder sealed?"
Just as Brock said, with Sleep Powder sealed, Butterfree's Bug-type and Flying-type moves couldn't do much damage to Onix.
Now, Ash either had to send out Pikachu and find a way to use Wave Bomb to defeat Onix, or he had to find a way to stall for time. As long as the Sandstorm ended, the slowed Onix would definitely not be able to dodge Sleep Powder.
But the problem was, Brock would never let Ash stall for time. If Butterfree was hit by Onix's move even once, it would be over.
However, when Brock turned his gaze to Ash, he found that Ash's face showed no sign of discouragement; instead, he was still full of fighting spirit.
'Sleep Powder is sealed, he's at a disadvantage in level, the type matchup is very unfavorable, and his attacks can't do much damage. In this situation, he still hasn't lost his fighting spirit? Could it be that he has some secret move?' Brock thought, his brows slightly furrowed, already preparing to command Onix to attack.
"Butterfree, use Supersonic!" Ash's voice rang out, and invisible sound waves immediately vibrated from Butterfree's body.
After a moment of stunned, Brock's expression immediately changed drastically.
The move Supersonic has a low hit rate, but if a Pokémon is hit by it, it will cause a very annoying negative effect: confusion!
In a confused state, a Pokémon not only finds it difficult to hear its Trainer's commands, but even if it does hear them, it might lose control and attack itself!
First Sleep Powder, then String Shot, and now Supersonic. What a dirty Pokémon this Butterfree is! Why does it have so many annoying moves?
"Onix, quickly use Dig to dodge!"
No matter what move it is, as long as it doesn't Lock-On to the Pokémon, it won't hit. Supersonic's own accuracy is actually very low because its range isn't wide. Although it's a difficult-to-see move, it won't hit if you're careful.
But Brock had already seen through Ash's Butterfree's ability—Compound Eyes! (Not Detect.jpg)
Under the effect of Compound Eyes, Supersonic's accuracy would greatly increase. He couldn't gamble on the chance of Supersonic missing, so using Dig to dodge was the best option.
Upon receiving the command, Onix slammed its head into the ground, and a hole formed under its Tackle. Then, Onix began to burrow into it.
But Onix's digging speed was slower than Brock had imagined.
"No, Onix's digging usually isn't that slow... It's that String Shot!" Brock suddenly noticed the sticky threads clinging to the crevices of Onix's rocky body as it twisted.
Although Butterfree's String Shot had already been broken free by Onix, the remaining threads still affected Onix's movements. Especially since Onix's body structure has many crevices, the already slow Onix would become even slower under the sticky threads.
So even when digging in the Sandstorm, its speed was far below Brock's expectations.
"This is bad..." As soon as Brock saw that Onix's Dig wasn't going down quickly, he already felt something was wrong.
At this speed, and with its body facing backward, it would definitely be hit by the opponent's Supersonic!
As expected, Supersonic accurately hit Onix, which still had half its body exposed.
Onix, which was digging, paused, then, as if going mad, it burrowed out of the hole and struggled wildly in the rocky field, as if its brain was enduring some kind of pain.
"Good job, Butterfree, come back!" Seeing Supersonic hit, Ash didn't waste the confusion time. He immediately recalled Butterfree and then looked at Pikachu: "I'm counting on you again, Pikachu!"
"Pika Pika!" Pikachu strode onto the field, and as soon as he entered, his eyes turned blue—Aura Fusion state.
Pikachu now needed to enter this state to unleash Wave Bomb, but as he entered this state more often, Pikachu could also feel that this power was becoming increasingly easy for him to control.
"Here we go, Pikachu, use Wave Bomb!" Ash once again made the same pose as Pikachu.
Brock, meanwhile, quickly shouted at Onix: "Onix, calm down quickly!"
Onix completely ignored Brock, still struggling vigorously on the field.
The effects of confusion are not so easy to dispel. Only in extremely lucky circumstances can a Pokémon seize that brief moment of clarity in a confused state to hear its Trainer's commands.
But right now, Brock's luck was as bad as his face—utterly dark.
Seconds later, a spherical Wave Bomb formed in Pikachu's hand, then was powerfully launched by Pikachu!
"Whoosh~"
"Boom!!"
The Wave Bomb pierced through the Sandstorm and directly hit Onix, who was still struggling fiercely!
A violent roar echoed on the field, and powerful shockwaves rippled out in circles, sending some sand and rocks flying out of the arena.
Brock gritted his teeth, clenched his fists, and his face was extremely grim.
He had been hit again!
First sleep, then confusion. How could a Rookie Trainer have a Pokémon that knew so many troublesome moves?
However, there was still a chance to turn the tide. Fighting-type moves do counter Onix, but in a Sandstorm, Onix's special defense increases. A single attack could still be endured. He had to seize this opportunity to counterattack.
"Onix, use Rock Slide!!" Brock shouted with all his might. This was the last chance. If this Rock Slide didn't succeed and Onix remained confused, then Pikachu would definitely finish it off.
Amidst the explosion, Onix seemed to hear its Trainer's words for a moment, and rocks formed around him one by one.
The moment the smoke dissipated, the rocks had already formed around Onix!
The next second, the rocks shot out, and under Ash's shocked gaze... they hit Onix himself!
Self-destruction?