"Raaaghh!"

Drapion!

"Grohh!"

Torterra!

In the original timeline, Ash's Torterra — despite its type advantage — still lost to Paul's Drapion.

But this time...

"Drapion, Toxic Spikes!"

"Leaf Storm!"

Paul had planned to scatter Toxic Spikes all over the battlefield. That way, every Pokémon Ash sent out afterward would be poisoned upon hitting the ground.

But Ash clearly saw that coming — and Leaf Storm instantly disrupted the trap.

"Blocked it, huh? Drapion, Cross Poison!"

"Rock Climb — lift it up!"

Drapion lunged in with Cross Poison, but Torterra suddenly smashed its forelegs into the ground — pillars of earth shot up beneath Drapion, lifting it into the air!

And Ash didn't follow up with a direct charge.

"Earthquake!"

Ash smirked.

In the original battle, Torterra used Rock Climb and charged in, only to be pinned down by Drapion's powerful pincers.

This time, Ash turned Rock Climb into a trap — and transitioned into Earthquake while Drapion was suspended midair!

Drapion had nowhere to run!

The rising platform shattered under Earthquake's shockwave.

CRASH!

Drapion fell hard.

"Rraaggh…"

That fall was brutal.

Luckily, Drapion was one of Paul's top three — it minimized the damage using its tail claw and massive pincers to cushion the blow.

But Ash didn't plan to give Drapion a second to recover.

Even as it fell, Torterra had already prepared its next move — another Leaf Storm!

The green whirlwind slammed into Drapion.

"Block it with your pincers! Fire Fang!"

Drapion braced, catching the flurry of leaves between its claws.

And it was now close enough — its long tail lashed out, grabbing Torterra's shell!

CLAMP!

Got it.

Then—

Fire Fang!

"Grohh!"

Ash was surprised — Drapion could use Fire Fang like that?

Then again, it made sense. Paul had real technique.

Still, this was only the second time one of Ash's Pokémon took actual damage in this entire tournament — the first was against Conway.

But it stopped there.

Paul was out of time.

"Giga Drain!"

Three glowing green vines shot out from the trees on Torterra's back, latching onto Drapion's claws.

Giga Drain!

"RRAAAH!"

Drapion's energy was being drained fast.

"The tables have turned! Paul's Drapion went for a surprise attack, but Ash's Torterra is absorbing its energy instead! Can Drapion break free?!"

The announcer's dramatic voice echoed through the stadium.

"Drapion is unable to battle. Torterra wins!"

The referee's call rang clear.

After taking double damage from Earthquake, Drapion was already on its last legs.

Giga Drain finished the job.

Paul silently recalled Drapion and sent out his fourth Pokémon.

"Froslass — let's go!"

"Frosss!"

"Metagross — I choose you!"

"METAA!"

Out in the audience, Steven Stone narrowed his eyes in surprise.

That Metagross… was SHINY!

Just like his own.

"Metagross, Bullet Punch!"

"Froslass, Hail!"

Both Pokémon moved at the same time.

But Ash's Metagross used Teleport mid-charge — and then Bullet Punch!

WHAM!

Froslass was struck before it could even flinch — though it still managed to summon the Hail.

The sun vanished behind a blanket of clouds, and snow began to fall over the battlefield.

Spectators near the front row even felt the chill in the air.

"Is this a combo attack? Such advanced battlefield awareness!"

Paul had to admit it — every one of Ash's Pokémon had incredible independent combat instincts.

This Metagross was no different.

That Bullet Punch came after a teleport — Froslass had no chance to dodge.

But now that the Hail was up, Paul relaxed slightly.

Because Froslass's ability, Snow Cloak, was now active.

In the blizzard, its evasion skyrocketed — even allowing it to vanish entirely within the snowstorm.

"Froslass, Shadow Ball!"

"Metagross, use the Psychic Combo Sequence!"

Froslass was Ghost/Ice — meaning Psychic moves dealt neutral damage.

Metagross's eyes glowed.

It launched Illusion Technique — but before it could hit—

"Confuse Ray!"

"Frosss!"

The Confuse Ray collided with Metagross's illusion, disrupting the control.

"Another Shadow Ball!"

BOOM!

The Shadow Ball slammed into Metagross — but it tanked the hit like a steel wall.

And that didn't stop it from immediately re-activating the combo!

Illusion Technique hit this time — and was followed by Psychic!

"FROSSS!"

Froslass shrieked in agony.

Because mental attacks… cut deeper than any physical pain.

"Bullet Punch — finish it!"

"Froslass is unable to battle. Metagross wins!"

Paul's fourth Pokémon down.

"Come back, Metagross. You did great."

Ash recalled it calmly.

His Pokémon's levels had jumped significantly from these battles — but he didn't even check the system's notifications in his mind.

"Paul, do you still think your brother's philosophy is wrong?"

Ash looked at Paul with a calm yet firm expression.

"If you never bond with your Pokémon, they're no different from tools. But with real emotion — with trust — they become your true strength. If you don't understand that now… you will by the finals."

Ash's words carried weight.

Because in the finals, he was planning to shock the world by unveiling a powerful transformation — and utterly destroy Tobias.

"Electivire — time to battle!"

"Infernape — I choose you!"

Infernape!

Paul's eyes sharpened.

"WAGAHHH!"

Infernape stared directly at Paul.

After Electivire's loss to Infernape in their last battle, Paul had trained like mad with it — pushing both of them to the limit.

All for this moment — a rematch.

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T/N:

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