"Vine Whip, huh? I've been waiting for that all day," Ash said with a smirk as Bellsprout's vines ca lashing toward them.
"Froakie, use Frubblesto defend!" he shouted.
"Froa!"
Having already fought through four battles together, Ash and Froakie had developed an unspoken bond. One command was all it took—Froakie instantly understood what to do.
Instead of forming a shield wall like before, Froakie scooped up two globs of Frubbles, holding them like miniature round shields, one in each hand.
Swish! Swish!
Bellsprout's vine whips sliced through the air like twin green snakes. But instead of the sharp crack of impact, the vines landed with a muffled puff.
Puff! Puff!
Blocked.
The flexible, spongey texture of the Frubbles shields absorbed the attack. It was like smacking a bag full of cotton—Bellsprout's whips bounced off with barely any force.
"What?!" Jeanette Fisher gasped, wide-eyed in disbelief.
But Ash wasn't done.
"Froakie—stick the Frubbles onto Bellsprout's vines!"
"Froa~!"
Froakie's hand moved swiftly. One "shield" transford into a makeshift glove, grabbing the now-slowed vine. The other hand sared a thick glob of Frubbles onto it, coating the whip in sticky foam.
"Bellsprout, pull your vines back!" Jeanette called, unable to guess what Ash's plan was.
Thanks to Growth, Bellsprout's physical power was already boosted—so pulling the vines free from Froakie's grip wasn't hard at all. It gave a tug… and retrieved them effortlessly.
But the mont the vines retracted—Ash smiled.
It was a quiet, knowing smile.
Like he had just checkmated her without saying a word.
The Frubbles that had been slathered on the vines?
It stuck—hard—to Bellsprout's leafy arms. The foam was now clinging to both vines and limbs, gluing them together.
"Bellsprout!!"
It cried out in panic. Its whips were stuck—entangled with its own leaves!
"Sure, Vine Whip has great range," Ash said coolly. "But now tell … can your Bellsprout still use it?"
He didn't wait for an answer.
"Froakie—move in close! Use Pound!"
"Froa!!"
For four straight battles, Froakie had stood like a statue, attacking from a distance.
But now, it sprang into action.
With a powerful leap, Froakie launched itself straight at Bellsprout.
Its three-fingered palm glowed with white energy.
"Bellsprout, dodge it—quick!" Jeanette shouted in alarm.
But Growth had boosted Bellsprout's attack—not its speed.
Worse, its body was now slightly larger than before, making it slower and clumsier.
In Froakie's sharp amphibian vision, every one of Bellsprout's desperate evasive movents looked painfully slow.
WHAM!
A glowing frog palm slamd into Bellsprout's face.
"Bellsprout!!"
It toppled over with a dazed cry, collapsing from the impact.
"Froakie! Don't stop! Keep attacking!"
"Froa—!"
Froakie jumped again, landing next to the fallen Bellsprout.
Then ca the follow-up: one slap, then another.
Left, right, left—like a boxer with webbed gloves.
Smack! Smack! Smack!
Bellsprout took hit after hit until its head drooped and its body went limp.
It finally fainted.
"Bellsprout!!" Jeanette gasped, hands flying to her mouth. She couldn't believe what she was seeing.
But no matter how hard she wished—it was over.
…..
"Bellsprout is unable to battle! The winner is Froakie, trained by student Ash Ketchum!" the referee declared.
"Whoa!! A Water-type Froakie beat a Grass-type Bellsprout?! Even with the type disadvantage?"
"I really thought Jeanette had it in the bag! But Ash actually won?! What kind of battle instincts does he have?"
"This guy's insane. He's probably the strongest one in this entire camp."
"Four straight wins—against so of our best Trainers no less! How is that even possible?"
On the field, Ash stood tall and victorious.
His energy was burning, his spirit was soaring.
And everyone watching… was stunned.
Even Gary and the others—who had started the day bragging about how confident they were in Ash—couldn't hide their surprise now.
Sure, they'd believed in him, but only because they were friends. It wasn't like they had proof he was this powerful.
But when Jeanette from Crimson City sent out a Grass-type Bellsprout against Ash's Water-type Froakie, even Gary had started to feel doubt.
And yet—Ash won anyway.
He didn't just win.
He completely flipped the type matchup and ca out on top.
"Unbelievable… Ash is actually this strong?"
"That was his fourth straight win, right?"
"Four wins in a row—he's a monster."
"Do you think he'll go for one more? Try to make it five?" soone asked.
Everyone paused.
"…Hard to say," one replied after a beat. "Look at Froakie—it's panting hard. Looks like it's out of gas."
"Yeah… it's been through four matches already. One more might be too much."
Even Gary, the one who believed in Ash the most, didn't seem hopeful.
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T/N:
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