Chapter 32: Twist and Unexpected Joy! The Unknown Third Pokémon!

As the Giant Claw Mantis uses high-speed movement, its speed increases, reaching +2 speed.

Meanwhile, the Rocket Sparrow has already set up Sunny Day.

Intense light streams through the glass dome onto the field, so bright people can't keep their eyes open.

Even the indoor temperature has risen several degrees.

"Electric Flash!"

To Violet's surprise, after setting up Sunny Day, Ash's next action was not to directly use a fire-type move.

Though she didn't grasp its intent, Violet likewise issued an attack order.

"Electric Flash!"

Neither side has a Normal-type, and the Giant Claw Mantis holds the attack advantage, so there's nothing to fear.

Seeing this, Ash's smile deepened.

This made Violet, who had been closely watching Ash, grow ever more uneasy.

After all, where lies the problem?

Finally!

Before everyone's eyes, the two Pokémon encountered each other.

Bang!

To everyone's surprise, the Giant Claw Mantis gained absolute advantage.

The Rocket Sparrow was knocked flying, landing on the field with its feathers coated in yellow dirt.

Clemont looked astonished, "Unexpectedly... this is the result."

Yurie's smile froze.

Seimei looked worried, hands clasped before her chest, "... Ash!"

Xiaojuer's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

Based on her knowledge of Ash, whenever she sees this kind of development, it usually indicates Ash has some deeper scheme.

Having seen the outcome of this clash with her own eyes, Violet grew even more bewildered, "What on earth is going on?"

Free from the Rocket Sparrow's offensive pressure, Violet finally had more time to analyze Ash's plan.

Shifting focus from skills to traits, Violet excitedly clapped her hands.

"I get it—Flame Body?!"

But just as she spoke,

On the field, the Giant Claw Mantis had already clutched its chest with its huge steel claws, twitching as it half-knelt on the ground.

This left Violet not only stunned,

It triggered in one hit? Is that reasonable?

Although the strengthened Flame Body has a full 45% chance to trigger, even Ash himself hadn't imagined it would succeed on the first try.

He had even already planned to have the Rocket Sparrow use Electric Flash again.

【Burn Status】: On each turn, the Pokémon suffers damage from the burn, and physical attack damage is reduced.

In plain terms, it's like a human's high fever.

Limbs feel weak, head feels heavy, the whole condition feels off—dizzy and light.

Naturally,

Attack power falls short of normal, only at half strength.

As for the Giant Claw Mantis, its physical attack was reduced—the lightweight metal Giant Claw Mantis suffered a burn.

This essentially nullifies the Weakness Policy trigger, eliminating the massive threat of a one-hit KO on the Rocket Sparrow.

What comes next is naturally simple.

"Spark!"

While Sunny Day's effect still holds, Ash directly commands the Rocket Sparrow to use the Spark they've trained for.

Scorching sparks erupt from the Rocket Sparrow's mouth,

Straight for the Giant Claw Mantis.

Watching Xiaojuer's expression says "as expected".

Still the familiar style.

One knows that whenever Ash makes a move that looks like a loss, it usually means he's setting up an even bigger loss for the opponent.

Seimei and the others are pleased that Ash has seized the upper hand.

"Dodge quickly!"

Violet frowned tightly, anxiously watching the field,

Fortunately, the Giant Claw Mantis executes well, gritting through the burning pain as if its innards were aflame, it dodges to the side.

It also luckily got nicked by the Spark's edge.

It sustained little damage, yet triggered Weakness Policy.

A bright light suddenly flared, wrapping the Giant Claw Mantis's body.

This is exactly the Weakness Policy trigger effect—the Giant Claw Mantis feels its power greatly increased!

Truly, heaven does not block the way!

Violet clapped excitedly, "Well done! Electric Flash!"

By now the Burn Status has taken hold, so Violet has nothing left to fear.

"Spark!"

In addition to issuing the command,

Ash couldn't help but feel admiration; as expected of a Gym Leader, he had some skill.

If not for that earlier high-speed movement speed boost, none of this would be happening now.

Moreover, the Giant Pincer Mantis's dodge was half a beat slow.

Fortunately, it was only grazed by the edge of the sparks, suffering little harm, and instead triggered its Weak Point Insurance.

Strength plus luck,

Generally speaking, this is standard equipment only the protagonist can have.

Wait, the emotional villain is actually me?

Just as Ash felt uneasy about the battle's aftermath,

An unexpected scene appeared.

The Rocket Sparrow's sprayed sparks missed,

The Giant Pincer Mantis, in its electrified flash state, dodged and struck its body, sending it flying backward.

Quickly stabilizing its posture,

The Rocket Sparrow then continuously spat out several bursts of sparks,

Finally, finding the intermittent sparks too troublesome, it switched to a continuous output.

A continuous stream of scorching flames erupted from the Rocket Sparrow's mouth like a pillar of fire,

Wherever the Giant Pincer Mantis dodged, the flame pillar followed.

"This is... Spraying Fire?!"

A gleam flashed in Ash's eyes,

He instinctively glanced at the Rocket Sparrow's data panel,

and discovered that the Rocket Sparrow had actually grasped Spraying Fire on its own during the battle.

The spectator stands,

The tense atmosphere lingered here,

When the Giant Pincer Mantis launched a desperate counterattack, the Gym Trainees' faces lit up with joy,

while Serena, Clemont, and Yurie wore looks of tension.

At this moment, the situation reversed,

and became Serena and company overjoyed, while each Gym Trainee drooped like a defeated rooster.

Clemont exclaimed excitedly, "It's Spraying Fire! No doubt about it."

"Great!"

"..."

Accompanied by intense sunshine and the Flame Body-boosted Spraying Fire, it swept all the way, pursuing the Giant Pincer Mantis,

The protective barrier at the sidelines was activated again,

to prevent the Rocket Sparrow from directly burning down the entire Gym.

By the time the Rocket Sparrow ceased its flames, the Giant Pincer Mantis lay helpless on the ground, unable to battle.

"Lost again..."

He took a deep breath,

Violet was utterly convinced of Ash's ability to think on his feet and adapt.

In just a few seconds he could devise a tactic suited for the Rocket Sparrow to take on the Giant Pincer Mantis, even guarding against a Weak Point Insurance.

This challenger is clearly very strong, yet overly cautious,

Ash's caution once made Violet's scalp tingle,

She couldn't fathom why Ash had the Rocket Sparrow use its Flame Body to inflict a burn on the Giant Pincer Mantis.

Whether he had discovered the Giant Pincer Mantis's hidden Weak Point Insurance,

or whether Ash was simply that cautious.

But regardless, the battle must continue.

Recall the Giant Pincer Mantis, then hand it over to a Gym Trainee for treatment.

He took a deep breath,

Violet pulled out her last Poké Ball.

The last hope to defeat Ash's Pokémon, the glory of the Bug type,

"Come out, Yurop!"

Accompanied by a burst of red light, a ladybug-shaped Pokémon appeared on the field.

The spectator stands,

Including the Gym Trainees and Xiao Juer, who knew Violet to some extent, everyone was stunned.

"What kind of Pokémon is this?"

"Does the Gym Leader have this Pokémon?"

The surrounding chatter prompted Serena to pull out her universal Pokédex again,

but this time the Pokédex failed to identify which Pokémon it was.

【??? Unknown Pokémon】