Chapter 57: Ash vs. Huo La (2)

"It's now! Charmander, use Flame Fang!" Nidoqueen just poked its head out of the sand, hadn't fully steadied its posture, Ash's command rang like thunder.

The Charmander that had just been knocked up by a Dig Surprise Attack reacted extremely fast, in the air Shear Force twisted its body, its sharp fangs instantly wrapped in scorching flame, and like an arrow from a bow it bit toward Nidoqueen's neck—so fast that it almost left an afterimage, even its breathing rhythm perfectly matched Ash's command.

"What fast reaction... what a synchronized teamwork!" Huo La stared at the battlefield, unable to help but murmur softly.

He finally truly felt the terror of a naturally gifted competitor—Ash's foresight of battlefield timing and the wordless coordination with his Pokemon, a talent that many Trainers spend a lifetime chasing, let alone Ash who continues to hone it through real battles.

"Nidoqueen, use Iron Tail quickly!" Huo La showed no hesitation, immediately switching tactics.

In midair Nidoqueen suddenly contracted its abdomen, its thick tail instantly flashing a cold metallic sheen, whipping out like a steel whip and striking precisely the Flame Fang-wrapped Charmander.

"Clang—!" At the moment metal met flame, a harsh screech ripped through the air above the beach, sparks and heat waves scattering everywhere.

Charmander was jolted by Iron Tail's massive force, stumbling back two steps, its tail flame flickering; Nidoqueen also fell back to the ground from the recoil, its limbs leaving shallow pits in the sand.

Before Charmander could steady itself, Huo La's new command was already issued: "Nidoqueen, unleash Poison Spike!"

Nidoqueen's body instantly glowed with a pale violet aura, countless spiked Poison Spikes erupted from around it, raining down like a fine needle rain across the entire battlefield, forming an invisible trap layer on the damp sand.

Charmander landed, and its paw inadvertently stepped on a Poison Spike; the sharp spike pierced its skin, the pale violet toxin instantly seeped in—its face immediately flushed with a violet haze, its body began to tremble slightly, clearly afflicted by Toxic.

"Charmander!" Ash shouted hurriedly, a trace of anxiety flashing across his face, but he quickly steadied, clenching his fist, "Don't panic! We still have a chance! Charmander, use Smoke Screen!"

"Roar!" Charmander endured the toxin's discomfort, opened its mouth and expelled a dense black cloud, instantly enveloping the entire battlefield.

Huo La watched the movements within the Smoke Screen, his fingers lightly tapping his thigh—Ash truly wasn't so easy to suppress; using the Smoke Screen to scramble vision both evaded upcoming attacks and bought Charmander time to recover.

He inhaled deeply, shouted toward the Smoke Screen-shrouded direction: "Nidoqueen, Focus Listening! Use Earthquake!"

Since vision was blocked by the Smoke Screen, a wide-area attack would break the stalemate—this is the most direct counter to such tactics, especially since Charmander is a Pokemon that relies entirely on ground movement and cannot evade Earthquake's reach.

"Nido!" Nidoqueen immediately steadied its mind, its massive body sinking slightly, both feet firmly rooting into the sand.

The next second, it surged power, its overlapping feet pounding heavily onto the ground!

With a muffled "Boom—" the already soft receding sand instantly rippled like waves, even spectators far away instinctively helped each other to stay upright, and the tiny pebbles on the beach began to bounce.

Within the Smoke Screen came Charmander's short whimper, clearly affected by Earthquake's shockwave.

Moments later, the Smoke Screen gradually cleared, and Earthquake's aftershocks subsided—at the arena's center, Nidoqueen still stood proudly; opposite it, Charmander lay covered in sand, its tail flame reduced to a faint spark, clearly having lost its fighting ability.

Zheng Hui immediately Roleplay the judge's role, raising the scoreboard, loudly announcing: "Charmander has lost its fighting ability! Huo La is temporarily ahead!"

Ash hurried forward, crouched and gently lifted Charmander, pulled out a Pokeball and gave it a light tap, retrieving it. He held the Pokeball, fingertips softly caressing the sphere, and whispered: "Charmander, you did well, rest well."

After a brief disappointment, the fighting spirit in his eyes quickly reignited, and he abruptly drew another Pokeball from his waist, throwing it forcefully into the air: "Next, it's your turn, Bulbasaur!"

"Seed~" a flash of light, the Bulbasaur bearing a verdant bud landed steadily, it cautiously glanced at the opposing Nidoqueen, then turned its head and nodded at Ash, clearly ready for battle.

Huo La looked at the steadily standing Bulbasaur, a slight lift of his eyebrow: "You actually sent Bulbasaur straight away? Grass+Poison type does indeed counter Nidoqueen's Poison+Ground typing to some extent. However... this duel should change its protagonist now."

He raised his hand, tossed a Pokeball, a red flash, and recalled the still panting Nidoqueen: "Good job, Nidoqueen, rest well now."

Immediately after, he took out another Pokeball, his fingertips gently twisting the sphere, and hurled it toward the arena's center: "Now it's your turn, Ivysaur!"

"Seed—!" a verdant glow blossomed, the Ivysaur, a size larger than Ash's Bulbasaur, landed, its red bud plump and upright, leaf edges shimmering with Healthy sheen, its gaze steady and sharp, and as soon as it steadied it gave a slight nod toward the opposing Bulbasaur, as if in greeting.

Ash stared at Huo La's Ivysaur, his eyes widening instantly, full of surprise: "Huo La, this Ivysaur is..."

"Exactly." Huo La nodded, his tone carrying a hint of recognition for his partner, "It is the Initial Pokemon I obtained from Professor Oak's Lab, and having it face your Bulbasaur is just perfect."

Those words were not mere politeness.

Huo La knew clearly that this Bulbasaur in front could not be taken lightly—it is one of the few Pokemon that can, by sheer will, Shear Force suppress its Evolution Bloodline, growing stronger only through level-ups and battle experience.

One should know, for a Pokemon to remain in its original form without evolving, it must either deliberately avoid strengthening or rely on items like the Everstone; a Bulbasaur like Ash's, which counters the evolutionary instinct of its Evolution Bloodline solely by will and continues to grow stronger, he has scoured his past lives' memories and has only ever seen this one.

Ash clearly understood Huo La's meaning, reached out and patted the top of Bulbasaur's head, his tone serious: "Bulbasaur, you heard that, right? The opponent is Huo La's Initial Partner; even though it's your Evolution Form, we cannot lose!"

"Seed!" Bulbasaur nodded vigorously, its bud on its back swaying slightly, leaves tightening a bit, clearly mustered full spirit.

Zheng Hui, watching nearby, eyes sparkling, rapidly jotted on his scoreboard: "It's a battle between two initial Bulbasaur family members! Huo La's Ivysaur has evolved, its size and base stats give it the edge... this match is getting interesting!"

Huo La didn't rush to give an order, but first whispered to Ivysaur: "The opponent is strong, don't be careless, just show your usual training condition."

Ivysaur responded with a low whine, two Vine Whips silently emerged from beneath its leaves, lightly tapping the sand, ready to strike at any moment.