Chapter 36: Grovyle VS Hariyama!

Crackling! With everyone's eyes on it, the Battle Roulette started spinning. Ash knew that, as expected, the roulette would land on the two-on-two format. Sure enough, when the pointer stopped, it indicated a two-on-two battle. "Great, it's two-on-two!" Ash had Scott's endorsement, and Scott, the head organizer of the Battle Frontier, had a high regard for him. Greta, as a Frontier Brain, wouldn't underestimate Ash in any way. The group moved to the battle field, and after the referee explained the rules, Greta, as the Frontier Brain, sent out her two Pokémon first. "Hariyama and Medicham, it's up to you two!" In the Battle Arena, challengers must present both of their Pokémon upfront, unlike in other facilities. "My choice is these two—let's go!" Ash stuck with his original choices: Grovyle and Snorlax. "What? Ash is using Snorlax?" Misty and May were puzzled. "What's strange about that? It's perfectly in line with Ash's usual style," Brock said, carefully watching the two Pokémon. In the first round, it would be Greta's Hariyama versus Ash's Grovyle! "Grovyle's strength lies in its speed. In the original story, Ash had Grovyle go head-to-head with Hariyama, which was a huge mistake." Ash stayed calm and composed, already formulating his strategy. "Come at me, Ash!" "Hariyama!" Hariyama glared at Grovyle. "Grovyle, use Agility!" Greta's Hariyama wasn't slow, but it couldn't outpace Grovyle. First, Ash wanted Grovyle to increase its speed. "Hariyama, use Bulk Up and close in on Grovyle!" "Grovyle, use Agility to dodge and keep your distance!" Hariyama swung its large hands with a powerful push, trying to get close to Grovyle. But Grovyle was far too fast, using Agility to gain even more speed, making it hard for Hariyama to keep up. "Grovyle, use Bullet Seed!" "Block it with Bulk Up!" Grovyle shot countless Bullet Seeds, but Hariyama blocked them with its powerful hands. Though Hariyama took some damage, it wasn't significant. "Nice move, Ash! Let's see how you handle this— Hariyama, use Magnitude!" Magnitude wasn't as strong as Earthquake, but it was still effective. "After using Magnitude, lock on to Grovyle and close in!" Hariyama stomped heavily on the ground, creating tremors. "Close in? Don't even think about it. Grovyle, use Double Team and Agility again!" With that, Grovyle used Agility for the third time! Although the Magnitude quickly dispelled the Double Team clones, it disrupted Hariyama's vision as well. Now, Grovyle's speed had completely surpassed Hariyama's! It was time to strike! Greta grinned, sensing a worthy opponent. "Alright, let's go all out! Hariyama, use Mind Reader and follow up with Focus Punch!" Mind Reader! Greta usually kept this skill reserved. Mind Reader ensured that the next attack would definitely hit the opponent. When combined with the powerful Focus Punch, it was often enough to turn the tide of a battle. However, Ash had prepared Grovyle with a special move during his recent training: Detect, a move that countered Mind Reader! Mind Reader was rendered useless against Detect. Ash waited for the moment Hariyama tried to get close to Grovyle. "Now! Grovyle, use Detect, then Leaf Blade!" "Grovyle!" Power surged in Grovyle's eyes. Hariyama locked onto Grovyle with Mind Reader, but Grovyle's Detect allowed it to predict Hariyama's movement and dodge the Focus Punch. The next second, Grovyle's two Leaf Blades struck directly at Hariyama! "Hariyama!" The damage wasn't too high, as Hariyama had excellent defense and stamina. "Keep up the attack! Grovyle, use Giga Drain!" "How is this possible? This Grovyle can even use Detect!?" Greta was taken aback. -------------- T/N: Access 30 Chapters in Advance on my P@treon: [email protected]/PokePals