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"Really? The path that trainer and Pokémon follow together, growing stronger through their journey, is indeed exciting. So... let's show our strongest stance to fight!" Koga murmured with a smile, his eyes closed as he lowered his head.
After a moment, his eyes suddenly flashed open with determination.
"Go! Golbat!"
The second Pokémon sent out by Koga was Zubat's evolved form. In a flash of light, Golbat appeared before everyone, flapping its massive wings. Its enormous mouth gaped open, revealing its sharp fangs.
This was another Flying-type Pokémon. Golbat's speed and physical strength were considerably stronger than Venomoth's, making it a troublesome opponent for the grounded Charmeleon.
"Come on, Ash, the final battle!" Koga felt his blood boiling with excitement—a rare feeling for him—as he observed Ash's fighting spirit.
"Charmeleon, Flamethrower!"
Ash didn't waste words; he let his actions prove his determination to win the Soul Badge. Upon receiving the command, Charmeleon's eyes blazed with fire as it raised its chest high.
ROAR!!!!
With a mighty roar, Charmeleon opened its mouth and released a blazing pillar of flame that shot straight toward Golbat in the air.
"Golbat, use Double Team!" As Charmeleon launched its attack, Koga reacted quickly. Hearing its trainer's command, Golbat immediately moved with incredible speed.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
As Golbat's body flickered, multiple copies appeared throughout the sky. Within moments, the entire airspace above the battlefield was filled with identical Golbat images.
Charmeleon's Flamethrower hit one of the Golbat copies, which instantly vanished. Using Double Team, Golbat had created numerous illusions to confuse its opponent.
"Double Team? Now it'll be hard to find the real Golbat!" Misty worried, clenching her fists as she watched.
"Golbat, use Wing Attack!"
Seizing the opportunity, Koga launched his offensive. Dozens of Golbat copies swooped down simultaneously, their wings glowing with white light. The scene was dazzling and disorienting—it was impossible to tell which one was the real Golbat.
Both Misty and Brock recognized the danger, but they remained silent, not wanting to disturb Ash's concentration.
"Use Smokescreen!"
ROAR!!!
Upon hearing Ash's command, Charmeleon quickly opened its mouth and expelled a large cloud of black smoke that instantly spread and engulfed it. Successfully hidden within the smoke, Charmeleon had made itself invisible to Golbat's eyes.
Smokescreen was a move Charmeleon rarely used since evolving from Charmander, as its growing strength usually made such tactics unnecessary. But against a formidable opponent like Koga, Ash wasn't taking any chances.
Misty and Brock felt slightly relieved seeing this strategy, but noticed a smile form on Koga's lips.
"It's useless!"
All the Golbat copies dived into the smoke. Although there were many Golbat images, only one was real. The illusions couldn't harm Charmeleon, so merely sending numbers to find it in the smoke shouldn't work.
However...
BOOM!!!!
A collision sound erupted from within the smoke, and Charmeleon slid out across the battlefield, its arms crossed defensively in front of its body. It had clearly just been struck.
WHOOSH!!
Simultaneously, a stream of air blew upward from the smoke as Golbat emerged, flapping its wings to disperse the Smokescreen.
"What? How? Even with the smoke, Golbat still found Charmeleon's location," Misty said in disbelief.
"Hmph! Golbat is a bat Pokémon, and bats don't rely on sight to hunt!" Koga said with a smirk.
It was true—Golbat typically lived in dark caves with little light, so their eyesight was actually quite poor. They navigated in darkness and located prey by emitting ultrasonic waves. This wasn't just a learned skill but an innate ability.
Ash's expression changed slightly. Though he had extensive Pokémon knowledge, he couldn't remember every detail about every species.
"Charmeleon, use Thunder Punch!" he commanded, recognizing that this was still a good opportunity to attack since Golbat had lowered its altitude during the previous attack.
CRACK!!!
SIZZLE!!!
Charmeleon didn't hesitate, immediately clenching its fist and rushing forward. Strong electric currents instantly surrounded its fist as it charged.
Golbat was a Poison/Flying-type Pokémon. If Thunder Punch connected, it would inflict massive damage due to Flying-type's weakness to Electric moves.
"Double Team!"
Koga had evidently anticipated this. After giving his command, Golbat's image separated again, creating multiple copies around the battlefield.
As Charmeleon lunged forward with its electrified fist, it struck only one of Golbat's illusions, which vanished upon impact. Looking around, Charmeleon saw Golbat copies scattered throughout the air but couldn't determine which was real.
"What a shame!" Misty frowned in disappointment.
"Thunder Punch would definitely deal serious damage to Golbat if it hit," Brock analyzed, his brow furrowed. "But if it can't connect, the move is meaningless. That Double Team is a real problem!"
Though Charmeleon had a super-effective move against its opponent, the issue was landing the hit. Brock couldn't help but sigh. Koga truly embodied the Ninja style—even his Pokémon were masters of deception and evasion.
"Ash, you can't win unless you can identify Golbat's true location," Brock muttered.
"Golbat, use Supersonic!" In direct confrontation, Golbat might not have the advantage, but a Ninja's battle strategy was to achieve optimal results with minimal risk. Direct combat wasn't the Ninja way.
SCREEEECH!!!
Golbat immediately went on the offensive. All the Golbat copies in the air opened their mouths simultaneously, releasing powerful sound waves that spread throughout the battlefield. Even the spectators felt their eardrums sting from the noise. Charmeleon gritted its teeth and winced, clearly affected by the sonic assault.