Ash rushed forward the moment the referee announced Pikachu’s defeat.
“You were amazing, Pikachu!”
Ash Ketchum carefully lifted Pikachu into his arms, smiling brightly despite the exhaustion in his eyes.
“And you mastered Volt Tackle too.
That was incredible!”
“Pika… pika…”
Pikachu weakly returned the smile, clearly exhausted after its brutal clash against Blaziken.
Even so, its eyes still shone with pride.
Ash gently handed Pikachu over to Misty and Brock before returning to the battlefield.
Jackson watched him quietly from across the arena.
“You’re incredible, Ash,” he admitted sincerely.
“This is the most exciting battle I’ve had in a long time.”
The fierce exchanges throughout the match had completely reignited the passion he felt when he first began his Pokémon journey.
But despite his admiration
Jackson had no intention of surrendering.
“Still,” he continued with a determined smile, “I won’t lose that easily.”
Ash adjusted the brim of his cap.
“Neither will I.”
The atmosphere in the stadium immediately intensified.
Both Trainers still had remaining Pokémon.
But everyone understood something now
This battle had already surpassed ordinary League standards.
Jackson recalled his heavily injured Blaziken temporarily.
“You did great.
Rest for now.”
Then he threw another Poké Ball.
“Go, Houndoom!”
A burst of flames exploded onto the field as Houndoom emerged with a threatening growl.
The audience stirred nervously.
Ash narrowed his eyes slightly before reaching for another Poké Ball.
“Bayleef, I’m counting on you!”
A flash of light appeared.
Bayleef landed gracefully on the battlefield before immediately rubbing affectionately against Ash’s shoulder.
“Bayleef…”
Ash smiled helplessly.
“Focus first.
We can celebrate later.”
“Bayyy!”
Bayleef straightened instantly.
“Start with Flamethrower!” Jackson commanded.
Houndoom unleashed scorching flames across the field immediately.
But unlike before
Bayleef reacted sharply the moment the battle began.
Its body shifted sideways with surprising agility, narrowly avoiding the flames.
Ash’s eyes flashed.
“Vine Whip!”
Two vines shot from Bayleef’s neck instantly.
“Houndoom, dodge!”
But Ash had predicted the movement already.
“Wrap around its muzzle!”
The vines curved midair before tightly binding Houndoom’s mouth shut.
“Mmph?!”
Houndoom’s eyes widened.
Without access to Flamethrower, its greatest offensive advantage disappeared immediately.
Jackson’s expression changed.
Ash gave the next command without hesitation.
“Pull it closer then Body Slam!”
Bayleef yanked Houndoom forward violently.
Before Houndoom could recover
BAM!
Bayleef slammed directly into it with surprising force.
The impact launched Houndoom backward across the battlefield.
The crowd exploded in surprise.
“Amazing strategy from Ash!” the commentator shouted.
“Bayleef completely shut down Houndoom’s ranged attacks before finishing the exchange head-on!”
In the waiting area, Misty hugged Pikachu excitedly.
“Ash is incredible today!”
Brock nodded seriously while continuing to check Pikachu’s condition.
“He’s using each Pokémon according to their strengths instead of battling recklessly.”
That was the greatest difference.
The old Ash often fought emotionally.
The current Ash fought methodically.
On the battlefield, Jackson slowly recalled Houndoom.
“You did great.”
Then he looked toward Ash again, his expression becoming even more serious.
“I underestimated how much you’ve improved.”
The commentator raised his voice dramatically.
“Jackson is now down to only two remaining Pokémon!”
“Meanwhile, Ash still has four Pokémon left!”
The crowd erupted again.
But despite the apparent advantage
Ash remained cautious.
Because he knew the real threat was still waiting.
Jackson’s Blaziken.
Without hesitation, Jackson threw his next Poké Ball.
“Go, Steelix!”
The ground shook violently as Steelix emerged onto the battlefield.
Its massive metallic body towered over the arena.
Ash immediately made his decision.
“Great job, Bayleef.
Return and rest.”
Bayleef nodded obediently before returning to its Poké Ball.
Then Ash threw another Poké Ball high into the air.
“Noctowl, let’s do this!”
A shining figure spread its wings elegantly.
Noctowl descended onto the battlefield as the audience gasped softly.
Even after all this time, Ash’s unusually colored Noctowl still drew attention immediately.
Jackson wasted no time.
“Steelix, Sandstorm!”
Steelix slammed its tail against the ground.
A violent sandstorm instantly swept across the battlefield.
Visibility dropped sharply.
Noctowl’s flight became unstable as the harsh winds interfered with its movement.
Ash narrowed his eyes.
Unlike in games, battlefield conditions in real combat were far more dangerous.
Weather attacks altered visibility, footing, breathing, and momentum simultaneously.
“Gain altitude, Noctowl!”
Noctowl flapped upward immediately.
At that exact moment
“Steelix, Dig!”
The battlefield exploded apart beneath Noctowl.
Steelix burst upward like a missile.
But Ash had already anticipated it.
“Now!
Air Slash!”
Noctowl spun sharply through the storm before releasing crescent-shaped blades of wind directly downward.
The attack collided with the raging sandstorm itself, disrupting Steelix’s trajectory.
The audience roared.
“Incredible aerial control!”
But Jackson reacted instantly.
“Hyper Beam!”
A golden beam erupted from Steelix’s mouth.
Because of the lingering Sandstorm interference, Noctowl’s evasive movement slowed for only a split second
But that was enough.
BOOM!
The Hyper Beam struck directly.
Noctowl crashed onto the battlefield.
After struggling briefly
It could no longer stand.
“Noctowl is unable to battle!” the referee announced.
“Steelix wins!”
Ash quietly recalled Noctowl.
“You did great.”
Then he exhaled slowly.
This battle reminded him of something important.
Real Pokémon battles were not turn-based contests.
Terrain, momentum, weather, exhaustion, and timing all mattered equally.
A single miscalculation could change everything.
Jackson’s quick adaptation proved exactly why he had reached the Silver Conference quarterfinals.
The atmosphere in the arena grew tense again.
Now both Trainers had only their strongest Pokémon remaining.
Ash slowly smiled.
“Then it’s finally your turn.”
He reached toward his last Poké Ball.
“Charizard!”
A pillar of flame exploded skyward.
The crowd instantly erupted.
Charizard emerged with a thunderous roar that shook the entire stadium.
Misty’s eyes sparkled immediately.
“Charizard!”
Brock smiled knowingly.
Ash’s Charizard was different from the rest of his team.
It had once refused to obey him entirely.
But after countless battles and hardships
Ash had finally earned its respect.
Later, Charizard had continued training in the Charicific Valley, becoming even stronger than before.
Among Ash’s current Pokémon
Charizard was unquestionably one of his greatest aces.
Jackson immediately understood the pressure radiating from it.
“Steelix, Sandstorm again!”
Steelix unleashed another wave of swirling sand.
“Use your wings to blow it away!” Ash commanded instantly.
“Then Flamethrower!”
Charizard roared powerfully.
Its wings unleashed tremendous gusts that split apart the incoming sandstorm before it dived forward.
“Steelix, Dig!”
Steelix burrowed underground immediately.
But Ash remained calm.
“Keep firing into the tunnel!”
Charizard opened its jaws wide.
An enormous Flamethrower surged directly into Steelix’s underground path.
BOOOOM!
The battlefield exploded violently.
Moments later
Steelix burst out from underground completely engulfed in flames before crashing heavily onto the field.
Its eyes spiraled.
Unable to continue battling.
“Steelix is unable to battle!” the referee declared.
“Charizard wins!”
The audience exploded with cheers.
“What overwhelming power!” the commentator shouted.
“Steelix couldn’t escape Charizard’s Flamethrower while trapped underground!”
Now
Only one Pokémon remained.
Jackson slowly recalled Steelix before looking toward Ash with complete seriousness.
“You’re stronger than I imagined.”
He smiled faintly.
“The more I battled you, the more pressure I felt.”
“For the entire match, I couldn’t disrupt your rhythm even once.”
Ash met his gaze calmly.
“You pushed me harder than anyone else in this tournament so far.”
Jackson nodded before gripping his final Poké Ball tightly.
“Then let’s finish this properly.”
“Blaziken!”
Blaziken returned to the battlefield once more.
Despite its injuries from earlier battles, its eyes still burned fiercely with determination.
Charizard spread its wings slowly.
The two Fire-types stared directly at one another.
The pressure alone silenced the crowd.
Everyone could feel it.
This would decide the match.
“Flamethrower!” Jackson shouted first.
Blaziken unleashed blazing fire instantly.
Ash made the same decision.
“Charizard, Flamethrower!”
Two torrents of fire collided violently midair.
The resulting heatwave swept across the stadium.
BOOOOM!
The explosion forced both Pokémon backward.
Then suddenly
“Blaze Kick!”
Blaziken burst through the smoke and slammed a flaming kick directly against Charizard’s head.
“Charizard!” Misty cried out.
But Ash remained composed.
“Use Iron Tail!”
Charizard’s tail began glowing brightly before whipping around with terrifying force.
Jackson reacted immediately.
“Fire Punch!”
Blaziken blocked the attack head-on.
The impact shook the battlefield again.
Ash’s eyes sharpened.
Close combat would only continue draining Charizard’s stamina.
He needed to finish this decisively.
“Grab it!” Ash shouted.
“Seismic Toss!”
Charizard lunged forward immediately.
But even exhausted, Blaziken’s reflexes remained incredible.
It leaped backward at the last second and narrowly escaped.
Ash’s pupils contracted slightly.
Even now…
Its speed was still unbelievable.
“Flamethrower!” Jackson commanded again.
Blaziken fired instantly.
“Dragon Rage!”
A spiraling wave of draconic energy erupted from Charizard’s mouth.
The attacks collided violently at point-blank range.
BOOOOOOM!
Both Pokémon disappeared inside the explosion.
The audience held its breath.
Smoke drifted slowly across the battlefield.
Then
Both Pokémon emerged from the smoke still standing.
The stadium fell silent.
Ash stared ahead calmly.
This moment…
He remembered it perfectly.
In the original timeline, Charizard had still won
But only barely.
This time, however
Ash had already changed too much.
Blaziken’s accumulated damage throughout the battle finally reached its limit.
THUD.
Blaziken collapsed onto the battlefield.
The referee immediately raised his flags.
“Blaziken is unable to battle!”
“The winner of this Silver Conference quarterfinal match is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town!”
For a moment
The stadium froze.
Then the entire arena erupted into deafening cheers.
Jackson laughed softly before recalling Blaziken.
“You fought brilliantly.”
Then he looked toward Ash one final time.
“You really are an incredible Trainer.”
In the audience, Delia Ketchum nearly cried while taking photos nonstop.
“That was wonderful!
Absolutely wonderful!”
Nearby, Professor Oak stood proudly with crossed arms.
“Ash and his Pokémon surpassed themselves today.”
Misty wiped at her eyes quickly.
“Ash really changed…”
Brock smiled warmly.
“He’s finally battling like someone aiming for the top.”
Meanwhile
Ash stood motionless in the center of the battlefield.
His heart pounded violently.
Not from fear.
Not from pressure.
But from exhilaration.
Then suddenly
“Pika!”
Pikachu rushed onto the field and leaped into his arms.
Ash laughed loudly while spinning Pikachu around.
“We did it!”
“Pika-pika!”
For the first time since arriving in this world
Ash had changed destiny.
The Silver Conference quarterfinals had ended.
And the story of a new Ash Ketchum had truly begun.