As Ash threw out his next Pokéball, it opened, revealing Zubat. When she emerged, the 'Heavy-Duty Boots' she wore protected her from the hazards already set up on the battlefield, so she was fine.
What wasn't fine was that after Heracross took down Growlithe, he received both the Moxie boost and the Guts power boost, making this an uphill battle. However, Heracross was hurt and still taking chip damage from the burn.
"Alright then, Heracross, let's end this quickly! [Rock Blast]!" Bugsy commanded, pointing to the sky.
Ash quickly countered, "[Agility], then [Wing Attack]!"
Heracross dug his arms into the ground, pulling out chunks of earth and launching them into the air, aiming to knock Zubat down. However, Zubat's form blurred into afterimages as she speed-blitzed around. She suddenly reappeared behind Heracross, landing an x4 super-effective [Wing Attack] that made the big bug stumble forward in surprise.
"Alright, Zubat's back in the air!" Ash said confidently.
Bugsy smirked. "You're not the only one who can take to the skies. Heracross, after her!"
As Zubat zoomed upward, Heracross opened his back, revealing wings that began flapping furiously. The two Pokémon took their battle to the skies. Zubat darted and weaved, dodging most of Heracross's attacks as he hurled the remaining rocks from his earlier move. Despite her agility, Zubat failed to notice when Heracross closed the gap.
Bugsy grinned. "Told you you wouldn't get far. Now, Heracross, take her down with [Smack Down]!"
Heracross's fists glowed brown as he raised them and slammed down on Zubat's wings, making her lose strength and plummet to the ground. If not for her Heavy-Duty Boots, she would've also taken additional damage from the rocks below.
Zubat took heavy damage—she was already frail, and the super-effective, boosted hit dealt a massive blow. Struggling to get back up, she watched as Heracross soared above her and began dive-bombing toward her position.
Bugsy's grin widened. "Now, while she's down, Heracross, use [Earthquake]!"
Heracross came down feet-first, ready to crush Zubat. As he descended, his foot started glowing with a bright orange-brown light.
Ash waited, biding his time, until the perfect moment. "[Agility]!"
Zubat's body blurred again into an afterimage, and Heracross's foot slammed into the ground, causing a powerful quake that would have been more than enough to finish her off.
Everyone looked around, searching for Zubat, but she was nowhere to be seen. Instead, all they saw was a fast blur zipping around the battlefield, moving far too quickly for anyone to track—a result of her +4 speed boost.
"Oh, so you did 'that,'" Ash said with a grin, referring to Zubat. He smiled confidently. "Alright, let's let the fun begin. [Dual Wingbeat]!"
The blur darted around the battlefield, striking Heracross in the back of the head before looping back to hit the center of its head, causing it to stumble. The audience watched in amazement—no one could see Zubat's movements.
Bugsy squinted at the blur, realizing Heracross couldn't keep up. He waited, and as the blur came around for another strike, he shouted, "Heracross, use [Stone Edge]!"
Heracross stomped the ground, summoning a jagged stone structure in front of it, hoping to shield itself—or better yet, hit the blur outright. But just as it seemed the blur would collide with the stones, Ash commanded, "[Acrobatics]!"
The blur vanished, reappearing behind Heracross. Except this time, it wasn't Zubat. It was a Golbat, and Golbat struck Heracross with a devastating blow.
"Grab her now!" Bugsy ordered.
"Nope. Dodge, then another [Wing Attack]!" Ash said calmly.
Heracross lunged to grab Golbat, but she spun gracefully, her back brushing against Heracross before darting to the opposite side. As she moved, Golbat began to glow, her form shifting again. With all the aura Ash had poured into her and their bond at maximum friendship, Golbat evolved once more.
Her wings separated into four segments, her body grew larger, and her skin turned a deep purple. In the span of this battle, Zubat had evolved twice, now becoming a Crobat. The audience gasped in disbelief at the incredible transformation.
The evolution didn't slow her down—Crobat appeared on Heracross's other side and struck with another powerful [Wing Attack], sending Heracross stumbling. Heracross was already weakened, and the burn continued to sap its strength.
Bugsy gritted his teeth, desperate to regain the upper hand. "Use [Facade]!"
"Meet them head-on with [Cross Poison]!" Ash countered.
Heracross and Crobat charged at each other, their attacks glowing with energy. On paper, Heracross had the advantage with its +1 Moxie boost and the Guts power-up. But the accumulated damage and burn were taking their toll.
Crobat began gaining ground in the clash, her glowing wings pushing back Heracross's powerful limbs. Both Pokémon gave it their all, locking eyes as they unleashed everything they had left.
Finally, Crobat pierced through Heracross's defenses, landing a decisive blow and appearing on the opposite side of the battlefield. For a moment, Heracross remained standing—but then it collapsed. Meaning Crobat won.
Everyone was watching, stunned. For a good reason, a Pokemon evolved twice in a battle, while it isn't unheard of, it isn't easy to do, especially because most of the time, that only works for stone evolutions.
Bugsy returned Heracross to its Pokéball with a smile. "Alright, you got me there. I didn't expect that. But I've still got my strongest Pokémon left. I hope you're ready."
With that, Bugsy threw out his next Pokéball. A Scyther emerged, brandishing its blade-like arms with a confident smirk, as it also had an Eviolite. It locked eyes with Crobat, eager for a fierce battle.
Crobat, while not at 100%, hovered in the air, determined and ready to fight. And Scyther was just itching to fight.
Ash took the first move. "Alright, Crobat, [Aerial Ace] attack now!"
Crobat's wings glowed white as she dashed forward, ready to attack the large bug. However, Scyther raised its blades, meeting Crobat's wings head-on and clashing.
"Scyther, let's do this! Knock her back, then use [Swords Dance]!" Bugsy commanded.
Scyther used its blade to push back, causing Crobat to stumble and catch herself before she fell. In those few seconds, Scyther's blades glowed as spectral swords appeared around it, spun, and then disappeared.
"Now, Scyther, rush up and use [Dual Wingbeat]!" Bugsy commanded.
Ash held his hand out, pointing towards the incoming bug. "Stop it with [Poison Fang]!"
Scyther rushed forward, its wings glowing as they freed themselves from its back. Meanwhile, Crobat's fangs glowed purple. As they met, Scyther landed the first wing strike, but Crobat dodged the second and bit down hard.
Both Pokémon took damage. Scyther glanced at the bat biting it and raised its blade, which glowed red, using [Brick Break] over and over. Though the move was resisted, Scyther focused solely on getting Crobat off.
The tactic worked. Crobat let go and flew back quickly. While Scyther hadn't done much damage overall, Crobat was already badly hurt from her earlier fight with Heracross and couldn't go blow for blow.
Bugsy seized the moment. "Scyther, quick, use another [Swords Dance]!"
As Scyther prepared the move, Ash shouted, "Oh no, you don't! Use [Taunt]!"
Crobat made a face and stuck her tongue out at Scyther, irritating it and stopping the [Swords Dance] halfway through.
"Scyther, what are you doing?" Bugsy asked his annoyed Pokémon. Before he could say anything else, Scyther ran forward in a frenzy.
Scyther began using [Fury Cutter] wildly, aiming for Crobat. Although Crobat was fast enough to dodge most of the random attacks, she was still chipped by a few. Despite being resisted, the hits inflicted damage—damage Crobat couldn't afford to take.
Ash clenched his fists. "Crobat, hang in there! Use [Cross Poison]!"
Crobat's wings glowed purple as she flew at Scyther with everything she had, leaving streaks of poison in her wake. Scyther didn't back down.
"Counter with [Psycho Cut]!" Bugsy commanded.
Scyther's blades began glowing purple as its wings flapped, lifting it into the air to meet Crobat head-on. The two Pokémon clashed in midair, their attacks colliding in a brilliant flash of light. The force of the impact sent shockwaves across the battlefield.
As their attacks ended, both Pokémon fell toward the ground. Scyther had taken more damage, but Crobat was in worse shape. She weakly flapped her wings, fatigue finally catching up to her.
"Alright, let's finish this with one more [Psycho Cut]!" Bugsy commanded.
Ash took a deep breath and pointed toward the incoming bug. "Let's take it down with us—[Brave Bird]!"
Scyther soared into the skies again, its wings glowing purple. Crobat, diving down with her body seemingly igniting into flames, prepared to meet it head-on. When they clashed midair, the force of their collision sent debris flying from the ground below.
For a moment, they seemed evenly matched, but there was a clear difference: Scyther was fresher, with more stamina left, and it looked like it was winning.
However, Crobat had already accepted that she was going down. As Scyther's blade descended, instead of clashing, she dodged to the left. Her wing took the full force of the hit, causing her to falter, but she pushed forward with sheer determination.
She completed her [Brave Bird] attack, slamming into Scyther's side and rendering its wings useless for the remainder of the battle. The hit dealt massive damage, sending Scyther flying to the right.
As Scyther struggled to get up, the crowd watched Crobat collapse face-first onto the ground, completely spent.
Ash exhaled and returned Crobat to her Pokéball. "Guess that means we're tied up."
"Yeah, looks like it. But Scyther's still good to go," Bugsy replied, watching as Scyther, though heavily injured, shook its head and stepped forward, ready for round two.
Ash smirked and held out his last Pokéball. "But I'm not planning on losing. Come on out, Fuecoco!"
He tossed his Pokéball, and the fire croc leaped out, a faint gleam from an Eviolite around his neck. As Fuecoco entered the battlefield, he stepped on the [Stealth Rock] and [Sticky Web], taking some damage and slowing down slightly. It didn't faze him; Fuecoco was built to handle situations like this.
Bugsy's eyes widened. "Huh, not a Pokémon I'm familiar with."
"He's from all the way in Paldea," Ash explained with a grin. "Got my hands on this little guy, so let's have some fun!"
Bugsy wasted no time. "Alright, Scyther, [Brick Break]!"
Scyther charged forward, its blades glowing red as it struck down on Fuecoco. The little fire croc didn't even flinch, tanking the hit like a champ.
Ash smiled. "Now jump back and use [Will-O-Wisp]!"
Fuecoco raised his head, summoning five purple flames that hovered around him. With a small roar, he sent the flames forward. They struck Scyther, knocking it back slightly and leaving it with a burn.
"Not again! Scyther, [Psycho Cut]!" Bugsy commanded.
Scyther charged forward, its blades glowing as it brought them down onto Fuecoco. Once again, Fuecoco didn't dodge—it was tanky enough to handle the hit. Fuecoco didn't even look hurt, though his goofy expression might have been masking the damage.
Bugsy clenched his fists. "Scyther, [Psycho Cut] again!"
Scyther struck again and again, but with the burn reducing its attack power and Fuecoco's natural bulk, the moves barely scratched the fire croc.
Ash swiped his hand confidently. "Alright, my turn—[Incinerate]!"
Fuecoco spat out a wave of fire, and when it hit Scyther, the flames burned off its Eviolite. Without the item's boost, Scyther suddenly looked far more fragile.
Bugsy grit his teeth. "No, Scyther! Alright then... we've got no choice—[Close Combat]!"
In a desperate move, Scyther lunged forward. Its blade-like arms glowed orange and extended as it unleashed a flurry of slashes, punches, and kicks. Fuecoco took the hits. Even with his tankiness, the relentless assault began to take its toll.
But just as Scyther's punches started to slow, Fuecoco began to glow. His body grew larger, the small flame on his head extended into a fiery nest, and a tiny egg appeared atop it—he had evolved into Crocalor.
As Scyther's attacks weakened, Crocalor bit down with [Fire Fang] on one of its blades, stopping the assault and preventing Scyther from escaping to use its speed.
Ash smirked. "Let's try something new. Crocalor, Death Roll!"
Crocalor spun his body rapidly, dragging Scyther down with him. As they rolled, Scyther was slammed into the [Stealth Rock], still scattered on the battlefield. Crocalor could handle the minor damage, but Scyther, with its quadruple weakness to Rock, took devastating hits.
Scyther struggled to break free, but Ash tilted his head, tapping the brim of his hat. "Alright, it's been fun, but all good things must come to an end. [Flamethrower]!"
Still biting down on Scyther, Crocalor unleashed a point-blank [Flamethrower]. The flames erupted brightly, engulfing the bug in a fiery blast.
When the flames died down, Scyther was motionless, spirals in its eyes signaling that it was unable to battle. Crocalor, still chewing on Scyther's blade, seemed satisfied.
For a moment, the battlefield was silent. Then, Ethan broke the tension with loud applause. "Hah! Man, that was great!"
The rest of the audience followed suit, nodding and cheering. Even Shelly offered a quiet clap.
Bugsy sighed helplessly, then smiled as he returned Scyther to its Pokéball and approached Ash. "You don't disappoint. I've never been beaten like that before, but I guess I shouldn't be surprised anymore."
Ash chuckled as he picked up Crocalor, who looked ready to cause more trouble, tucking the fire croc under his arm. "You're not so bad yourself—that was a blast. But I still hate you for trying to stall."
"Fair," Bugsy admitted with a grin. "But we're even since you used chip damage."
Ash laughed, shaking Bugsy's outstretched hand. "Fine, I guess we're both the worst."
Bugsy unpinned the badge from his shirt and handed it to Ash. "Here. You've earned this—the Hive Badge."
Ash took it, watching it glint in his hand, and smiled as he showed it to Crocalor. "Look at that! This makes two badges."
Crocalor stared at the badge. He didn't understand what it meant, but seeing Ash happy made him happy. To show it, he began singing. "Cro-or-or~!"
Ash chuckled, holding the badge up for the crowd to see. "We're just getting started!"
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