"Come out, Corphish!"
Ash's next Pokémon was Corphish, which had already fought once. Although it had rested for a while, Rex could see that Corphish's condition wasn't great.
However, having seen Corphish fight many times, Rex thought that the small lobster's fighting spirit was amazing. Its tough defense and relentless attitude might bring them a surprise.
After recognizing its opponent as Luvdisc, Corphish jumped into the water, charging at Luvdisc and releasing a Bubble Beam mid-attack.
Luvdisc easily dodged the attack and countered with a Water Gun. The swift-running Corphish couldn't avoid the Water Gun and was hit, but the damage was minimal. It shook its head and quickly recovered.
Next, Juan repeated his previous strategy, having Luvdisc use Sweet Kiss. This time, Corphish jumped to avoid it and attacked Luvdisc mid-air with Bubble Beam, forcing Luvdisc to dive underwater.
"Corphish, use Crabhammer to strike the water!"
Ash had a sudden inspiration.
Using its momentum from falling, Corphish's powerful Crabhammer strike on the water surface sent Luvdisc flying out of the water.
Seeing an opportunity, Ash quickly had Corphish use Vice Grip. However, Luvdisc's speed on the water surface was exceptionally fast, and it dodged Corphish's attack.
"Why did Luvdisc suddenly speed up?" Max asked in confusion from the audience.
"It's Luvdisc's Swift Swim ability," Brock explained. "In rainy conditions, Luvdisc's speed doubles. Corphish's water strike triggered its ability."
Ash soon seized another chance. The water splash quickly dissipated, and Luvdisc's speed returned to normal.
Corphish took this opportunity to use Crabhammer, sending Luvdisc flying into a rock on the shore, knocking it out.
Juan then sent out his fourth Pokémon, Whiscash. With its Water and Ground typing, Whiscash was only weak to Grass moves, making it a tricky opponent. Moreover, its size difference with Corphish gave it an advantage.
"Whiscash, use Surf, then Rock Smash!" Juan commanded.
Riding a huge wave, Whiscash charged at Corphish. Ash had Corphish use Bubble Beam to block, but Whiscash ignored the bubbles.
As Whiscash neared Corphish, it leaped from the wave and used Rock Smash in a crushing attack, knocking Corphish out.
Ash chose Swellow as his fourth Pokémon. Swellow, his first capture in the Hoenn region, was resilient and strong.
"Swellow, use Quick Attack!"
Swellow transformed into a flash of lightning, attacking Whiscash.
However, as Swellow approached, Whiscash's whiskers entangled its wings. Under Juan's command, Whiscash used Tickling, a move that lowered Swellow's attack and defense.
Juan then ordered Whiscash to use Hyper Beam, intending to deal a fatal blow. Unable to escape, Swellow took the full force of the attack and was knocked to the ground.
Rex thought Swellow was out, but Ash's encouragement revived it. Following Ash's command, Swellow used Aerial Ace to strike Whiscash.
"Whiscash, dive underwater!" Juan ordered.
To avoid the attack, Whiscash dove underwater, but Swellow followed, using Aerial Ace to force Whiscash back into the air.
Impressed by Swellow's performance, Rex considered training his own Swellow similarly.
"Whiscash, use Hyper Beam!" Juan commanded.
Whiscash used its whiskers to latch onto a nearby pillar, swung around, and fired Hyper Beam at Swellow.
"Swellow, dodge with Quick Attack and then use Aerial Ace!" Ash countered.
Swellow dodged Hyper Beam with Quick Attack and then used Aerial Ace, swiftly attacking Whiscash. Whiscash attempted to dive underwater again but was struck by Swellow before it could, knocking it out.
Juan's final Pokémon was his ace, Milotic. Ash's remaining Pokémon, Swellow and Pikachu, were both worn out from previous battles.
"Milotic, use Hydro Pump!"
Milotic shot a powerful water stream at Swellow.
"Swellow, use Aerial Ace!"
Swellow evaded and struck Milotic with Aerial Ace, but Milotic barely flinched.
Juan had Milotic use Iron Tail, but Ash's Swellow used Double Team to dodge.
Milotic then used Twister, a move that, combined with water, trapped and battered Swellow, knocking it out.
After recalling Swellow, Ash sent out his final Pokémon, Pikachu.
"Pikachu, use Thunder Bolt!"
Ash aimed to inflict massive damage on Milotic with a powerful Electric-type move. The attack left Milotic battered and no longer composed.
"Milotic, use Recover!" Juan commanded calmly.
Milotic's body glowed as it healed its injuries, returning to perfect condition.
Rex knew Recover could only restore half a Pokémon's health and took time to use, but Milotic had mastered it to the point of instant, full recovery.
Seeing Thunder's ineffectiveness, Ash had Pikachu use Iron Tail. Milotic countered with its own Iron Tail, sending Pikachu flying due to its larger size.
Under Juan's command, Milotic used its tail to create a water-based Twister, trapping Pikachu inside.
Ash quickly ordered Pikachu to use Thunder, evaporating the water and breaking free from the Twister.
Using the momentum, Pikachu used Quick Attack to hit Milotic hard, causing it to stagger back.
Milotic countered with Hydro Pump, but Pikachu dodged easily. Ash then had Pikachu use Thunderbolt, heavily damaging Milotic.
"Milotic, use Recover!" Juan called out.
This time, Milotic's severe injuries prevented full recovery, while Pikachu was exhausted from repeated high-power moves.
Juan had Milotic dive underwater and attack Pikachu with Iron Tail from the water. Pikachu, however, used this chance to jump onto Milotic's head, grabbing its long ears and throwing it into the water.
Pikachu then used Thunder in the water, unleashing its full power. The pool turned golden as electricity surged through.
Finally, Pikachu emerged victorious, standing on the defeated Milotic.
"Milotic is unable to battle. The challenger wins," the butler announced, signaling the end of the match and Ash's victory.
Ash received the Rain Badge from the Sootopolis Gym, earning his eighth badge and qualifying for the Hoenn League.
(End of Chapter)