"What?!" Damian exclaimed, watching in shock as the Smack Down landed. He frantically looked around for Charmander, but the dense Smokescreen made it impossible to see anything.
"It seems you don't even know what moves Charmander can use!" Ash said coldly, his eyes flashing with disdain, which only irritated Damian further.
"Damn it! Just hit it with Water Gun! As long as it connects once, that's all we need." Damian's strategy was weak, relying on luck with Poliwag's attack. He knew that with Charmander's current condition, one more hit would likely take it down.
"Hmph! Ridiculous. Charmander, use Growl!" Ash commanded with a sneer.
As Poliwag fired Water Gun in one direction, a flicker of flame appeared beside it, followed by a loud, sonic-like roar that echoed through the battlefield. The Growl dispersed the smoke around Poliwag, and the Water-type Pokémon was immediately frightened. Though Growl doesn't cause direct damage, it lowers the opposing Pokémon's defense. In real life, just like humans are startled by sudden loud noises, Pokémon can be equally rattled by powerful moves like Growl.
"Now, use Scratch!" Ash quickly followed up, seizing the opportunity. White light flashed on Charmander's claws, and it swiped at Poliwag, landing several blows in quick succession.
Poliwag wailed in pain, stumbling backward uncontrollably as Damian's heart sank at the sight.
"Poliwag, what are you doing?! Counter with Double Slap!" Damian yelled in frustration.
Hearing its trainer, Poliwag stood up quickly, flicking its tail toward Charmander.
"Bite its tail!" Ash ordered.
Charmander opened its mouth, and a silvery white light gleamed from its sharp teeth. As Poliwag's tail swung up, Charmander bit down hard.
Poliwag let out a loud scream, tears streaming from its eyes as it struggled to break free, but Charmander's grip was too strong.
"Shake it off!" Ash commanded firmly.
Without giving Poliwag time to react, Charmander swung its body, using the momentum to hurl Poliwag into the air. Poliwag was flung across the battlefield and crashed heavily onto the ground.
Poliwag lay there, visibly shaken, as Charmander panted heavily, having used all its strength to land the final blow.
With astonishing force, Poliwag was thrown through the air before slamming heavily onto the ground. The fall was hard, and deep bite marks were visible on its tail, showing how badly it had been bitten. Charmander stood panting, clearly exhausted.
"char... char..." Charmander groaned, struggling to stay on its feet. Its physical strength had dropped significantly from the intense battle, but Poliwag wasn't faring much better.
"What are you doing, Poliwag? You can't even beat a guy like that! Get up already!" Damian barked, frustration clear in his voice. The trainers around them, excited by the battle, began cheering for Ash, which only made Damian feel more uncomfortable.
Poliwag stood up with great difficulty, its movements sluggish and strained.
"Damn it! Don't give up, Poliwag! Use Water Gun!" Damian shouted frantically. He glared at Ash, determined to win no matter what. As long as Poliwag could hit Charmander one more time, he thought victory would be his.
Poliwag, using every ounce of strength it had left, released another Water Gun. The blue stream of water rushed toward Charmander with force.
Ash prepared to act, but at that moment, Charmander's chest heaved, and a red glow began to radiate from its body. The flame on its tail flared up, becoming even more intense. Ash noticed the shift immediately. Charmander's mouth opened slightly, and a stream of hot particles began to form. This wasn't Ember—it was something stronger, a power on a whole new level. The red light caught everyone's attention.
"Fire... that must be...!" Ash muttered to himself, his eyes narrowing as he realized what was happening. A flash of determination crossed his face as he pressed the brim of his hat down and shouted, "Charmander, use Flamethrower!"
!!!!
The red light surrounding Charmander faded, but the flame on its tail continued to burn intensely. Charmander's expression was focused as it gathered energy in its mouth.
Boom!!!
A massive stream of flames erupted from Charmander's mouth, far larger than its small frame. The fiery pillar roared across the battlefield, meeting Poliwag's Water Gun in the center. The clash of fire and water sent thick clouds of steam rising into the air as the two powerful moves collided.
At first, the water seemed to hold its ground, but the intensity of Charmander's Flamethrower quickly began to overwhelm Poliwag's Water Gun.
"What?!" Damian shouted, eyes wide with disbelief.
The crowd around the battlefield, trainers who had been watching in awe, shared Damian's shock. Misty and Brock, however, looked on with excitement, sensing the shift in momentum.
Boom!!!
The flames completely overpowered the water, slamming into Poliwag with incredible force. Despite being a Water-type and having resistance to Fire-type moves, Poliwag was no match for the sheer power of Charmander's Flamethrower. The attack was simply on a different level compared to Poliwag's Water Gun.
In battles, especially in real life, raw power and intensity can sometimes matter more than type advantages. Stronger Pokémon can exert greater force, which can tip the scales, even when at a type disadvantage. This is why elite and champion trainers can often turn the tide of battle, relying on the overwhelming strength of their Pokémon.
Even without perfect type matchups, pure strength and experience can lead to victory. Today, Charmander's strength had done exactly that, overwhelming Poliwag and proving that sheer power can sometimes outmatch even the best of strategies.