After thinking it over, Gary closed his eyes slightly for a moment, then opened them, took out the Poké Ball, and took Arcanine back. Compared to Ash, he was indeed much worse now!
Although the chances of winning were slim with the Pokémon he currently had, Gary didn't give up. Never giving up was the mark of a true Trainer!
"Nidoking, please!" Gary threw the Poké Ball and sent out his second Pokémon, Nidoking!
The white light spread out. The huge Nidoking, about 1.5 meters tall, appeared on the battlefield. It walked on two legs and was covered in purple, with only its chest and abdomen being white.
Nidoking had large, sharp, poisonous horns, small spikes on the edges of its ears, and five teeth on each side of its lower jaw, the fifth being the long tusk.
Nidoking
Attribute: Poison, Ground
Category: Drill Pokémon
Ability: Poison Point or Rivalry;
Hidden Ability: Sheer Force
Poison Point: When a Pokémon with this Ability is attacked by a contact move, the attacker has a chance of being poisoned.
Strength: Bronze
"Nidoking... Gary actually sent Nidoking to deal with Haunter?" Seeing the second Pokémon sent by Gary, Brock and Misty were taken aback because Haunter had the ability to float, making it immune to Ground-type moves!
"Nidoking can learn more than Ground-type moves!" Gary clenched his fist slightly and issued an order to Nidoking, "Come on, Nidoking, rush over and use Fire Punch!"
"Nido—!" Nidoking roared, striding on its thick legs and running towards Haunter quickly.
Its movements were full of momentum. If a timid Pokémon saw Nidoking like this, it might not even think of confronting it.
"Shadow Ball!" Ash didn't let Haunter continue using the Phantom Force attack method but instead had it use Shadow Ball directly. After all, the physical exertion from Phantom Force wasn't insignificant.
"Sssss..." Haunter looked at Nidoking and let out a strange laugh. Ghost-type energy quickly condensed between its hands, forming an energy ball, which it pushed forward, shooting it towards Nidoking!
"Rush over!" But Gary didn't intend to let Nidoking dodge; instead, he had it face the attack head-on!
"Nido!" Nidoking roared, facing the oncoming Shadow Ball. A hot flame ignited on its right fist as it punched the Shadow Ball!
"Boom!" The orange flames and the dark purple Ghost-type energy overflowed, and the aftermath of the collision swept away the surrounding gravel. Nidoking was impacted and took two steps back but then continued to rush towards Haunter unwaveringly!
Ash ordered Haunter to keep its distance, taking advantage of its long-range capabilities, and continuously used Shadow Ball to attack Nidoking. This made Nidoking tired of coping, and gradually, its physical strength was consumed more and more, putting it at a disadvantage.
Gary saw what was happening but had no choice. Most of the Pokémon he had were countered by Haunter. The only one that could fight against Haunter was his most reliable trump card, Wartortle.
Even so, Gary still learned something from it. His Nidoking's offensive methods weren't diverse enough. It wasn't that it didn't know many moves but that it lacked the moves to cope with the current situation. He needed to enrich Nidoking's repertoire!
Moments later, Nidoking was exhausted from Haunter's relentless attacks and lay on the ground, unable to continue fighting!
"Nidoking has lost the ability to fight, and Haunter has won!" Brock dutifully announced the result.
"Come back, Nidoking!" Gary reluctantly withdrew Nidoking, and after a short pause, sent out his last trump card, Wartortle!
After two rounds of fierce fighting, Haunter's physical strength had been greatly depleted, and Ash didn't want it to continue fighting. So, he withdrew Haunter and looked at Pikachu at his feet.
"Pikachu, it's up to you!" Ash waved his right hand, signaling Pikachu to attack.
"Pika-pika!" Pikachu jumped forward with an excited smile, entering the battlefield. It looked at Wartortle, just like their previous duel in Pallet Town.
Only, times had changed. The original Squirtle had evolved into Wartortle, and the current Pikachu was no longer the same Pikachu!
Pikachu's performance was unsurprising. Even though Gary had great confidence in Wartortle, Pikachu's strength was beyond Gary's comprehension!
Although Gary had Wartortle use Protect to block Pikachu's attack, in the second offensive, Ash and Pikachu seized the opportunity and landed a Thunderbolt, causing Wartortle to lose its fighting ability.
"Wartortle has lost the ability to fight, and Pikachu has won! Since Gary has lost three Pokémon, the winner of this battle is Ash!" Brock declared the result the moment Wartortle fell to the ground.
"Thanks for your hard work, Wartortle..." Gary had already expected this outcome, so he didn't feel too disappointed. However, he harbored a strong resentment in his heart. Ash was already far ahead of him. If this continued, he would gradually fall behind and be unable to keep up with Ash's pace!
"I'm sorry..." Gary still remembered the conditions of the match, and after losing, he generously apologized to Misty.
Misty shook her head slightly. She knew that Gary's apology wasn't because he had changed his view of her. Secretly clenching her fist, she vowed that in the future, Gary would sincerely apologize to her, her sisters, and the Cerulean Gym!
"Next time, I will definitely let you see a completely different me!" Gary looked at Ash, taking a deep look before turning to leave. He had decided to embark on a journey of more challenging training!
As for Aerodactyl, since he wasn't even Ash's rival now, how could he hope to capture such a Pokémon? He had given up, at least for now!
Watching Gary's departing figure, Ash's eyes turned serious. He wouldn't underestimate Gary because of this victory. Gary was undoubtedly his formidable opponent, his lifelong rival!
Through this failure, Gary would only grow stronger. If Ash wanted to keep defeating Gary in the future, he could only continue moving forward!
Standing still meant Gary would eventually catch up and even surpass him!
"Let's go, let's head to the central area." Ash looked at his two companions, ready to venture into the central area and encounter the three rare and extraordinary fossil Pokémon.
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