Pokémon, Ash is going to become a perfect man from now on.

"Arcanine, come back! Swampert, go forward and use Protect!"

Hills reacted exceptionally quickly. Seeing the deadly poison approaching, he immediately commanded Arcanine to jump back, while Swampert, which had rushed over, also set up a protective barrier and actively dispersed the incoming poison.

"Use the big characters to explode now!" "Woof!"

"Infernape, hold on and tie a grass knot! Poison Baby, use Toxic again!"

"Waaaaah!" The raging flames came head-on, but the Fire Monkey stretched out its palms to block with all its might. Despite being pushed back by the flames, it still stubbornly withstood the attack!

During this time, it secretly accumulated Grass-type energy and launched a surprise attack by tightly binding Swampert's legs with vines!

"Bee!" Poison Baby took advantage of the flames to spray out another stream of poison.

"Swamp Monster, use Instant Amnesia!"

Bang!

Swampert was knocked to the ground by the vines, but fortunately, its Special Defense was raised in time, so it didn't suffer too much damage...

However, Arcanine had no way to avoid it and was directly drenched in the poison!

Chapter 1003 VS Hills, Head-on Strike: Flame and Water!

When the fast-paced exchange paused, the audience erupted in enthusiastic cheers.

"What an amazing match!" "I couldn't take my eyes off it; the situation could have changed in a second!"

Haruka and Rukia exclaimed in unison, this was definitely the most exciting competition they had seen since entering the Frontier Zone.

Ash and Hills' various moves and switches were dazzling to watch, making it feel like watching a spectacular battle.

However, in the current situation, Ash clearly has a slight advantage.

Swampert and Infernape were both injured, but Arcanine was poisoned and no longer able to fight for long.

"Excellent, wonderful!" Despite the unfavorable situation, Hills' smile remained unchanged. "Mr. Ash's Pokémon are indeed powerful; this is what a spectacular performance should be!"

"Let's continue battling! Infernape, use Grass Knot!" Ash was unusually enthusiastic and continued to have Infernape single-handedly catch Swampert.

"Swamp Monster, get out of the way!"

"Use poison!"

Grass-type moves are four times super effective against Swampert, and Hills has been on guard against Infernape's movements... But as Swampert gets up to dodge, Poison Baby sprays thick venom from its needle, intending to drag it into a poisonous state!

"Growlithe, charge forward at lightning speed!" Hills remained calm under pressure and immediately commanded Growlithe to strike first, breaking apart the venom like a gust of wind.

Since it's already been poisoned, Poison Baby's special move won't have any effect anymore.

After being freed, Arcanine didn't stop for a second and continued its fierce charge!

"Growlithe!" "Woof!"

Just as Arcanine was about to collide with Poison Baby, Hills suddenly commanded it to feint and then rush towards Infernape!

"Waaaaaa..." Just as Infernape tried to dodge, it was entangled by the opponent's claws and teeth, and its body was pressed firmly to the ground!

"Now's the time! Arcanine, use Helping Hand! Swampert, unleash Earthquake at full power!!"

Hills finally unleashed his ultimate move. Arcanine waved its hand to send support energy into its partner's body, while Swampert clenched its fists, about to slam them heavily onto the ground!

"Poison Baby, act cute!" In the nick of time, Ash's first reaction was to instruct Poison Baby to act cute and reduce Swampert's attack to the greatest extent possible before the earthquake.

His instructions to Infernape were even more unbelievable.

"Infernape, a conspiracy!"

With his entire body suppressed by Arcanine and about to take a powerful Earthquake, Ash actually lets Infernape boost its Special Attack at this crucial moment?!

Boom! !

The intense shockwave quickly spread throughout the area, severely injuring the entangled Arcanine and Infernape.

Arcanine howled in pain, no longer able to restrain its opponent.

But it should be alright now, after taking such a blow...

"Woof?!" Arcanine looked up at the Infernape in front of it and was surprised to find that the Infernape was still standing there!

It was panting heavily, but it hadn't lost its ability to fight, and it even struggled to create distance between itself and the enemy!

"Arcanine, don't stand still! Use Fire Blast! Swampert, use Water Pulse!"

Eager to deliver the final blow, Hills unleashed his signature combo attack. Arcanine once again fiercely pressed down with a large, fiery bar, while Swampert behind him launched a massive water ball!

"Infernape, retreat and use Protect! Baby, advance and engage!"

"Bee!" Without the slightest hesitation, Poison Baby dodged past Blaze at top speed and plunged into it before the water and fire merged!

Two opposing forces merged in the air to form a strange vortex, completely trapping Poison Baby inside... However, it was precisely because of Poison Baby's early intervention that the fusion of the two ultimate moves was not perfect, and it soon showed signs of collapse.

Thanks to Poison Baby taking the damage in advance, Infernape, which was providing protection, was completely unaffected and had already completed its energy accumulation!

"Poison Baby, help! Infernape, tie a grass knot!"

"Oh no..." Hillston was immediately alarmed. His partner was busy maintaining the combo and had no time to pay attention to the opponent's counterattack.

"Bee!" Poison Baby waved weakly, also offering assistance to Fire Monkey.

"Waaaaah!" With the surge of energy, Infernape summoned a dense vine field that completely engulfed Swampert's body!

Wow!

The art of fire and water collapsed out of nowhere, and the battered Poison Baby and Swampert fell to the ground at the same time... but the latter had already lost its ability to fight!

"This... does this mean that Mr. Ash has been calculating the damage that the Pokémon are taking?" Hills asked incredulously.

How could the other party be so certain that Infernape would survive the earthquake?

“I did make a rough estimate,” Ash nodded and explained. “When an earthquake attacks multiple targets, the damage is spread out. Even if it provides a boost, the damage is still limited if the attack is reduced.”

Ash must have had the confidence to let Infernape and Poipole withstand such a strong attack.

Even with the help of a STAB Earthquake that has a double super effective damage, after damage dispersion and attack reduction, it's impossible to one-shot a well-healthy Infernape.

Conversely, with the help of Infernape's scheming buff, its Grass Knot ability can make Swampert close its eyes on the spot!

There's no way around it, the four-times-killer is just more efficient... Hills chose this indiscriminate attack method based on this consideration.

Ash could even deduce that if Swampert hadn't been knocked down, Arcanine would have retreated to use Sunrise or Rest to recover, and then continued to act as a fire shield.

But now...

"Growlithe, we're running out of time..." Hills whispered to his partner.

That's certainly the current situation; Arcanine has no chance to sleep... and a single-turn recovery is woefully inadequate against Toxic.

"So there's only one easy path left! Sprint at full speed!!" "Woof!!"

As if disregarding everything, Arcanine fearlessly launched its final charge!

"Protect!!" Ash also had Infernape stubbornly erect a shield, the transparent shield firmly blocking Arcanine's attack. Even though it was covered with cracks, it still managed to push the opponent away!

"Help!" At the same time, Poison Baby also channeled its support power onto Infernape once again!

"Growlithe, our spectacular show isn't over yet! The final big explosion!!"

Hills was unwilling to give up so easily, and Arcanine also exhausted all its energy, finally unleashing a scorching flame!

"Go and respond to our opponent! This is our all-out attack... Burn to ashes!!"

"Waaaaah...waaaah!!"

boom!

In an instant, the Fire Monkey's aura surged, its eyes glowed with a scorching red light, and the flames on its tail shot up more than a meter high!

In the final moments, it surprisingly unleashed its own unique super-powerful fire!

With its energy stored up to the limit, Infernape's fur began to burn intensely. It tilted its head back sharply and then unleashed a torrent of flames!

hum! !

The blazing flames transformed into a dazzling beam of light, piercing through the incoming Great Fire with overwhelming force, and even blasting Arcanine off the battle stage in one blow!

"Match over! Arcanine is unable to battle, Infernape... and Poipole have won!!"

"Wa ...

The flames above his head resembled magnificent clouds of smoke; the fire warrior possessed a dazzling appearance and a majestic figure…

Infernape!!

Chapter 1004: Post-War Progress...

"Wow...right?"

Looking down at its hands, which were different from their previous shape, Infernape was momentarily stunned.

Its evolution was so natural that it didn't feel special at all.

It is about relentless training to continuously grow oneself, and then finding an opportunity to release the power accumulated to the limit, ultimately achieving evolution.

It's a very 'ordinary' process; many of Ash's Pokémon have come this far in this way.