"Since Blaziken is back out, let's defeat it right here. Go!"
A flash of white light cut through the air, followed by a piercing cry, and a giant brown bird appeared. It was Pidgeot, whom Ash hadn't seen in a long time. Ash had sworn to achieve a better result in the Silver Conference than ever before, which was why he had called back all his past partners. Aside from Lapras and Primeape, who couldn't make it due to various reasons, everyone who could come had arrived. Ash was determined to bring his full strength to bear this time; he had no intention of falling in the quarterfinals once again.
Watching Ash actually send out a Flying-type Pidgeot, Vincent was momentarily speechless. Ash had certainly done his homework on Blaziken. On the flip side, Vincent knew absolutely nothing about Ash's Pidgeot. In truth, it wasn't just Vincent who was in the dark; Brock, Misty, and Professor Oak up in the stands were equally clueless. While Brock and Misty knew Ash owned a Pidgeot, they had no idea what level it was currently at.
"Ash originally planned to use Pidgeot against Jackson. He specifically asked me and Tracey to go to Viridian Forest to find it before the match. If Quilava hadn't performed so brilliantly, Pidgeot would have been out there already," Professor Oak explained the situation. Upon hearing this, Brock and Misty nodded in admiration, remarking that Ash had truly prepared thoroughly this time!
"I never imagined Ash was hiding a Pidgeot—I've never seen him use it before. Looks like I'll need to watch its battle closely," Gary muttered from the stands, taking note of the sudden twist on the field and preparing to observe carefully.
"This is your comeback match, Pidgeot, so give it your all!" Ash encouraged. Pidgeot let out a cry in response. Ever since it found out it would represent Ash at the Silver Conference, it had been looking forward to this moment. It was ready to fully display the skills it had honed in Viridian Forest.
"Return, Blaziken."
Vincent decided to conserve his strength for now. He was no type-disadvantage master who would stubbornly force a bad matchup. If Blaziken got knocked out here, things would only get harder down the road. For his sixth Pokémon, Vincent sent out Sneasel. Although Sneasel was a recent catch, it had already demonstrated extraordinary combat prowess—defeating Machamp despite a type disadvantage was proof enough of that.
"Sneasel, huh? Well, whoever comes out, it's all the same to me," Ash said, eyeing the field.
"Pidgeot, use Tailwind."
"Sneasel, use Swords Dance."
Vincent and Ash simultaneously commanded their Pokémon to use stat-boosting moves. On the field, Pidgeot flapped its massive wings, whipping up a fierce gale that swept across the arena. The powerful winds nearly caused Sneasel, right in the middle of its Swords Dance, to lose its footing. *Such formidable power,* Vincent thought as he watched the unfolding scene.
"Use Icy Wind."
Vincent intended to slow Pidgeot down. Chilling wind spewed from Sneasel's mouth, hurtling toward Pidgeot with great speed. Seeing this, Ash told Pidgeot to use Sand-Attack to block it. Pidgeot swept its massive wings against the ground, kicking up a wall of dust and stones that successfully intercepted the Icy Wind.
"Use Quick Attack."
With a sharp whistle, Pidgeot dashed right in front of Sneasel and brought its wing down in a strike. Fortunately, this Sneasel possessed rich battle experience; before the attack landed, it had already raised both claws to its chest in a defensive posture, preventing a direct hit to its vitals. Otherwise, given Sneasel's stamina, the match would have ended right there.
"It's not over yet. Pidgeot, charge in with Aerial Ace!" Ash pressed the offensive. Just as Pidgeot was gearing up for another strike, Sneasel suddenly collapsed to the ground and burst into heart-wrenching tears, crying as miserably as if someone had died. Both Pidgeot and Ash were completely thrown off by this. Sneasel had just taken a Quick Attack and defended well, so why was it suddenly weeping?
Vincent's lips curled into a smile. Sneasel had used Fake Tears to trick Pidgeot. Seizing the moment, Vincent immediately ordered Sneasel to use Icy Wind. Sitting on the ground, Sneasel didn't even bother to wipe away its tears before unleashing a blast of freezing wind at Pidgeot. Luckily, Pidgeot's reflexes were sharp; it immediately used Double Team to evade the Icy Wind. Ash broke out in a cold sweat—if Pidgeot's wings had been frozen, the match would have become an uphill battle. Fortunately, because Pidgeot had spent so much time living in the wild, its reaction time was exceptionally fast.
"Create some distance, then use Heat Wave."
Deciding to play it safe, Ash ordered Pidgeot to back off and unleash a barrage of Heat Waves. Pidgeot flapped its wings, generating a massive wave of heat that rolled toward Sneasel. Left with no choice, Sneasel used Agility to dart back and forth across the field, dodging the onslaught. However, Pidgeot kept up the heat from the air, gradually driving Sneasel into a desperate corner.
"Now's our chance, use Aerial Ace!"
Spotting the opening, Ash issued a quick command. Pidgeot rapidly adjusted its posture in midair and hurtled toward Sneasel, while Sneasel threw out an Icy Wind in a desperate attempt to block it.
"Then let's counter with Heat Wave!"
Pidgeot let out a sharp cry as a wave of heat enveloped the front of its body, successfully fusing Aerial Ace and Heat Wave into a single combination attack. Seeing the terrifying momentum coming its way, Vincent frantically shouted for Sneasel to dodge, but Sneasel had nowhere left to run. Bang! The combined force of Aerial Ace and Heat Wave crashed directly into Sneasel, sending the Pokémon flying straight out of the bounds of the arena.
"Sneasel is unable to battle."
"Blaziken, I'm counting on you for the finish."
Seeing Blaziken step back onto the field, Ash was overcome with emotion. Today, he would change everything and break his streak of never having beaten Blaziken. Fueled by this thought, Ash's fighting spirit soared. "This battle is crucial, Pidgeot. We both need to give it everything we've got." Pidgeot nodded in agreement. It was planning to sweep two opponents in a row to remind the younger Pokémon that it was still the third-ranking senior among all of Ash's team. Wait—Butterfree was gone, and Pikachu wasn't fighting in this match, which technically made it the top dog now! At that realization, Pidgeot's fighting spirit skyrocketed even further. Ash was momentarily startled by Pidgeot's sudden burst of aura. He never expected that after being apart for so long, he still held such a high place in Pidgeot's heart. *Maybe we should stay apart even longer next time,* Ash thought, before shouting out his next command.
"Pidgeot, use Air Cutter in succession!"
Facing Blaziken, Ash decided to turn Pidgeot into a bomber. High in the air, Pidgeot swept its two massive wings downward, launching a pair of intimidating air blades toward Blaziken.
Below, Blaziken reacted with lightning speed, using brute strength to rip a massive boulder straight out of the ground and hurl it skyward. The boulder collided with the Air Cutter waves and instantly shattered into pieces. With a powerful leap off the ground, Blaziken used Bounce, its exceptional leaping ability propelling it to Pidgeot's altitude in a single bound.
"Use Thunder Punch!"
"Use Feather Dance!"
*If Blaziken gets a grip on us, we're done for,* Ash thought. He immediately ordered Pidgeot to use Quick Attack to evade, soaring higher into the sky before stopping to turn around and unleash another volley of Air Cutters.
Having finally shaken off the surrounding feathers, Blaziken looked up to see the incoming Air Cutters. It continuously used Detect to dodge the first few, but when the final Air Cutter arrived, its secondary effect triggered successfully. The blade struck Blaziken square in the chest. Although it had rested briefly just moments before, the stamina drain had been severe, and Blaziken could no longer help it—it dropped to a semi-crouched position, gasping heavily for air.
Seeing the golden opportunity right before him, Ash immediately ordered Pidgeot to use Brave Bird. Pidgeot adjusted its posture in the air and dove into a steep descent. Flames enveloped its body, transforming into a blue energy shield as it hurtled toward Blaziken.
"Use Thunder Punch to block it!"
Knowing it was impossible to dodge the attack, Vincent could only pin his hopes on this single counter. Bang! The two forces collided violently, triggering a massive explosion that enveloped the entire field in thick smoke.
When the smoke finally cleared, Blaziken remained in a semi-kneeling posture, having lost the ability to battle. Pidgeot panted nearby, arcs of blue electricity still crackling across its body—the recoil damage from Brave Bird.
"Blaziken is unable to battle! The winner is Ash!"
The announcer shouted into the microphone, declaring that Ash had decisively defeated Vincent and asserting that Ash had a very strong chance of taking the championship this tournament. Spectators throughout the stadium rose to their feet in applause, their cheers shaking the arena.
"Pikachu, Pidgeot, we beat Vincent! We're in the semifinals!"
"Pika-pi!"
Ash's heart was pounding with excitement. He had originally only reached the top four back at the Lily of the Valley Conference, but now he had broken his own history by making the semifinals right here at the Silver Conference.