Chapter 1061: Ash vs. Winona

Since they had made a prior reservation, Ash and his friends were led directly to the battle arena upon arriving at the Fortree Gym, where they met the Gym Leader, Winona.

As a Flying-type Trainer, Winona was well-known, though not as famous as her ex-boyfriend Wallace, she was undoubtedly one of the strongest among the younger generation.

Winona became the Fortree Gym Leader at a very young age. After the older generation of Gym Leaders retired, she was once considered the leader of the younger generation of Hoenn Gym Leaders.

At that time, Yuga, who was younger than Wallace, Winona, and Steven by several years, had not yet made a name for himself.

Seeing Ash and his friends enter, Winona, dressed in her unique flying attire, said, "So, you're Ash from Pallet Town? I've been waiting for you."

Winona was someone who placed great importance on rituals and held an extremely high and pure belief in flight and the sky. Therefore, even in her daily life, she wore what could be described as peculiar flying attire. The citizens of Fortree City were well aware of her habits, so no one commented on her "unusual" clothing.

Ash, full of energy, responded, "Yes, I'm Ash. Please go easy on me today."

"Alright then, follow me!" With that, Winona turned and led Ash and his friends to the battle arena.

As a Flying-type Gym, Fortree Gym's battle arena was a bit different from other gyms. It was an outdoor, open-air arena, with two tall "watchtowers" standing on the field, offering a very wide view.

Under Winona's guidance, Ash climbed one of the "watchtowers," while Winona herself ascended the one opposite.

Yuga and Luvia, who had disguised their identities, were treated as ordinary companions and were led by the staff to the spectator area with May and the others.

"I wonder what kind of Pokémon Winona will use later?" Max said excitedly after sitting down.

May looked at him helplessly, "Ash is the challenger. Why are you so excited?"

Brock laughed and said, "Since Fortree Gym specializes in Flying-type Pokémon, Winona will definitely use Flying-type Pokémon."

Yuga and Luvia sat quietly beside the kids, silently blending into the background.

After the referee explained the rules of the Gym battle, the battle officially began. The match was a three-on-three, with the challenger allowed to switch Pokémon, but the Gym Leader could not.

Winona's first Pokémon was a Pelipper. Although it was fully evolved, its aptitude and level were not very high, making it a starting Pokémon used for testing the opponent.

Typically, Gym Leaders would choose their Pokémon based on the challenger's actual strength. Compared to the more challenging Petalburg Gym and Verdanturf Gym, which required earning three badges in advance to challenge, Fortree Gym's difficulty level was much lower.

However, to everyone's surprise, Ash's first Pokémon was Solrock.

"Wait... didn't Ash just catch that Solrock a few days ago? Is he really okay using it?" May asked, looking worried.

"Yeah, although Rock-type Solrock is strong against Flying-type Pelipper, Water-type Pelipper is also strong against Rock-type Solrock! What is Ash thinking?" Max analyzed seriously.

Brock quickly reassured them, "Don't worry. Ash must have his reasons."

No matter how worried May and the others were, the battle between Ash and Winona had already begun.

Winona's Pelipper had the Drizzle ability, so as soon as it appeared, it activated its ability, causing a light rain to start falling from the sky.

Rainy weather is a disaster for Solrock, which loves sunny conditions, but Solrock had its own way of dealing with the rain. A blue shield rose around its body, repelling any raindrops before they could reach it.

Seeing this, May smiled and praised, "Solrock is quite capable! Maybe my Lunatone could do the same in the future."

With the boost from the rain, Winona's Pelipper became much more energetic and immediately fired a Water Gun at Solrock.

However, perhaps due to the recoil from the Water Gun being too strong and Pelipper's own strength being insufficient, Pelipper was also sent flying backward after launching the attack.

"Solrock, use Psychic to block the Water Gun, then follow up with Stone Edge!" Ash's voice echoed across the field.

Psychic-type Pokémon generally have quick reactions, and as soon as Ash finished speaking, a blue barrier formed in front of Solrock. The Water Gun hit the barrier, wobbled, and was then deflected.

Psychic is one of the most practical and common advanced skills among Psychic-type Pokémon, and most Psychic-type Pokémon can learn it after reaching a certain level. Ash's Solrock was no exception.

Yuga could understand why Ash chose Solrock as his first Pokémon.

As a Pokémon from the third floor of the Mirage Tower, Solrock's level was not low, at least higher than the Treecko Yuga had just caught. What it lacked was coordination and rapport with Ash.

One of Ash's strengths is his ability to quickly bond with newly caught Pokémon, so even though their coordination still needed improvement, Ash would definitely have no problem commanding Solrock.

After Pelipper's Water Gun was deflected by Psychic, water droplets splashed everywhere, creating a large misty curtain in the sky.

However, at that moment, sharp stone edges broke through the water curtain and shot towards Pelipper. With its vision obscured by the mist, Pelipper had no time to react and was pinned against the "watchtower" by the stone edges.

Each stone edge that Solrock shot out was massive. Pelipper struggled a few times, but couldn't break free. In this situation, the referee had no choice but to announce, "Pelipper is unable to battle. Leader Winona, please send out your next Pokémon."

"Alright! Ash won the first round, so he's got the upper hand now!"

Seeing Ash take the first victory, Max jumped three feet high, as if he was the one fighting on the battlefield.

However, Brock wasn't as optimistic. Being a Gym Leader himself, he knew how Gym Leaders typically operated. The first Pokémon they use is usually to gauge the challenger's strength, so he reminded Max, "Don't celebrate too early. This is just the beginning and doesn't mean much yet!"

Hearing this, Max sat back down.

After recalling Pelipper, Winona said to Ash, "You performed well, but it seems like you've only recently caught this Solrock. Your coordination with it seems a bit stiff."

Ash replied confidently, "Yes, I only caught my Solrock a few days ago, but we're already good friends. Right, Solrock?"

"Ugh, ugh!" Solrock turned around and nodded happily.

Seeing this, Winona nodded subtly and then sent out her second Pokémon.

Winona's second Pokémon was a Skarmory, a Steel and Flying-type. Unlike Pelipper, this Skarmory was on a whole different level in both skill and strength. So, it didn't take long before Solrock was defeated.

If Ash and Solrock had been more in sync, they might not have lost so easily.

Seeing Solrock defeated, Max lost his earlier excitement and glanced at Brock, realizing he still had much to learn.

Ash's second Pokémon was Swellow. Although it hadn't evolved yet, its level was quite high, being the first Pokémon Ash caught in Hoenn.

"Swellow, Swellow!"

As soon as Swellow entered the battle, it took the initiative, using Double Team to confuse Skarmory, then launching an Aerial Ace attack.

Due to the distraction from Double Team, Skarmory couldn't dodge in time. With a loud "clang," Skarmory was knocked away.

However, being a Steel-type Pokémon, Skarmory had high resistance, so Flying-type moves only dealt half the damage. After steadying itself, Skarmory used Steel Wing and charged at Swellow.

Swellow, true to its name, is both proud and resilient, rarely backing down from a challenge. Seeing the much larger Skarmory charging toward it, Swellow fearlessly flew straight at it.

Boom, boom, boom...

The two Pokémon collided fiercely in the air, but while Swellow was covered in wounds, Skarmory appeared relatively unscathed.

Despite this, Swellow remained fierce and determined, with its Guts ability giving it the courage and determination to face any challenge.

In the end, both Pokémon were knocked out simultaneously because Swellow learned the move Endeavor at the last moment, a move that can turn the tide of battle. (Endeavor: The lower the user's HP, the higher the move's power.)

Winona's third Pokémon was Altaria, the strongest of the three. Ash's third Pokémon was Pikachu.

When watching the anime, Yuga never really understood just how strong Ash's Pikachu was. But after witnessing the battles in the Mirage Tower, he got a pretty good sense.

Considering the level Ash had trained Pikachu to over the past two or three years, it wasn't weak. Pikachu could easily defeat any Pokémon below the Elite Four level.

But to say it was extremely strong would be an exaggeration. It struggled against higher-level Pokémon, like the Elite Four-level Solrock and Lunatone, and the quasi-Elite-level Flygon in the Mirage Tower.

Of course, that's just on the surface. Whether Pikachu had any other special abilities, Yuga didn't know.

As soon as Pikachu entered the battle, it began moving rapidly across the battlefield, making it difficult for Altaria to hit it. Compared to a typical Pikachu, Ash's Pikachu had exceptional speed, which could be considered one of its unique traits.

"Pikachu, use Iron Tail!"

Taking advantage of its speed, Pikachu moved rapidly along the battlefield. Ash seized the moment and ordered Pikachu to counterattack Altaria, which had been chasing it relentlessly.

"Pika!"

Using its tail as a springboard, Pikachu leapt high into the air, performing a flip before swinging its metallically-glowing tail at Altaria.

"Altaria, use Cotton Guard!"

Under Winona's command, Altaria's body suddenly sprouted clumps of white cotton, cushioning Pikachu's Iron Tail and sending it flying.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

While still airborne, Pikachu quickly responded to Ash's command and unleashed a Thunderbolt, striking Altaria directly. Altaria cried out in pain as smoke rose from its body and it began to fall.

Witnessing this, Yuga was momentarily stunned. Pikachu's Thunderbolt seemed unusually powerful.

Although Altaria's Cotton Guard increased its physical defense, it couldn't block Thunderbolt. However, the key point was that Altaria was known for its excellent special defense. Even without using moves to enhance it, Altaria shouldn't have been knocked out by a single Thunderbolt.

After all, Altaria's level wasn't low.

Yuga wasn't the only one surprised; Winona was also a bit taken aback. She hadn't expected her Altaria to be in such a state after taking just one Thunderbolt.

This momentary lapse allowed Ash and Pikachu to seize the opportunity and hit Altaria with another Thunderbolt, causing it to lose the ability to battle.

Yuga was now convinced that Pikachu not only had exceptional speed but also stored a stronger-than-usual electric current within its body.

A normal Pikachu's body couldn't store such a powerful current. Their small bodies have their limits, and too much electricity would cause them to get sick or even die.

Having raised a Pikachu himself, Yuga knew this all too well.

After recalling Altaria, Winona handed the Feather Badge to Ash.

"This is the Feather Badge. It's yours now. I hope you achieve great results in the Pokémon League."

Ash accepted the badge, thanked her, and then raised it triumphantly, shouting, "I got the Feather Badge!" Pikachu jumped up excitedly in response.

Yuga: ... Such a classic move!

Winona then asked, "You don't seem like a novice Trainer, but the Pokémon you're using all seem recently caught. Why is that?"

Ash replied, "I just wanted to start a new journey in Hoenn with newly caught Pokémon."

After thinking for a moment, Winona said, "I see. But only focusing on training newly caught Pokémon isn't necessarily a good thing."

Ash paused, recalling what Yuga had said earlier in the day. But before he could ask anything further, Winona had already turned and left.

After leaving the Gym, everyone congratulated Ash on earning another badge. Ash seemed a bit distracted, and after a while, he realized that Luvia wasn't around.

"Huh? Where's Luvia?"

Yuga smiled and answered, "She has some other business at Fortree Gym. She'll be back later."

Ash nodded, knowing it was related to the Gym assessment, and didn't ask further.

With Ash's Gym challenge concluded, Yuga's Gym assessment also went smoothly. May, feeling relieved, suggested, "Since we're in Fortree City, why don't we take the opportunity to look around? It's not often we get to come here."

Fortree City, with its unique scenery and culture, was a great place to explore, so everyone agreed with May's suggestion.

(End of chapter)