Ash's Grand Trial (3)

With both pokemons on the battlefield, the only thing left was to start the battle, and with Kukui's signal, Ash went in strong.

Ash "Rowlet, use Peck"

With Ash's command, his Rowlet dove towards Crabrawler as its small beak got covered by a layer of energy, which then expanded and turned into a pointy cone.

As Julian watched Rowlet dive towards Crabrawler while using Peck, he saw that the little bird is very fast and very silent.

When pokemons fly, they make a lot of sounds, either by flapping their wings or by splitting the air with their wings, but Rowlet flew without making any sound.

Julian realized how useful this really is. If Rowlet can fly without making a sound, it can easily sneak behind its enemy and deliver a lethal blow. Julian then wondered if Ash knows about this.

Since Rowlet was fast and Ash attacked head first, Crabrawler couldn't dodge the first attack and got hit by the Peck sending Crabrawler rolling on the ground, but it quickly stabilized itself and got back to its feet and glared angrily at Rowlet.

The Peck was very effective on Crabrawler, but being a very weak move, it was comparable to a normal move from Rowlet.

Ash "Great, do it again"

Seeing it succeed, Ash decided to do it one more time. It's both a good and bad strategy. If Ash's Rowlet is able to deal another blow with Peck, it puts Rowlet in an advantageous position as it won't have used too much energy while also dealing a lot of damage to Crabrawler.

Peck is a simple move that most flying pokemons know when they are born, so they don't take a lot of energy or effort to perform.

Rowlet once again dives towards Crabrawler but this time, it doesn't go straight but curves towards Crabrawler left and right, confusing it, and with Rowlet about to fly so silently, Crabrawler can't even hear the sudden shift of its wings in the air that would help it predict Rowlet's path.

Rowlet is able to land another Peck on Crabrawler, sending it tumbling to the side, but the feisty pokemon gets back to its feet instantly and locks its sight onto Rowlet.

Kahuna Hala is also surveying his opponent and is quite impressed by Ash and his Rowlet, but the battle is not over yet. Hala has still not made his move as he is waiting for the right moment.

No matter how good a young trainer is, they tend to make the most mistakes during a battle and Hala knows this better than anyone, as he has been battling young trainers for half a century now.

He understands a young trainer's mindset better than anyone.

Ash "Awesome, let's do it again. Use Peck"

Ash gets excited as he sees Crabrawler has no counter against his Rowlet's peck. Rowlet once again dives towards Crabrawler while using Peck.

But this time Hala is ready. He expected this from Ash.

Julian, who is on the sidelines, also noticed this mistake from Ash. Even if the move is successful against his opponent, he won't be using it unless it's a special-type move.

Peck, being a physical move, leaves a lot of counter-attacks open for the opponent to take advantage of.

Julian knew that Hala was about to counter Ash as he noticed the subtle change on Hala's face.

As Rowlet approached Crabrawler from a random direction again, Crabrawler suddenly turned to face its attacker head-on.

Hala "Now, dodge and grab on"

Crabrawler, using its nimble feet, moved to the side and easily dodged the Peck while simultaneously using its claw and grabbing onto Rowlet's wing.

Rowlet was forced to stop as Crabrawler caught it by its wing.

"OH NO!" Ash's friends all exclaimed as they all witnessed Rowlet getting caught. They were all very excited when they saw Ash was having an upper hand during the battle, but now everything changed.

Julian didn't say anything and just let them witness this battle, knowing Ash better than anyone. He knows this won't stop Ash from continuing to battle.

Hala "Great, now use Power-Up Punch"

Hala instructed.

With Rowlet caught in one of its claws, Crabrawler could inflict as much damage as it wants. It wound up its other hand and delivered a close ranged Power-Up Punch to Rowlet, rattling it heavily.

Rowlet was rocked, but this was not over.

Hala "Once again"

Crabrawler once again hit Rowlet with a Power-Up punch which is twice as strong as the last one because the move Power-Up punch keeps increasing in strength every time a pokemon uses it during a battle.

If this continues, Crabrawler will win. One more Power-Up punch and this might be over.

Ash also knew this, and he knew his Rowlet has to escape from Crabrawler's claw.

Hala "End this, Power-Up punch"

Hala decided to end this with another Power-Up punch, but Ash was not going to let it happen.

Ash "Use Shadow Sneak"

Ash commanded.

Suddenly, the shadow under Rowlet started to move on its own and stretched behind Crabrawler and attacked it. This interrupted it from using the Power-Up punch and it was also enough to make it loosen its grip on Rowlet's wing.

Sensing its wing finally free from Crabrawler, Rowlet zoomed away and escaped into the air.

Hala didn't see this coming, but he didn't expect any less from Ash. Ash's friends also took a breather as they saw Rowlet escaping from Crabrawler's clutch.

Julian didn't react and was completely indifferent about it as he saw it coming. There was no way Ash was going to lose like that. If he lost there, it would be really embracing because he is, after all, a very strong trainer.