"Aah! Evolution! That's the glow of evolution!"
Dawn clutched Anabel's arm, pointing excitedly at Turtwig as it charged forward.
"Yes, that's right. It's evolving into Grotle! But once Turtwig evolves, it won't be able to move as quickly as before."
Anabel focused on Turtwig as its body expanded visibly mid-dash, still using Quick Attack.
"Tur...?"
Turtwig suddenly felt something was off.
As it evolved into Grotle, its body mass increased exponentially!
It tripped.
This was something that happened to nearly every Turtwig upon evolving into Grotle—an unavoidable adaptation phase.
In the original timeline, Ash's Turtwig had struggled with the loss of its agility post-evolution, becoming frustrated with its own body.
But this time, Ash had already prepared Turtwig in advance, warning it about the changes and conducting specific training to help it adjust to its newfound bulk more quickly.
Grotle, having fallen to the ground, quickly gathered itself, stabilized its stance, and locked eyes with Roserade.
"That was amazing! Seeing Turtwig evolve like that—I really hope my own Turtwig evolves soon! Ahh, I can't hold it in! I'm going to turn all this excitement into battle energy! Roserade, use Weather Ball!"
"Roserade~!"
Roserade launched a Weather Ball, and Grotle's eyes sharpened.
Due to Sunny Day being active, the Weather Ball transformed into a Fire-type attack!
"Grotle, use Leaf Storm!"
The small trees growing on Grotle's shell glowed as it unleashed a powerful Leaf Storm—far stronger than the one Gardenia's Turtwig had used earlier!
The attacks clashed mid-air, but despite turning into a Fire-type move, Weather Ball still couldn't overpower Leaf Storm.
"Now, Razor Leaf!"
Slash! Slash!
The spinning Razor Leaves cut through the explosion left by the attack collision and sped toward Roserade.
"Rose...rade?"
Roserade froze for a split second, shocked that its Weather Ball had been overwhelmed.
"What?! Roserade, snap out of it!"
"Grotle, Energy Ball!"
Without waiting for Gardenia's next command, Ash's Grotle opened its mouth and fired off an Energy Ball!
The moment the Energy Ball launched, Grotle also charged toward Roserade!
"Roserade, use Solar Beam—!"
"Rose...rade..."
Just as Roserade raised its petal-like arms to gather energy, the Energy Ball struck!
Boom!
Roserade was blasted backward! It barely had a moment to recover before—
"Grotle, finish it—Tackle!"
"Grooo!"
Bang!
Fast!
Even though Turtwig had evolved into Grotle and lost its speed, it had seamlessly chained its attacks together, leaving no gaps for counterattacks!
Roserade was sent flying more than ten meters, slamming into a tree. The impact snapped the tree in half!
"Roserade is unable to battle! The winner is Grotle! The challenger, Ash, is victorious!"
The young female referee sighed as she looked at her Gym Leader.
What's going on with Gardenia lately? She's been losing every battle these past two days...
Ding!
[Congratulations, Host! Grotle has successfully defeated Roserade, earning 9,850 experience points!]
"Well, Ash, you're really something else. You don't hold back at all—straightforward and decisive."
Gardenia let out a lighthearted sigh before smiling as she accepted her defeat.
She wasn't too upset; after all, Ash's Turtwig had evolved mid-battle and demonstrated incredible strength.
Gardenia handed Ash the Forest Badge.
"Awesome! I got the Forest Badge!"
"Pikachu!"
"Grotle!"
With that, Ash secured his second badge and set his sights on the next destination—Hearthome City!
"Hehe, I'm so happy! Ash got his second badge! That means I need to work even harder to win my second Ribbon in Hearthome City! No problem, no problem!"
Currently, Ash and his friends were en route to Hearthome City.
They were speeding down Cycling Road on their bicycles.
Along the way, they planned to pass through several other towns before reaching their destination.
Today, they had stopped in an old and historically rich town.
This town, even within the Sinnoh region, was known for its ancient past.
Early in the morning, Ash had already left the Pokémon Center to visit the town's historical ruins.
Ruins carried the wisdom and legacy of past civilizations, allowing modern people to glimpse the distant past.
By now, Ash had reached the ancient ruins.
Many trainers from all over had also gathered here to explore and witness the historic site.
"Hey, have you heard? The Champion—she's coming to this town!"
Champion?
"You mean Cynthia?"
The moment the name "Champion" was mentioned, the entire group of trainers buzzed with excitement.
"I heard that too! Apparently, Champion Cynthia has been traveling around Sinnoh, visiting towns with historical ruins. And her next stop is this town!"
"That's why I'm here! I want to see the Champion in person!"
The crowd grew even more animated.
Ash, however, ignored their chatter. He was more interested in studying the ancient carvings on the ruins.
On the weathered stone wall, two large, distinct figures had been engraved—Dialga and Palkia.
The carvings were intricate and lifelike, as if the two Legendary Pokémon were watching over the ruins themselves.
Meanwhile, just a short distance away, near a small street vendor, a tall and stunningly beautiful woman with long golden hair stood deep in thought.
Her expression was conflicted as she stared at the various ice cream flavors before her.
"Hmm… which one should I pick? This is tough… They all look so delicious… But if I buy them all, I won't be able to finish them, and if I don't try some, I'll regret it… Ugh, this is impossible!"
After much deliberation, she finally made her decision.
"I got it! I'll take a mint chocolate, a strawberry, and a crispy waffle combo!"
This woman was none other than Cynthia, the Champion of the Sinnoh Pokémon League!
She had finally made her appearance!
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T/N:
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