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"I can feel your rage! You need to calm down!"
Ash pushed his energy outward with everything he had. As he made contact with the approaching Haxorus once more, that overwhelming wave of fury crashed into him again like a tidal wave.
Ash pushed his mental power to its absolute limit, forcing himself to withstand the explosive anger radiating from Haxorus's mind. The sheer force of the mental assault made him squeeze his eyes shut.
At that exact moment, Haxorus lunged forward—and its Dragon Claw stopped mere inches from Ash's face.
Misty couldn't bear to watch, shutting her eyes tight in fear. Brock managed to keep his eyes open, but cold sweat was already soaking through the back of his shirt.
Pikachu and Charizard had tensed up, ready to throw themselves in the way. But at the last possible second, those deadly sharp claws froze in place right before Ash.
Ash's eyes remained closed, small beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Haxorus now stood motionless in front of him, just like that wild Onix from before when it had gone on a rampage.
The Dragon Pokemon's body trembled slightly, as though struggling against invisible bonds. In truth, no one was physically restraining it—yet it couldn't move forward no matter how hard it tried.
However, Haxorus's current state was far more volatile than that Onix had been.
The difference was that last time, Ash had barely managed to react in time. This time, he'd been prepared. With his eyes still closed, Ash forced one eye open with tremendous effort.
He gritted his teeth as he stared at the Haxorus before him. Looking directly into those scarlet pupils made Ash's breathing grow heavier and more labored.
At the most critical moment, his power had finally succeeded in breaking through Haxorus's wall of rage, entering the spiritual realm of the berserk Dragon-type. But even that brief moment had drained Ash completely.
"You didn't become stronger just to hurt your friends! Don't let this power control you—you're the one who should be controlling it!"
Ash moved forward slowly, carefully placing his hand on Haxorus. The Dragon Pokemon seemed to sense the touch, its body trembling as if trying to struggle free.
But after a moment, it went still. Ash stood directly in front of Haxorus and spoke in a low, steady voice.
As Ash's words reached it, Haxorus's body shook once more. Ash wasn't just speaking aloud—he was using the consciousness he'd linked with Haxorus to transmit his thoughts directly into its mind.
ROAR!
As Ash's presence invaded its mental space, Haxorus released a roar of pure agony. There was no physical pain, but the mental impact caused the Dragon Pokemon incredible suffering.
Slowly, it retracted its sharp claws and grabbed its own head, roaring in torment. A fierce battle was raging within its spirit.
Outrage's consuming rage and Haxorus's true consciousness—awakened by Ash—were locked in combat. The clash between these two forces made Haxorus's pain even more unbearable.
"The enemy has already been defeated! What you need to defeat now is yourself!"
Ash spoke again with conviction. Haxorus, still roaring in anguish, paused for just a moment. The roar continued, but the red glow in its eyes flickered uncertainly.
"Pika! Pika!"
"Chaaar!"
"Squirtle! Squirtle!"
At that moment, Ash's other Pokemon added their voices, calling out as if to encourage their struggling teammate.
After hearing Ash's words and then the voices of its companions, Haxorus's pain-filled eyes slowly opened wider.
ROAR!
It threw its head back and bellowed toward the sky. The scarlet light that had blinded its eyes gradually began to clear, returning to normal. The violent red aura surrounding its body was slowly absorbed back into it.
Its hands dropped away from its head, and in the next instant, its body started to collapse. Seeing this, Ash instinctively reached out to catch it.
Haxorus sank weakly to its knees on the ground. Ash stood before it, supporting the Dragon-type's weight. Haxorus lifted its head slightly and looked up at Ash, its now-clear red pupils filled with guilt.
"It's alright now. Don't blame yourself—you did really well. Thanks to you, everyone was saved!" Ash looked at Haxorus with reassurance. Though he was exhausted himself, he still made sure to comfort his Pokemon.
Pikachu and the others gathered around at that moment. Not a single one of them held any grudge against Haxorus for losing control and attacking them earlier.
Seeing all his companions surrounding him without any anger or fear, Haxorus felt deeply moved. In that moment, it made a firm resolution—it would never allow that power to control it again.
It never wanted to risk hurting its friends because of that condition ever again. Ash seemed to sense Haxorus's determination, and a gentle smile spread across his face.
Who would have expected that on the last day before leaving Mount Hideaway, something like this would happen?
Bruno had confirmed that Giovanni had truly disbanded Team Rocket. But who could have predicted that Jessie and her group would still be causing trouble?
Misty and Brock were both surprised by this, but Ash wasn't particularly bothered. Those two really couldn't be judged by common sense—it wasn't surprising at all that they'd pull something like this.
Regardless, things had turned out well in the end. Fraxure had evolved into Haxorus and would be able to compete in the Indigo Plateau Conference. Their team lineup had grown even stronger.
After the battle concluded, they tidied up the camp. Brock helped treat Haxorus and the other injured Pokemon, making sure everyone received proper care.
Comparatively speaking, Haxorus's injuries were more severe. Under the Outrage state, it hadn't felt anything at the time. But it had still taken damage from Team Rocket's relentless attacks.
Once the Outrage condition faded, all those injuries made themselves known, causing the Dragon-type considerable pain. That's why Brock treated Haxorus immediately.
Meanwhile, Ash and Misty worked on cleaning up the campsite. The recent battle had left the surrounding area in complete disarray. Fortunately, this was only their last night here anyway.
After Brock finished treating all the Pokemon, Ash and Misty had nearly completed the cleanup as well. Brock and Misty then started preparing dinner while telling Ash to rest.
They could clearly see that Ash had exhausted a tremendous amount of energy while stopping Haxorus.
Finally, when Brock came over to call Ash after dinner was ready, both he and Misty discovered that Ash and his Pokemon had all fallen asleep together, leaning against one another.
Seeing this peaceful scene, Brock and Misty exchanged glances. In the end, neither of them could bring themselves to wake the group up.
On the final day of their month-long training expedition, looking at the tranquil sight of Ash and his Pokemon resting peacefully, who would have guessed that such a thrilling and dangerous event had just occurred?
They had all worked incredibly hard this past month. They truly needed this rest.