That composure made Adaman suddenly feel a bad premonition.
Is it possible that everything is still within Ash's calculations?
"Roar!"
A deep roar suddenly came from within the dust cloud.
A strong aura erupted, blowing away the black smoke shrouding the training ground.
Typhlosion reappeared in front of everyone.
Its body was covered in scars, yet its four limbs still steadily supported the ground.
What shocked Irida even more was that the purple-red flames around Typhlosion's neck were even fiercer than when the battle began.
The flames surged upward, causing the surrounding air to visibly distort from the heat.
"How is this possible?"
Irida looked at Typhlosion in disbelief.
"It's already so badly injured, why has the power of the flames increased instead?"
Ash raised his hand to press down on the brim of his cap, finally revealing a smile on his face.
"Because this is Typhlosion's ability."
"Ability?"
"Exactly," Ash looked at the Typhlosion, whose fighting spirit was rekindled, "Its ability is called Blaze."
"When its physical strength drops to a certain level, the power of fire moves increases!"
Irida's face was filled with confusion.
"What is an ability?"
The people in the Hisui Region have studied quite a bit of Pokémon knowledge but have not yet established a complete concept of abilities.
To Irida, what Ash was saying was a completely unfamiliar field.
"I only discovered it recently as well," Ash said with a smile.
In fact, both ancient and modern theories should include abilities.
And Ash discovered that the Arceus Phone in his hand actually has features similar to a Pokédex.
The Arceus Phone can detect specific information about Pokémon in the Hisui Region, which was unexpected for both of them; had they known, there wouldn't have been any need to ask Professor Laventon—just check the Pokédex and everything would be clear.
Thus, he used the Arceus Phone to examine Typhlosion and Samurott, and found that both possessed abilities that exist in the modern era.
In this battle, Typhlosion's strength was inferior to its opponent's, and without using Aura Fusion, Blaze was the ace card to turn the tables.
As early as Typhlosion's first confrontation with Espeon, Ash had realized that direct combat would be difficult to gain an advantage.
Not only was Espeon stronger, but its Psychic moves were extremely troublesome.
The invisible telekinesis could directly control the body, and Psychic could forcibly interrupt Typhlosion's offensive.
Except for the initial Flamethrower catching Espeon off guard, the rest of the battle was almost always suppressed by the opponent.
That Espeon had a Professional Junior Level of strength, so wanting to battle above its level wasn't so simple.
Typhlosion's Blaze was Ash's greatest confidence in fighting above its level other than Aura Fusion!
Now... the situation should have reversed!
"Typhlosion, use Flamethrower!"
"Roar!"
Typhlosion suddenly inhaled a breath of air, and the purple-red flames around its neck surged fiercely.
In the next moment, dark purple flames spewed from its mouth.
BOOM!
Aided by Blaze, the power of Flamethrower was entirely different from before.
A purple sea of flames surged forward along the ground, quickly covering most of the training ground.
The terrifying heat distorted the surrounding air continuously, while the soil on the training ground rapidly turned charred black under the high temperature.
Irida's face of confidence vanished instantly; the previous Flamethrower hadn't had this kind of power at all!
Clearly Typhlosion was severely injured, yet the power of its fire moves had increased so much.
This so-called Blaze, its amplification was simply too strong!
"Espeon, use Psychic to block it!"
Facing the purple sea of flames that almost covered the entire field, Espeon couldn't find a position to dodge.
The red gem on her forehead glowed, and bright blue psychic power quickly gathered in front of her, forming a thick psychic shield.
BOOM!
The purple flames slammed into the shield directly.
The tremendous sound instantly spread throughout the training ground, and scorching air currents swept outward.
The psychic shield shook violently, and after just a moment, fine cracks appeared on its surface.
Irida's face darkened further.
Although Psychic can be used for defense, it ultimately isn't a specialized defensive move.
It's far too difficult to directly block a Blaze-powered Flamethrower.
The best strategy now is to stall for time.
The so-called Blaze ability is triggered when Typhlosion's physical strength drops to a certain level, meaning Typhlosion is already reaching its limit.
If Espeon could dodge a few attacks without actively attacking, Typhlosion might be unable to continue fighting on its own.
The problem is Espeon can't teleport.
The Flamethrower had already covered most of the training ground, so even if she wanted to dodge, there's no safe place to go.
Crack!
The sound of breaking came piercingly from the psychic shield.
In the next moment, the bright blue shield shattered completely.
"Bui!"
The remaining purple flames instantly swallowed Espeon.
The flames lasted for several seconds before gradually dissipating from the training ground.
When Espeon reappeared in front of everyone, her pale purple fur was scorched in several places, and her limbs were slightly trembling.
Although she hadn't lost her fighting capability, her physical strength had noticeably dropped.
Just a moment ago, Irida had the absolute advantage, but simply because Blaze was activated, she was pushed close to defeat.
This change left Adaman and Kamado incredulous.
They originally thought Ash's Pokémon training skills were impressive, but his battle experience would likely fall short.
But the outcome was exactly the opposite.
To calculate abilities and stamina during battle to this extent, Ash's command ability had already surpassed their understanding of a young beast tamer.
At some unknown time, Professor Laventon and Rei were also drawn by the commotion from the training ground.
Professor Laventon stood at the side of the field, and his pen never stopped since earlier.
The word "ability" was new to him.
But the changes in Typhlosion had already proven that some kind of ability indeed exists within Pokémon that can be triggered under special circumstances.
If each Pokémon possesses different abilities, then future Pokémon battles will inevitably undergo significant transformations.
How to determine Pokémon's abilities and leverage them during battle might directly affect the outcome of a battle.
Compared to the excited Professor Laventon meticulously recording data, Rei found it rather astonishing.
Over the past month, he's known that Ash and Cynthia have accomplished their tasks swiftly, and that their Pokémon training abilities far exceed those of ordinary members.
But he never expected that Ash, just a month after getting Cyndaquil, could command the newly evolved Typhlosion to suppress Irida.
Irida is the leader of the Pearl Clan, one of the strongest beast tamers in the Hisui Region.
Such a rate of progress is truly difficult to compete with.
At the center of the training ground, Irida quickly pushed down her inner shock.
Espeon hasn't lost its fighting capability yet, so the battle isn't over.
"Espeon, use Psychic to control Typhlosion!"
Espeon gritted through her injuries, the red gem on her forehead glowed brightly once more.
Strong psychic power quickly crossed the training ground, directly enveloping Typhlosion.
The blue energy tightened, making it difficult for Typhlosion to move.
"Typhlosion, use Infernal Parade!"
This was the only ghost-type move mastered by Typhlosion after evolution.
The purple-red flames around Typhlosion's neck pulsated wildly, several dazzling purple fireballs quickly condensed around it.
Each fireball was about the size of a basketball.
Unlike Flamethrower, these fireballs didn't emit noticeable heat; instead, they projected a chilling ghost-type energy.
Espeon successfully used Psychic to control Typhlosion.
But before she could lift Typhlosion, the purple fireballs surrounding Typhlosion simultaneously shot out.
Infernal Parade attacked Espeon from various directions, directly interrupting Irida's continued attack plan.
Ash once again chose to attack with attack.
Espeon could certainly maintain Psychic forcibly.
But doing so would ensure she gets hit directly by the ghost-type Infernal Parade.
Given Espeon's current physical strength, once she suffers a ghost-type attack that counters her, the battle's outcome is decided!