"Molly, you're actually pretty amazing!" Ash said as he withdrew his Pokémon. "Thank you, Wartortle. Take a good rest."
The Flaaffy Molly had summoned out of thin air possessed incredibly potent electricity. After Wartortle was paralyzed by a stray spark, Molly didn't miss the opportunity to finish it off with a decisive shock.
"Of course! Big Brother Ash, your Pokémon are really strong too!" Molly complimented him back.
"They're my most trusted partners," Ash replied, clutching his third Poké Ball. "Molly, I've been training non-stop to become a Pokémon Master!"
This time, the Pokémon Ash sent out was Houndour.
"Big Brother Ash is my goal! But right now, I can beat you!" Molly's hand shimmered with crystal light again. The victorious Flaaffy vanished, replaced by a small, blue elephant Pokémon.
It was a Phanpy—the Ground-type precursor to the Donphan Ash had encountered before. In terms of typing, it held a clear advantage over Houndour.
"You really know your type matchups, but Molly, can you win this time?" Ash and Houndour shared a brief look and a firm nod.
"I won't lose! Phanpy, use Rollout!"
Rollout was the signature move of the Phanpy line, utilizing their tire-like backs to build up devastating momentum.
"Use Foul Play!"
Houndour didn't back down. It lunged toward the incoming sphere of blue, its body shrouded in a wicked purple energy.
The collision happened in a heartbeat. Phanpy's heavy momentum slammed into Houndour, and both were sent skidding back across the grass. Foul Play was a clever Dark-type move—it used the opponent's own strength against them. The more powerful Phanpy's Rollout became, the more damage it took in return.
"Flamethrower!"
Ash trusted Houndour's resilience. Before the pup could even stabilize its footing, it opened its jaws and unleashed a searing pillar of fire.
"Hmm?"
The display of coordination between Ash and Houndour caught the attention of Entei. The legendary beast stood up and stepped forward. "Molly, let me handle this."
"Papa?" Molly looked back as Entei approached. "Are you going to give Big Brother Ash a lesson?"
Entei gave a slow, solemn nod.
"Then Papa, please go easy on him! Don't hurt Big Brother Ash too badly!" Molly laughed and waved her hand, causing the Phanpy to dissolve into light.
Entei stepped onto the battlefield.
"Entei!" Ash stared at the legendary Pokémon, unsure of its intent. This Entei wasn't just a mindless creation of the Unown; it had its own will and thoughts. It existed solely to fulfill Molly's happiness.
"Boy, attack me," Entei commanded, its gaze level.
"If that's what you want!" Ash realized what was happening—Entei was offering itself as a high-level sparring partner. "Houndour, Flamethrower!"
Houndour's eyes flared with excitement. It could sense the explosive power contained within the Fire-type legendary standing before it. It unleashed a fire hotter and more intense than anything it had produced before, clashing with the fire orbs Entei spat out casually.
"Roar!"
Before the flames could even dissipate, Entei lunged. Shrouded in its own fire, it slammed into Houndour with the force of a falling mountain. Even a simple move from a legendary beast carried terrifying weight.
Houndour was sent flying.
"Houndour, Faint Attack!"
Boom!
The previous explosion of flames finally went off, the shockwave knocking Molly back onto the grass. Ash, however, stood as steady as a mountain behind his barrier of Aura.
Houndour vanished mid-air and reappeared instantly beside Entei, baring its fangs for a bite. But Entei was faster and stronger. It turned its head, catching Houndour with a Fire Fang that sent the heavily injured pup crashing into the distance.
"Houndour!"
Ash couldn't even issue a command before he saw his partner engulfed in Entei's purple flames.
"Awoooo!"
From within the violet fire, Houndour's cry changed from one of pain to one of pure, raw adrenaline. A blinding light of evolution erupted, mingling with the flickering flames.
"It's evolving!"
Ash's eyes lit up. He had seen Fire-types evolve during intense heat before. Houndour had already accumulated more than enough experience; it just needed this final push. The purple flames were actually being drawn in and absorbed by the evolving Pokémon.
The ability was Flash Fire.
"Roar!"
The flames died down, revealing a Houndoom.
The "mask" was gone, replaced by large, curved horns that resembled those of a demon. Its body was sleek and powerful, covered in jet-black fur and skeletal armor plates on its back and neck. It was a creature that looked as if it had stepped out of the underworld. As the former alpha of its pack, this Houndoom was massive—standing over 1.4 meters tall.
Thump-thump!
Suddenly, Ash felt a resonance—his own heart beating in perfect synchronization with Houndoom's.
Houndoom Sync: 244 / 255
With evolution, its compatibility had hit the maximum, and its bond was just 11 points away from perfection.
"The battle continues!" Ash shouted, ready to go all out. "Houndoom, Faint Attack!"
Houndoom vanished again, this time cloaked in dense Dark energy, slamming into Entei with newfound power.
"Roar!" Entei turned and took the hit head-on, its eyes showing a hint of respect. "Excellent!" It countered with a close-range fire orb.
Before, Houndour couldn't have handled a legendary's fire. But now!
"Fire against fire! Fire Fang!"
Houndoom's fangs ignited as it bit directly into the fire orb.
Boom!
The explosion was immense, forcing even Entei to skid backward. Houndoom stood its ground, smoke rising from its mouth, its eyes sparkling with predatory light. Its power had surged to a completely different level.
"Big Brother Ash is so strong!" Molly sat on the grass, her eyes wide with admiration as she watched Ash maintain his calm, confident smile.
"Not strong enough yet! Houndoom, let's go even higher!"
Houndoom Sync: 245 / 255