"Squirtle, Squirtle!" At Gary's command, Squirtle didn't hesitate. Water-type energy surged within its body, gathering in its mouth to form a stream that, under its control, became a Water Gun, launching directly at Pikachu!

"Pikachu, dodge the attack." Despite this being his first real battle, Ash remained composed. Instead of instructing Pikachu to meet the attack head-on, he calmly directed it to evade Squirtle's assault.

"Pika!" With a light cry, Pikachu followed Ash's command, swiftly dodging to the side, and avoiding Squirtle's relatively slow attack. Its speed was a significant advantage, and such an attack posed no threat to Pikachu, who had spent a long time in the wild.

After Pikachu evaded, the Water Gun blasted the ground behind it, splashing water everywhere.

"Squirtle, go for it, use Tackle!" Gary, undiscouraged by the miss, knew well Pikachu's advantages. The initial attack was merely a probe, and that brief exchange had given him a rough idea of Pikachu's capabilities.

Though it was also his first time as a trainer and in actual combat, Gary's true skill was not something ordinary newcomers could match. As a prodigy, his innate talent allowed him to gauge Pikachu's abilities with just that simple test, and he was simultaneously surprised by Pikachu's agility.

In his eyes, Pikachu's movements, while not flashy, were highly proficient, indicating considerable battle experience, uncharacteristic of a typical starter Pokémon.

Meanwhile, on the battlefield, upon receiving his next command, Squirtle charged at Pikachu. Its stubby legs propelled it forward as normal-type energy enveloped its body, enhancing its physicality and even slightly boosting its speed!

This was the hallmark of a League-trained starter Pokémon. Their initial strength might be standard, but their mastery of moves was beyond what ordinary Pokémon could achieve.

Facing the combined assault from Gary and Squirtle, Ash's gaze sharpened. He quickly issued a new command, "Pikachu, after dodging, counter with Thunder Shock!"

"Pika—!" Pikachu keenly observed Squirtle's movements, springing into action when the opponent was less than a meter away. With a swift dash to the left, Pikachu dodged Squirtle's attack and immediately countered.

Electric energy surged from Pikachu's cheek sacs, unleashing a flurry of small electric arcs. Though small, these arcs were incredibly fast, striking Squirtle almost instantaneously.

"Squirtle—!" Caught off guard, Squirtle cried out in pain as the electric shock hit, severely affected due to its water type being weak against electric attacks, doubling the damage inflicted.

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"Squirtle!" Gary's pupils narrowed as he clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. Pikachu's agility had exceeded his expectations.

As the electrical discharge faded, wisps of smoke rose from Squirtle, but it did not fall. It was panting heavily, a clear sign of its drastically reduced stamina.

However, a refreshing aura soon emerged around Squirtle as it summoned water-blue energy that retreated back into its body—its ability, Torrent, had been activated!

Gary's expression grew solemn at this sight. The activation of Torrent meant that Squirtle's health had dropped below one-third, a significantly disadvantageous position for both Squirtle and him.

"Create distance, use Water Gun!" With no other choice, Gary quickly adjusted his tactics, aiming to increase the distance between the two Pokémon. He hoped that with the boost from Torrent, Squirtle's Water Gun would be more effective.

"Squirtle—!" Squirtle immediately backed away, increasing the gap between itself and Pikachu. With Torrent enhancing its abilities, the water energy charged up in half the time it usually took, and Squirtle launched a much faster Water Gun than before.

The stream of water jetted from its mouth, speeding through the air and reaching Pikachu almost instantly.

The sudden acceleration caught Ash off guard, nearly unable to react in time.

Yet, Pikachu remained vigilant. The survival skills it had honed in the wild kicked in, allowing it to roll away at the last second—the Water Gun missing by mere hairs!

"Bang—!" The Water Gun hit the ground not far behind, blasting a small crater into the earth, evidently much more powerful than before!

"How could it dodge that?!" Gary stared in disbelief at the scene. Ash had not reacted in time; it was Pikachu who had acted on its own, performing such a maneuver without trainer commands, which was beyond his expectations.

Squirtle shared the same look of astonishment. It was confident in its attack, having never been dodged after activating its Torrent ability during its time with the League!

"I was careless..." Ash was slightly annoyed with himself. It was his first time directing a battle, and he was too inexperienced to make such a mistake. Fortunately, Pikachu was not an ordinary starter Pokémon. Otherwise, it would have been severely weakened by the Water Gun attack.

"Stay sharp!" Ash's gaze hardened as he became more serious. Seizing the moment while Gary was still shocked by the missed attack, he commanded Pikachu, "Another one, Thunder Shock!"

"Pika, pika—!" Without hesitation, Pikachu launched its counterattack. Electric energy surged, sending a burst of electricity that struck Squirtle, enveloping it in a golden glow.

"Squirtle—!" Bathed in the electrical discharge, Squirtle let out a pained cry and couldn't hold on much longer, collapsing to the ground, unconscious.

"Squirtle!" Gary cried out, rushing over and crouching down to check on Squirtle. Upon seeing that Squirtle was only exhausted and not physically injured, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"You did well, Squirtle. It's my fault for not being mature enough, I'm sorry..." Gary pulled out the Poké Ball and recalled Squirtle, feeling reluctant to accept defeat. His first battle as a trainer, his first battle against Ash, and he had lost.

"Pikachu, well done, you really worked hard!" On the other side, Ash let out a sigh of relief. It was his first battle, and of course, he didn't want to lose, especially since his opponent was Gary.

"Pika—!" Pikachu stood proudly, hands on hips, a smile on its face. Having helped Ash secure a victory, it felt a great sense of joy in its role as Ash's Pokémon.