"Quack!"
Frogadier understood his trainer's command and opened his mouth to fire back a [Ice Beam].
It was time for another exchange of blows, and the two [Ice Beams] collided directly.
However, Poliwhirl was obviously no match for Frogadier, and his [Freezing Beam] quickly overpowered the other, pushing it back before hitting Poliwhirl directly.
But as a Water-type Pokémon, Poliwhirl wasn't hurt much by the Ice-type move and quickly regained his balance.
"Why the difference? Same [Ice Beam], but the result is so different. Even if the levels are mismatched, it shouldn't be this big," Ash said, frowning in confusion.
"Because of the Ability. Didn't you check Frogadier's stats in your Pokédex?" Eddie explained kindly, knowing Ash would understand it later, but since the battle wouldn't change, there was no reason to hide it.
"Uh, I didn't notice the ability earlier. Let me see..."
Ash quickly opened his Pokédex again, a bit embarrassed. "It can change freely... No way, there's such a powerful ability?"
He was surprised again.
"I should have told you earlier. Forget it, Frogadier, [Aerial Ace]!"
Eddie shook his head at Ash's carelessness, but he wasted no time in issuing his next command. "Quack!"
Frogadier lunged forward at incredible speed. With [Aerial Ace], the move was powered by speed, allowing it to reach the Poliwhirl quickly, ready to strike.
However, Frogadier's attack went straight through the body of the Poliwhirl. "You've been fooled! This is [Double Team]. Poliwhirl, take this chance—[Double Slap]!" Ash's voice sounded victorious.
Ash seized the opportunity, and the real Poliwhirl appeared beside its opponent, grabbing its hand with one paw and slapping Frogadier with the other using [Double Slap].
"Frogadier, [Quick Attack], charge at him!"
"Froga!"
Although one of Frogadier's hands was grabbed, it was part of his strategy to prevent Frogadier from dodging. Instead, Frogadier charged forward.
The sound of the collision rang out as the two Pokémon were pushed apart.
Both Frogadier and Poliwhirl were only slightly injured from the clash, but Poliwhirl had already been hit by [Freezing Ray] earlier, so it was more seriously hurt.
Ash's tactics had clearly been countered.
"Ash, when did you use [Double Team]? I didn't expect that I, who use this trick all the time, would fall for it," Eddie said, narrowing his eyes. "I see it won't be easy to beat you, but I have to ask."
"I started preparing right after Poliwhirl was hit by [Freezing Ray]. I didn't expect it to be broken so quickly, but I learned this trick and can use it in the future," Ash said, pushing his hat down with a grin.
"You actually started preparing right after the first round without saying a word. You and your Pokémon have great tacit understanding."
"I told you, Poliwhirl is a Pokémon that has been with me since I was a kid. Our bond is strong. But you and Frogadier also have great synergy. You reacted so quickly; if your Pokémon didn't trust you completely, it wouldn't have been able to act that fast."
"That's because of the power of Viridian. I cheated, but you didn't. Still, you've reached the point where you could be called a cheater. Please, just be human."
Eddie's desire to beat Ash grew even more after hearing this. While grumbling to himself, he also realized something important.
It wasn't logical to think winning would come from a simple head-on clash. After all, Ash didn't seem to be planning a direct fight.
"Then, let's continue the third round. Poliwhirl, [Bubble Beam]!"
Poliwhirl stretched out its hands, and dozens of bubbles shot forward, aiming for Frogadier.
"Frogadier, [Water Pulse]!" Ash commanded.
Frogadier brought his hands together, condensing a ball of surging water that he then threw at the bubbles.
The water ball grew larger as it flew, creating waves that eliminated the bubbles one by one.
But after the bubbles were cleared, Poliwhirl had vanished. "Where did it go? There's nowhere to hide in this open field, so there's only one place it could be."
Eddie scanned the open suburban grassland and quickly deduced Frog's location. "Frogadier, [Hydro Pump], target the sky!"
Without hesitation, Frogadier gathered energy and aimed at the sky.
At that moment, Poliwhirl had somehow managed to get airborne.
The entire Pokémon was falling from the sky, its target clearly Frogadier.
"The attack from above is [Body Slam], right? It's much stronger when coming from the air, but once spotted, it becomes an obvious target!" Eddie assessed.
He observed the Poliwhirl falling from above and immediately understood Ash's strategy.
"In close combat, Frogadier is fast, and your Poliwhirl can't keep up with its speed. In long-range combat, Poliwhirl has the advantage, so you plan to surprise it and finish it with a single blow. What a pity. Frogadier, take your shot!"
Eddie, confident his guess was correct, waved his hand, signaling Frogadier to respond.
"Froga!"
Frogadier, having finished gathering energy, launched a powerful [Hydro Pump] with great water pressure.
"Tsk, completely detected."
Ash clicked his tongue. "Give it everything you've got, Poliwhirl, [Ice Beam] to block the attack!"
Poliwhirl, who had been preparing [Body Slam], quickly shifted and extended its hands to use [Ice Beam], aiming to minimize the incoming damage.
"Didn't use [Hydro Pump]? Seems like he hasn't learned it yet. Well, when I face these two, it always feels like their Pokémon can do everything. Finally, a relatively normal one."
Eddie sighed, watching as Poliwhirl desperately used [Ice Beam] to hold off Frogadier's [Hydro Pump]. He thought he'd finally seen a more typical Pokémon.
But Poliwhirl's [Ice Beam] was no match for Frogadier's [Hydro Pump], and the powerful water attack broke through, hitting Poliwhirl directly and knocking it from the sky.