Annihilape's second Rage Fist landed directly on Clefable's face without any hindrance!
Protect can only be used once in a short period of time. If you want to use it consecutively, the success rate will sharply decline.
Moreover, Whitney didn't even react to the fact that Annihilape could throw a second Rage Fist.
The force, the power of the first punch, after being blocked by the Protect barrier, Annihilape should be panting in place, then countered by her Clefable.
How can a skill of this level be used consecutively like this? It's simply not scientific!
However, the unscientific happened, Whitney had no time to make any other response, Clefable had already been directly hit!
"Clefa——!!!"
A shrill scream echoed across the battlefield, Clefable's round body, like a ball being smacked away, bounced twice on the ground, then rolled and crashed into the audience seating wall at the edge of the arena.
"Bang!"
Clefable's broad body was embedded directly into the wall, with her face facing the battlefield, her eyes were already spiraling, indicating Clefable had lost the ability to battle.
The entire Gym fell into silence.
The people on the audience stands even forgot to breathe, they stared wide-eyed at Clefable embedded in the audience area wall, and the Annihilape not far away, whose fists were still clenched, dark purple energy slowly dissipating from its body.
The audience had just felt relieved that Clefable managed to block Annihilape's attack, yet the next second, Clefable flew out directly!
Their brains hadn't comprehended what had happened, yet the battle's outcome was already decided.
"Clefable has lost the ability to battle, Annihilape wins! Therefore, the victor is Ash!" The judge's voice broke the silence, raising the flag high.
"Good job, Clefable, come back." Whitney returned Clefable to the Pokeball.
In this match, although she was at a level disadvantage, she had an advantage in attribute restraint, just like the previous Heracross versus Kangaskhan battle.
But the result was entirely different. If it weren't for the requirement of Annihilape's Skill Moves, Whitney even felt Clefable's skills wouldn't have landed on Annihilape at all.
After enduring two of Clefable's skill attacks consecutively, the power of Annihilape's Rage Fist reached an extremely exaggerated level.
Throughout the match, Clefable was actually punched only twice, yet just those two punches were enough to bring down the tough and sturdy Clefable!
On one hand, it was indeed because Rage Fist was particularly powerful, but on the other hand, Annihilape's attack power was also terrifying!
After all, even when Clefable used Protect, it nearly shattered the Protect barrier!
Though it didn't shatter the Protect barrier in the aftermath, it was able to seamlessly execute that second Rage Fist.
The strength gap between the two sides wasn't just a simple small level difference on the surface.
Ironically, Ash sent out a Pokemon two levels lower than hers, yet after a tough battle managed to draw level.
However, she used a Pokemon one level lower than Ash's, and the result was a straightforward defeat by the opponent.
It's not just the difference between the Pokemon but also the difference between the Trainers, perhaps.
Thinking of this, Whitney took a deep breath, suppressing the slightly desolate expression on her face.
"The battle isn't over yet! Next is my trump card, brace yourself Ash!" Whitney took out her final Pokeball and threw it out fiercely: "I'm counting on you, Miltank!"
As the light faded, a Pokemon appeared in the center of the field, a circle larger than a normal Miltank.
With sturdy limbs, her pink and white body resembled a small mountain, yet her round physique didn't appear clumsy, but rather exuded a sense of power and pressure.
Miltank, Normal Type Pokemon, the absolute trump card of the Goldenrod Gym.
Ash squinted slightly, recording Miltank's information in his mind—Gym Peak.
Indeed worthy of being the trump card of the Goldenrod Gym? Its strength is undoubtedly on a different tier from the other Pokemon, one step further and it's Elite Four Level.
This level is slightly higher than Annihilape, and in terms of physical strength, Miltank also holds the advantage. Even though Annihilape managed to finish Clefable with two punches earlier, it also endured hard countering two restraint skills, depleting quite a bit of physical strength.
If Annihilape were to stay in, it wouldn't actually be an easy fight.
"Annihilape, great job, come back and rest." Ash took out a Pokeball and withdrew Annihilape.
Whitney raised an eyebrow seeing this: "Oh? Not planning to continue with Annihilape? Those two punches just now were rather intimidating."
"Annihilape can still fight, but it's unnecessary." Ash shook his head, retrieving another Pokeball from his waist, weighing it in his hand, "Against Miltank, I have a more suitable choice."
If Rage Fist could still be used, Ash wouldn't mind letting Annihilape finish the match, but Rage Fist has been sealed.
Ghost Type skills have no effect on Normal Type, so Annihilape can't use Rage Fist against Miltank.
This point is indeed unfortunate; if he weren't battling a Normal Type Gym today, Ash could have used Annihilape's enhanced Rage Fist to sweep through the team directly!
Anyway, no problem, it's just the perfect opportunity for this Pokemon who hasn't fought in ages to stretch out.
"A more appropriate choice?" Whitney crossed her arms in front of her chest, a smile playing at her lips. "Well, I'd like to see it properly."
"Alright, it's decided, Infernape!"
Ash threw the Pokeball, a flash of light, and a red-and-white figure landed steadily on the field.
Infernape, a Fire and Fighting-type Pokemon, is covered with white and reddish-brown fur all over its body. The flame atop its head burns fiercely in the air. Its arms hang naturally, appearing both calm and full of explosive power.
"Infernape…" Whitney murmured, struggling to recall information about Infernape, and finally found the details about Infernape in the corner of her memory.
"Is this the Infernape from the Quartz Conference? Its presence and state are completely different from back then!"
As for the most impressive Pokemon that Ash had in the Quartz Conference, there are plenty to choose from, but if one were to stand out particularly, Infernape absolutely has a place.
This is a Pokemon abandoned by others. In others' hands, it was very weak, but in Ash's care, it transformed remarkably.
In just one Quartz Conference, it evolved from Chimchar to Infernape, going from struggling against Advanced Level opponents to battling Gym Level Pokemon!
It's simply the epitome of abnormality!
Back then, Whitney paid attention to Chimchar due to its uniqueness.
So, even after so long, Whitney still remembered Infernape.
Ash nodded: "Yes, Infernape is a Pokemon I captured during the Quartz Conference, although it doesn't appear often, its strength is undeniable."
The last time Infernape appeared was in the Royal Arena battling against Drake.
Back then, Infernape was only at the Professional Senior Level, but now, things are different!
Through its efforts and relentless attitude, Infernape has reached Gym Peak Level!
It can only be said, having talent isn't everything, but with talent plus persistence, it truly creates a huge gap with ordinary Pokemon.
Annihilape's Level was even higher than Infernape's originally, but now Infernape has surpassed Annihilape.
"I can see it's indeed very strong, but my Miltank is no simple Pokemon either. Miltank, use Rollout!"
Whitney initiated the attack.
Miltank bent its limbs, curling its whole body into a ball, and then spun rapidly! That round body rolled towards Infernape with unbelievable speed, leaving two deep trenches on the ground!
Rollout increases in power with each consecutive hit. The first hit is average, the second doubles, the third doubles again… After five hits, almost no Pokemon can withstand it.
This is Whitney's wheelchair-level tactic!
"Infernape, dodge and use Mach Punch!"
Infernape moved its feet, its body darting like a red lightning, avoiding Rollout at the last moment. Following that, its right fist glowed white, striking Miltank with incredible speed!
"Bang!"
Mach Punch landed solidly on Miltank's side, making a dull loud noise.
Miltank's body slid several meters sideways from the punch, but her Rollout didn't stop. Instead, she used the momentum to adjust her direction, rolling towards Infernape again!
"What?" Ash furrowed his brows.
Mach Punch is a priority move, extremely fast, although not very strong, it's supposed to counter Normal Type Miltank.
Yet, this punch did barely any damage to Miltank.
"It's useless." Whitney shook her head. "My Miltank, while in Rollout, has balance and stability far beyond ordinary Pokemon. Normal attacks simply cannot break her rhythm."
Her Miltank has the ultimate defense, while her offensive capability is rather weak, but Rollout nicely compensates for that weakness.
Her Miltank's proficiency in other skills is quite average, but Rollout has reached an expertly level!
Coupled with her incredible physical strength and defensive power, usually, her opponent can't even deplete half of Miltank's strength before Rollout finishes them.
While speaking, Miltank increased her Rollout speed, her entire body transforming into an indistinct shadow, rolling towards Infernape!
"Infernape, jump up!" Ash immediately changed tactics.
Infernape's legs powered, jumping high, flipping twice in the air, and landing steadily behind Miltank's rolling path.
"Now, use Flamethrower!"
Infernape took a deep breath, spewing a fiery pillar from its mouth! The flame's temperature was extremely high, heating the air to a twisted distortion, sweeping toward Miltank in Rollout!
"Boom!"
Flamethrower hit precisely, the flame exploded on Miltank, engulfing her pink and white body.
However, the next moment, Miltank rolled out of the flames, her fur scorched, but her speed wasn't reduced, instead it increased!
"What a hassle…" Ash's expression turned solemn.
Rolling attacks don't need to hit the opponent to grow stronger, as long as in Rollout state, its power continues increasing.
Moreover, Miltank's Ability, Thick Fat, halves the damage from Fire Type moves, meaning even if hit by Fire Type moves, it's resisted.
Currently, Miltank's Rollout power is equivalent to twice the power of a usual Flamethrower.
If she Rolls again, the power might rival Hyper Beam-level attacks.
"Now it's troublesome." Brock on the spectator seats held a tight frown. "The Rollout move becomes scarier the further it goes, if Miltank rolls a fifth time, even Infernape won't withstand it."
"Ash will manage something." Serena, although worried, chose to trust Ash.
Misty didn't speak, just held Togepi tighter in her arms, her gaze fixed on Ash in the field.
Currently, Infernape hasn't shown its true power. If it's Ash, he would definitely find a way to unleash Infernape's strength to reverse the battle!
In the field, Miltank's Rollout had reached such a speed it was hard to capture by the naked eye. Her body spun crazily on the ground, the winds raised by her scattered the stones around.
Whitney's mouth tilted with a smile: "This move is to return your Annihilape's Rage Fist from earlier. Miltank, roll over directly!"
Rage Fist increases power based on hits taken, whereas Rollout's growth is more abnormal, enhancing power over use time, but not any Pokemon could do this like Whitney's Miltank; unperturbed by interruptions.
With Whitney's command, Miltank's rotation escalated to the max, her body seemingly slicing the air, resembling a white meteor rolling at Infernape!
In that moment, the ground cracked, the air trembled, everything in her path was reduced to dust!
"Next move!" This command surprised Whitney, Ash chose to let Infernape take it head-on?
By now, Rollout had stacked to the fourth time, the power had increased eightfold from the initial level, bearing this kind of attack would definitely be hard for Infernape, even at Gym Peak.
Could it be Infernape has a move like Rage Fist, enhancing power after taking damage?
The moment Infernape heard the command, it planted its feet firmly on the ground, crossed its arms in front, assuming a defensive stance—trusting Ash's decision!
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