"Why... why can that Pikachu achieve such a level? No matter how special it is, being able to make such a leap in strength is just too exaggerated!"
Faced with Morty's skepticism, Ash was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "Because the bond between Pikachu and me is unmatched. It's the power of our bond!"
Partner Form, Aura Fusion... This kind of power boils down to two words—bond!
The intangible bond, yet in their hands, could be transformed into substantial power!
Upon hearing this, Morty showed an expression of disbelief. A bond... How is he supposed to be convinced of that reasoning!
"Pikachu, Zippy Zap!" Ash didn't give him time to think and ordered again, as the battle was still ongoing; if distracted, it only shows the Trainer's skills are lacking!
Pikachu once again transformed into golden lightning and immediately closed in on Raikou. Morty instinctively wanted to order an evasion, but Pikachu's speed was simply too fast.
Ash could read Raikou's speed, as he first figured out what Morty wanted Raikou to do, but he couldn't understand Ash's command, let alone, Morty had been pondering the effect of the so-called 'bond' power.
"Focus Punch!"
Ash's voice rang out at the moment Pikachu charged in front of Raikou.
Pikachu's right fist suddenly tightened, and a vast amount of Fighting Energy crazily converged onto its small fist!
No charging action, no readiness, Focus Punch just exploded without any warning!
"Boom!!!"
The glowing white fist solidly smashed into Raikou's jaw, sending its massive body soaring into the air!
"How is it possible that it could unleash Focus Punch without even charging?" Morty's mood was in turmoil again; not having recovered from Zippy Zap, he was once again shocked by this charge-less Focus Punch.
Focus Punch, a powerful Fighting Type move.
The principle of this skill is to concentrate all the body's power at a single point. The longer the charge, the stronger the power.
Even Champion Level Fighting Type Pokemon require at least half a second of charge time to gather enough energy to release Focus Punch.
But what did that Pikachu do?
As soon as Ash's command was given, the full glow of Focus Punch burst forth from Pikachu's fist!
No charging, no readiness, no preparatory action. The moment the command was given, the skill was released.
It's like making a Pokemon use Hyper Beam and completely skipping the charging and rigid moments, utterly absurd!
In the audience, the students had their mouths agape, their jaws practically hitting the ground.
"No way... that's not possible!" Ah Xiang rubbed his eyes, thinking he was mistaken, "That was Focus Punch, not Mach Punch! How could it possibly be used without charging?"
"I didn't even clearly see how it threw the punch..." Another student murmured to themselves, their face showing a worldview-shattering expression.
Maggie, as the referee, stared intently at that small yellow figure in the field, her mouth wide enough to fit a Pokeball.
"Gym Leader Morty clearly said during class that Focus Punch requires charging... Did he teach something wrong?"
Morty's lips twitched. Of course, he didn't teach wrong! Focus Punch is indeed a skill that requires charging; it's common knowledge acknowledged by all Trainers in the Pokemon Realm!
But that Pikachu just broke this common knowledge.
"Now, Volt Tackle!" Ash's onslaught still hadn't stopped; he once again commanded Pikachu to use its ultimate Electric Type move, also Pikachu's signature move—Volt Tackle!
Pikachu stomped on the ground, and the surface instantly exploded. His body was once again enveloped in golden thunder, like a rising comet, soaring upwards fiercely, crashing towards Raikou in mid-air!
"Raikou, Thunder!"
Morty finally reacted, and his command came at this critical moment.
Raikou, stabilizing its stance in mid-air, roared fiercely as thunderclouds surged in its crimson eyes. It let out a thunderous roar, and the lightning mane surrounding it burst out blinding golden thunder light!
A golden lightning column, thick as a giant pillar, erupted from its body, charged with the power to destroy everything, crashing down towards the charging Pikachu!
The momentum of that thunder column was more terrifying than any previous attack; even with the protective barriers, nearby students couldn't help but move back, and Maggie was so scared her legs went a bit weak.
Because she was the closest to the field!
"Pika! Pika! Pika—Pi-ka-chu Pikachu!!"
Pikachu didn't dodge, his gaze locked on the golden thunder tiger. It clenched its teeth, its expression twisted in pain due to the thunder's impact, but amidst his thunder eruption, the terrorizing thunder column was forcibly split apart!
The golden thunder light from Volt Tackle and the golden thunder column from Thunder clashed fiercely in mid-air, emitting a piercing "crackling" sound.
Pikachu's body continuously trembled amidst the thunder light, but its charging momentum didn't slow down in the slightest!
Just like that, Pikachu charged upstream against the terrifying Thunder, forcing its way to Raikou's front!
"Boom!!!"
Volt Tackle hit solidly against Raikou.
A blinding golden sphere exploded in mid-air, and the intense shockwave spread in all directions, causing the Gym's transparent barrier to tremble violently, creating ripples.
Raikou's massive body fell like a meteor from the ball of light, crashing heavily onto the ground, creating a charred black crater.
Meanwhile, Pikachu took advantage of the recoil, doing a backflip and landing steadily on the ground.
His body was covered with scorched marks from the lightning burns, and his breathing became rapid, but he still emitted a terrifying aura without showing any signs of weakening due to the injuries.
The previous Thunder strike had caused considerable damage to Pikachu, who had weak defense; he lacked the exceptional physical strength of the Legendary Pokémon, and was relying on special methods to fight above his capabilities.
If he continued clashing with the opponent's moves two more times, even though Pikachu's attack power far exceeded his opponent's, he wouldn't be able to withstand it.
Raikou struggled to stand up from the pit, its body similarly covered with scars, and its breath weaker than before.
Gym Leader Morty's face became extremely serious.
He realized that Pikachu's physical strength was almost depleted, but Raikou's condition wasn't much better. Continuing to exhaust each other like this, victory was uncertain.
"Pikachu, let's decide the match with this move!" Ash's voice suddenly rose, his gaze unwaveringly resolute, determined to resolve the match with one move. "Use Pika Papow!"
Pika Papow, one of Pikachu's exclusive skills!
The power of this move depends on the depth of the bond between Pikachu and Trainer; the stronger the bond, the stronger the power.
Given Ash and Pikachu's bond—the power of this move even far exceeds Hyper Beam! It is the most powerful skill Pikachu has learned.
"Pika... Pika... Pikapikapika!!!"
Pikachu let out an exuberant roar to the sky, and the surrounding lightning completely erupted at this moment!
Countless arcs of gold lightning gushed out from its small body, enveloping it completely.
The density of the lightning was so overwhelming that it almost became tangible, transforming Pikachu into a dazzling golden sun!
A force capable of annihilation poured out from it, causing the entire Gym to tremble violently at this moment.
Mewtwo's face slightly changed inside the Pokeball. Without hesitation, it extended its hands, infusing all of its superpowers into that transparent barrier.
The League-issued barrier shattered with a crash at the same time, dissolving into countless points of light and vanishing.
And at the moment it shattered, a more solid and profound azure barrier reformed around the venue, firmly locking the battleground!
Mewtwo quietly let out a breath of relief inside the Pokeball, thinking, this kid is always so careless. Had she not intervened, the entire Gym would likely be reduced to ashes due to this move!
Moreover, the power of this move...
Mewtwo's expression slightly shifted as she recalled some unpleasant memories. Back when she was part of an evil organization, she had once faced Ash and Pikachu's move directly.
Even though Pikachu was weak at the time, this move caused considerable damage to her.
It's a move that can unleash power far beyond Pikachu's current level.
Ash rarely uses this move with Pikachu, but whenever they do, it usually results in a decisive victory!
"Boom!!!"
Pikachu leaped into the air, and a thick golden lightning column burst out of Pikachu, bearing annihilating power, crashing down towards Raikou below!
Wherever the lightning passed, space distorted and warped at this moment.
Morty's pupils shrank into pinpoints, sensing the destructive force contained within the lightning.
It can't be received head-on!
"Raikou, Protect!"
Morty's voice carried unprecedented urgency.
Raikou roared to the sky, its four limbs stomping fiercely, and a green barrier suddenly formed in front of it!
The barrier was thicker than ever, this was Raikou's full-force defense, channeling all its strength into it!
The golden lightning column collided fiercely with the green barrier in mid-air.
"Crack------"
In merely one second, web-like cracks appeared on the green barrier.
Within less than two seconds, the cracks frantically spread from the center to the edges, nearly covering the entire front wall.
"Bang!!!"
The Protect barrier shattered completely like glass, bursting into countless green points of light scattered in the air.
The remaining golden lightning struck Raikou solidly, blasting its massive body away, crashing into the blue barrier Mewtwo set, and bouncing back onto the ground.
The powerful recoil caused the already shattered floor to collapse, creating a large pit at the center of the venue, with Raikou lying inside.
If it weren't for Mewtwo's barrier confining all the shockwaves, it would not only be the Gym's floor breaking apart now but the entire Gym breaking down!
Raikou was covered with frighteningly apparent scorch marks but still struggled to stand. Even though its breath was feeble, it still refused to fall!
After all, it's a Legendary Pokémon controlling lightning! To be wounded by lightning to such a pitiful state, if this were spread, it would surely be ridiculed!
Just as Raikou attempted to rise, a golden silhouette descended from the sky.
"Pikachu, the final strike, use Iron Tail!"
Pikachu's tail gleamed with a metallic sheen, slicing a sharp arc in the air, bringing its last strength to strike Raikou on the head!
"Bang!!!"
Iron Tail, hit.
The already large pit deepened and expanded further with Pikachu's Iron Tail!
And Raikou, bearing the brunt of Pikachu's full force, stiffened in the pit.
After Pikachu bounced away, Raikou fell straight down, no longer moving.
The audience fell into complete silence.
After a while, Maggie returned from the shock, hastily raised his hand and announced with a trembling voice: "Rai... Raikou is unable to battle! Pikachu wins!"
"The winner of this match is Ash!"
Wow!!
The students sat blankly in the audience, mouths wide enough to fit a Pokeball, their eyes staring at the massive pit and the panting yellow figure at the edge.
Did he win?
That boy named Ash, with just a Pikachu, defeated one of the Legendary Three Holy Beasts—Raikou?!
And with Gym Leader Morty personally commanding!
How is this possible!
"It's... It's unbelievable..." Ah Xiang murmured, his voice carrying bewilderment from a collapsing worldview, "That's Raikou... One of the three messengers under Ho-Oh, the god controlling lightning! How could it lose to a Pikachu?"
He abruptly turned his head, looking at his equally stunned small companion, as if seeking confirmation that "this is just a dream" from their expression.
However, what he saw were equally bewildered eyes.
"This Pikachu... what is its origin?" Another student swallowed hard, his voice dry, "Its attack power, speed, and those never-before-seen skills... Is this really a Pikachu? Not some Legendary Beast disguised with Pikachu's exterior?"
"Even if it were a Legendary Beast, it couldn't defeat Raikou like this..." Maggie, being the closest to the battlefield, observed every detail of the previous battle clearly.
During the battle, she was the most frightened, her eyes open widest.
As a child who hasn't yet ventured out to travel, being able to watch such a battle up close will definitely benefit her future immensely.
This experience as a referee might be something she remembers throughout her life.
At this moment, Morty had already returned from his daze.
He didn't speak but directly jumped into the center of the massive charred pit.
At the bottom of the pit, Raikou lay sideways amid the rubble.
Its golden fur was now covered with shocking scorch marks, its once majestic thundercloud-like mane dull and dim, its limbs splayed uselessly, eyes tightly shut, its chest's weak movement evidence it was still alive, but merely so.
The legendary Raikou, controller of lightning, was injured by lightning to this extent.
Morty crouched down, his trembling hand dipping towards Raikou's nostrils, sensing the faint but stable airflow before his heart, lodged in his throat, finally settled back into his chest.
Fortunately, just fainted.
If Raikou had really encountered an accident during this test, he, as its temporary partner, might have had to apologize with his death.
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