To put it bluntly: "Is that even possible?!" Putting everything else aside, just this dodging ability alone—Pikachu is truly amazing.
"Now! One more Thunderbolt!" Seeing that all the Slash's had been avoided, Ash clenched his fist and shouted.
'Pikachu!!' Pikachu leaped into the air, his body gathering a powerful current in mid-air before unleashing a devastating Thunderbolt at incredible speed.
Charizard, anticipating Pikachu's attack, quickly flapped its wings to dodge.
Thunderbolt missed again, and Charizard smiled confidently, its eyes seeming to say, "Go ahead and try, see if you can hit me.
"Damn it! Pikachu, keep using Thunderbolt!" Ash's command abilities had reached their limit.
His tactical choices were always improvised, so without inspiration or a clear strategy, it became pure luck, relying on the Pokémon to find opportunities to win.
Unfortunately, while effective against ordinary opponents, he was suicidal against powerful ones.
Thunderbolt continued to erupt from Pikachu, used again and again, not only decreasing in power but also pushing Pikachu to his limit.
Excessive consumption in a short time was continuously weakening Pikachu's combat strength.
Ash should have retreated to advance, rather than actively attacking. He should have countered each move, looking for opportunities to counterattack, and combined with Pikachu's speed, there was still a sliver of a chance to win.
"That's enough, Ash! Charizard, Flamethrower!" At the command, Charizard, after dodging Pikachu's next Thunderbolt, unleashed a massive burst of flame.
Pikachu didn't back down, countering with another Thunderbolt.
He did have some effect; at least he wasn't completely ineffective.
However, the greatly weakened Thunderbolt was no match for a level 55 Charizard's Flamethrower.
Clearly, Flamethrower advanced effortlessly, and Thunderbolt couldn't withstand it, being dispersed by the flame.
Pikachu couldn't dodge and was sent flying by the explosion, crashing off the stage with a scream, unable to battle.
"Pikachu is unable to battle, Charizard wins, so the winner is Gym Leader Xia Mu.
Next challenger, Corey, please prepare to enter the battle arena."
With the referee's verdict, the battle between Ash and Xia Mu ended.
Next up is Corey!
Ash, Xia Mu, and Corey came together, so their order is consecutive.
"Pikachu..." Ash hugged Pikachu tightly, his spirits at rock bottom.
He had been overconfident, thinking he was incredibly strong, only to end up in a battle where he was completely outmatched, severely damaging his pride.
Xia Mu didn't go over; after all, he was now the acting Gym Leader, and he had to maintain his proper position.
However, he still had to ask, since they were friends.
"Ash, victory and defeat are common in war. You've already tried your best, and your Pikachu is very strong. At least at your age of ten, there are very few trainers who can defeat you."Xia Mu offered a few words of comfort.
Hearing Xia Mu's words, Ash looked up, then gave a smile that was more like a grimace: "Thank you, Brother Xia Mu, I know I'm still far from having enough training..."
A fall into a pit, a gain in your wit; Ash suffered a setback, but once he fully understood and cheered himself up, he would make great progress.
"The key is to understand. Come back and battle me again when you're stronger." Xia Mu smiled, seeing Ash and Pikachu off.
Then, he watched as Corey walked down from the stands, brushed past Ash, offered him a few words of comfort, and then went to the battle arena.
"It's my turn, Brother Xia Mu, please give me your guidance." Corey said, looking spirited, befitting the elite trainer who had defeated Xiao Tian.
"Then let's go, I'll use Charizard again." Xia Mu smiled at Corey.
Corey nodded, then took out a Poké Ball from his pocket: "Come on!" "Pidgeot!"
With a flash of white light, the robust Pidgeot appeared on the battlefield, its flight incredibly agile.
"Pidgeot? Planning an aerial battle with Charizard?" Xia Mu nodded slightly.
"The battlefield is ever-changing; no one knows how it will turn, but I can use my methods to turn the tide in my favor! Pidgeot, unleash Tornado!" Corey gave the order.
His words resonated with many, and Xia Mu even looked at him with newfound respect.
The original story portrayed Corey, Fergus, and Xiao Tian as incredibly weak, but in reality, they were all quite strong.
Pidgeot, for example, was level 50.
Watching Pidgeot flap its wings and create a violent tornado, Xia Mu narrowed his eyes and said, "Using a tornado to restrain Charizard's movements? Unfortunately, this tornado alone isn't enough! Charizard, charge in head-on and use your Fire Spin to neutralize the tornado!" "
This move is a battle method that Xia Mu learned from a scene in the original work.
After hearing the command, Charizard rushed into the tornado without hesitation, actively using the tornado's rotation to create a Fire Spin.
The two forces collided and canceled each other out, disappearing without a trace.
This scene shocked everyone.
A tornado can be countered like this?
In fact, Xia Mu had used this move when he used Growlithe to fight Pidgeot, which is why Xia Mu was so confident.
Xia Mu has been experimenting with moves all along.
"Hmph! Since we can't restrain it, we'll win with speed. Pidgeot, create a tailwind." Corey calmly commanded Pidgeot to act.
'Pidgeot~~!' Pidgeot let out a long cry, and then an invisible wind surrounded its body.
With the tailwind, its speed increased significantly.
Xia Mu frowned slightly.
According to its base stats, Pidgeot and Charizard are actually about the same speed."
Originally, Charizard would have been superior to Pidgeot due to its level advantage and the best speed IV. Now, with Tailwind activated, Pidgeot's speed clearly far surpasses Charizard's.
...
Read 50+ advanced chapters ahead on Patreon!
patreon.com/Horizons685
(End of Chapter)