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Cynthia arrived after the opening ceremony, and she was the first of the three Champions to arrive. Steven and Diantha, for example, only arrived in a hurry after the preliminaries had begun. Don't ask why; they just had 'things' to do.
Now, the three Champions were seated in the special VIP section. Beside them were the Kanto Elite Four and the Pokémon League President, Damarara. All of them watched the matches, which seemed like child's play to them, with great interest, not feeling bored at all.
To be honest, they hadn't seen battles of this caliber in a long time; the level was simply too low. But looking back now, it did have a unique charm.
After waiting for a long time, they finally got to Ash's first battle. The three of them had actually only come for one person: Ash.
This was not only because Ash's reputation was thunderous but also because Ash had long been on their radar.
All three of them had watched the live broadcast of Ash's battle against Koga. Only Cynthia had seen the live broadcast of Lorelei's battle against Ash; the others had only seen the recorded version.
Ash's strength and talent were obvious to all. They had always wanted to meet this super genius from Kanto, who represented the hope of Kanto's rise and would be a formidable rival in the future.
But for now, Ash was still a bit far off—at least, that's what they thought before watching the match.
Whether it was his battle against Koga a long time ago or his recent battle against Lorelei, Ash's Pokémon always had a special power attached to them. They learned from the Elite Four that this special power was called Aura.
With the enhancement of Aura, Ash's Pokémon could gain incredibly terrifying boosts, but that was ultimately not the Pokémon's own power. To gain such a degree of enhancement, the Pokémon couldn't pay no price, the most obvious of which was the Pokémon's stamina.
As for other aspects, Cynthia and the others hadn't guessed yet, but no matter what, the strength of Ash's Pokémon was indeed far inferior to theirs. Without using Aura, they could instantly defeat Ash's Pokémon in one move.
But today, Ash's Pikachu's performance made them feel a slight pressure. This pressure manifested as the possibility that they might not be able to instantly defeat Pikachu in a formal battle.
This was Pikachu's pure, own strength. If the boost Ash had back then hadn't weakened, it would mean that the current Pikachu, at the peak of Gym Leader Level, comparable to Elite level strength, could directly soar to Champion-level!
That would be a bit terrifying.
"This Pikachu's actual level has already become Gym Leader Level. Compared to before, it has directly improved by more than one major stage, even two major stages. How much time has passed?!" Steven couldn't help but exclaim.
Besides Pikachu's ability to battle above its level, the improvement in Pikachu's level was also astonishing. Even the most gifted Pokémon would find it absolutely impossible to go from Professional Intermediate to Gym Leader Level in just three months.
But Ash's Pikachu did it!
This was just a Pikachu! He accomplished something that ninety-nine percent of the Pokémon in the world couldn't!
Ash's Pikachu was indeed special enough.
"Lance, with Pikachu's current level, can Ash still make Pikachu directly increase by one major stage?" Diantha asked Lance, her face showing an intrigued expression.
If Pikachu could reach Champion-level, it might make him want to battle.
"I don't know. I haven't seen Ash display that kind of power in a long time. But I think Ash's Aura can make a Pokémon soar from Professional level to Gym Leader Level, but it might not be able to make a Pokémon soar from Gym Leader Level to Elite level. That kind of boost would be a bit unreasonable," Lance analyzed rationally.
Normally, such a power that directly boosts a Pokémon by a major stage shouldn't exist. But because Ash himself was a freak, he could cause such a level of boost to his Pokémon.
Lance had heard from Lorelei that Ash had directly engaged Mewtwo in hand-to-hand combat and defeated Mewtwo with his human body!
Ash's own battle ability was terrifying, which was also the main reason why Ash could provide such a powerful boost to his Pokémon.
Although Ash didn't explain the essence of his power, Lance and the others roughly guessed that the reason Ash's Pokémon could be boosted so much was because Ash shared his own power with his Pokémon, but this sharing should have limitations.
Otherwise, if Ash, who was comparable to God Domain Level, shared all his power with his Pokémon, his Pokémon's battle power would have exploded long ago!
Therefore, Ash's shared power must have limitations, but the extent of those limitations was unknown.
Could the boost for Gym Leader Level Pokémon still reach the previous level?
These questions would probably only be answered when Ash met an equally matched opponent. But would there be an equally matched opponent for Ash at the Indigo Plateau Conference? That would be a bit difficult...
On the field, after Pikachu instantly defeated Kingdra, Mandi numbly recalled his Kingdra. At this moment, the host's disheartening words rang out again.
"Unbelievable! Mandi's fully evolved Kingdra was instantly defeated by Ash's Pikachu with a single blow! And Pikachu even used Quick Attack! This is Ash's Pikachu!"
"Now Mandi only has one Pokémon left. Can he use this last Pokémon to make a comeback against the odds?!"
Mandi: ...A comeback against the odds, my foot! Look at that Pikachu's battle power; is he someone I can make a comeback against?
This isn't a matter of quantity; it's a matter of quality, alright!
Forget having only one left; as long as his Pokémon are still at the Superior level, what difference would it make if he had ten left? If the opponent can instantly defeat Kingdra with Quick Attack, then he can defeat his remaining Pokémon with Quick Attack.
The gap between the two sides was simply too great; this was already battle power that quantity couldn't compensate for.
Only when truly facing Ash's Pikachu did Mandi know what despair felt like.
But Mandi was a mature Trainer, a Trainer who had collected eight badges. He would not choose to give up or forfeit just like that. Even if he died, he would die standing!
"My last Pokémon, I'm counting on you... Go, Golbat!"
With a flash of light, a Pokémon with a huge mouth appeared in the sky above the field—a Flying-type Golbat.
It must be said that although Mandi was a bit weak (Mandi: Are you being polite?), his battle intelligence was definitely on point. Facing a water field, the three Pokémon he used were one that countered Water-types, one that was adept in water, and one that could fly in the sky, ignoring field limitations.
Unfortunately, he was facing Ash, and the Indigo Plateau Conference's excellent matching mechanism meant Mandi could only stop at the first preliminary round.
A top 16 contender ended up in the top 500. That was quite unlucky.
"Come back, Pikachu." As Mandi sent out his third Pokémon, Ash also had Pikachu return to his feet.
In the preliminaries, Ash originally intended to let as many Pokémon as possible participate. As for whether his Pokémon would be analyzed and targeted by others after appearing, that was not something Ash considered.
Not to mention whether there were any contestants in the Indigo Plateau Conference whose Pokémon strength was on par with his, the power his Pokémon currently displayed was far from his full strength.
If someone wanted to target him based on the existing surface information, they would only die a more miserable death.
"My last Pokémon—you're up, Aerodactyl!!"
"Roar!!" The Poké Ball Ash threw exploded in the air, and a powerful, gray winged dragon appeared in the sky.
The last sky overlord of ancient times—Aerodactyl!!
Golbat's originally imposing demeanor instantly shrank after seeing Aerodactyl. After meeting Aerodactyl's fierce gaze, he couldn't help but tuck in his wings.
Aerodactyl wasn't a true dragon, but he was a true sky overlord!
In ancient times, he dominated the sky! As for the Sky Dragon, that dominated a higher layer of the sky; Aerodactyl's sky was too low-tier, and it didn't care for it.
Facing Flying-type Pokémon, Aerodactyl naturally had a suppressive effect. This had nothing to do with abilities or types, but rather with Aerodactyl's inherent Aura from its genes.
Facing Flying-type Pokémon, let alone those whose level was inferior to his, even Pokémon whose level was comparable to his, or even higher, Aerodactyl could still suppress them with his own Aura.
Therefore, facing Aerodactyl now, Golbat probably couldn't even use seventy percent of his strength.
"Oh my goodness! Ash's third Pokémon is the extinct Fossil Pokémon, Aerodactyl! Currently, only Elite Lance possesses an Aerodactyl!"
"Because the Amber needed to revive Aerodactyl is much harder to find than that of ordinary Fossil Pokémon, and even if found, it's not guaranteed that Aerodactyl's gene chain can be completely extracted from it. Therefore, there was previously only one Aerodactyl in the entire world. The one Ash has sent out now is the world's second Aerodactyl!"
Aerodactyl's appearance also greatly shocked the host. As far as discovered Aerodactyl go, currently, besides Lance's Aerodactyl, there was only this Aerodactyl in Ash's hands.
It's not to say that Aerodactyl is stronger than a Legendary Pokémon, but Aerodactyl is indeed rarer than Legendary Pokémon.
Who would have thought that a Trainer who had been traveling for just over half a year could bring out a Pokémon like Aerodactyl!
Talent, strength, and luck all combined in one. Countless Trainers at this moment looked enviously at the young man standing on the stage, seemingly shining with brilliant light and being watched.
The surrounding cheers also brought a satisfied expression to Aerodactyl's face. Even he, who had survived from ancient times until now, greatly enjoyed the feeling of being cheered for. Since being caught by Ash, this was his first time on stage in a public setting.
No wonder those monsters enjoyed being commanded by humans in battle; so this is what it feels like to be buried in cheers! It couldn't be more exhilarating!
This was without him even attacking. With his strength, a mere display of power would surely earn him even more cheers!
"Golbat, Air Slash!"
While Aerodactyl was still proudly enjoying the surrounding cheers, Mandi had already recovered from the shock of Aerodactyl and immediately ordered Golbat to attack.
No matter how slim the chances of winning, just fight first!
Golbat flapped its wings, and dozens of pure white air blades rained down, creating whistling sounds in the air.
"Aerodactyl, block with Rock Slide!" Ash's reaction speed was also very fast. The moment the opponent attacked, he immediately ordered Aerodactyl to defend and counterattack.
However, Aerodactyl was still immersed in the surrounding cheers and didn't react to the opponent's attack, so he was directly hit by Air Slash.
An Elite-level attack was nothing to a Champion-level Aerodactyl, but there was still a slight stinging sensation. Aerodactyl subconsciously blocked with his wings, looking like a beaten dog.
After the Air Slash passed, Aerodactyl slightly spread his wings, revealing his angry face.
"Roar!!" I was still enjoying the cheers! What's going on with you? Sneak attack, huh!!
Ash covered his face helplessly. To be honest, being hit like that was really embarrassing. The level difference between the two sides was immeasurable. Aerodactyl couldn't possibly be hit by the opponent even with his eyes closed, but he was careless.
Fortunately, the opponent's level was relatively low, and Flying-type moves were also resisted by Aerodactyl. Otherwise, just that one move would have been enough to put him at a disadvantage in this battle.
"Aerodactyl, don't underestimate any opponent. Battle seriously, or I won't let you participate later!"
"Roar, roar!!" Aerodactyl repeatedly nodded at Ash, a somewhat fawning smile on his face.
If he wasn't allowed to participate, he couldn't accept that. He finally got to come out for some air, and then almost had his right to breathe taken away. That would be unbearable!
Turning his head back, Aerodactyl looked at the opposing Golbat with a fierce gaze.
"Roar!!" So you're the one who made me lose face just now, huh!
With Aerodactyl's roar, six huge rocks instantly appeared around him. Each rock was two meters in diameter. If even one hit Golbat, he would probably be instantly defeated.
Mandi and Golbat looked at the terrifying Rock Slide, a few drops of cold sweat dripping from their foreheads.
Is this really Rock Slide? This is a meteor shower!!
If they get hit, they're 100% done for, but how do you dodge something so big?
As the man and the Pokémon were thinking of countermeasures, Aerodactyl's mind moved, and the six huge, meteor-like rocks had already shot out, heading straight for Golbat!
The six rocks blocked all of Golbat's retreat routes, leaving no gaps for Golbat to dodge. At least, an Elite-level Golbat wouldn't have the speed to get away.