"Lucario, use Extreme Speed, then Close Combat!!!" Since time is running out, let's put all our remaining power into this one attack!
After being boosted by two Power Punches, Lucario's attack power can be said to have doubled. Under these circumstances, using Extreme Speed combined with Close Combat will most likely kill the opponent in one hit!
Because Mega Lucario's ability is Adaptability, its STAB (Simultaneous Boost) ability, which normally increases STAB moves by 50%, can be boosted to 100%!
This is why the Enhanced Fist is so much more powerful than the Divine Speed. If this strike hits in close combat, then the outcome will be decided!
"Roar!" Lucario roared in a deep voice, its body...
His body bent slightly, his entire form resembling an arrow poised to be released.
The next second, a heavy explosion resounded across the arena! Lucario vanished from his spot in the blink of an eye!
Lucario's lightning-fast explosive power was terrifying. With a sharp whistling sound, Lucario rushed towards Kangaskhan in an instant, accompanied by a fierce gust of wind. Its white-glowing fist had already gathered immense power for close combat, and it was about to smash heavily into Kangaskhan's body!
At this critical moment, Norman shouted sharply, "Kangaskhan, quickly use your guard!"
"Roar!" Kangaskhan let out a steady roar, and a semi-transparent emerald green light shield instantly appeared around its body, like an indestructible shield, firmly enveloping its entire body. Almost the instant the light shield formed, Lucario's fist slammed down hard!
A deafening crash resounded!
Suddenly, white and green light intertwined violently, and a violent energy shockwave spread in all directions, blowing up the rubble on the ground.
Lucario's full-force attack landed entirely on the protective barrier, but it couldn't break through the seemingly thin barrier. Instead, the reaction force generated by the barrier sent Lucario flying high into the air!
The Kangaskhan stood firmly in place, and the protective shield it had erected flickered a few times before slowly dissipating, clearly indicating that it had successfully withstood the attack.
A smile appeared on Norman's face. After blocking the attack, it was almost certain that the victory was already on his side.
He could also see Lucario's stamina issues. This attack was a do-or-die situation for both Lucario and Ash. If it failed, Lucario would run out of steam, unlike Kangaskhan, who still had plenty of stamina.
There are simply two states.
Lucario's prized Extreme Speed can no longer be used casually. If it uses Extreme Speed again, Lucario's legs will probably be unable to even stand up. Without that terrifying boost, even with Mega Evolution, Lucario would be no match for Kangaskhan in the face of the absolute level difference.
At that very moment, an unexpected change occurred!
"Lucario, now! Use your last bit of power, Extreme Speed and Close Combat!" Ash's command rang out again, and this sentence successfully froze the smile on Norman's face.
How is that possible? Lucario still has strength? That doesn't make sense! Judging from Lucario's condition just now, the attack that was blocked by Protect should have been a desperate attack between Ash and Lucario. How could Lucario still have power?
A sharp glint flashed in Lucario's eyes as he flew through the air.
A burst of light and a deep roar echoed across the arena once more, and his aura surged instantly, becoming even more ferocious than before!
This time, he truly unleashed his full power! His adaptability traits exploded to the extreme, pushing his close-combat prowess to its peak!
Norman finally understood. Lucario hadn't used its full strength in that attack. Although Ash hadn't said it explicitly, given his and Lucario's understanding, they could hint at it through their eyes, tone of voice, and even gestures.
They had already guessed that the attack would be blocked, so they focused their last strength on this follow-up attack!
"Ouch!"
With Extreme Speed activated again, Lucario's figure transformed into a blurry white streak in the air, several times faster than before, leaving almost only an afterimage as it hurtled towards...
Kangaskhan below swooped down.
"Use Protect!!" At this point, Protect is the only move that can defend against Lucario's attack. Although Protect only has a 50% success rate on the second use, Norman has no choice but to take this gamble.
Aside from Guard, there are no other moves that can reliably block Lucario's attack.
However, things didn't go as planned, and it seemed that fate wasn't on Norman's side.
A faint light appeared in front of Kangaskhan, but it vanished in an instant. Protect ultimately failed to activate, and at that moment, Lucario appeared in front of Kangaskhan!
The fist, gleaming with a dazzling white light and carrying earth-shattering power, slammed into the Kangaskhan's body. It was a full-force attack in close combat, unleashed without reservation!
One punch, two punches, three punches... a barrage of attacks rained down on the Kangaskhan, each strike accompanied by a heavy thud, violent energy surging into the pouch through the fists.
Inside the casing.
The Kangaskhan let out a painful howl, its body was forced back repeatedly by the blow, its limbs trembled uncontrollably, and its fur was disheveled by the energy impact, completely shattering its previously steady stance.
Finally, under Lucario's final, all-out punch, Kangaskhan could no longer hold on. Its massive body flew out and crashed into the barrier. The children nearby couldn't help but cover their eyes, unable to bear watching the violent scene.
Lucario remained in a punching stance, panting heavily. The next second, a light shone on his body, and he reverted from Mega Evolution to his original form.
At this moment, Lucario was not incapacitated, but it was practically the same as if he had. He had exhausted all his strength, and if Kangaskhan hadn't collapsed yet, he would have no choice but to accept defeat.
He easily defeated Ash!
May, on the other hand, was not so optimistic. After spending time together and getting to know Ash, she knew that Ash had not yet shown his true strength.
Kangaskhan wasn't considered one of his father's strongest Pokémon, so does that mean Lucario is too? Ash has at least three Pokémon stronger than Lucario, so Lucario is only considered below average in Ash's team. Therefore, the next two battles might not be easy for him.
"Well done, Lucario! You've worked hard. Come back now!" Ash took out a Poké Ball and retrieved Lucario, who was almost fainting. He had just glanced at Lucario's level and it had already broken through to the Elite Four.
The battle was a great success; not only did they defeat their opponent, but they also successfully helped Lucario break through.
Indeed, it is only in real battles that one can more easily break through one's limits. Practicing with one's own Pokémon is always a little lacking; external pressure is still necessary.
Including Lucario, Ash now has six Elite Four level Pokémon!
Pikachu, Charizard, Gardevoir, Venusaur, Blastoise, and Lucario!
If we were to rank trainers based on the level of their Pokémon, then Ash would now be a true Elite Four level trainer!
"You've worked hard, Kangaskhan. Get some rest." Norman comforted Kangaskhan in his arms, then took out his second Pokémon.
"Seeing is believing, and the legend of the Kanto Supernova's superior skill in battling opponents far stronger than themselves is truly undeniable. They actually defeated my Elite Four level Kangaskhan with a Pokémon at the peak of its Gym level! If I hadn't experienced it firsthand, I wouldn't have believed it."
In the silent scene, the Kangaskhan never stood up, and the outcome was obvious.
"Kangaskhan is unable to battle, Lucario wins!!" Sayuri waved her arm, declaring Lucario the victor.
Max stared blankly ahead, clearly finding the result hard to accept. However, he quickly recovered, realizing it was just the defeat of one elf; his father hadn't lost yet!
Although Ash won, Lucario was in very bad condition, even reverting from Mega Evolution. Even though it hadn't lost consciousness, it was no longer capable of battling. This battle was essentially a fight to the death, so the first match should have been considered a draw!
With a small measure of self-consolation, he reluctantly accepted the fact that his father had lost the first battle. He knew the Kangaskhan's strength; in his father's hands, it was only of average level. He was certain that his father could easily defeat it in the subsequent battles.
"Yes." Norman's voice carried a hint of emotion.
Even witnessing it firsthand was incredibly shocking for Norman. To this day, he still finds it hard to believe that his Elite Four-level Kangaskhan was actually defeated by a Gym Leader-level Lucario.
Type advantages and disadvantages, Mega Evolution—none of that matters in the face of absolute power. That's what Norman thought before the battle.
However, the boost brought by Mega Evolution was even greater than he had imagined. After Mega Evolution, the gap between Lucario and Kangaskhan was no longer insurmountable.
Coupled with Lucario's already formidable stats, this led to the two teams being neck and neck for a time.
If Lucario had a little more stamina and could use Extreme Speed as a regular move, Kangaskhan would have lost even more miserably.
There's a saying that goes, "In the world of martial arts, speed is the only thing that can't be broken." Even though speed doesn't represent everything, once you increase your speed, some minor flaws will be buried.
Lucario is a perfect example; his speed advantage effectively masks his shortcomings in attack, defense, and even stamina.
Lucario was able to fight alongside Kangaskhan and ultimately win the battle thanks to its incredible speed.
Ash and his Pokémon possess such terrifying ability to battle beyond their level. It's hard to imagine what it would be like if all of Ash's Pokémon reached Champion level, making him invincible among the Champions.
Just thinking about it is incredibly oppressive. Even Leon probably wouldn't feel such a terrifying sense of pressure. But we'll have to wait until Ash and his entire team win the championship. Right now, he still needs to train some more.
"This is my second one, go, Blissey." With a flash of light, a round egg-shaped Pokémon appeared on the field.
The upper half of this elf's body is pink, the lower half is white, and it has some curly hair on its head.
It has white wings on its shoulders, white patterns encircling its body, and a pouch containing an egg on its belly.
This is Chansey's final evolution, Blissey, which often appears at Pokémon Centers to assist Nurse Joy.
Blissey has incredibly high stamina, but its defense is particularly weak. Using a physical attacker would be a good way to break through its defenses.
Ash knew Blissey was a strong Pokémon, but this was the first time he'd encountered it in battle. He had absolutely no Pokémon to counter Blissey, and even the experienced players in his group hadn't mentioned any strategies against it.
Based on my experience battling with Blissey, I can see just how difficult it is for Blissey to appear in normal battles.
"Elite Four level... Well, I can't slack off either! I choose you, Charizard!" Ash threw out a Poké Ball, and a fierce and majestic Charizard appeared on the field.
Ash chose Charizard as his second Pokémon to enter the battle! Charizard is the team's top general and one of the three strongest members!
Charizard is already at the intermediate level of Elite Four. If it undergoes Mega Evolution, it can reach the advanced level of Elite Four. Moreover, the evolved form, Charizard X, is a physical attacker, which perfectly counters Blissey's weaknesses!
"Charizard? That should be your ace Pokémon, Ash. You brought it out so quickly?"
"There's no other way. Since you've brought out these Blissey, Mr. Norman, I have to reciprocate with a similar gift."
Ash's words made Norman's eyes narrow slightly. Hearing Ash's words...
Does his statement imply that he knows about the Blissey?
Did you get the information from the internet? That doesn't make sense either. His Blissey appear very rarely, and very few people know that he has Blissey or how powerful they are. Those people wouldn't expose it online.
Could it be that Ash figured out Blissey's level just by looking? If that's the case, then that's really terrifying!
"I won't hold back, Mr. Norman! Let's go all out and reach the peak, Charizard!!" Ash raised his arm high, and the Key Stone on his wrist shone brightly once again!
This is a power unique to Ash, allowing him to use Mega Evolution twice in the same battle!
As the Key Stone's light enveloped Charizard, its body underwent a transformation. Moments later, a jet-black Charizard appeared on the field—MEGA Charizard X!
After evolving, Charizard's cool appearance instantly caused screams from a group of children. Its dark, cool, and handsome appearance is simply a fatal attraction for children, especially boys!
The kids who originally supported Norman are now having thoughts of switching sides to Ash's, since being handsome is justice!